Category: Environment

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-Top News Environment USA

Icy winds, heavy snowfall disrupt life in US

At least 10 people have died due to weather-relation conditions, including three homeless persons in the Milwaukee area…reports Asian Lite News

A Polar Vortex in the North Pole has led to several US cities witness severe cold weather conditions with temperatures dipping in the Midwest and the Northeastern region to a freezing minus -41 degrees Celsius, while 125 million people remain under wind chill advisories.

At least 10 people have died due to weather-relation conditions, including three homeless persons in the Milwaukee area, according to media reports. The three deaths are being investigated as possible cases of hypothermia cases.

The National Weather Service said temperatures could reach minus 30 degrees, with wind chill in the Plains and minus 50 in Montana and the Dakotas. The weather in Iowa is having an effect on the presidential campaign, with several events canceled ahead of Monday’s caucuses.

State capital Des Moines is forecast to have wind chills of minus 20 to minus 30. Another surge of Arctic air is expected to drop south over the Midwest and the northern Plains states, bringing potentially hazardous weather by midweek, NBC reported.

As rough weather was freezing the East Coast, a public transit bus in Philadelphia slid backward down a city street, NBC Philadelphia reported.

The National Weather Service office that serves Philadelphia said the city was likely to get 4 inches of snow overnight. As people across most of the US turned up the heat and stayed inside amid frigid temperatures, Montana took the title for the coldest temperature in the country, media reports said.

An area 13 miles north of Sulphur Springs, Montana, recorded a temperature of minus 42 degrees, the National Weather Service said.

The warmest weather was near Sunniland, Florida, around 50 miles southeast of Fort Myers, which had a temperature of 29 degrees, according to the agency. Meanwhile, 3,071 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled on Monday, according to a flight tracking website, on a day when there were ground stops at some airports due to the winter weather gripping the country.

The most canceled flights were at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, where 509 arriving or departing flights were canceled, according to the website FlightAware. The second hightest was at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with a combined 441 cancellations, according to the site.

Both airports said that the weather was affecting travel and causing planes to de-ice. They advised passengers to budget extra time. Snow fell across the South this weekend and Monday, suddenly covering communities better known for brutal summers in a winter’s blanket, NBC said.

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-Top News Environment USA

John Kerry Resigns as US Climate Envoy

John Kerry in Brussels to renew climate cooperation

Kerry championed cooperation on global warming between the US and China, the world’s two largest polluters, during times of tension…reports Asian Lite News

US climate envoy John Kerry is reportedly planning to step down from his role and work on President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign.

80-year-old Kerry, President Biden’s special envoy for climate, plans to step down by spring, ending a three-year run in a major diplomatic role that was created especially for him and which will face an uncertain future with his departure, The New York Times reported.

He led the US negotiating team through three United Nations climate summits, reasserting American leadership after the country withdrew from the Paris climate agreement during the Trump administration.

Kerry championed cooperation on global warming between the US and China, the world’s two largest polluters, during times of tension, the media outlet reported.

As Secretary of State under former President Barack Obama, Kerry was key to brokering the crucial 2015 Paris climate agreement.

That deal saw nearly the whole world for the first time support a common strategy to cut the greenhouse gas emissions which cause global warming, the BBC reported.

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-Top News Environment USA

Powerful Storm Batters Parts of Eastern US

In Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina, as many as four deaths were reported as storms hit the states with fierce winds, rain and tornadoes….reports Asian Lite News

A powerful storm has battered large areas of the eastern US. The storm has knocked out power across several states, leading to multiple rescues. It delivered its final blow to New England on Wednesday, CNN reported.

On Wednesday, multiple rivers were at major flood stage in the eastern US, most of them in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. Flooding forced evacuations in New Jersey and Connecticut, where the Yantic River came perilously close to hitting a record high level and a dam was damaged.

In Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina, as many as four deaths were reported as storms hit the states with fierce winds, rain and tornadoes.

An 81-year-old woman was among those killed after her Cottonwood, Alabama, mobile home was flipped multiple times on Tuesday, according to Houston County Commission Chairman Brandon Shoupe.

The number of power outages dropped as the storm moved away, but more than 120,000 homes and businesses were in the dark on Wednesday night in the eastern US, primarily in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont and Maine, according to PowerOutage.us. And high temperatures in the Northeast were expected to top out only in the 30s and 40s on Wednesday, leaving many without power in frigid weather, as per CNN.

