Packing batteries with more punch
Indian researchers are working on cells that can store more energy, last longer
File Photo of the Sterlite Copper smelting plant in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. - The Hindu
The level of sulphur-dioxide (SO2) in the air has reduced significantly after the closure of Sterlite’s plant at Thoothukudi, claimed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to justify the State government’s arguments that SO2 was a major reason for high levels of pollution in the port city, and the decision to close the plant was correct.
The TNPCB on Sunday submitted a comparative study before the three-member panel of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in response to industry’s claims that there was no appreciable change in the ambient air quality after the plant’s closure.
SO2 levels on September 22, 2017 (sample taken on top of FB substation 230 Kva-Sterlite switching station) was around 20 micrograms per cubic metre (MPCM). However, it was less 5 MPCM on October 12 and 13 (sample taken on top of scaffolding of All India Radio).
There has been an increase in the level of Particulate Matter (PM) to 64.9 MPCM on October 12 and 13 as against 56 MPCM on September 22, 2017. This could be due to the dust emanated from the open dump such as gypsum, slag and secured landfill facility.
Similarly, the level of nitrogen dioxide reduced to less than 5 MPCM in October as against 15 mpcm in September 2017, the TNPCB said in its submission to the panel headed by Justice Tarun Agrawal, former Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court.
The panel was constituted after Sterlite’s parent company Vedanta petitioned the tribunal to consider reopening the plant that was sealed on May 28 due to protests by locals against alleged pollution.
On its part, counsels for Sterlite concluded their arguments. “The government’s reaction was only knee-jerk without any proper analysis and hence Sterlite had to face the unpleasant consequences,” said Sterlite sources.
MDMK leader Vaiko will again argue before the panel tomorrow, sources said.
Indian researchers are working on cells that can store more energy, last longer
To fix a broken bone, doctors often harvest another bone from the patient’s body or from someone else. It ...
Superconductors from IIScScientists at IISc Bangalore have invented a device with a nanocrystal structure ...
Engineering and construction giant L&T has won a licence from the Council of Scientific & Industrial ...
Option price falls more than it rises for the same change in underlying
A long-term vacation here is worth a check-in
The fund delivered a return of 31.5% in 2020 compared with the category’s 15.5%
Care Health Insurance’s new rider offers no great benefit. We review its pros and cons
In these isolated times when people yearn for a slice of the familiar, amateur and professional chefs are ...
Given the events in Washington DC on January 6, this week’s quiz is all about buildings that house or housed ...
While good writing wars against the cliché, television gives it a natural home
India is ready with two vaccines to beat the deadliest virus of recent times. The immunisation drive, however, ...
Digital is becoming dominant media, but are companies and their ad agencies transforming fast enough to make a ...
Slow Network, promoted by journalist-lyricist Neelesh Misra, pushes rural products and experiences
How marketers can use the traditional exchange of festive wishes meaningfully
For Fortune, a brand celebrating its 20th anniversary, it was a rude shock to become the butt of social media ...
Three years after its inception, compliance with GST procedures remains a headache for exporters, job workers ...
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of companies are altering the prospects for wooden toys of ...
Aequs Aerospace to create space for large-scale manufacture of toys at Koppal
And it has every reason to smile. Covid-19 has triggered a consumer shift towards branded products as ...
Please Email the Editor