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Source: Deshabhimani, 26th July 2009 
Breathing in polluted air may wreak havoc on our DNA, reprogramming genes in as few as three days and causing increased rates of cancer and other diseases.So says a new study that tracked DNA damage in 63 steel-foundry workers in Brescia, Italy, who, under their normal factory conditions, were exposed to particulate matter. The same damage may occur in city dwellers exposed to normal air, the researchers say.Particulate matter includes suspended, tiny bits of dust, metal, or soot in the air, which can lodge deep in the lungs. Exposure to the substance has been linked to respiratory diseases, lung cancer, and heart problems.Scientists know little about how inhaling particulate matter can cause health problems, according to lead study author Andrea Baccarelli of the University of Milan.But they did find that exposed workers' DNA was damaged by a slowed rate of "methylation," a biological process in which genes are organized into different chemical groups. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090517-pollution-changes-dna.html
As leads for new drugs on land dry up, medicine hunters are plunging into the ocean in search of the next blockbuster pharmaceutical.Harvesting ocean organisms for medicinal purposes—called marine bioprospecting—has accelerated in recent years as scientists seek new antibiotics and cancer treatments. Of the 36 known phyla—a taxonomic rank below kingdom—17 occur on land and 34 live in the ocean, making the seas "by far the highest biodiversity environment on the planet," said William Fenical, distinguished professor of oceanography and pharmaceutical science at University of California, San Diego. Close to 25 drugs derived from marine life—such as bacteria, sponges, and tunicates—are currently in clinical trials. Fifty percent of drugs made for humans are derived in some way from nature, Fenical said. But by the 1970s, scientists had realized that terrestrial microorganisms had been thoroughly explored, prompting a few early "pioneers" to turn their gaze seaward, Fenical said. These pioneers were attracted by unique ocean organisms with special chemical properties not seen on land.For instance, the severe ocean environments of little to no light and extremely cold temperatures have given rise to unusual—and mostly unstudied—survival strategies in ocean creatures, scientists say.Such survival strategies coincidentally fight diseases in people as well. For instance, some marine organisms produce population-control compounds that, when given to a person, work in a similar way: Instead of reducing the number of offspring, the compounds inhibit the growth of malignant tumors. Many of the drugs are easily synthesized into molecules in the lab, so that just a small amount of an organism, such as half a sponge, is all that needs to be collected. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090514-marine-drugs_2.html
Mother Nature has a previously unknown cleaning agent that scrubs away toxic air pollution, scientists have discovered. the existence of the still mysterious substance has shaken up decades-long assumptions about our atmosphere's self-cleaning process. Many studies have shown that trace gases and pollutants in the lowest level of our atmosphere break down naturally, thanks to molecules called hydroxyl (OH) radicals. But the breakdown spews out ozone, itself a toxic pollutant and a greenhouse gas. Not so in China's heavily polluted Pearl River Delta, where experts were stumped to find lots of OH radicals but relatively small amounts of resulting ozone. Highly reactive OH radicals are continually recycled in the atmosphere through reactions with water vapor and nitric oxide, both naturally present in the air. Part of nature's self-cleaning mechanism, the reactions break down trace amounts of pollutants, said study co-author Franz Rohrer, of the Institute of Chemistry and Dynamics of the Geosphere in Jülich, Germany. But when the radicals are recycled by nitric oxide, ozone is created. In the Pearl River region, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Guangzhou (Canton), OH radicals were more concentrated than in any other place measured by the team worldwide, Rohrer said. This suggests the existence of another method of recycling OH radicals—one that occurs without nitric oxide, the team suggests in this week's Science Express. Such a process is so unexpected that scientists likely did not have the right tools with them at the time to measure it, Rohrer said.The team, led by Rohrer's colleague Andreas Hofzumahaus, plan to test Chinese air samples in a simulation chamber in their laboratory.If they can solve the puzzle, the yet unknown ingredient could have a positive impact on the global atmosphere, Rohrer added. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/06/090604-air-pollution-self-clean_2.html
That's the hope of scientists and architects who are erecting a unique strategy to feed a swelling population on a planet with finite farmland. "In another 40 years, there'll be another three billion people. That's the problem," said Dickson Despommier, a professor of public health at Columbia University in New York. One solution, Despommier believes, is to grow everything from salad greens to staple grains year-round in high-rise buildings at the hearts of urban centers. This so-called vertical farming could put food within easy reach for billions of people while reducing carbon emissions from shipping crops across continents and oceans, he notes. "[The concept] is based on technologies already in use throughout the world, mainly high-tech greenhouses," Despommier said. For example, many existing greenhouses use hydroponics, a technique for growing crops in smaller spaces using nutrient-enriched water instead of soil. But for now high-rise farming remains just an idea. One challenge is how to stack the greenhouses so that layers of crops get enough light to be grown in a vertical structure, Despommier notes. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/06/090630-farm-towers-locally-grown.html
Substantial numbers of terrestrial vertebrates are restricted to mangrove forests. Many of these specialized species are listed as threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Prospects for mangrove-restricted animals are bleak, because more than two percent of mangrove forests are lost each year.More than 40 percent of a sample of amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds that are restricted to mangrove ecosystems are globally threatened with extinction, according to an assessment published in the July/August issue of BioScience. The study, by David A. Luther of the University of Maryland and Russell Greenberg of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, was based on an extensive literature search and expert consultations. The conclusions emphasize the vulnerability of animals that are dependent on a habitat rapidly being lost or degraded through coastal development, overexploitation, pollution, and changes in sea level and salinity. Mangroves, which are salt-tolerant woody plants concentrated along coastal margins, generally in warm regions, have long been known to support many species of animals. Hundreds of vertebrates are sometimes found in mangroves, but Luther and Greenberg concentrated on the 69 terrestrial vertebrate species and subspecies that seem restricted to mangroves: 48 birds, 14 reptiles, 6 mammals, and 1 amphibian. These include several species with striking adaptations, such as specialized glands to excrete salt. The ground foragers among them feed primarily on crabs, but many of the birds feed on insects. For unclear reasons, mangrove-restricted species and subspecies are concentrated in Asia and Australia.Between the early 1980s and 2001, between 19 and 35 percent of the world's mangrove forest area was lost. At this rate of loss--about 2 percent each year--mangroves could be extinct in 100 years. Only 27 of the terrestrial vertebrates that are dependent on mangroves have been assessed by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), and 13 of those are classified as threatened on the IUCN Red List, Luther and Greenberg report. They urge research aimed at predicting how continuing changes to mangrove forests are likely to affect the species found there: such information could guide attempts to conserve these specialized ecosystems. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701082905.htm
Ganges River Dolphin Survival Threatened by Oil Exploration Dolphin protected areas must be established if the Ganges River dolphin is to survive in the Brahmaputra river system, new research indicates. The study was prompted by the need for accurate dolphin population data after Oil India Ltd. proposed to start prospecting for oil along the bed of the Brahmaputra River using air guns and explosives.Estimates have put the total population of the Ganges River dolphin, Platanista gangetica gangetica, at around 2,000. Between 240 to 300 of these inhabit the Brahmaputra River system in India, according to the survey prepared for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Sir Peter Scott Fund. "Our research shows accidental killing through fisheries bycatch, followed by poaching for oil, are the major threats to the dolphins of the Brahmaputra river system," said project leader Abdul Wakid, Ph.D., who conducted the research with Gill Braulik of the University of St. Andrews' Sea Mammal Research Unit."Their habitat is also being degraded by human activities," said Wakid. "Dam building and a proposed seismsic survey in the Brahmaputra river are potential threats." The Ganges River Dolphin is found mainly in the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems in India and Bangladesh. The study identified eight river sections as potential protected areas and community-based dolphin conservation as the best strategy to save the dolphins.Based on high abundance of dolphins, potential for protection and possibilities for dolphin ecotourism, eight sections of the river were identified as potential protected areas and community-based conservation areas. Copyright Environment News Service, ENS, 2009.
A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Monday decided to expedite steps for de-silting the water hyacinth-infested Akkulam and Veli lakes in the city. The meeting decided to utilise the Rs.4.29-crore fund provided by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests through the National River Conservation Directorate for the environmental regeneration of Veli and Akkulam lakes four years ago. The grant-in aid is lying unutilised with the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project.This is the first instalment of Central share, which is 70 per cent, for the Rs. 24.36-crore project. The meeting, attended by Minister for Water Resources N. K. Premachandran and Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs M. Vijayakumar, decided to seek the services of the Kerala State Maritime Development Corporation and Travancore Cements, a public sector undertaking, for the de-silting of the two lakes. It was also decided to remove the sand bar set up for constructing the Akkulam bridge on the Kazhakuttom-Inchivila NH 47 bypass. Once the sand bar is removed, boats can move freely from Veli to Akkulam and back. The meeting was told that Irrigation Department had awarded the work for constructing new boat jetties at Veli and Akkulam. It was also decided to remove an island-like formation, a result of the accumulation of water hyacinth, near the boat club at Akkulam. An earlier proposal was to set up an aviary on this structure to attract tourists. This is being removed as it is a hurdle for boat operations and facilitates accumulation of water hyacinth. The meeting also decided to expedite steps to make the Kollam-Kovalam stretch of the State waterway navigable. It was told that 1,500 families living along the waterway had to be displaced. The work on the 74-km Kollam-Kovalam and the 348-km Kottapuram-Neeleswaram stretches of the State waterway needs to be completed to cover the State from north to south through the waterway. The 205-km long Kollam-Kottapuram National Waterway III has already been thrown open to traffic over a year ago. The Hindu, July 21
The Forest Department is seeking the help of religious leaders to conserve endangered turtles, dolphins, whale sharks and corals along the State's 590-km coastline. Official sources said parish priests and Imams in coastal areas would frequently highlight the need for preserving the State's marine biodiversity at Sunday sermons and after Friday prayers. They would also campaign against the use of destructive methods of fishing, such as use of depth charges. Fishermen would be told that turtles ate jelly fish, which were harmful to them, and that coral reefs formed natural hatcheries for fish. Official sources said the drive was to counter the poaching and sale of endangered marine species, chiefly in south Kerala. District Forest Officer, Thiruvananthapuram, T. Pradeep Kumar, said Kattakada was one of the main markets for turtle and dolphin meat in the district. In north Kerala, only turtle eggs were poached. This year, wildlife enforcers in the district freed two turtles and one dolphin which were accidentally netted by fishermen. They also booked two persons on the charge of poaching turtles. The Forest Department has requested local bodies to erect boards warning the public against the poaching and sale of endangered marine species. these boards will carry the photographs of the endangered species and will be placed at fish landing centres and markets. The Coast Guard and the police will help the department in its conservation drive. It has already distributed a handbook on marine conservation to local law enforcers. The department has sought the help of the World Wildlife Fund-India, Kerala University's Aquatic Biology Department and People For Animals, a non-profit organisation campaigning against cruelty to animals, to document the State's marine biodiversity, initially along the Varkala-Pozhiyoor coastal stretch in the district. They will identify turtle nesting sites in south Kerala. The department is also thinking of starting a turtle hatchery. It will seek the help of coastal eco development committees and students to keep the State coastline garbage and pollution free. The Hindu, July 20