The storm generated 25 tornado reports across Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina since Monday. In South Carolina, “significant damage” from a potential tornado was reported in the city of Bamberg, 60 miles south of Columbia, where the century-old City Hall building collapsed, according to city clerk-treasurer Robin Chavis.

A section of Interstate 80 in Iowa had to be closed down on Tuesday afternoon due to whiteout conditions that led to a multi-vehicle crash. In Kansas, around 30 people, including children, got stranded and had to be rescued from vehicles and taken to a high school during blizzard and whiteout conditions on Monday, CNN reported. (ANI)

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Environment India News Politics

Delhi Extends Winter Break for Schools, Withdraws Notice Hours Later

Delhi’s Directorate of Education said that further orders regarding winter break may be issued in due course….reports Asian Lite News

Hours after the issuance, the Delhi government retracted an order pertaining to the extension of winter vacation in schools within the national capital.

The Department of Education clarified that the earlier order, which extended the winter break, was mistakenly issued. It has been immediately withdrawn, and a decision regarding the matter will be made tomorrow morning.

Delhi’s Directorate of Education said that further orders regarding winter break may be issued in due course.

“Order No.DE.23(3)/Sch.Br./2024/18 dated: January 6, 2024, regarding extension of Winter Vacation stands withdrawn with immediate effect. Further orders in this regard may be issued in due course,” the updated order read.

The Delhi government, in the previous order, extended the winter break till January 10 in all the government-aided and unaided recognised private schools of the national capital territory (NCT) in light of ‘extreme cold waves and IMD’s yellow alert’.

Meanwhile, due to persistent unavailability of sunlight, a cold day to severe cold day was witnessed in some parts of Delhi, East Rajasthan, northwest Rajasthan, Haryana and in isolated pockets over Punjab with maximum temperatures over North India’s plains ranging from 12-18 degrees Celsius.

The maximum temperatures recorded at various stations displayed a significant departure from the normal range for this time of year.

Fog: Trains Running Late

As many as 20 trains are expected to arrive late in the national capital on Monday due to fog in several parts of the country, the railway officials said.

As per the Northern Railways, at least four trains are running late by about 6 hours, namely Katihar-Amritsar Express, Khajuarao-Kurukshetra Express, Jammutawi-Ajmer Express and Ajmer-Katra Pooja Express.

Three trains including Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express, Ambedkarnagar-Katra Express and Chennai-New Delhi GT are likely to arrive late by around 2 hours while Manikpur-Nizamuddin Express is expected to arrive almost 4 hours late, the railway officials said.

The officials further stated that as many as 12 trains are running late by around 1-1.30 hours including Kanpur-New Delhi Shramshakti, Saharsa-New Delhi Vaishali Express, Banglore-Nizamuddin, Bhubneshwar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Prayagraj-New Delhi Express, Rajendranagar-New Delhi Express, Muzaffarpur-Anand Vihar Express, Amritsar-Mumbai Express, Hyderabad-New Delhi Express and Chennai-New Delhi GT.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), shallow to moderate fog was experienced in isolated pockets over Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha earlier in the day.

The visibility recorded was below 500 metres in several parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Further, the IMD said that conditions of very dense fog are observed over isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar while dense fog is expected over isolated pockets of Madhya Pradesh.

In view of the prevailing weather conditions in Chandigarh, the state education department announced that there will be no classes, in physical mode, up to class 8 in any government, government-aided and recognised private schools of UT Chandigarh for the next six days, that is from January 8, 2024, to January 13, 2024.

The official order further stated that the schools may organise online classes for their students of these classes.

Also, several parts of Delhi witnessed thin fog as cold weather conditions intensified in the national capital.

A layer of fog was seen across AIIMS, and Barapullah Flyover areas in Delhi earlier in the day.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality in the national capital continues to be in the very poor category with the overall Air Quality Index recorded above 300.

Dense fog was seen in Bihar’s Patna. A thin layer of fog was also seen on Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir amid the prevailing weather conditions. (ANI)

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Environment

Delhi shivers in biting cold as temperature dips further

The IMD also issued a health advisory to the public warning against lung-related health impacts due to dense fog and cold wave…reports Asian Lite News

The cold wave continues to tightened its grip over Delhi-NCR with the minimum temperature recorded at 7.3 degrees on Thursday morning, as per India Meteorological Department data.

