China to ban polluting tourist vehicles near Mt Everest in Tibet

China is planning to ban polluting tourist vehicles at the Mount Everest base camp in Tibet from next year as part of  its efforts to reduce pollution in the area that has a environment. 
Eco-unfriendly tourist transport vehicles will be banned from base camp and permit electric golf-style buggies to raise the income of the locals, China-Tibet Online reported.

Indian court eases fire cracker ban even as pollution soars

the high court of India eased a ban on fireworks for a major Hindu festival despite air pollution in New Delhi and other cities against reaching the danger levels. last year supreme court banned firecrackers for the Diwali festival, firecrackers set off makes a huge air pollution. in this year the court ordered that only reduce smoke fireworks. the court has also set  a two-hour window from 8:00pm to 10:00pmfor lightning of crackers   

Uber to introduce clean air fee to all London rides

Uber will charge its customers in London extra 15p per mile on every trip to help its drivers buy electric cars. Uber say that evey extra penny would go towards helping drivers upgrade their vehicle. The fund was announced as a part of clean air plan,as Uber continues its effort to prove itself to Transport for London after it initially decided not to renew its licence to operate last year.

Hawaiian island erased by powerful hurricane: The loss is a huge blow

East Island, a remote spit of gravel and sand that sat atop a coral reef, has vanished after having this misfortune to come into contact with hurricane Walaka, an intense storm that surged past Hawaii earlier this month. Scientists have confirmed the disappearance of 11 acre island after comparing satellite images of the surrounding French Frigate Shoals, part of an enormous protected marine area in the north western Hawaiian Islands.
The island played an important role for wildlife including critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal, a soecies taht numbers just 1400 individual, Green sea turtles and seabirds such as albatrosses.

Two rhinos die in Chad after being relocated from South Africa

• Rhinos in Chad were wiped out by poaching nearly 50 years ago
• The six rhinos which had been relocated to Chad from South Africa, were intended to establish a new population in the country after intensive anti-poaching measures were put in place to protect them.
• Black rhinos are rated as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. 
• Rhinos are targeted to feed a booming demand for rhino horn  in China, Vietnam and other Asian countries, where it is believed to have medicinal qualities. 

SOURCE :  TIMES OF INDIA

State hopeful of lifting Bandipur Ban

• With a Supreme Court-appointed committee considering the measures proposed by the Centre for development of the ecosystem without impacting wildlife, Kerala is hopeful that the night traffic ban on National Highway 766 through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve may be lifted.
• The proposals have been submitted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
• several mitigative steps needed to be adopted if the apex court accepted the proposal to construct five elevated sections of one-km stretch, of which four will be at Bandipur and one in Wayanad on the highway.
• As per the plan, the metalled road portion underneath these elevated sections will be milled and converted into a forest landscape so as to maintain the continuity of the forest for the ease of movement of wildlife without any barrier.
• Besides, the State Forest Department has to provide land in exchange for the land re-converted into forest for the length of five km under the elevated sections in order to achieve a uniform right of way of 15 m.
• The wildlife departments of both States will jointly decide on the locations of elevated sections. The night-time restrictions on traffic will be lifted after the project is completed.

The Hindu October 24 2018

Chorus for cutting trees grows

• More than 500 requests for tree pruning were received in the Thiruvananthapuram range over the past six months, according to Forest Department officials.
• Destruction caused by uprooted trees and damage caused by branches falling during heavy rain seem to have led to people paying more attention to trees that pose danger.

Priority

• We can clear the branches of trees located on Corporation roads or on the premises of our offices once we get the approval from the Tree Protection Committee. 
• We are giving priority in case of educational institutions and hospitals to ensure that the pruning is carried out soon enough. Some of the councelor are not specific, as they don’t pinpoint specific trees to be pruned but request pruning for a larger area. For the bigger trees, above a specific size we need to call for a tender before we can do anything says the official.