India and the United States have agreed to join hands to combat the threat of climate change and its consequences and forge ahead in energy efficiency and sustainable development. India has, however, clarified that it is not in a position now to accept any legally binding reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who discussed climate change with Indian officials at the ITC Green Building here on Sunday, said she hoped India and the U.S. would be able to amplify the partnership. Pointing out that both nations need to take up the responsibility of clearing up greenhouse gas emissions, Ms. Clinton said: "The United States does not and will not limit India's economic progress." India's development was in everyone's interest. Fighting climate change was both a challenge and an opportunity.Washington believed that there was a way to eradicate poverty and develop in a sustainable way that would help to lower the carbon footprint significantly. "We, along with other developed countries, have contributed significantly to the problem that we face with climate change. We are hoping that a great country like India will not make the same mistakes." She expressed confidence that both India and the U.S. would be successful in devising a plan to change the way the two countries produced, consumed and conserved energy.Following a roundtable with Indian officials, including Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh, she said the private sector could play a role in sustainable development.Ms. Clinton, who was accompanied by U.S. special envoy on climate change Todd Stern, said if all government buildings emulated the ITC's Green Building, it would help to cut global emission and save money.She described the building as a "monument," equating it with such monuments as the India Gate and the Taj Mahal.India should cut down on its emissions and focus attention on renewable sources of energy. Between now and 2030, India's greenhouse gas emission was projected to grow by 50 per cent, she said.Putting forth India's views on climate change and emissions, Mr. Ramesh said the country's position was clear, credible and consistent. He scoffed at the perception that India was running away from mitigation.The government was ensuring that the economic growth was ecologically sustainable — the GDP was increasingly seen as Green Domestic Product and not just Gross Domestic Product. India's comprehensive National Action Plan on Climate Change was driven primarily by adaptation imperatives, but it did not neglect what should be done for mitigation. On India's stand against the Obama administration's proposals for limits on carbon emissions, he said India was not in a position to accept any legally binding reduction in greenhouse gas emissions."India is very conscious of the local impacts of climate change and will never allow its per capita emissions to exceed those of the developed countries." Even with an 89 per cent increase in the Gross Domestic Product every year for the next decade or two, India's per capita emissions would be well below those of the developed countries.The Minister also highlighted India's commitment to combating global warming and cooperation for the success of the Copenhagen summit in December. It is organised to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012. The Hindu, July 20
A good 15 per cent of the irrigation potential in the country remains unutilised primarily because of lack of proper operation and maintenance and incomplete distribution system.This is the finding by the Indian Institutes of Management, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata and Lucknow, which together inspected 45 major and medium irrigation projects to suggest appropriate measures for optimally utilising the irrigation facilities.The IIMs looked into this matter of serious concern as the utilisation of irrigation potential was limited to 87.2 million hectares against the created irrigation potential of 102.7 million hectares.The five major factors identified for the gap between the created irrigation potential and its actual utilisation were — lack of proper operation and maintenance, incomplete distribution system, non-completion of command area development, changes from the initially designed cropping pattern and diversion of irrigable land for other purposes.The report expressed concern over the lack of proper provision in the budget for the operation and maintenance of the irrigation system and called for adequate budgetary support.Non-completion of distributaries and minors was another cause for non-utilisation of available water resources for irrigation purposes as was the non-completion of field channels and on-farm development. The Hindu, July 19
The Ministry of Environment and Forests will bring out a white paper on the current state of scientific knowledge on the Himalayan glaciers.It will establish an institutional mechanism to monitor the trends and variability of glaciers and study the impact of changes on the hydrological regime in the region.This was decided at a high-power meeting of the agencies involved in the Ministry last week which observed that there was a need to continuously monitor seasonal snow cover and variability of glaciers. The white paper will be prepared by V.K. Raina, former Deputy Director-General, Geological Survey of India (GSI) . The paper will be finalised by August 10 for public debate.The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has prepared a proposal for setting up the mechanism in collaboration with the Ministry, and the Department of Science and Technology which has been accepted.The initial expenditure on the mechanism will be Rs.3 crore.The experts told the meeting that there was no conclusive evidence to suggest that the rate of retreat of the Himalayan glaciers was being caused by climate change and that the rate of retreat was accelerating, since the period of observation was short.However, the experts pointed out that this did not mean that the health of the glaciers was improving and as evidence suggested that debris accumulation near snouts in some glaciers was significant. The Hindu, July 19
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will launch India's first indigenous nuclear-powered submarine at Vishakapatnam for trial on July 26.Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy conveyed this to journalists here on Saturday after meeting Dr. Singh to discuss various issues pertaining to the State. Top defence and Navy officials will participate in the programme.The top-secret 'Advanced Technology Vessel' (ATV) project will re-induct India into the exclusive club of five countries that operate nuclear submarines, called silent killers for their extensive ability to remain under water because of nuclear-powered engines unlike the diesel electric versions that have to come up to recharge their batteries and thus stand a greater chance of being spotted. India briefly used a nuclear submarine leased by Russia from 1988 to 1991. Since then it has been trying to build one of its own. It has signed an agreement for the transfer of a couple of nuclear-powered Russian Akula class submarines, one of which is likely to be inducted by the Indian Navy this year itself. The sea trials are just the beginning of a difficult testing process for the ATV and are likely to last two years till it is cleared for operational duty.Conceived in the 70s, the project became operational in the mid-80s and while its existence was public knowledge, the government was in consistent denial about it. At Navy Day press conferences year after year, the Navy Chiefs denied knowledge about the project. However, recently Defence Minister A.K. Antony said the project was in its final stages.According to reports, the submarine might be named INS Arihant (destroyer of enemies). More than becoming a member of a group comprising the U.S., Russia, China, France and the U.K., the nuclear submarine will give India a credible three-leg nuclear deterrent. India has ground based missiles and aircraft that can deliver nuclear warheads but needed a nuclear submarine that can slip under water and emerge to strike at a time and place of its choosing. The Hindu, July 19
Even as the failure of Chandrayaan's 'star sensor' continues to make news, top officials at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have revealed that the April 26 snag, announced on Friday, was the second sensor failure — the first one having occurred "much earlier." The lunar spacecraft had on board two star sensors, with one as back-up, to determine the orientation or "attitude" while in orbit. Although the ISRO maintained that the "spacecraft started malfunctioning on April 26," necessitating a switch-over to a contingency gyroscope, it appears that the malfunction had taken place earlier. At a press conference on Friday, ISRO chief Madhavan Nair said the star sensor failure was due to "excessive radiation from the sun." It was detected on May 16. As the sensor could not be recovered at this stage, the remainder of the two-year mission would be completed using a gyroscope, an electro-mechanical device that was used in Indian Remote Sensing satellites. Gyroscopes, however, needed regular intervention to stabilise their orientation, and the ISRO's ground stations had begun weekly attitude corrections, the official said. With the failure of the two star sensors, the number of technical glitches Chandrayaan has encountered in its eight-month lunar orbit stands at three — the third being the failure of a Bus Management Unit, which has been replaced with a back-up unit. Thermal heating The Rs.400-crore satellite encountered problems of thermal heating also. In one instance in January, the temperature within the spacecraft rose to 80 degrees Celsius, according to another ISRO official. The optimal temperature for electronic packages and payloads is zero to 40 degrees. Chandrayaan was launched on October 22 carrying 11 payloads (scientific experiments), including the moon impact probe that crash-landed on a designated location near the moon's South Pole in November. Five payloads were developed by international space agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency. The Hindu, July 19
Bringing relief to the fishing community which feared displacement, the government on Friday announced that the draft Coastal Management Zone (CMZ) Notification, 2008 would be allowed to lapse on July 22. Instead, the existing Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 1991, will be amended to take into account the challenges likely to arise from climate change-induced sea level rise, and the growing pressure of population on coastal resources and biodiversity. This follows the Ministry of Environment and Forests accepting the recommendations of a four-member expert committee, chaired by agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan, which reviewed the draft CMZ notification. Prof. Swaminathan drafted the CMZ document in 2005 and now recommended that it be abandoned as it had failed to address the issues of fishermen. "The lives and livelihood of nearly 25 per cent of our population living within 50 km of the shoreline, as well of the nearly 10 million fisher-folk, will depend upon the decisions we take now to develop enforceable regulations for integrated attention to both ecological and livelihood security," Prof. Swaminathan told journalists here after handing over the recommendations to Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh. Setting out an agenda for coastal areas, the committee, instituted last month, has also recommended that the government check violations of the CRZ through improved space technology-enabled enforcement, strengthened institutions, and regulatory and legal reforms. It has suggested introduction of regulations to manage the proliferation of ports along the coasts with possible impacts on the coastline by considering the cumulative impact of these developments and a moratorium on new ports. Effluents disposal Calling for tighter standards for disposal of effluents into coastal water so that these waters do not become cheaper alternatives to inland pollution management, the committee has suggested that issues of development and redevelopment of Mumbai be resolved. "We have decided to accept the report of the expert committee and will introduce new management regimes on the Andaman and Nicobar as well as Lakshadweep Islands as recommended," Mr. Ramesh said. The committee wants the government to introduce any new protection regime — such as for critically vulnerable coastal areas — after understanding the impact of conservation policies on local communities, particularly fisher families. "We are contemplating a law to ensure livelihood security for the fishing community and are in the process of setting up a National Coastal Zone Management Board and a National Institute for Sustainable Coastal Zone Management based in Chennai," the Minister said. Strengthening protection of mangroves, inclusion of a seaward side to ensure protection from current and future threats and enhancing research and regulatory capacity at all levels are some other recommendations. The committee includes Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment; Shailesh Nayak, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences; and J.M.Mauskar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Hindu, July 18
Kozhikode: Though the heavy rain is expected to contain viral fever as storm water churns up mosquito-breeding sources, most rural areas in the district are yet to be fully unshackled from its grip. The office of District Medical Officer K.M. Noorul Ameen says that on Thursday, 4,818 people sought treatment for different kinds of fever in government hospitals, including the Government Medical College and the community health centres, in the district. Health inspectors in the community health centres say the number of fever cases is falling in areas where it was reported first. "But the fever seems to be getting stronger in some new areas," says a health inspector. Mukkom and Vadakara are among the areas where the number of cases is on the rise, say health officials. The health authorities and medical experts suggest that environmental hygiene and preventive measures are crucial in containing fever. P.K. Sasidharan, Professor and Head of the Department of Medicine, Government Medical College, Kozhikode, says only the measures taken by the public at the individual and community levels to maintain environmental hygiene will help. He says people should take measures to curb the breeding of mosquitoes and use devices such as mosquito nets to escape from being bitten. Keeping the immunity levels intact is crucial in controlling the disease. The Hindu, July 17
KALPETTA: Heavy rain in the district in the past three days caused extensive damage to crops and properties. Revenue officials said two persons were missing after landslips at Neelimala, near Vaduvanchal, and Kathanpara, near Rippon, in the district on Thursday. The officials said nearly 100 landslips occurred at various parts of the district on Thursday. A 32-member CISF team, comprising the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), led by D.S. Rao, inspector executive of the CISF, reached the district on Thursday to assist in rescue operations, Additional District Magistrate K. Vijayan, holding charge of Collector, told The Hindu on Thursday. Another batch of NDRF personnel would reach here on Friday, he added. He said the people in 49 villages under the Vythiri, Sulthan Bathery and Mananthavadi taluks were the worst affected. As many as 46 houses were destroyed and 379 suffered partial damage in rain-related calamities. The damage to the houses were estimated at Rs.2,095,000. The damage to crops was estimated at Rs.5,74,45000 in 666.24 hectares, sources in the Agriculture Department said. Mr.Vijayan said 3,159 people were shifted to various relief camps in the district. "As many as 50 relief camps and 14 medical units are functioning in the district." Workers of Kerala State Electricity Board were trying to restore the severed power lines.A holiday has been declared for educational institutions, except professional colleges, in the district on Friday and Saturday. The officials said rainfall of 255.3 mm was recorded at Vythiri; 194.4 mm at Mananthavadi; and 138 mm at Sulthan Bathery from 6 a.m. on Wednesday to 6 a.m. on Thursday. The average rainfall in the district was 19.58 cm on the day. Traffic between Kozhikode and Bangalore on the NH-212 was disrupted as the road was inundated at Ponkuzhy near Sulthanbahtery. The Hindu, July 17