The maximum temperature is expected to be around 15 degrees in the national capital today and the fog conditions are likely to decrease in the next two days, the IMD said.

While IMD said that the cold wave is likely to persist for the next 2-3 days in Delhi and the National Capital Region.

As per IMD data, fog conditions were observed over Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, and Bihar and dense fog prevailed over Madhya Pradesh and Tripura while the Jammu division experienced moderate fog conditions.

The air quality in several parts of Delhi remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Thursday, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

According to the CPCB data, the Air Quality Index was recorded at 379 in RK Puram on Thursday morning, 312 in Lodhi Road, 377 ITO area and 387 in the IGI Airport area.

As per IMD, cold day to severe cold day conditions are likely to continue over some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan during the next two days and decrease thereafter.

Also, IMD said that dense to very dense fog is likely to continue over some parts of the plains of Northwest and East India during the next two days and gradually decrease thereafter.

A rise by 2-3 degrees in minimum temperatures is likely over many parts of Central and East India during the next 3 days and no significant change thereafter, the IMD said.

The IMD also issued a health advisory to the public warning against lung-related health impacts due to dense fog and cold wave.

“Dense fog contains particulate matter and other pollutants and in case exposed it gets lodged in the lungs, clogging them and decreasing their functional capacity which increases episodes of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath,” the IMD said.

Warning against eye irritation, IMD said that pollutants in the air if exposed may tend to irritate the membranes of the eye causing various infections leading to redness or swelling of the eye. (ANI)

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Environment Environment and WIldlife India News

Kashmir Gripped by Harsh Winter Chill

Demands for potable water have started pouring in from places otherwise believed to be sufficiently provided through water supply schemes by the Jal Shakti department….reports Asian Lite News

Intense dry cold wave continued in Kashmir on Wednesday as most water bodies froze in part recording alarmingly low discharge.

Kashmir is reeling under intense dry cold wave as Dal, Nigeen, Wullar and all other lakes, streams and rivers froze in parts while the water level in these dropped alarmingly low due to very scant snowfall and that too only in the mountains so far this season.

Demands for potable water have started pouring in from places otherwise believed to be sufficiently provided through water supply schemes by the Jal Shakti department.

Weather office has forecast cloudy weather from January 4 to January 6, adding that this is unlikely to result in rain/snowfall in the plains.

Srinagar city had minus 4.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday as the minimum temperature while Gulmarg and Pahalgam had minus 3.8 and minus 6.6 respectively.

In Ladakh region, Leh town had minus 15.2, Kargil minus 12.4 and Drass minus 14 as the minimum temperature.

Jammu city had 7, Katra 4.4, Batote 2.6, Bhaderwah 0.3 and Banihal minus 1.6.

Meanwhile, with a drop in the maximum temperature, the Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir experienced extreme cold conditions on New Year’s Day. The visibility in the area was near zero due to thick fog on Monday evening.

The fog in the area was caused by a change in the wind pattern from dry, cold north-westerly to moisture-laden easterly due to a weak western disturbance.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir Valley witnessed a bone-chilling first day of the year as the minimum temperature dropped several degrees below freezing point in many areas on Monday.

The minimum temperature in the summer capital of Srinagar dropped to minus 5.2 degrees Celsius in the morning, a weather official said.

As Kashmir grapples with the extreme cold, its impact on daily life and infrastructure is palpable.

The freezing temperatures have made daily activities a challenge for residents.

“The temperature in Jammu and Kashmir was minus 5.4 at night. Wherever we pour water, it freezes. People are coming in large numbers to enjoy the weather. Yesterday, there was a big celebration in front of Lal Chowk. We pray that if there is snowfall, then the cold will subside a little because our children and elders have fallen ill,” a local in Srinagar said while speaking to ANI.

Dal Lake and other water bodies, which attract tourists and locals for rides, have frozen. (IANS/ANI)

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Death Toll Rises to 64 in Japan Earthquake Series

Local media reports showed that the water supply has been cut in a total of 16 cities and towns in the quake-hit Noto region…reports Asian Lite News

Amid continued aftershocks and reports of additional damages, the death toll due to a series of powerful earthquakes that struck the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa earlier this week, increased to 64 on Wednesday, with search and rescue efforts currently underway.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the Noto Peninsula at 10:54 a.m. (local time) on Wednesday at a depth of 10 km, reports Xinhua news agency.

