Powerful earthquake hit Nepal death toll crosses 600

A powerful earthquake struck Nepal Saturday, killing at least 479 people across a swath of four countries as the violently shaking earth collapsed houses, leveled centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches in the Himalayas. It was the worst temblor to hit the poor South Asian nation in over 80 years.

At least 449 people were confirmed dead in Nepal, including 181 in the capital, Kathmandu alone, according to the police. Another 20 were killed in India, six in Tibet and two in Bangladesh. Two Chinese citizens died at the Nepal-China border.

The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.8 struck before noon and was most severely felt in the capital as well as the densely populated Kathmandu Valley. A magnitude-6.6 aftershock hit about an hour later, and smaller aftershocks continued to ripple through the region for hours.

Dozens of people with injuries were being brought to the main hospital in central Kathmandu.

Pushpa Das, a labourer, ran from the house when the first quake struck but could not escape a collapsing wall that injured his arm.

“It was very scary. The earth was moving ... I am waiting for treatment but the (hospital) staff is overwhelmed,” he said, gingerly holding his right arm with his left hand. As he spoke dozens of more people showed up with injuries, mostly from falling bricks.

The earthquake also shook several cities across northern India, and was felt as far away as Lahore in Pakistan, Lhasa in Tibet, and in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Following the quake, Kathmandu’s international airport was shut down.

A senior mountaineering guide, Ang Tshering, said an avalanche swept the face of Mt. Everest after the earthquake, and government officials said at least 30 people were injured.

Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association said the avalanche occurred between the Khumbu Icefall, a rugged area of collapsed ice and snow, and the base camp where most climbing expeditions have their main camps.

Carsten Lillelund Pedersen, a Dane who is climbing the Everest with a Belgian climber Jelle Veyt, said on his Facebook page that they were at Khumbu Icefall , a rugged area of collapsed ice and snow close to base camp at altitude 5,000 meters (16,500 feet) when the earthquake hit.

“He was blown away by the avalanche and broke both legs. For the camps closer to where the avalanche hit, our Sherpas believe that a lot of people may have been buried in their tents,” he wrote in English.

“There is now a steady flow of people fleeing basecamp in hope of more security further down the mountain”

The quake’s epicenter was 80 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu, and it had a depth of only 11 kilometers, which is considered shallow in geological terms. The shallower the quake the more destructive power it carries, and witnesses said the trembling and swaying of the earth went on for several minutes..

As the quake began to intensify, residents ran out of homes and buildings in panic. Clouds of dust began to swirl around them. Large cracks opened up on streets and walls.

Several buildings collapsed in the center of the capital, the ancient Old Kathmandu, including centuries-old temples and towers, said resident Prachanda Sual.

Among them was the nine-storey Dharahara Tower, one of Kathmandu’s landmarks built by Nepal’s royal rulers as a watchtower in the 1800s and a UNESCO-recognized historical monument. It was reduced to rubble and there were reports of people trapped underneath.

Video footage showed people digging through the rubble of the bricks form the collapsed tower, looking for survivors.

In Kathmandu, dozens of people were gathered in the parking lot of Norvic International Hospital, where thin mattresses were spread on the ground for patients rushed outside, some wearing hospital pajamas. A woman with a bandage on her head sat in a set of chairs pulled from the hospital waiting room.

Doctors and nurses hooked up some patients to IV drops in the parking lot, or were giving people oxygen.

The U.S. Geological Survey revised the magnitude from 7.5 to 7.9 but then lowered it to 7.8. It said the quake hit at 11-56 a.m. local time (0611 GMT) at Lamjung. It was the largest shallow quake since the 8.2 temblor off the coast of Chile on April 1, 2014.

The quake with the same magnitude as the one that hit San Francisco in 1906 was about 16 times more powerful than the 7.0 quake that devastated Haiti in 2010.

A magnitude 7 quake is capable of widespread and heavy damage while an 8 magnitude quake can cause tremendous damage.