The Campaign for Survival and Dignity, a national platform of tribal and forest dwellers organisations, has expressed concern over the Union government's recent decision to spend huge sums of money collected in the name of "compensatory afforestation." In a statement issued here on Thursday, the Campaign said such a policy would accelerate deforestation and result in destruction of wildlife. It would institutionalise a system that encouraged use of forests on payment. It would also displace more tribal people and forest dwellers. When forests were cleared for changing land use, the locals were neither informed nor consulted. This would also be the case if funds were allocated for compensatory plantations, the statement said. "In both the cases — where forests are destroyed and where compensatory forests are developed — the people lose their land and livelihoods." The Campaign said the policy would increase violations of the Forest Rights Act through illegal eviction of cultivators, as the Forest Department would rush to access the huge funds coming in from plantations. Monoculture tree plantation would also cause environmental damage and biodiversity threats. This would also deny the State governments and local bodies their rightful share of the money, the statement said. "A crucial opportunity to make India's forest management system more environmentally sensitive, transparent, democratic, and accountable has now been lost." "Back door deals" The Campaign said the Ministry had acted in a blatantly unconstitutional manner, ignoring both Parliament and the State governments and proceeding through back door deals to ensure easy access and continued control over the enormous funds. This would only fuel more deprivation, conflicts and violence in the forest areas, while accelerating the loss of some of the country's precious resources, the statement said. The Hindu, July 17
The Major Irrigation wing of the Water Resources Department has decided to remove the mud banks that have formed on the riverbed of the Pampa along the Sree Parthasarathy Temple ghats and in the racecourse of the Uthrattathi Vallamkali (snake boat regatta) at Aranmula on a war-footing basis. A team of experts led by Assistant Executive Engineer (Major Irrigation) Elsy John visited the temple ghats on Wednesday to take stock of the situation there and to chalk out an action plan to clear the mud banks that pose a threat to the smooth conduct of the annual snake boat race and pageantry during the Onam festival. According to Palliyoda Seva Sanghom (PSS) general secretary Ratheesh R. Mohan, the Water Resources Department has assured the PSS leaders that the repair and maintenance of the temple ghats would be completed in the next two weeks. The official team also chalked out an action plan for mud bank removal before July 31 when the annual Vallasadya vazhipadu at the Sree Parthasarathy temple begins. The decision to clear the obstacles in the racecourse was on the basis of a memorandum to that effect that was submitted to Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran. The Hindu, July 16
The State government must make optimal use of funds for wetlands conservation, if it is serious about saving its wetlands, S. Kaul, Director of wetlands division of the Union Ministry of Environments and Forests, has said. Delay in execution of the Management Action Plan (MAP) for wetlands would harm Kerala, he added. Dr. Kaul, who is striving to create awareness in the government on the link between wetlands and water availability, was in Kozhikode recently to attend a national seminar on "threats to wetlands" organised by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM). Ramsar sites India, which is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, has 25 "Ramsar sites." Three lakes in Kerala, Vembanad, Ashtamudi and Sasthamcotta have also been adjudged Ramsar sites. Ramsar sites have to follow strict international guidelines for wetland conservation and contravention of it places the Ramsar site under the Montreal Protocol and results in heavy international pressure on the country to put its act in order. India now has three sites under the Montreal Protocol. Recognising the need for a strong institutional mechanism to monitor wetlands, a steering committee was formed in all States. However MAPs drawn up by some committees were shoddy and the Ministry is allocating funds for States to take the help of consultancies. In all, 115 wetlands have been categorised into A, B and C. Category-A wetlands are monitored by the Union government and they are usually high-altitude wetlands or trans-boundary wetlands. Category-B wetlands are under the control of the State government while Category-C is managed by the district administration. 'Public must chip in' "The involvement of local communities will complete the circle," Dr. Kaul says. "Most have pressing needs for which they are tempted to exploit a wetland. But, communities step in whole-heartedly for conservation efforts when they are convinced of the reason." The Hindu, July 16
Climatic changes are generating "most intense cyclones" in the Arabian Sea and upsetting food productivity and availability of drinking water in many regions. There has been a five-fold increase in the most intense cyclones in the Arabian Sea since 1995. Cyclones with a wind speed of more than 100 km an hour are designated as most intense cyclones, say scientists. A team of researchers who studied the response of the Arabian Sea to global warming and associated regional climate shift have concluded that the "signatures of this climate-shift are also perceptible over the adjacent landmass of India as progressively warmer winters, and decreased decadal monsoon rainfall." The climatic changes also have "possible impact on frequency and intensity of cyclones, summer monsoon rainfall, wheat production, land vegetation cover and frequency of heat spells." In the Arabian Sea, cyclones are formed mostly during May-June and October-November periods. The cyclones during May and June are formed within the Arabian Sea itself. However, during October and November, cyclones are mostly formed over the Bay of Bengal and cross over to the Arabian Sea. The States of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra endure most of the cyclones, scientists said. The study was conducted by a team of researchers comprising S. Prasanna Kumar, Raj P. Roshin and Jayu Narvekar of the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, P.K. Dinesh Kumar of the Kochi Regional Centre of the Institute, and E. Vivekanandan of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi. It was observed that there was rainfall deficiency of 71 mm during 1995-2005 against the deficiency of 8 mm during 1985-1995. This has direct links to climate changes. The rainfall deficiency will lead to drinking water crisis and food productivity, said Dr. Prasannakumar. The Hindu, July 14
Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran informed the Assembly on Monday that the government had initiated moves to remove the aquatic weeds choking the lakes, rivers and canals in the State. Replying to a calling attention motion moved by Kottayam MLA V.N. Vasavan, he said weed harvesters would be pressed into service to clear the waterbodies. Mr. Premachandran said the Ministry of Environment and Forests had cleared a Rs. 15-lakh project for the purpose. The Kerala Agricultural University had been asked to prepare a detailed project report. Desilting of rivers The Minister said the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation had proposed a three-year project to desilt and deepen the rivers and canals in the State and clear them of weeds. Explaining the proposal, he said panchayats would be entrusted with the work. The weeds removed from the lake and canals would be converted into compost. The report had recommended an outlay of Rs. 30 crore for the project, the Minister added. Earlier moving the motion, Mr. Vasavan highlighted the need to clear the weed-infested Vembanad lake and surrounding waterbodies. The Hindu, July 14
The Seed Village Programme of the Union government to supply quality seeds at a subsidised price in every district will be launched at Thirunelly in Wayanad on Tuesday. In the first phase, the programme will be implemented on 1,000 hectares of land in five districts in the State. Farmers will be given certified rice seeds and technical guidance. Eighty kg of seeds needed on an hectare of land will be provided at Rs.9.50 a kg. The seeds will be procured through the Krishi Bhavans, Shajan Mathew, Agriculture Officer, Kerala State Seeds Development Authority, the nodal agency, told The Hindu. As much as 1,860 kg of the Uma variety of rice seeds would be distributed during the 'nanja' crop season in the district. Mr. Mathew said training programmes would be held for the farmers at the time of sowing, flowering and harvesting. O.R. Kelu, president, Thirunelly grama panchayat, will inaugurate the training on Tuesday The Hindu, July 14
Five incidents of tigers straying into villages in the Sundarbans in the last six weeks have caused concern among the officials of the Forest Department. Opinions differ on whether cyclone Aila was responsible for the behaviour of the tigers. "We have seen that incidents of [tigers] straying have occurred wherever embankments were breached," said Atanu Raha, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. "It is possible that the tigers may have become disoriented as the forests lie inundated, and drifted towards the villages." According to records of the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve (STR), 11 such incidents occurred in 2006-07. The number rose to 13 the following year. In the six weeks since the cyclone struck the region, tigers have entered inhabited areas five times. Principal Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), S.B. Mondal denied that these occurrences were connected to the cyclone. "Instances of tigers straying into inhabited areas during the monsoon are observed every year. They are being noticed this year because of the cyclone," he said. While the straying of tigers might be unrelated to the cyclone, chances of man-animal conflict increasing in its aftermath were highly likely, said N.C. Bahuguna, Director STR. "After Aila, people have lost their livelihood, so are encroaching into the forests in increasing numbers," he said. This is true of Bhaben Gayen, a fisherman who was killed and carried off by a tiger last week while fishing with others in Jharkhali. The fishermen allegedly entered the restricted area of the forest because of poor catches elsewhere. "While the cyclone could be one of the probable reason for these
attacks, it is difficult to know for sure," said Richa Dwivedi, Deputy
Field Director of the Reserve. "A calamity of this kind has happened
after a long time, so we can't even rely on past experiences," she
added. The Hindu, July 14
KOCHI: A survey on the water consumption pattern and number of people depending on public taps for drinking water will be undertaken soon. The survey is being planned to generate a baseline data for the 'Water connection for all' project of the Kochi Corporation, said C.K. Manisankar, Deputy Mayor of the Kochi Corporation. The Corporation has promised in its budget to provide piped drinking water connections to all the families in the city which do not have the connection. According to the data available with the Corporation, there are 27,996 families in the city who do not have the piped water connection. These families are banking on the public taps for collecting drinking water and each family will have to spend up to seven hours for collecting the water. The civic authorities arrived at these figures using the data collected by the neighbourhood committees. The administration needs an authentic and accurate data on the water consumption pattern and the number of consumers depending on public taps for planning the project, he said. The Project Engineer and officials concerned have been asked to complete the paper works for the project. The Hindu, July 13
PALAKKAD: A convention organised by the Malampuzha Dam Protection Council and other environment organisations called upon the government to conduct an environment impact assessment study before going ahead with the move to remove silt from the Malampuzha reservoir. K.P. Thrivikramji, former head of the Department of Geology, University of Kerala, who inaugurated the convention, said the removal of sand from the Malampuzha Dam was not in the interests of the reservoir, but that of the "sand lobby." He said the decision lacked scientific approach and was taken with business interests in mind, and would have a far reaching impact on the environment of the area. The convention was addressed by the former scientist of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre E.P. Jayaram, S. Shankar of the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Malampuzha Dam Protection Committee vice-president A. Bhaskaran and secretary P.S. Panikkar, among others. The Hindu, July 12
Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran has called for converting Munnar into an organic village, producing Munnar brand items there and exporting them through the Cochin International Airport. The Hindu, July 12
India recognised its responsibility to control its greenhouse gas emissions and will do its bit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told journalists during an interaction on board the special aircraft bringing him from Rome to New Delhi. In his statements at the Major Economies Forum summit on energy and climate change, he had said India was quite alive to the dangers of climate change and in fact climate change was already taking place. He had also presented India's climate action plan and outlined the eight national missions to address the issue. "Some important gains" In reply to a question if he saw his second term as Prime Minister as different from his first, he said it was a continuation of the journey. The role of the government was to enable the country to get rid of chronic poverty, ignorance and disease and the government had made "some important gains" in the last five years. These included imparting a stronger growth momentum to the economy, inclusive social and economic development and putting in place social safety nets to soften the harsh edges of extreme poverty. It was a long and arduous journey and the challenge was to take full advantage of the instrumentalities now in place for inclusive growth to plug the loopholes, reduce leakages and ensure that these instruments become more effective. In addition, the government would aim at accelerated growth, more inclusive development and a greater emphasis on rural development and agriculture. "So it is a continuation of the journey we undertook for five years with renewed commitment, with renewed determination even though we must recognise that the international environment is not as supportive as we had imagined at one time," Dr. Singh said. The Hindu, July 12
Dear All, As a remedial intervention to the depleting fishery resources in the
Vembanad Lake, the Lake Protection Forums of Muhamma Panchayath have set up
three fish sanctuaries viz 'matsyathavalam' at the Anchuthaikkal, Kaippuram
and Pallithodu portions of the Lake, with the financial support from ATREE.
Indigenous technology is used to construct these structures .It will help
for the proliferation of fishery resources, providing natural hiding and
breeding places to the fishes. The Lake protection forums wish to dedicate
these 'matsyathavalams' to the lake, as these are common property resources.