On Tuesday at at 5:13 p.m, the JMA said a 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the Noto Peninsula at 5:13 p.m. local time on Tuesday at a depth of 10 km, measuring upper 5.

Since the massive earthquakes, with the strongest one measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, occurred on Monday, the region has witnessed at least 155 temblors.

The JMA has also lifted all tsunami advisories along the Sea of Japan following the quake, but weather officials warned that strong aftershocks may occur in the week, especially over the next two to three days.

Meanwhile, a total of 57,360 people evacuated in 955 locations across quake-affected Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told mediapersons.

Local media reports showed that the water supply has been cut in a total of 16 cities and towns in the quake-hit Noto region.

Approximately 1,000 Self-Defense Force officers have arrived at the disaster area to carry out rescue operations.

The JMA said the earthquake, which measured the country’s maximum seismic intensity of 7, recorded a maximum three-component vector sum peak ground acceleration of 28,266 gals.

The figure is comparable to the 29,334 gals recorded in Kuriyama city, Miyagi prefecture, which also experienced a top-intensity quake during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

It is generally assumed that the greater the acceleration, the larger the shaking and damage, but other factors, such as the duration of the shaking, also play a role, said the JMA.

Injuries were reported in the prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata, Fukui, Toyama, and Gifu.

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China’s Air Quality Declines, First Time in Decade

PM2.5 particles, if inhaled, can have serious health risks, linked to premature deaths in people with heart or lung disease…reports Asian Lite News

China’s air pollution worsened in 2023 for the first time in a decade. This is the first year since 2013 that China’s national average PM2.5 level has increased year-on-year, a report by research organisation the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) revealed.

“2023 is the first year that China’s national average PM2.5 level has increased year-on-year since the beginning of China’s “war on pollution” in 2013. 80 per cent of the provincial capitals, including Beijing, have seen PM2.5 level increase on year,” the report stated.

PM2.5 particles, if inhaled, can have serious health risks, linked to premature deaths in people with heart or lung disease, as well as a host of breathing and other health issues, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The CREA based its findings on Chinese government data and a machine-learning algorithm that distinguished between the impact of weather and human emissions. CREA said that the overall increase in human-caused emissions, in addition to unfavorable weather conditions, has pushed the pollution level higher.

China’s air quality often remains below World Health Organization standards.

According to the report, nearly half of the capital cities that have not met the PM2.5 standard have improved air quality compared to the previous year, while all cities that comply with the standard have seen increases.

The rebound in pollution levels was due to both increases in emissions and more unfavourable weather conditions in 2023, compared with the previous year. This is seen using CREA’s deweathering algorithm, which disaggregates the impact of changes in weather conditions and changes in emissions.

The largest relative increases in PM2.5 pollution levels attributed to increases in emissions were in Lhasa (in Tibet), Tianjin and Jinan (in Shandong), at 18.2 per cent, 15.5 per cent and 11.7 per cent in the year, respectively.

The overall increase in human-caused emissions has pushed the pollution level higher, in addition to unfavourable weather conditions, the report said.

Coal production and thermal power production in areas where the PM2.5 standard was not met have increased by 4.4 per cent and 4.3 per cent, respectively, per year, indicating a larger use of fossil energy. Similar increases were also seen in the oil and metal industries. (ANI)

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China Earthquake Rescue Ends; Focus Shifts to Recovery

The devastating Jishishan earthquake that rattled Northwest China overnight has led to a total of 131 fatalities, including 113 in Gansu Province and 18 in Qinghai Province…reports Asian Lite News

Rescue work in China after a devastating earthquake is drawing to an end and the focus of authorities has shifted to post-disaster management in the affected region including the treatment of injured and resettlement of displaced people, The Global Times reported on Wednesday.

The devastating Jishishan earthquake that rattled Northwest China overnight has led to a total of 131 fatalities, including 113 in Gansu Province and 18 in Qinghai Province. Nearly 1,000 people are reported injured, while 16 remain missing.

The Global Times reported quoting Gansu officials that more than 87,000 people were evacuated and moved to safe places, nearly 15000 houses collapsed and 207000 more were damaged after the quake, affecting 145,736 people.

According to the latest data, a total of 78 trapped individuals have been rescued, with 6,653 people evacuated as of 6:00 am on Wednesday. Additionally, 360 tents have been set up, 683 hazardous areas have been cleared, and 47 tons of relief supplies have arrived at the disaster-stricken sites.