A Swedish woman, Jenny Adhikari, who lives in Nepal, told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that she was riding a bus in the town of Melamchi when the earth began to move.

“A huge stone crashed only about 20 meters (yards) from the bus,” she was quoted as saying. “All the houses around me have tumbled down. I think there are lot of people who have died,” she told the newspaper by telephone. Melamchi is about 45 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Kathmandu.

Residents reported seeing trails of destruction -- collapsed walls, broken windows and fallen telephone poles -- as they drove through the capital, along with streets filled with terrified people.

But scattered reports also indicated that most buildings in the capital did not collapse.

“It’s too early to make any assessment but the damage isn’t as bad as it could have been,” said Liz Satow, the Nepal director for the air group World Vision. She said she drove from Kathmandu to the nearby town of Lalitpur and said that while there was considerable damage, most buildings were still intact.

Nepal suffered its worst recorded earthquake in 1934, which measured 8.0 and all but destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.

The sustained quake also was felt in India’s capital of New Delhi and several other cities.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered “all possible help” that Nepal may need.

Modi talks to Nepal PM, assures all help

With massive earthquake hitting Nepal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to his counterpart Sushil Koirala as well as President Ram Baran Yadav and assured all help in dealing with the “tough” situation.

“Spoke to PM Sushil Koirala, who is in transit in Bangkok on his way to Kathmandu. Assured all support & assistance during this tough time,” Mr. Modi tweeted.

Mr. Modi, who is personally monitoring the situation at home as well as in Nepal, spoke to Mr. Yadav first as Mr. Koirala was abroad and not reachable.

Later, Mr. Modi talked to Mr. Koirala and assured him of “all assistance to deal with the situation arising due to the earthquake”, the PMO said.

-The Hindu

Wildlife Numbers Drop by Half Since last four decades

Earth lost half its wildlife in the past four decades, according to the most comprehensive study on animal populations to date, a far larger decline than has been previously reported.

The latest analysis was done by scientists at the wildlife group WWF, the Zoological Society of London and other organizations. Based on an analysis of thousands of vertebrate species, it concludes that overall animal populations fell by 52% between 1970 and 2010.

The animal population decline was seen everywhere—in rivers, on land and in the seas—and is mainly the result of increased habitat destruction, hunting and fishing, the report said. Climate change is also believed to be a factor, though its consequences are harder to measure.

The previous WWF report analyzing animal populations was published in 2012 and it suggested a decline of 28%. The latest report has 15% more data than the previous one; it is more representative of tropical species; and it includes an improved methodology.

The fastest declines were seen in rivers and other freshwaters systems, where populations have fallen 76% since 1970. By comparison, terrestrial and marine populations each fell 39%.

While biodiversity continues to decline in both temperate and tropical parts of the world, the downward trend is greater in the tropics.

The most dramatic decline was in Latin America, where overall populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish fell 83%. Asia-Pacific wasn't too far behind, though.

The new findings are calculated using the WWF's "Living Planet Index," a measure of biodiversity based on trends in 10,000 populations of about 3,000 animal species.

The WWF has been compiling its index since 1998. It tracks a large number of animal populations just as a stock market index tracks the value of a group of stocks. The data used in compiling the index are population size, density or a measure of abundance over a length of time.

In a separate section, the WWF report also tries to measure the state of humanity's ability to live in a sustainable way. With the planet's population expected to swell by another 2.4 billion people by 2050, the challenge of providing everyone with food, water and energy will be a difficult one.

The report analyzes sustainability by calculating a global "ecological footprint," which measures the area required to supply the ecological goods and services we use. It concludes that humanity currently needs the regenerative capacity of 1.5 Earths to supply these goods and services each year.

The study says: "This 'overshoot' is possible because—for now—we can cut trees faster than they mature, harvest more fish than the oceans can replenish, or emit more carbon into the atmosphere than the forests and oceans can absorb." Since the 1990s, we have reached that overshoot by the ninth month of each year, it adds.