Shri. K.C.Venugopal M.P has kindly consented to inaugurate this colorful
function at Shrayithodu region of the Lake, on 25th July 2009, 2 P.M, to be
followed by a half day seminar on 'Responsible fishing'. On behalf of the Organizing committee we cordially invite you all to
participate and lent your support in protecting this great natural heritage. Sri N. K. Poovu
Lake Protection Forums
Muhamma Panchayath Sri Radakrishnan
Vembanad Nature Club,
Muhamma Dr.Latha Bhaskar
CERC, ATREE,Mullakkal, Alleppey
The government is ready to consider the proposal for enacting a law for management of major rivers in the State, Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran told the Assembly on Friday. Responding to a calling attention motion from V.D. Satheesan (Congress), the Revenue Minister said the matter would be placed before the Assembly Committee on Environment. The government had created a River Management Fund and mobilised Rs.66.8 crore over the last three years. Mr. Rajendran admitted that the government had not been able to conduct sand auditing as required every three years under existing laws on account of paucity of staff and equipment. The Hindu, July 11
The State government proposes to extend the scheme for providing river sand for construction purposes to the poor at fair price to more places. At present, it is being done only at Kulathupuzha. River sand is being supplied to the poor at a fair price through Kalavara, a joint venture of the Forest Department and the State Nirmithi Kendra. It is this example that is being replicated elsewhere. The Forest Department has sought the cooperation of the district units of the Nirmithi Kendra to supply river sand in the seven districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kozhikode. The Kalavara outlets of the Nirmithi Kendra are already functioning in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Thrissur. They are now engaged in supplying construction materials like cement and steel to the poor at reduced price. The government proposes to put the arrangement in place by August 31. The Hindu, July 11
Briefing journalists after the Major Economies Forum meeting, Indian special envoy on climate change Shyam Saran said the declaration would provide a fillip to the negotiations at Copenhagen, "modest though it will be."The negotiations on mitigation were the most difficult and the developing countries could not get the industrial nations to commit themselves to an intermediate goal of reducing their emissions by 40 per cent by 2020. Still, the agreement to work towards limiting the maximum rise in global average temperature to 2 degrees Celsius over the pre-industrial period was a worthwhile target to aspire for.From the Indian standpoint, the strong part of the declaration on the global partnership to develop climate friendly technologies was "one of the more forward looking parts" of the document. As for the funding mechanism for the developing countries, the issue was not addressed in any great detail but there was recognition that the climate change negotiations would not be successful unless financial resources were made available to the developing countries.The Green Fund proposed by Mexico was a forward looking proposal that would be based on assessed contributions from all countries and provide a stable source. Still, the pattern and criteria for contributions was not clear.As for the British proposal outlined by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, its merit was the specific target of $100 billion set for 2020 but it would draw financing from the markets and might not be a stable source as the recent collapse of the carbon markets in Europe had demonstrated. The Hindu, July 11
Less than a year after the Nuclear Suppliers Group waived its export rules to allow the sale of nuclear equipment, fuel and technology to India, the United States has persuaded the G8 to ban the transfer of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) items to countries which have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, including India. The move, which effectively negates the promise of "full" civil nuclear cooperation lying at the heart of the 2005 India-U.S. nuclear agreement, took the Indian establishment by surprise with officials unaware that the G8 was even adopting such a measure at L'Aquila, Italy. That this was done at a summit in which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was an invited guest is likely to add insult to injury when the full implications of the latest decision fully sink in. The ban, buried deep within a separate G8 statement on non-proliferation, commits the eight countries to implement on a "national basis" the "useful and constructive proposals" on ways of strengthening controls on ENR items and technology "contained in the NSG's 'clean text' developed at the 20 November 2008 Consultative Group meeting." Minimum criteria Though the "clean text" is not a public document, a senior diplomat from a G8 country confirmed to The Hindu that the eight countries had agreed to certain minimum criteria — including adherence to the main instruments of nonproliferation — as a condition for the sale of equipment and technology destined for safeguarded ENR activities in a recipient country. In the run-up to the final NSG plenary on India last September, Washington sought to get New Delhi to agree that the nuclear cartel's rule waiver would not cover ENR transfers. But with the Indian side sticking to its guns, the NSG finally agreed to a clean exemption allowing nuclear exports of all kinds, including sensitive fuel-cycle-related items and technologies, provided they were under safeguards. Under pressure from the Bush administration, the NSG subsequently debated new ENR rules last November but failed to evolve a consensus because of opposition from countries like Brazil, Canada and Spain to restrictions that would go beyond what the NPT itself provided for. With consensus proving elusive during the recent June meeting of the 45-nation club, the Obama administration decided to decouple the question of ENR sales to India from the NSG process — something the latest G8 agreement on interim implementation of a national-level ban effectively does. India's ability to purchase nuclear fuel and reactors from the G8 or NSG countries will be unaffected by the latest ban. Unless, of course, the new decision becomes the trigger for attempts to further dilute or qualify the core bargain contained in the 'India exception' last year. The Hindu, July 11
The District Medical Officer (DMO) has clarified that the vaccines to be used for mass vaccination against Japanese encephalitis (JE) from July 15 to August 5 are not date-expired, as was reported in a section of the media. In a statement issued here on Thursday, the DMO said the vaccine, SA 14.14.2, despatched by the Centre for the mass vaccination programme had been imported from China and the expiry date was July 2010. The vaccines are being stored maintaining all cold chain precautions in the district vaccine store and there is no reason to doubt the quality or potency of vaccine, he added. A mass vaccination against JE was carried out in Alappuzha last year and a batch of leftover vaccines had been brought to the district for use here. The public can be sure of it that the vaccines being used for the campaign in the district are from a fresh lot, the statement said. The Hindu, July 10
A week of vigorous rainfall has helped bring down the monsoon deficit to 17 per cent in Kerala as on July 8, according to hydrology data released by India Meteorology Department (IMD) on Thursday. The week ending July 8 witnessed 24 per cent excess rainfall. Against a normal of 203.5 mm, the State received an area weighted rainfall of 253.4 mm during the week. At the district level, rainfall is excess by eight per cent in Kozhikode. It is close to normal in Alappuzha (minus four per cent), Kannur (minus one per cent), Ernakulam (minus three per cent) and Thrissur (minus three per cent). Deficiency is 23 per cent in Idukki, 17 per cent in Kasaragod, 39 per cent in Kollam, 17 per cent in Kottayam, 28 per cent in Malappuram, 21 per cent in Palakkad, 18 per cent in Pathanamthitta, 44 per cent in Thiruvananthapuram and 42 per cent in Wayanad. The IMD forecast on Thursday said that the active spell along the west coast would continue for three or four days. Numerical weather prediction models also suggested a low pressure system over the Bay of Bengal by July 12 to prolong the spell. The Hindu, July 10
The Vallarpadom container transhipment terminal is expected to be commissioned by November this year, Industries Minister Elamaram Karim has said. Replying to questions in the Assembly on Thursday, Mr. Karim said after the commissioning of the terminal, it would help industrialists in the country to earn annual profit of Rs.600 crore in terms of exports and imports. The Hindu, July 10
As tidal waves continue to wreak havoc in the coastal panchayats of Chavakkad, residents have demanded a lasting solution for the problem. Existing sea walls were proving inadequate to protect the shore, said Ummer Kunji, president of the Kadappuram panchayat, one of the worst-affected panchyats in the district. "Even after three decades of effort to protect the shore with sea walls, the 1 km-long shore of the panchayat had been reduced to just 50 meters," he said. Attempts to form a green wall with casuarinas are not yielding results as the lashing tidal waves are uprooting most of them. "A groyne (pulimuttu) is the permanent solution for sea erosion. Though Kadappuram panchayat has been progressing in many sectors, sea erosion and related issues are adversely affecting the panchayats socio-economic development," Mr. Kunji pointed out. A groyne is a rigid structure built from the sea shore that interrupts the water flow and checks sea erosion. Though a project has been ready to rehabilitate flood victims under tsunami rehabilitation project, the families are not ready to move away from their houses along the beach. In Kadappuram panchayat alone, 100-odd houses are flooded and damaged in this season's rain. More than 300 coconut trees have been uprooted. On Wednesday, three houses were damaged in Vadanappilly panchayat. Property worth Rs.43.5 lakh was destroyed in monsoon rain in the district. In all, 243 houses were partially damaged and 10 totally damaged. Seven persons died and crops worth Rs.26 lakh were destroyed. The Hindu, July 9
The adivasis of Kannampady, Memarikudy, Pampadykuzhy and Kozhimala, the hamlets near the Idukki reservoir, are a happy lot. The restoration of the fishing right in the reservoir exclusively to the tribes will help in eliminating poverty, provide them a regular income and saving the lake from excess exploitation of fish wealth. The project conceived by the Kerala Adivasi Development Society (KADS) is still at an early stage of implementation. Raman Thevan, an adivasi mooppan of Kozhimala, said that the monsoon season is the worst period with diseases and poverty affecting the tribal people. The main engagement of the tribes during the season is fishing in the reservoir as there is depletion in the forest wealth and no other sources of income. "We have been fishing in the reservoir since the dam was constructed but unable to compete with non-tribes, many of us abandoned it," Mr. Thevan said and added that the tribes catch fish by angling and using small nets. While adivasis continue with their primitive ways, use of illegal 'thotta' and nets by outsiders goes unchecked, he said. V.R. Sasi, Kachiyar grama panchayat president, said that the scheme is a major initiative aimed at uplifting the tribes which contribute a large section in the panchayat. By entrusting them with fishing right, illegal entry of outsiders can be effectively checked, he said. Now the reservoir has a better fish wealth thanks to the initiatives of non-governmental agencies and the Fisheries Department in launching various fish varieties in the lake last year. By entrusting the adivasis with the fishing right, it is expected that the use of 'thotta' illegally by outsiders will be checked. In Mullaperiyar lake in Kumily, the fishing right is exclusively given to the tribal community. "It has been a success providing additional income to the tribes, said an official at the PTR. The Hindu, July 9
Kochi: Rs. 2-crore project submitted for the development of pokkali farming in the district under the food security scheme is under the consideration of the government. Principal Agriculture Officer S.C. Philip said this at a meeting of panchayat presidents and representatives of local padashekhara samithis and agriculture workers' unions held at the collectorate to discuss ways to develop pokkali farming in the district.The project envisaged financial assistance of Rs. 10,000 a hectare to those venturing into pokkali farming after readying fallow land and Rs. 3,500 a hectare in a season for those who were already into pokkali farming. Philip said the target was to bring at least 100 hectares of fallow land under pokkali farming. The Hindu, July 9
Forest Minister Benoy Viswom has stressed the need to plant more trees as a strategy to offset the impact of global warming. He was inaugurating a tree-planting campaign as part IT Kerala's Go Green Initiative on the Technopark campus here. The Minister said that while global warming during the previous 100 years was only 0.6 degree, it was estimated to be in the range of 6.6 degrees over the next 100 years. He lauded Technopark for maintaining the premises as one of the greenest IT parks in the world. The green environment, he said, would provide relaxing ambience for it professionals on the campus. The Hindu, July 9
The increasing number of African Catfish (Clarias Garipineus), locally called "African Mushi," appears to be a menace to the indigenous inland water fauna in Wayanad district, a vital part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. This fish species is common in all the rivers and brooks in the district, says Babu Mylambadi, secretary, Wayanad Nature Protection group. The tribal people at Muthanga who go out for fishing in Noolpuzha river these days get only this fish species instead of the native fish varieties, he said. The experience of the tribal fishermen at Muthanga is not an exceptional case. The main rivers in the district such as Karapuzha, Narasipuzha, Talipuzha, Mananthavadipuzha, Panamarampuzha and all other tributaries of Kabani river have also been facing the same threat. As a result of the uncontrolled growth of this species, availability of the native fish varieties has declined, the tribal fishermen says. Fishing provides a supplement income to the tribal people during the monsoon season when jobs dry up. There are 53 indigenous species of endemic inland water fish species identified in the Kabani river in a survey conducted from 2000 to 2005. The unique inland water fish species identified in the survey include the Giant Mahseer (Torputitora) which are seen only in Himalayan water bodies, ThonniVala (Silerrus Wayanadencis), Kallemutty (Kantaka Vidorsalis ), Poovan (Schistura Striatus), Poocha Matsyam (Glyptothorax Anamalaylensis). Experts say these species are unique in the Kabani and cannot be seen elsewhere in the world. The increasing population of the catfish may wipe out the indigenous fish varieties. Due to the highly destructive nature of this fish, the Central and State governments had issued orders to annihilate this killer fish in 2000. The rapid spread of the killer fish may adversely affect the 'Matsya Keralam' project in the district, Mr. Babu says. The Hindu, July 9
Scientists have claimed to have created human sperm, which they say could lead to new treatment for male infertility. The sperm was grown in a laboratory in Newcastle, England, from embryonic stem cells. Led by Professor Karim Nayernia, the researchers developed a method of growing early-stage sperm from human embryonic stem cells by using retinoic acid, a vitamin A derivative. They found that about 20 per cent of the cells produced early-stage sperm cells or spermatagonia and, after further culture, they could see a number of cells continue to split and divide. The breakthrough, they said, came when some cells continued to grow, elongating and growing a tail that caused them to move, and forming recognisable sperm cells. Professor Nayernia of Newcastle University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute (Nesci) described the cells as "fully mature, functional" sperm, which he called In Vitro Derived (IVD) sperm. 'Need better evidence' Professor Robin Lovell Badge from the U.K.'s Medical Research Council Institute of Medical Research said, "The findings need much better evidence that such in-vitro derived sperm are normal." But he added that any progress by the team "will be very important for research" and "ultimately, although definitely not yet, fertility treatments." Professor Nayernia responded by saying that his research paper was clearly labelled a "proof of principle," which concluded that it was in its early stages and further research was needed. He said: "We are not claiming this research is complete but we are saying that we have found human sperm." He added that his findings would not lead to human beings being produced "in a dish," but were rather "a way of investigating why some people are infertile and the reasons behind it." — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2009 The Hindu, July 9