After 10 hours of nonstop efforts, all damaged roads and highways leading to the disaster area, especially toward the epicentre, have been cleared and reopened, including all 24 severely damaged rural roads, so that relief and supply vehicles were able to access impacted communities, the Gansu transport bureau said at the press conference.

All routes within the Lanzhou Railway Bureau, which had been delayed significantly due to impacts of the earthquake, have also resumed normal operations on Wednesday morning.

The damaged main power grid circuits in the earthquake-stricken area of Gansu and Qinghai have also been fully restored as of Tuesday evening, according to the State Grid Gansu Electric Power Company, Global Times reported.

A total of 423 aftershocks have been recorded over the one-and-a-half days since the initial impact, including 10 aftershocks measuring 3.0 magnitude or higher.

The strong earthquake triggered various secondary disasters. In Minhe county, Qinghai, which borders the epicenter Jishishan county, two villages experienced moving sand shortly after the earthquake. A significant number of houses were buried and washed away by mudslides, resulting in 20 individuals going missing. Following the incident, the Qinghai Provincial Fire Rescue Team swiftly organized overnight rescue operations.

The houses of 36 families, totaling 177 villagers, were destroyed by rushing sand in Jintian village, and 13 individuals are still missing. A firefighter on-site told the Global Times that after overnight search and rescue efforts, as of Wednesday morning, the bodies of four deceased have been discovered.

“The entire area is now covered with a thick layer of wet, thick and adhesive sludge. Rescue personnel told us that it’s so heavy and dense that it cannot be dug manually and requires heavy machinery for removal,” reporters from China Central Television said in a video shot from an impacted village.

Three excavators, brought in urgently, have been operating continuously, the CCTV report showed. “Shortly after the earthquake, waves of thick slurry, rising up to three meters high, surged and inundated the villages,” the reporter said in the video, The Global Times reported. (ANI)

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Heavy Rains Wreak Havoc in South Tamil Nadu

Floods in various parts of the city have disrupted the movement of vehicles as heavy rainfall continues to impact life and property….reports Asian Lite News

Normal life has been severely affected as many parts of Thoothukudi remained inundated due to heavy rainfall on December 18.

Floods in various parts of the city have disrupted the movement of vehicles as heavy rainfall continues to impact life and property.

A rescue operation is underway in Tirunelveli after heavy rain has wreaked havoc in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari.

Chennai Meteorological Department at 7 am on Tuesday said, “Moderate thunderstorms and lightning with moderate rainfall is very likely to occur at isolated places over several districts of Tamil Nadu & Karaikal. Light rain is likely in isolated places in several districts of Tamil Nadu in the next three hours.”

The Chennai Chennai MeT predicted thunderstorms and lightning with moderate rain at isolated places over Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Ramanathapuram and Sivagangai districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal on Tuesday morning.

“Heavy rainfall in the Southern District of Tamil Nadu impacted train operations. Southern Railway is making concerted efforts to restorative of traffic & evacuation of stranded passengers at Srivakuntam Railway station,” Southern Railway said in a press release.

Railway Staff from Madurai Division Commercial supervisor, Commercial Inspector and RPF Personnel have reached Srivaikuntam Railway station today morning with food and water for the stranded passengers.

NDRF is also reaching Srivaikuntam Rly station shortly. The evacuation by ground will start once they reach.

NDRF PRO stated that two NDRF teams struggled to reach stranded passengers for rescue operations due to severe floods. NDRF is making efforts to reach them and will do the necessary.

13 buses for transportation of the stranded passengers are kept ready in the Srivaikuntam bus depot. On evacuation from the station, they will be brought to the buses and moved to Vanchi Maniyachchi Railway Station which is 38 kms from Srivaikuntam.

A special train will be run to Chennai from Vanchi Manyichchi Station for all the stranded passengers, Southern Railways said.

Indian Army rescued flood-affected people from the Vasavappapuram area in Thoothukudi on Monday night.

As the Southern Tamil Nadu faces severe flood crisis due to heavy rains that have lashed the region in the last 24 hours. The state and central governments have launched massive rescue and relief operations to help the affected people.

“On December 18, Tamil Nadu received unprecedented rains in the last 24 hours that have caused extensive flooding in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts. The IAF responded swiftly and tasked Air Force Station Sulur with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, which is currently being undertaken by MI -17 V5 helicopter,” the Indian Air Force said in a post on ‘X’. (ANI)

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