"It's a very loud wake-up call," said Carter Roberts, president and chief executive officer of WWF US, in an interview. "As we lose natural capital, people lose the ability to feed themselves and to provide for their families—it increases instability exponentially. When that happens, it ceases to be a local problem and becomes a global one."

Drop in CO2 levels triggered formation of Antarctic ice sheet

A new study suggests that a drop in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels seems to have triggered Antarctic ice sheet formation.Roughly a 40 percent decrease in CO2 occurred prior to and during the rapid formation of a mile-thick ice sheet over the Antarctic approximately 34 million years ago.The long-held, prevailing theory known as "Southern Ocean gateway opening" is not the best explanation for the climate shift that occurred during the Eocene-Oligocene transition when the Earth's polar regions were … Read more at candidshare.com

Indonesian volcano erupts again, strongest yet

Mount Sinabung shot a towering cloud of black ash high into the air on Tuesday, dusting villages 15 miles (25 kilometers) away in its most powerful eruption since awakening last week from four centuries of dormancy. Some witnesses at the foot of Mount Sinabung reported seeing an orange glow — presumably magma — in cracks along the volcano's slopes for the first time. This latest eruption was double the previous outburst and volcanologist recorded a tower of ash reaching 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) according to government volcanologist Agus Budianto.



Mount Sinabung spews volcanic smoke as seen from Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia. "There was a huge, thunderous sound. It sounded like hundreds of bombs going off at one," said Ita Sitepu, 29, who was among thousands of people staying in crowded emergency shelters well away from the base. "Then everything starting shaking. I've never experienced anything like it." AP

State ready to flaunt its ‘heritage’ animal

Lucknow: As the Union minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh announced plans to declare the elephant as the “national heritage animal”, the state got another reason to smile.

Uttar Pradesh, which already has an exclusive elephant reserve and a sizeable population of the pachyderm, is now planning to get Central support for protection and conservation of the animal.

Ramesh has also announced that a National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA) will be formed on the lines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).



Uttar Pradesh is one of the few states in the country which has its own forest reserve. In September 2009, the state declared the Shivalik Forest Range in Bijnore's Nazibabad forest division as an Elephant Reserve.

The range, which shares borders with the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand, is one of the key habitats of the elephant and covers 744 square kilometres. Currently, there are 30 elephants in the reserve.




The conservator (Saharanpur circle), Sunil Pandey, said: "This figure is from the elephant census conducted in May, but it is fluctuating since it is connected with the Rajaji National Park and the elephant is a migratory animal and keeps moving between the two states."

During summer, the animal moves towards the hill area and the figures show a decline, added Pandey.



Apart from the Shivalik range, the state also has elephant population in the Dudhwa National Park, which shares its borders with the Shuklafanta range in Nepal. In the last census, the area saw the presence of 11 tuskers.

The Forest Department -- alongwith the World Wildlife Fund and the forest ministry, Nepal -- is also running an awareness programme in the area as the Tarai belt witnesses herds of elephants migrating from Nepal to UP.



Field director, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Shailesh Prasad, said; "This area has always been a traditional elephant territory and the population keeps changing. We are trying to create a specific zone and identify the animal's route from Nepal to UP."

The state forest department is now planning projects that it will be sending to the Union ministry.

A senior official said: "We have a reserve which can get a better push with the Centre's support. And among the northern states, we have a good population too. Hence, we are planning to come up with proposals for the animal's conservation, for which we can seek the Union ministry's support."

Source: The Indian Express
Related Posts: 4,000 trees in Patna zoo face the axe for airport safety

4,000 trees in Patna zoo face the axe for airport safety

Patna: Nature lovers are concerned over the Bihar government’s plans to cut or prune nearly 4,000 trees in the Patna zoo for airport safety, as they say it is the only green cover for the city’s two million people.