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday discussed ways to push the climate change talks and strengthen what looks like a weak declaration that may emerge from the meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Thursday. Much of the bilateral meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G8 and G5 summits that lasted 45 minutes was devoted to climate change, which is perhaps the most critical and divisive issue at the conference. The Major Economies Forum is planning to give a major political thrust to the talks, which will conclude at the end of the year with the Copenhagen summit. Dr. Singh explained to Mr. Brown the Indian perspective on climate change and also handed him a note prepared in a question-and-answer form setting out the Indian position. India expects the industrial nations to come out with a stronger and specific commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as the mechanisms to fund the adoption of green technologies by the developing countries. In addition, it has sought the loosening of the intellectual property regime to enable developing countries to obtain green technology without paying high licensing fees. The Prime Minister also suggested that India and the United Kingdom could jointly take a leadership role in the development of green technology projects. He invited the U.K. to participate actively in the New Delhi conference organised by the United Nations that aims at the creation of a global platform for climate-friendly technologies. After a brief one-on-one conversation, the two leaders were joined by National Security Adviser M. K. Narayanan, special envoy on climate change Shyam Saran and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon. This was their second meeting this year – they met on April 1 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in London. The Hindu, July 9
Preparatory talks at the Major Economies Forum representing the G8 countries and the emerging economies seem to have made only partial progress, with substantial differences remaining between the G8 and the developing countries, particularly India and China. These differences relate to the funding and transfer of technology to reduce carbon emissions as well as the targets to be set for overall reduction in emissions.The Major Economies Forum meeting on Thursday is not a negotiating forum but it is expected to send a strong political message committing the industrial as well as the developing nations to reaching a strong and workable agreement on climate change in Copenhagen in December. Dispute over base year The G8 draft declaration, for which the agreement of the emerging economies was sought at the MEF summit, commits the participants to reducing greenhouse gases by 50 per cent by 2050, which is the same target that was agreed upon at the G8 summit in Japan last year. To achieve that goal, the industrial nations would have to reduce their emissions by 80 per cent.What the declaration does not commit itself to is the base year from which the reductions are to be reckoned. The developing countries, including India and China, as well as the European nations want to set 1990 as the base year while the United States, Australia and Japan would push it to 2005.More important for the developing countries is the mechanism for funding the investment needed to move to greener production systems and for adaptation.An estimated $100 billion would be needed to move the developing countries to a green development mode, and that would include the expenditure on adaptation to climate change, forestry and changes in production technologies. The approach of the industrial countries is that this also represents a business opportunity and the funds could come through investment from the markets, provided investor-friendly policies are adopted. For the really needy countries, official development assistance could provide the funding.The other disputed area relates to transfer of technology. Much of the current technology is protected by intellectual property rights and the Indian stand is that for green technology transfer, a way must be found for the developing countries to obtain them without payment of high licensing fees. In the absence of an agreement on how to move towards the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the final declaration that has been worked out by the sherpas in the preparatory meetings only commits the Major Economies Forum countries to limiting the rise in the average world temperature to 2 degrees over the pre-industrial times. Whether the leaders meeting at the summit will be able to improve upon this commitment that is based on the report of the United Nations Inter-governmental Committee on Climate Change remains to be seen. The Hindu, July 9
Action will be taken soon to declare coastal villages along Gulf of Mannar, Rameswaram Island and 21 nearby islands as "no plastic zone," said Aruna Basu Sarcar, Chief Conservator of Forests and Director, Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust (GOMBRT). Speaking to this newspaper after assuming office as new Director of GOMBRT, she said that the initiative was important for protecting the environment and ecology of Gulf of Mannar. As a first step, all coastal villages of Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin districts, where Eco Development Committees (EDC) were formed, had been asked to shun plastic bags and other related products. The EDC members had been asked not to encourage entry of plastic bags in their villages. All the departments would be sensitised on the need to do away with plastic.Ms. Sarcar, who is the first Indian Forest Service officer in Tamil Nadu, said that 1,000 dust bins would be placed in different parts of Rameswaram and coastal villages on behalf of GOMBRT. Since a huge sum had been spent for creating awareness of preserving the ecology of Gulf of Mannar through street plays and other art forms in the last few years, from now importance would be given for implementing livelihood initiatives, health and welfare programmes. A tele tower would be erected in one of the strategic islands to enhance vigil. The Hindu, July 8
The G8 meetings provide an opportunity to discuss global issues in an informal setting and they are not a negotiating forum. Originally scheduled to be held in La Maddalena in the island of Sardinia, the venue was shifted to the austere setting of a military training school in L'Aquila in the middle of the Abruzzo region in central Italy that was hit by an earthquake on April 6. This move was Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi's way of showing empathy and bringing the leaders closer to the people and their concerns. The G8 that started out as an exclusive club of the industrial nations has over the years expanded its reach to bring in other countries into the dialogue process. The major dialogue partners are the G5 countries – Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa. In addition, Egypt has been invited to this year's meetings. Australia, Indonesia and South Korea are being brought into the meetings to constitute the major economies forum along with the European Commission and the major multilateral organisations. In all, the leaders meeting in Italy represent 90 per cent of the world's economy.India sees the G8 as a useful and effective forum for discussing issues of the global economy and moving things forward in international institutions. The format of the meetings is a compromise between the original exclusivity and the broader expansion of the dialogue. The Heiligendamm dialogue process between the G8 and the G5 was started at the summit in Germany in 2007 and focuses on innovation, including intellectual property rights, investments including ethical business conduct, energy and economic development. Four working groups have been appointed to study the issues and they will be submitting their reports at this summit. The two major issues to be addressed at this summit will be economic recovery and climate change. The process of bringing about a greater coordination of policies to reverse the current downturn and making regulation more effective that was started at the G20 London summit in April will be taken forward now even as the G20 Pittsburg summit approaches later this year.The discussions on climate change at the meeting of major economies forum — accounting for 80 per cent of the global carbon emissions — are considered critical in the run-up to the Copenhagen summit on climate change to be held in December.Several unresolved issues remain in this area, with the industrial countries pushing China and India to move to a less polluting path to development while the developing countries, particularly India, want the developed world to cut back its emissions sharply — by 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. While the meetings in Italy are not expected to resolve all the issues, a strong declaration of political commitment to move towards an agreement in Copenhagen is expected.In addition to the summit meetings, Dr. Singh will be holding a series of bilateral meetings with the leaders who have assembled here. The Hindu, July 8
The district health administration officials and the City Corporation authorities are in the process of drawing up an action plan to carry out mass vaccination of children against Japanese encephalitis from July 15 to August 5 in the Corporation areas. The campaign is a Centrally sponsored programme, being carried out in the districts in the State in phases, to protect children aged one to 15 from Japanese encephalitis, a mosquito-borne disease with high fatality. This is a one-time vaccination intended to give life-long immunity to children. The vaccine is not included in the routine immunisation schedule and is not available in the open market. The campaign is targeting 68,000 children in the Corporation area. Corporation Health Officer D. Srikumar said that 269 vaccination teams would function under 54 supervisors and doctors. The teams would be trained before July 10. Meetings have been planned with residents' associations, school parent-teacher associations, anganwadi projects and ward-level health and sanitation committees to generate public awareness of the importance of the vaccination. The Hindu, July 7
The total solar eclipse on July 22 will be partially visible from here in the morning hours of the day, says a press release from the Regional Science Centre (RSC) Kozhicode. The eclipse could be seen for 50 minutes and 20.6 seconds starting from 7.15 a.m.According to Mr. Ramachandran, project coordinator of the RSC and Planetarium, this would be the longest solar eclipse of the 21st Century and the next total solar eclipse observable in India would be on March 20, 2034.Last year, the RSC had arranged huge telescopes on the beach here for the public to view a similar heavenly spectacle."Since the eclipse begins with the sunrise and also owing to the grim chances of a clear sky on the day, we haven't made any arrangements this time for the public to view the celestial event," said an RSC staff member.However, the RSC authorities have cautioned the public against gazing the sun with naked eyes during the eclipse. Mr. Ramachandran said proper filters such as a dark X-ray film should be used for viewing the phenomenon. The Hindu, July 6
Interests of communities dependent on wetlands should be protected while implementing wetland-conservation programmes, S. Kaul, Director, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, said here on Saturday. He was inaugurating a seminar on 'Wetlands — a threatened landscape' organised by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) at Kunnamangalam on Saturday. Dr. Kaul said that measures to protect interests of communities were essential for the success of wetland conservation programmes. He underlined the need for capacity-building measures for stakeholders under wetland programmes as these were necessary to sensitise the people to the values and functions of wetlands and involve policymakers and planners in the decision-making process. The Ministry had been doing this by organising seminars and workshops across the country. He said wetlands were being threatened by reclamation, drainage, landfills and overexploitation of nature. Dr. Kaul was critical of research on wetland conservation that would not supplement action plans and were repetitive in nature.K.V. Jayakumar, Executive Director, CWRDM, and other speakers at the seminar spoke of the many activities under way in the State for conservation and management of wetlands. Such programmes were being implemented by the CWRDM at Sasthamcotta and Ashtamudi with the support of the Ministry, the departments of agriculture, forests, irrigation and soil conservation and the Kerala Water Authority. A State Wetland Cell headed by the Chief Secretary had been formed. The Hindu, July 5
The City Corporation has decided to carry out random inspection of baby food stocks in retail outlets following reports of a child falling ill after being fed a popular brand of baby food purchased from a shop at Pappanamcode. Officials from the Health section of the Corporation have been directed to collect samples of the content of the packet and submit it for laboratory analysis. Chairman of the Health standing committee G.R. Anil said the parents of the child, who was hospitalised, had later found the baby food infested with mites and worms. "The sealed packet had a shelf life up to 2010 but we are not sure whether the worms had found their way into the contents due to improper storage after it was opened. Health officials have been asked to collect random samples from across the city," he said. Citing previous incidents, Mr. Anil said children's foods were found to be the most prone to adulteration and contamination.He, however, said that keeping a tab on food products would require a coordinated effort involving the Department of Health. "The absence of laboratory facilities here to test food samples is a major impediment to such efforts," he said. The Hindu, July 5
The District Human Development Report (DHDR) for Kottayam will be ready soon. Speaking at consultative workshop organised to discuss the draft report, K. Narayanan Nair, Director, Centre for Development Studies, who has been entrusted with the preparation of the DHDR by the Kerala State Planning Board, said the report aims at understanding the human development indices of the district in comparison with the rest of the State, and to highlight the variations across the sub-regions and socio-economic groups within the district. The draft report has been organised in nine chapters. One of the findings is that the proportion of aged people in Kottayam is higher than the State average. The proportion of 60-plus population is 12.9 per cent in comparison to the State average of 10.6 per cent. The proportion of the 0-14 age group is 23.3 per cent. Sex ratio which is favourable to female, however, shows a different picture when disaggregated. In the 0-9 age group and 10-14 age group males significantly outnumbered females. The report has drawn a negative relationship between literacy rate and work participation rate (WPR) among women. Compared to the figures for the State, less gender discrepancy exists in the level of effective literacy rate, the report noted and pointed out that this high literacy rate was not reflected in the work participation. In fact, in development blocks with a high female literacy rate, female WPR was found to be less. The chapter on development and disparity brings out the inequalities in development across the sub regions. Vaikom taluk comes out as relatively low in prosperity. The taluk tops the list with residential houses without electricity. In Vaikom block, 26 per cent of the houses do not have power connection. Another startling finding is that except in two blocks and one municipality, average number of students per government school was less than 100. However, wherever teachers had taken the initiative they could increase the number. The cost of schooling in unaided schools is eight times the average cost of schooling in government-funded schools. According to the report, one-fifth of the households live below the threshold level of poverty. The discussions on Friday highlighted the shortcomings of the report in shedding more light on plantation sector, landownership, food security and issue of forex remittance. However, one of the major bottlenecks highlighted during the discussions was the reliability of the data. The Hindu, July 4
