Better environment begets better health: WHO

In environment country, people's health could be improved by reducing environmental risks including pollution, hazards in the work environment, noise, agricultural risks, climate and eco system change, says the World Health Organisation. The WHO  last week released the first ever country-wise analysis of the impact environmental factors have on health. The new data shows that worldwide, 13 million deaths could be prevented annually by making environments healthier. In some countries, more than one-third of the diseases could be prevented through environmental improvements, according to WHO. In 23 countries, more than 10 percent deaths are due to two environmental risk factors: unsafe water, including poor sanitation and hygiene and indoor air pollution due to the use of solid fuel for cooking. Around the world, children under five are the main victims and make up 74 percent deaths due to diarrhoeal disease and lower respiratory tract infections.

 

The WHO data points out that low-income countries suffer the most due to environmental health factors. Even in developed countries, with better environmental conditions, about one-sixth of the disease burden could be prevented. The World Health Report presented in 2004 had said that environmental factors contributed to disease burden in 85 categories of diseases. However, this should be seen as a conservative estimate as there is no evidence for the indirect health effects that many environmental factors could have. WHO assess that 42% of malaria case is directly related to practices regarding land use, deforestation, water resources management, settlement locations and poor drainage facilities.

 

 

(The Hindu 19^th June 2007)

Students develop biodiesel from used vegetable oil

Five students of the Mechanical Engineering Department of the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, have developed a waste-to-fuel method to manufacture from used vegetable oil.

 

The students, T.R.Varun,Sharath Krishnan,Simon C.Mathew, Tony Chacko and J.Sreehai, have come up with an energy-efficient non-polluting system that converts used edible oil into biodiesel, as part of their final year project. The team claims that the fuel can be used for all practical purposes with reduced levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emission. The conversion of used edible oil into biodiesel involves a process knows as transesterification by which the oil is mixed with alcohol to break down the carbon chain and bring it on a par with diesel. Unprocessed vegetable oil possesses fatty acids that will congeal and clog the fuel injectors and engine. The transesterification process helps to remove the fatty acids. The biodiesel successfully tested by the students was mixed with diesel in the right proportion in a specially made plant.

 

 (The Hindu

Keep off Kannur,Thiruvananthapuram

A study on the lightening incidence in Kerala published in the State of the Environment Report 2007, by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment revealed that maximum number of lightening events occur in Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram tops the list in the matter of injuries resulting from lightening. The maximum number of deaths has occurred in Palappuram, with Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode just a breath behind the same number of deaths.

 

Thrissur and Wayanad are the safest place places with the number of lightening events, injuries and deaths being the lowest among all the districts. Apart from these two districts, the most lightening proof area seems to be Palakkad though the number of events is more than double that of Thrisuur. Scientists attribute this low incidence of lighting in the area west of Palakkad to a gap in the mountain range. The absence of mountain results in less formation of the Cumulonimbus clouds (Cb cloud), which is responsible for lightning. When there's no Cb cloud , there's no lightening. The maximum number of cases have been reported in April-May and October, that tim eof the year when the environmental conditions are just right for the formation of Cb clouds. The safest months are Lanuary, August and December. And 80% of lightning have struck between 3 P.M and 7 P.M. a feature special of eth lightning occurring in the state has been the ground  conduction – conduction of energy to a nearby building after lightning falls on a tree. A study conducted by the Centre for Earth Science Studies to understand the mechanism of accidents have found that 66 percent of the accidents related to lightning are due to lightning energy entering the buildings through ground conduction.

 

 

(The New Indian Express 17^th June 2007)

Palmking butterfly sighted

The Palmking butterfly, a variety rarely found in India, has been sighted at the Shenduruny wildlife sanctuary by a group of lepidopterists in the Western Ghats Butterfly India Meet during the first week of June. The meet was jointly organized by the nature groups Warblers and Waders and the Butterfly India Group. The male butterfly was sighted in the morning of June 2 in the Kattilappara area of the sanctuary and was seen resting on a marshy patch of land full of reeds.

"This is the third sighting of he Palmking in India. It was in the year 2000 that this butterfly was seen at Palode by B.V.Premkrishnan, member of the Warblers and Waders. Then it was sighted at Shenduruny in 2002. All these sightings were of a male butterfly. It is very difficult to spot this shy butterfly", he said. The palmking is endemic to   Southeast Asia and breeds in palm trees.