The zoo is formally known as the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park and houses a variety of trees such as semal, bamboo, amaltas, banyan, kusum, arjun and putranjiva.

"It is madness to cut or prune trees of the zoo to make Patna Airport safer. It would be good to shift the airport outside crowded Patna and plant more trees to convert the present airport into another big green cover," said Guddu Baba, a green activist associated with campaigns to clean Ganga river.

He said the trees of the Patna zoo were the only green cover for Patna residents; so the government should do a rethink. "The government must shift the airport to Bihta near Patna to ensure green cover," Guddu Baba said.



4,000 trees in Patna zoo face the axe for airport safety



The state government Wednesday said it plans to get a part of the city zoo denotified so as to cut or prune over 3,700-odd trees in a triangular area of 17 acres. It has written to the principal secretary, environment and forests, in this regard.

"Pruning and cutting of trees are essential for safe landing of aircraft at the Patna airport. The civil aviation ministry has given the state government an ultimatum till August 31 to cut the identified trees that obstruct the approach funnel of the Patna airport," an official in the chief minister's office said Friday.

Father Robert Athickal, the man behind the Patna-based Taru-Mitra, an organisation that campaigns for trees, said he has no objection to some trees being pruned as long as they were not cut down.

"The move to prune a few trees for a safe airport, which is adjacent to the zoo, is fine," he told IANS. But he was against trees being cut, uprooted or hundreds of trees being pruned.

4,000 trees in Patna zoo face the axe for airport safety

Taru-Mitra has planned a march here Saturday to protest the move to cut trees in the zoo. "We will also submit a memorandum to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, seeking protection of the trees in the zoo," an organisation official said.

Much to the chagrin of environmentalists, the government has said it would plant rose bushes in place of the trees. It has also requested the environment and forests department to expedite the process of pruning another 249 trees inside the zoo.

"The pruning of these 249 trees in the Patna zoo has already started," a zoo official said. The government initiated moves to cut or prune trees after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation threatened to declare the airport unsuitable for big aircraft operations from Sep 1 if obstacles to the approach funnel were not cleared.

4,000 trees in Patna zoo face the axe for airport safety



A two-member Airports Authority of India (AAI) team from Delhi is in Patna and on Wednesday it demarcated the three points that will enclose the area in the zoo which has to be denotified.

Patel Chowk is the first point while the second point lies along the road adjacent to the airport. The third point is between the zoo's Gate No.2 and Raj Bhavan.

"We will complete the process of enumerating the trees in this triangular area in a day or two," said zoo director Abhay Kumar.

Arun Singh, a nature lover, said trees of the zoo should not be cut for the sake of the airport. "The airport can be shifted to Bihta, but trees cannot be planted in a year or two, they take years. Cutting trees will cause environmental problems," he said.

4,000 trees in Patna zoo face the axe for airport safety



Singh said over 2,500 trees were cut or uprooted in Patna in the name of widening of roads in the last three years. "No trees planted in place of the uprooted ones," he said.

Aneesh Ankur, a morning walker in the Patna zoo, said the move would increase pollution.

At present the zoo, spread across an area of 34 acres, is home to over 10,000 trees of nearly 180 varieties, zoo officials said.

Source: IANS

Ring of Fire volcano erupts after 400 years

Mount Sinabung erupted after 400 years of dormancy on Sunday and Monday, spewing hot ash thousands of metres into the air and forcing nearly 29,000 villagers living on its slopes to seek refuge in temporary shelters. Thousands of residents who fled to safety after a volcano on Indonesia’s Sumatra island erupted began returning to their homes on Wednesday, officials said.

A thick smoke spews from the summit of Mount Sinabung as it erupts seen from Tanah Karo in North Sumatra. Airlines were warned to avoid the remote Mount Sinabung in northern Sumatra as the volcano spewed a vast cloud of smoke and ash high into the air for a second day after springing to life for the first time in four centuries on August 29. AFP