Several decisions for protecting the Ramser-listed freshwater Sasthamcotta Lake were taken at a meeting called by District Collector A. Shajahan with various district-level department heads and environment activists here on Friday.The decisions will be presented at an ad hoc joint meeting by Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran and Forest Minister Benoy Viswom in Thiruvananthapuram on July 10.One of the decisions was that the government should take steps to constitute a statutory authority for the lake's protection. Fifty families living on the banks without title deeds should be rehabilitated elsewhere. The meeting wanted all gutters from Bharanikavu and the Sasthamcotta market leading to the lake to be diverted immediately. Steps should be taken to clear the harmful water hyacinth growth on the lake by July 31. Environmental activists Odanavattom Vijayaprakas and Ganga Prasad attended. The Hindu, July 4
Plant growth stimulants from fish waste — it's the new organic way of farming being attempted at a lab in Kochi. A researcher at the School of Industrial Fisheries of the Cochin University of Science and Technology has offered to give 'foliar sprays' developed from fish waste. Management of fish waste has been difficult in areas like the Aroor industrial belt and Kochi Corporation. Waste is found dumped on vacant plots or nearby water bodies. This has led to outbreak of skin diseases and other health hazards in Chandiroor and its adjoining areas. It is estimated that the fish processing plants located at Aroor generate 128 tonnes of waste every day, and Kochi adds another 48.14 tonnes. "The attempt was to create a cost-effective and eco-friendly way to manage the fish waste, which has been causing serious health issues," said S. Abhilash, Principal Investigator of the project. The Science and Society Division of the Department of Science & Technology, New Delhi, has supported the project. Foliar sprays are micronutrient mixtures sprayed on plants to accelerate their growth. The micronutrients are directly absorbed by the plant through the specialised cells under the leaves. Foliar spray is developed from fish silage, the liquefied fish protein made by adding formic acid to fish parts. The spray can be marketed and promoted as part organic farming, especially among gardening enthusiasts, said Mr. Abhilash. Cattle feed can also be developed from the fish silage. Though some companies are marketing foliar sprays at Rs. 80 for 100 grams, the one developed by the lab could be sold at half the price, he said. The researchers of the University are trying the spray on ladies finger plants farmed on the campus. They have also trained around 100 women in Kuthiyathode for the production of sprays and cattle feed. Attempts are also made to create a marketing network for the products. The Hindu, July 4
World over, civic bodies are grappling with the problem of solid waste, especially safe disposal of large amounts of plastic waste. None of the local bodies in Kerala has found a green solution for plastic waste management in spite of the State government banning the manufacture, sale and use of plastic carry bags of thickness below 30 microns. Now, the Koyilandy municipality in Kozhikode district is getting ready to launch a project making use of plastic carry bags to manufacture plastic bricks for construction of houses. The Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development (STED) Project, under the Department of Science and Technology of the State government, is providing the technical know-how to the municipality. Already a few rounds of discussion have been held between STED officials and the elected representatives of the municipality. The experimental project will be the first of its kind in the State, says Mohanan Manalil, project director, STED. The technique is simply to repurpose this environmentally unfriendly material. Usually, non-biodegradable plastic is segregated and sold to plastic recycling companies. However, plastic carry bags accumulate in backyards and junk bins. It will be these non-recyclable bags that will go into the making of the bricks, he says. In fact, the use of non-recyclable plastic such as carry bags is high in the State as in any other part of the globe. Plastic carry bags, it has been proved, can take nearly 1,500 years to decompose. The overuse of plastic has caused severe havoc to the planet. Elucidating the project details, Mr. Manalil says that non-recyclable plastic waste with thickness ranging from 20 microns to 100 microns will be collected and ground into 10-mm granules. These granules will then be melted at a temperature of 150 degrees Celsius. And finally, the liquefied plastic will be thoroughly mixed with baby metal, giving it a concrete form. Just as soap is manufactured, cut and packed into fine shape, the new product is cut into a standardised mould. Thus, the plastic brick is ready. The simple project has often been displayed at school exhibitions at the micro level. Today, it is reaching the commercial stage, he says. The plastic brick requires no cement, no sand and no plastering. No painting is required for exterior walls and even for interiors of the house if the occupant is particular of avoiding frills. Colours can be used according to the taste of the individual, he adds. Machinery for the brick-manufacturing unit has to be tailor-made. There are such machine-manufacturing units in Ernakulam and Thrissur. Talks have been held in this regard with a Thrissur-based company. Plastic bricks are cost-effective when compared to cement, hollow, wire-cut and ordinary bricks made at brick-kilns. Initially, the municipality will have to invest between Rs.15 lakh and Rs.20 lakh for the project for setting up the centralised machine unit. The civic body will seek the support of private entrepreneurs in the successful implementation of the project.Already, STED has successfully implemented a project with joint partnership of NATPAC using plastic waste in lieu of bitumen in construction of roads. More than 10 per cent of the bitumen usually required has been saved in case of construction of such roads in Kozhikode city. Apart from developing a technology for safe disposal of plastic, the project will also generate employment in the region. Kudumbasree volunteers will be engaged in the segregation of plastic waste and their services will again be used in the manufacture of plastic bricks. Besides, the municipality will happily get rid of its solid-waste problem, says Mr. Manalil. Recovery unit All the 41 wards in the municipality will have a source recovery unit to collect solid waste. The biodegradable waste will be converted into manure while other waste such as paper will be sent to recycling units. The plastic waste will be graded, some will be converted into pellets, which have a market value of Rs.45 a kg, and other into granules which will be sold at Rs.30 a kg. The non-recyclable plastic waste, which has no takers, will be used for manufacturing the plastic bricks, he says. Mr. Manalil says that the civic body has resources and manpower, thus giving a positive side to the implementation of the project. It only needs feasible schemes and know-how to fruitfully implement them. Plastic carry bags can be handy and highly useable in our daily lives. But their safe disposal has put us in a quandary. Now a municipality in collaboration with a government agency has come up with an alternative solution. The Hindu, July 4
Environmental organisations will hold a convention on July 11 at the Adhithi hall here to discuss the issues related to the government move to remove silt from the Malampuzha reservoir. The State government had invited expression of interest from companies for the removal of silt from the dam. This is a pilot project, said to be the first of its kind in the country. Organisers said there was apprehension among the people about the environmental problems that could arise since there was no environmental impact assessment study conducted before taking up the project. The Hindu, July 3
For the first time, Thiruvananthapuram is going to host the Indian Science Congress.The 97th science congress under the general presidentship of G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO, will be jointly hosted by the Indian Space Research Organisation and the University of Kerala. It will be held from January 3 to 7. The kick-off meeting towards the final event was held here on Tuesday. It was presided over by K. Radhakrishnan, Director, VSSC, who is also the chairman of the local organising committee. G. Madhavan Nair and A. Jayakrishnan, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kerala, and Education Minister M.A. Baby were among those who spoke. The ISRO Chairman committed an amount of Rs.5 crore as ISRO's share in the expenditure for organising the science congress. The Hindu, July 1
Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran has asked the Kerala government to submit a Rs.400-crore project to the Centre for assistance to improve preparedness for cyclones. Delivering the inaugural address at a National Consultation on Disaster Management here on Tuesday, he called upon the State government to submit a detailed project report under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project. Mr. Ramachandran said the earlier proposal for a Rs.166 crore project was grossly inadequate to equip the State for cyclones.He urged the government to seek technical assistance from scientific institutions like the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, National Institute of Technology, Kozhikode, and the Government College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, for geo-technical investigation and micro-zonation of districts vulnerable to natural disasters.Steps should be taken for documentation of traditional best practices in disaster management.The Minister said efforts were on to identify a location in Kerala for a new battalion to be raised for the National Disaster Response Force . Paradigm shift He said the constitution of the National Disaster Management Authority and its State-level units had resulted in a paradigm shift from post-disaster relief and rehabilitation to prevention, mitigation and preparedness. The Hindu, July 1
Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran on Monday announced a water conservation project for all the 140 Assembly constituency in the State. It is intended to tackle water shortage in the State. Replying to a debate on the demand for grants for his department in the Assembly on Monday, the Minister said the programme would lay emphasis on tackling pollution of water resources, maintaining the quality of water and preventing over-exploitation. He proposed an awareness programme and a plan of action to achieve the objectives. A meeting of legislators and local body representatives will be held on July 3 to work out the modalities of the programme. Mr. Premachandran said the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) would be divided into projects, supply and maintenance divisions as part of a revamp. The new divisions would come into being on July 1. The projects division would deal with the conception and execution of drinking water projects. He said the Rs.850-crore Special Project Assisted by Nabard (SPAN), spread over 36 drinking water schemes, was the government's flagship project in the water resources sector. Out of the 91 packages under SPAN, benefiting 27 lakh people, 48 had been approved and the rest would be re-tendered. Admitting to delays, the Minister said he was in consultation with the PWD and Finance Ministers to reform the manuals and codes concerned to expedite the tendering process. The Minister presented an update of various projects, their revised commission dates and the present status. With regard to the JBIC scheme, rechristened JICA, local bodies had been entrusted with the task of restoring the roads that had been dug up. Under the agreement, it was the responsibility of the contractor to complete the restoration work, but this had been amended owing to work-related complaints. He was expecting a Rs.1,000-crore World Bank scheme for Jalanidhi. The Hindu, June 30
If UNESCO votes in favour of the Western Ghats while deciding on new World Heritage Sites in 2010, Kerala will have something to cheer about. The natural heritage sites of the State, namely the Eravikulam National Park and adjoining areas, including some Shola forests, Mathikettan and adjoining reserve forest, the Periyar region, including Ranni and Konni forest divisions, and the Silent Valley and neighbouring areas, are there on the tentative list submitted by India for consideration. No site from Kerala has so far been included on the World Heritage Site list, though the Mattancherry Palace was proposed by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1998 for inclusion under the cultural category. Tentative list The tentative list, according to UNESCO, is an inventory of those properties which each country intends to consider for nomination. The "States Parties are encouraged to submit in their Tentative Lists, properties which they consider to be cultural and/or natural heritage of outstanding universal value and therefore suitable for inscription on the World Heritage List." Nominations to the list will not be considered unless the nominated property has already been included on the tentative list, according to UNESCO. "The nominations made by the country, including that of the Western Ghats, will come up for consideration during the meeting of the World Heritage Committee to be held during early next year," says Jagadish Krishnaswami, a fellow at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). The proposal for the Western Ghats was first submitted in 2006. Later, the State governments were asked to prepare detailed dossiers for each site. ATREE was one of the agencies that supported the Union Ministry for Environment and Forest, the Wildlife Institute of India and many State governments in preparing the dossiers for nomination of various sites.The list was updated last year. The State government submitted its proposal for including the Western Ghats on the list, he said. Once a site is declared a World Heritage Site, it will get global attention and more funds for management. It will make the governments more committed to the protection of the sites, Mr. Krishnaswami said. Currently, 27 sites from the country are on the list, including the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, the Ajanta caves and the Kaziranga and Keladeo national parks. The Hindu, June 27
The former IAS official Philipose Thomas has mooted a solid waste management authority for better coordination between those involved in waste management and the local bodies. Speaking at a seminar on solid waste management organised by New Media and the Global Forum for Disaster Reduction in the capital on Friday, Mr. Thomas suggested that the ideal way to overcome the problem was not to generate waste. The former IAS official pointed out that 50 per cent of the waste generated in the country was paper. Making offices paperless and use of both sides of paper for writing would result in less wastage. He also stressed the need for creating awareness among the public and the children to overcome the problem. Associate vice-president, marketing and business development, JCB, Amit Gossain, called for the effective use of technology to overcome the problem. Machines should be effectively used and integrated solid waste management should be adopted. Adopting 4 R's - refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle - segregation of waste at source, creating awareness and including waste management in the curriculum were some of the steps mooted by him. "Public-private partnership in waste management will go a long way as the government cannot do it alone," he added. Vice-president of IL&FS Waste & Urban Services Ltd. Kapil Gupta said it was time to set scientific landfills in the country. "Those in the country are just dumping yards and they look like mountains." According to him, e-waste, bio-medical waste and construction and demolition waste will have to be addressed in the coming days. The IL&FS, in association with Delhi Municipal Corporation, is setting up a 500-tonne construction and demolition waste plant, which is expected to commence functioning in August. Director of Science Technology & Entrepreneurship Development Project Mohanan Manalil said 6,000 tonnes of waste was being generated daily in the five corporations, 53 municipalities and 999 panchayats in the State. The Hindu, June 27
The district administration opened a disaster management centre at the Collectorate here on Thursday. Deputy Collector M.C. Venugopal inaugurated the centre. A control room functioning round-the-clock became functional at the centre. Village disaster management committees have been formed in 23 fishing villages spread across 11 panchayats in three taluks in the coastal region of the district. Task forces will be formed soon by training volunteers in various areas of disaster management. Advanced disaster alert systems will be set up in seven coastal villages and the district headquarters. The control room can be reached at 0483- 2736320. The toll-free number of the control room will be 1077. A demonstration and training session in disaster management was organised at the Collectorate on Thursday. The Hindu, June 26
A round-the-clock emergency operations centre will become operational at the Collectorate shortly as part of the disaster mitigation initiative. The centre will be equipped with modern equipment. The Hindu, June 26
In Kerala, 30 per cent of the groundwater blocks are unsafe, that is, they are either semi-critical, critical or overexploited. This is against the national average of 18 per cent unsafe groundwater blocks. This was indicated at a district-level Data Users' Workshop held by the State Groundwater Department under the hydrology project. Inaugurating the workshop, District Collector M. Beena said that environmental factors need to be reviewed along with developmental activities, especially in Ernakulam, where a lot of developmental activities are going on. The data collected by the groundwater department in this regard will be of good use for planning any major activity, she said. The data collection on ground water had been going on since the project was launched in 1997. But there was no deliberate sharing of data with anyone. It was made available only when someone asked. Dr. Beena said the data collected would be of much use in planning developmental projects as they would provide more meaning since they are more specific and locally relevant. The Hindu, June 25
Hopes of the monsoon getting back on the track now hinges on the possible formation of a low pressure system over the Bay of Bengal off the Andhra Pradesh coast towards the end of this week. Low pressure India Meteorology Department's weather charts on Wednesday showed signs of an upper air circulation in the bay, and this can very well develop into a low pressure system in a couple of days to ignite an active phase of the monsoon over the peninsula, according to K. Santhosh, Director of the Meteorology Centre here. The rainfall so far this monsoon has been 37 per cent deficient in Kerala. Between June 1 and June 24, the State received an area-weighted rainfall of only 32 cm against a normal of 51 cm. The situation is comparable to the very bad monsoon of last year, when rainfall deficiency at this stage of the season was 38 per cent. All districts in the State are in rainfall deficit at the moment. Deficit percentage The deficit is 49 per cent for Thiruvananthapuram; 50 for Kollam; 33 for Pathanamthitta; 28 for Kottayam; 19 for Alappuzha; 43 for Idukki, 27 for Ernakulam, 14 for Thrissur, 53 for Malappuram, 41 for Palakkad, 41 for Kozhikode, 45 for Wayanad, 26 for Kannur and 47 for Kasaragod. The Hindu, June 25
Minister for Tourism Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said on Wednesday that a regulatory frame work would be introduced to check the operation of houseboats. He was replying to the debate on the demand for grants for tourism in the Assembly. Boating facilities, he said, would be introduced in various parts of the State with the participation of the private sector. Alappuzha would be developed as a heritage town. Mr. Balakrishnan said a working group had been set up to steer Kerala's tourism industry in tune with global trends. It would look into the recessionary conditions and identify areas where Kerala could make gains. The Kerala Shopping Festival would be organised this year also to turn Kerala into a trade and shopping destination. He said development activities carried out in the tourism sector during the past three years had achieved their objectives. Tourism destination councils had been set up at 35 destinations to oversee comprehensive development. The government was planning heavy investments in the tourism sector. As much as Rs.421 crore would be spent on the development of the sector this year, including Rs.293 crore earmarked in the State Budget. Of this, Rs.135 crore had been set apart for Malabar tourism. After the Minister's reply, the House passed the demand for grants for tourism as well as the demands for grants for administration of justice, police and jails. The Hindu, June 25
Heat wave continued to sweep the northern belt on Wednesday, with Hisar in Haryana sizzling at 45.8 degrees Celsius. The government said the monsoon rain might be less than what was forecast. The Hindu, June 25
The Union government on Wednesday announced a downward revision in its estimates for the rainfall in the southwest monsoon season. The rainfall will be "below normal," at 93 per cent of the long period average (LPA) with a model error of plus or minus 4 per cent. In other words, it could be between 89 and 97 per cent of the LPA. (A forecast in April predicted a "near-normal" rainfall, at 96 per cent of the LPA, with a model error of plus or minus 5 per cent: in other words, a rainfall of between 91 and 101 per cent of the LPA. The LPA is 89 cm. It is an average of the monsoon rainfall in the 50-year period from 1941 to 1990.) Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Prithviraj Chavan said the revision was made following estimates that there was a high probability (about 60 per cent) for El Nino conditions appearing during the remaining three months of the season. In April, there did not seem to be such a possibility. The revision came in the backdrop of huge deficiency in the rainfall so far. As per the data for the period from June 1 to 22, there was a departure of minus 52 per cent from the LPA for the period. Central India, comprising Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, had been the worst hit so far, with a departure of minus 75 per cent from its LPA for the period. The northeast, comprising West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim, followed it with a departure of minus 53 per cent from its LPA. In the northwest, comprising Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the departure was minus 41 per cent, and in the South Peninsula, comprising Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar, it was minus 23 per cent. However, the position in central India was expected to dramatically improve in the coming months. Director-General of India Meteorological Department Ajit Tyagi said the monsoon was likely to set over Delhi by July first week. In other words, there would be a delay of a week to 10 days. The normal date is June 29. The Hindu, June 25
The Department of Forests and Wildlife is trying to track down four persons who escaped from the police on Monday night after being found in possession of an Indian sand boa, a protected species of snake. Forest officials suspect that they are part of a racket involved in smuggling snakes. The snake was found in a car intercepted by the Highway Police for a routine check near Karakulam on the Thiruvananthapuram-Nedumangad route late on Monday night. The four occupants of the car fled the scene as soon as the police team discovered the snake inside a sack filled with sand. The snake was handed over to the Nedumangad police station, where Forest officials identified it as an Indian sand boa. District Forest Officer Pradeepkumar said efforts were on to trace the owner of the vehicle that was carrying the snake. "We have decided to launch a detailed investigation into the incident," he said. The snake weighing about 10 kg and measuring 4.5 feet in length was handed over to the zoo. Last month, in two separate incidents at Kumily and Palakkad, the Forest Department had seized four sand boas and arrested five persons for trying to smuggle the snakes into the State from Tamil Nadu. he Indian sand boa is commonly known as 'double-headed snake' because of a blunt tail that looks like a head. When threatened, it hides its head and waves its banded tail. According to K. Ramachandran, Research Fellow, Caecilian Biology Division, Department of Zoology, University of Kerala, the demand for Indian sand boa in the illegal market is driven by the myth of supernatural and healing powers associated with it. "It also finds a good market in the U.S. and Europe where it is reared as a pet," he said. The Hindu, June 24
The Attingal municipality is all set to find a place on the tourism map of Kerala. The civic administration has unveiled an action plan for the development of tourism infrastructure and restoration of the inland waterway from Murukkumpuzha to Varkala. The project is part of the Rs.8-crore Kadhinamkulam Backwater Scheme funded by the Union Ministry of Tourism. It includes the development of floating jetties, tourist facilitation centres, landscaping and electrification. Of the Rs.2.43 crore sanctioned by the Centre for the first phase of the project, Rs.56.97 lakh will be spent in the Attingal municipality. Facilities planned A tourist facilitation centre, floating jetty, children's park and toilet blocks are among the facilities to come up here. The estimated cost is Rs.57 lakh. The scheme includes the construction of floating jetties at Murukkumpuzhakadavu, Thazhampally, Pulunthuruthu and Vakkom and boat race tracks at Chirayinkeezh- Pulimoottukadavu. An amount of Rs.32.47 lakh will be spent on landscaping and improvement of basic facilities along the Murukkumpuzha-Varkala sector while electrification of the stretch is estimated to cost Rs.15.08 lakh. Mr. Rajeshkumar said the construction contract had been awarded to the Kerala Small Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO). "Attingal was selected for the project because of the proximity to the National Highway. With the new facilities in place, the scenic backwaters here will become a major tourist destination," he said. The scheme is expected to be formally launched by the first week of July. The Hindu, June 24
Work on the Perunthenaruvi tourism project of Kerala Tourism is fast progressing at Peruntheraruvi, near Vechoochira, in Ranni taluk. The Tourism Department has launched the project, estimated to cost Rs.3 crore, as part of the proposed eco-tourism chain in the region, linking Achencoil, Konni, Ranni, Gavi and Kochu Pampa, said Raju Abraham, MLA. Mr. Abraham told The Hindu that the project envisaged construction of a modern convention centre overlooking the Perunthenaruvi waterfalls, to be implemented in three phases. He said the first phase of the project involved construction of five view towers, a vehicle parking ground and a cafeteria at an estimated cost of Rs.99 lakh. The first phase would be completed in the next three months, he added. The MLA said dormitories to accommodate 250 persons and a convention hall would be constructed in the second phase. The third phase envisaged construction of a hanging footbridge across the stream, footpaths and landscaping. Hanging bridge He said the hanging bridge and view towers, once completed, would provide an opportunity to tourists to have a spectacular view of the Perunthenaruvi stream, a tributary of the Pampa, that plunges into a 40-metre ravine. He said the Tourism Department was also planning to organise periodic trekking to the Panamkudantha waterfalls in the nearby forests from Perunthenaruvi in due course. The MLA said the project, once completed, would be handed over to the Pathanamthitta District Tourism Promotion Council. The Hindu, June 23
Every time there is a public outcry on pollution of water-bodies in Kuttanad, particularly the Vembanad Lake, the 600-odd houseboats operating in the region are among the first to be blamed. However, a close look at the ground reality reveals that though there is no denying the role of the houseboats in pollution, there are a few others too who have an indirect but definite share of the blame. It is a well-known fact that only around 100 of the 600-plus houseboats operating in the Vembanad Lake and the surrounding canals and rivers have valid Pollution Control Certificates (PCC) since they have onboard sewage treatment facilities. The rest, who should have registered themselves with Government sewage treatment plants for obtaining the PCC, have not been able to do so since the treatment plant at Alappuzha is still on paper. Though this has been repeatedly raised at several public platforms by environmentalists and various other quarters, calling for speedy completion of the treatment plant at Punnamada in Alappuzha, work is yet to begin on the plant. There have been no takers for the tenders issued by the District Tourism Promotion Council for the project that was sanctioned more than two years back, according to official sources. Interestingly, the delay in the establishment of the sewage plant has not stopped houseboat owners from paying the requisite fee for the PCC to the local Pollution Control Board office, or the officials from receiving the fees. The fee receipt is brandished whenever the PCC is asked for. The case of the canal licence, which along with the PCC and a fitness certificate, is necessary for houseboats to conduct operations, is similar. The PCC is mandatory for the canal licence to be issued. But here too, officials have received the requisite fee for the canal licence, reasoning that houseboat owners have paid for the PCC and are waiting for completion of the treatment plant to obtain it. "It all boils down to the delay in setting up the treatment plant. Once that is done, there can be stringent action on those operating without the PCC. Till then, it is a case of mutual understanding," an official explains. The Hindu, June 23
To generate alternate employment for tribals in the buffer zones along the reserve forest boundaries so as to eliminate human interference in the 958 sq. km. Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), authorities have formed eco development committees in 10 villages. ATR field director H. Basuvaraju said of the 94 tribal villages/hamlets identified in the zone, eco development activities had been initiated through Eco Development Committees (EDCs) in 10 villages/hamlets. Participatory rural appraisal exercises had been carried out in 33 villages while the exercise was underway in about 61 villages for a micro plan preparation. The micro plan was to be implemented through a local level specialised eco-development institution specifically created for this purpose, Mr. Basuvaraju said. According to the plan, villages abutting areas within 10 km from the core forest area are considered for buffer zone activities. Apart from the above 15,713 hectares, peripheral areas in Mannavanur and Poomparai ranges of Kodaikkanal division and Palani Range of Dindigul division have been brought under the buffer zone. The objective is to have management intervention in the buffer zones and sector integration for livelihood options. The Government has sanctioned Rs. 5 lakh under the 'Project Tiger Scheme' which has been distributed to villages under Amaravathi, Udumalpet and Valparai ranges. The Hindu, June 22
The number of hungry people in the world may cross one billion in 2009 due to the shocks of the global economic crisis combined with high food prices in a few countries, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said. "The number of hungry people is expected to grow overall by about 11 per cent this year," the U.N. agency projected drawing on analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The silent hunger crisis affecting one-sixth of all of humanity posed a serious risk for world peace and security, it said. Broad consensus "We urgently need to forge a broad consensus on the total and rapid eradication of hunger in the world and to take the necessary actions," said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf on its website. "Poor countries must be given the development, economic and policy tools required to boost their agricultural production and productivity. Investment in agriculture must be increased because for the majority of poor countries a healthy agricultural sector is essential to overcome poverty...," he stressed. Pointing out that the economic crisis also came close on the heels of the food and fuel crisis of 2006-08, it said that it should be noted that while the purchasing power of poor consumers declined, international food commodity prices were still 24 per cent higher than in 2006 and 33 per cent above those of 2005. The Hindu, June 22
Indiscriminate waste dumping in and around Kadalundi estuary is posing a threat to migrant birds of Kadalundi. Scavengers like crows and kites attracted by the waste dumped in the mangroves as well as in the river are driving away the migrant birds that visit Kadalundi in flocks. Although Kadalundi was declared a community reserve some months ago, no effort has been made to stop the routine dumping of house waste and animal waste in the river and canals. The aerial roots of the mangroves in Kadalundi are the second most important feeding ground for migratory shore birds. When the mudflats, the primary feeding ground of Kadalundi estuary, are covered during high tides and in the monsoon, migrant birds depend heavily on the mangrove roots. Waste and garbage thrown carelessly into the river are often trapped in the mangrove roots, attracting scavengers. Omnivorous scavengers like house crows, jungle crows, brahminy kites and black kites are attracted to the waste, particularly animal waste, trapped in mangrove roots. Mr. Arif, who identified 110 species of birds in Kadalundi during his study, said that the presence of brahminy kitesin Kadalundi would shoo away migrants. According to Mr. Arif, if the civic authorities fail to prevent the dumping of waste the in the river, the number of winged visitors to Kadalundi will drastically fall. The Hindu, June 21
The city Corporation on Saturday launched a drive to plant saplings with a view to enhancing the green cover in the city and its suburbs. Mayor C. Jayan Babu inaugurated a scheme named Haritha Vanam at a function held on the premises of the garbage treatment plant at Vilappilsala. A green belt will be created around the plant in the first phase of the programme. Haritha Vanam involves the planting of saplings on roadsides and on the premises of institutions and offices in the city, a press note issued by the Corporation said. Saplings of endemic species of trees will be procured from the Forest Department for the purpose, it added. The Hindu, June 21
Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Friday announced the formation of a committee under the guidance of Nobel laureate Rajendra Pachauri to combat problems arising from climate change. Dr. Pachauri, director-general of The Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi, congratulated Mr. Chavan on addressing the grave issue of global warming at the policy level. The move would throw up business opportunities for the State if it came up with exportable technologies. The committee would ensure that climate change did not come in the way of economic welfare and output, thereby making the economy "climate proof," Dr. Pachauri said. Mr. Chavan said a State Action Plan would be evolved on the lines of the National Action Plan already chalked out to address climate change. The policy would be applied at the regional, sub-regional, block and taluk levels, and also to different sectors of the economy. Dr. Pachauri said the State's long coastline put it at risk from rising sea levels. "Maharashtra's Vidarbha and plateau regions depend on rainfall, which will become erratic due to climate change." The Hindu, June 21
Udangudi in Tuticorin district may be the site for a 100-megawatt solar thermal power plant. This was mooted during a meeting between Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah and Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veeraswami here on Saturday. Mr. Veeraswami told The Hindu that the capital cost of installing a solar power plant was high and the per MW cost was in the range of Rs.18 crore to Rs. 20 crore. This was why Central assistance was required. Tamil Nadu Electricity Board chairman C.P. Singh said the Centre had suggested that the proposed project could be implemented as a joint venture involving Union and State governments. The Union Minister also indicated the Centre's willingness to support modernisation and capacity upgrading of the Board's demonstration windmills installed at Kayathar in Tirunelveli district. The State government submitted a memorandum to Dr. Abdullah, seeking Central grant for expansion of the transmission network in tune with the rising capacity addition of windmills. In spite of the constraints of the wind power sector the State has been promoting the green energy. As on January 31, 2009, Tamil Nadu accounts for around 42 per cent of the country's total installed capacity of 9,756 MW of wind energy, the memorandum stated. The State also sought Central assistance for establishing 17 co-generation plants in cooperative and public sugar mills with a capacity of 234 MW and modernisation of the mills at a cost of Rs.1,500 crore. Dr. Abdullah assured the State that apart from examining the request, he would take it up with Union Agriculture Minister for possible funding through the Department of Cooperation at the Centre, Mr. Singh said. The Hindu, June 21
Activists of the Paristhithi Samrakshana Ekopana Samithi submitted memoranda to the Chief Minister, the Water Resources Minister, the Forest Minister, the Revenue Minister and the Leader of the Opposition on Friday demanding the constitution of a statutory body during the coming Assembly session itself for the protection of Sasthamcotta fresh water lake. General convener of the samithi Odanavattam Vijayaprakash said without a statutory body for its protection, the lake would be in peril. He said no particular department was in full ownership of the lake. As per information gathered from the government, the water part of the lake is owned by the Kerala Water Authority, its banks by the Revenue Department and the trees planted along the banks are owned by the Forest Department. But when it comes to the overall protection of the lake, there was no collective responsibility or individual interest on the part any department, he said. Mr. Vijayaprakash said as a result of the neglect, 15 per cent of the lake had already been covered with water lilies and the plants had spread at a fast pace threatening to choke the lake. The breaching of the nearby Pattakadavu bund posed a threat of saline water seeping into the lake. Yet the authorities were not showing any interest in protecting the lake. This was in spite of the fact that the lake was the drinking water source for over five-lakh people. Mr. Vijayaprakash wanted the statutory body to comprise representations from all departments concerned and environmentalists. The Hindu, June 20
At a time when the cost of sand for construction is beyond the reach of the common man, the Forest Department's fair price sand depot 'Kalavara' at Kulathupuzha in Kollam district is a relief to many.The same quantity of sand sold at Rs.14,000 a lorry load in the open market is available here at Rs.5,600 for the APL category and at Rs.4,500 for the BPL category. The sand is of superior quality to that available in the open market. Even private suppliers agree that it is fine coarse sand suitable for concreting works. The sand is mined from the Chozhiyakodu and Mill Paalam course of the Kulathupuzha river inside the Kulathupuzha forest range. Mining from the two points was assessed and quality certified by the Mining and Geology Department. From each point, 5,500 cubic metres can be mined. Two vana samrakshana samithis have been constituted for sand-mining. The samithis comprise 30 self-help groups with six persons in each group. The samithi is paid Rs.2,000 as wages. The sand is sold only for constructing houses. Applications have to be submitted with the approved plan and the copy of identity cards to the Nirmrithi Kendra. At Kalavara, only applications from Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts are accepted. Kulathupuzha Forest Range Officer S. Abdul Jaleel said 600 applications, 300 each from the APL and BPL sections, had been approved and fresh applications would be accepted only after clearing them. He said the scheme was launched on the initiative of Forest Minister Benoy Viswom in providing quality sand at affordable price to help the common man construct a house of his own. The Hindu, June 20
A meeting to review preparedness of various agencies along the Kerala coast against terror threats was held at the Naval Base here on Friday. The meeting chaired by Commodore S.K. Jha, Naval Officer- in-Charge, was attended by Captain S. Vijayan Pillai, Director of Ports; P. Prakash, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kochi; D. Subramaniam, Joint Commissioner of Customs; and senior functionaries from agencies such as Indian Coast Guard, Fisheries Department, and the Central Industrial Security Force. During the meeting, a comprehensive review of the steps already initiated to safeguard the coastal borders was carried out. Besides, new initiatives to improve coordination and joint operations, optimum utilisation of available assets and additional measures required to strengthen security were discussed. The Southern Naval Command has already launched a campaign along the coastal areas to sensitise the coastal population on security-related issues. The Hindu, June 20
Seismic micro-zoning is necessary in city planning so that in case of a natural calamity, such as an earthquake, the district administration and the disaster management team in a city knows how to go about rescue operations. A. Bhoominathan, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT, Madras, says that study of soil properties is important to know the kind of design a building should have. Since Ernakulam has different compositions of soil because it has both coastal and mountainous terrains, it is important that the town planners have an idea of seismic micro-zoning. Prof. Bhoominathan, who is in charge of micro-zoning studies in Chennai for which IIT, Madras, is the nodal agency, says that constructing tall buildings and bridges on deep soil sites (where thickness of soil is in several layers) requires effective designing to lessen the risk of damage during earthquakes. Similarly, rocky areas require a different design. More damage is expected on single- or double-floor buildings in a rocky area. The thickness of soil decides the response of the constructed structure during an earthquake. The district administration can suitably plan if micro-zoning for earthquakes is taken up, he adds. Prof. Bhoominathan was in Kochi on a training programme for engineers and architects organised by the United Nations Development Programme and the district administration. As Kochi has been recently included as a vulnerable city for earthquakes, the training programme aimed at equipping the engineers working in government institutions and private organisations to get an update on design modules for disaster mitigation. The micro-zoning study is part of a project of the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. The National Earthquake Disaster Mitigation project for training the engineers is being jointly implemented by the Union government and the United Nations Development Programme through the district administration. The Hindu, June 20
The Water Resources Department has constituted an expert committee to study the nature and extent of losses suffered by the people of Plachimada as a result of the operation of the Coca-Cola plant there. The committee is headed by the Agricultural Production Commissioner. Expert in community medicine C.R. Soman, ecologist S. Faizi, the former sessions judge T.K. Raman, chairman of the State Pollution Control Board, Director of Health Services, Director of Animal Husbandry and officials from the Central Ground Water Department, Kerala Agriculture University and Kerala Water Authority are its members. The Hindu, June 20
A mission for greening the coastal belt and creating a bio-shield against invading waves has been completed by the Social Forestry Wing of the Forest Department. Though the project may sound attractive, it was not an easy task for the department to implement it, given the weather conditions and the socio-economic specialities of the coastal belt. During the project that concluded recently, a green cover of 15 hectares was developed in Ernakulam district, said Siddappa, Chief Conservator of Forests (Social Forestry), Ernakulam region. The Forest Department was mostly in the role of facilitator for the project. It also supplied saplings of casuarinas for planting and supported the Theera Vana Samrakshana Samithies in planting them. Mangroves were also planted in some places. It is estimated that around 1.5 lakh saplings were planted in the district alone. This was one of the projects of the Social Forestry Department that was implemented with people's support. One member each from the houses in the coastal belt was part of the samithi which implemented the project. As the department has completed its responsibility regarding the project, now it is the turn of the local panchayats to take it further. Though the ownership of the Theera Vanam will be with the samithis, the local panchayats can plan the future course of action, Mr. Siddappa said. The Hindu, June 19
Trials on the Genetically Modified (GM) mosquito engineered by researchers at the University of Oxford to control dengue/chikungunya are under way at a laboratory near Chennai.The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, gave permission to conduct the evaluation in India. It is in progress at the International Institute of Biotechnology And Toxicology (IIBAT) at Padappai near Chennai. The trials have reached the second stage."It is a promising technology which deploys genetically sterile Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes to fight the disease-causing ones," S.S. Vasan, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and Head of Public Health, Oxitec (Oxford Insect Technologies), said speaking to The Hindu here on Thursday. Oxitec, a company founded in 2002 to commercialise science and technology invented at the university, is working with about 10 countries, including India, to carry out the trials under confined conditions, according to Dr. Vasan. In India, the 'GM mosquito technology' is being evaluated after having obtained clearance from the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation, DBT."Around 55 per cent of the world population is at risk of getting dengue and 120 countries are endemic. So, the University of Oxford has developed this GM mosquito technology in its laboratory by spending millions of pounds," he said.The third stage would involve limited open trials, after which the release of technology could be considered if all the regulatory parameters were satisfactorily met. The DBT had appointed a five-member expert committee to oversee the trials in India "and we are getting the technology independently evaluated by passing on the GM mosquito strains.""The goal is not to completely eradicate dengue or chikungunya. That is not possible. It is to bring it below the threshold of disease transmission through GM sterile mosquitoes," Dr. Vasan said. The Hindu, June 19
The Thiruvalla municipality is to set up six mini bio-gas plants in different parts of the municipality on a war footing with a view to addressing the problem of waste disposal, municipal chairman Jacob Vanchippalam has said. the proposed plants would be set up near the public stadium, market at Manjady, fish market at Mazhuvangad, Ambily junction, municipal market near the municipality and on the abattoir premises at Tholasserry. He said a team comprising Revenue Divisional Officer P.K. Jayasree, the Thiruvalla tahsildar, the officials of the State Pollution Control Board officials and the village officer concerned would inspect the sites on Friday.. Mr. Vanchippalam said each plant was estimated at Rs.6 lakh and the municipal council meet scheduled for June 23 would discus the matter and give final clearance. THE HINDU, June 18
The Attappady-Nilgiri forest areas on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border which form part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and the buffer zone of the Silent Valley National Park have become major centres of ganja (Cannabis sativa) cultivation.Investigators probing the seizure of hashish valued at Rs.75 lakh from two persons near the Cochin International Airport recently said the accused had admitted to procuring the drug from the Attappady hills. Many other seizures and arrest of persons involved in drug trafficking have been reported from Attappady and other parts of the district.The forest areas bordering Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the Attappady and Nilgiri Hills are a difficult terrain, most suited to ganja cultivation. Hi-tech methods Forest officials who conducted raids in Attappady recently stumbled
upon startling information on the use of latest bio-technology and
scientific processing techniques such as hormone treatment, drip
irrigation, high breed chemical fertilizers and pesticides for ganja
cultivation. They also got information on 'ganja oil' extraction units
set up by the 'ganja mafia' deep inside the forests. High risk In view of the high risk involved in transporting tonnes of dry ganja
from the forests to various parts of the country and abroad, drug
runners have resorted to extracting oil to smuggle out the killer
drug. There is also a method to collect stick juice, similar to
tapping of rubber, which are made into small balls.This stick juice
fetches high value and is used for smoking. Abject poverty According to an official document of the Forest Department
'Eradication of Ganja from Attappady,' "16 out of the 21 tribal
colonies in the Attappady range are notorious for ganja cultivation.
The tribesmen mostly work as labourers and transport agents. Faced
with abject poverty, it is a source of livelihood for them. There were
22 cases booked against tribesmen in the last five years. In two
instances, tribesmen are reported to have attacked Forest officials
during raids. The tribesmen are slowly won over by the ganja mafia." The forest areas of Galazi, Thudukki, Korakunda and the
Nilambur-Kalikavu areas are the traditional ganja cultivating areas in
the Attappady and Nilgiri forests, sources in the Forest Department
said.The Forest Department that claimed to have eradicated ganja from
the Attappady forests had stopped raids for the last two years.This
was cited as a major reason for the cultivation of ganja in the
Attappady-Nilgiri areas on Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. THE HINDU, June 18
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