 

(The Hindu 14^th June 2007)

Global warming will drive out oil sardines off Kerala coast: study

 
What has global warming got to do with Malayalis' favorite seafood, oil sardines(Chaala or Mathi)? Simple. It will drive out oil sardines off the Kerala coast and drastically reduce the fish's availability in the State. Not immediately, of course, but gradually over the next few decades. Not oil sardines alone, but other pelagic fishes such as mackerel and tuna too. Fisheries scientists point out that as the seawater temperature goes up because of global warming, the temperature-sensitive pelagic fishes move to cooler waters. According to N.G.K.Pillai, Head, Division of Pelagic fisheries at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) here, higher temperature drastically alters the spawning and distribution of pelagic fish, especially of oil sardines. When the temperature in the Arabian Sea off the Kerala coast goes up, sardines move up north to the coast off Maharastra and Gujarat. The migration of sardines has already been noticed by scientists and the fisherfolk, Dr.Pillai, who was part of a CMFRI study on 'Vulnerability of Indian Marine Fisheries to Change', says. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose fourth assessment report was out recently, has warned that global warming will affect the spread and abundance fishes. Rise in seawater temperaure, salinity, sea level and increased acidity are some of the impacts of global warming on the marine environment, which trigger migration of huge populations of mobile fish species. Increase in seawater temperature will also kill off organisms like planktons, on which fishes feed.


(The Hindu,12th  June  2007)
 

Lifeline for hunted shark species

 
Sawtooth sharks hunted to the edge of extinction were thrown a lifeline on Monday in the form of a ban on international trade in the fish or its parts by the U.N. body regulating wildlife commerce. Prized for their fins by Chinese gourmets and for their distinctive saw-like snouts by trophy hunters, all but one of seven sawfish species were granted the highest level of protection possible under CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The 171-nation body approved a request from Australia that the seventh species be included in the less restrictive Appendix II, allowing trade in live animals to public aquaria for conservation purposes only. While current population levels in the wild are not known, the extreme rarity of sightings has led conservationists to conclude that the species in critically endangered. "The sawfish have disappeared form waters stretching from the east coast of the United States to South-East Asia", said Susan Lieberman, Director of the World Wild life Fund's global species programmes.  She said Monday's decision was a positive step. But added: "It is a pity that the CITES parties are only able to throw a lifeline to shark species when they are on the brink of extension". China, Qatar and Indonesia were among the countries that voted against the measure.


(The Hindu,12th  June  2007)
 

Call for steps to protect Vembanad Lake

 
A workshop on protection on Vembanad Lake has called for eviction of all unauthorized and illegal encroachments in the lake. The land thus evicted should be utilized for projects meant for the protection of the lake, participants if the workshop, organized by the Kerala Sasthra Sahitya Parishad, in Kochi said. An authentic database on reduction in the area of the lake, extent of encroachments, reduction of the depth and other related aspects should be prepared, an action plan prepared for the lake suggested. The lake reached a moribund state due to the shrinkage of the water bodies, reduced saline water incursion due to the closure of Thannermukkam bund and reduction in the depth, the workshop said. Efforts for regeneration of life in the lake should be undertaken. The closure period of the Thannermukam bund should be restricted from January to March each year, the action plan prepared at the workshop said. The violations of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) should be checked and the civic bodies should take into account the CRZ restrictions while clearing all applications for construction activities, the action plan recommended.

(The Hindu,11th  June  2007)
 

Environmental groups want buffer zone part of Silent Valley park

 
Greens , while welcoming Wednesday's decision of the State Cabinet to create a buffer zone for the Silent Valley National Park, have demanded that the zone be made part of the national park in order to protect it from all sorts of human interference. Environmental groups see the Cabinet decision to create a 148 sq km buffer zone for the Silent Valley a major victory for them- they have been raising the demand for quite some time now. Though the buffer zone will come under the park administration it will have the status of only a reserve or vested forest.

The new buffer zone is carved out of the Mannarkkad, Attappady and Kalikavu forest ranges. The environmentalists are happy that their proposal for the buffer zone was cleared by the Cabinet despite opposition from the Power Ministry. The move of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to take up the Pathrakadavu hydroelectric project in the vicinity of the park was one of the reasons for the delay in declaring the buffer zone.

  (The Hindu,9th  June  2007)
 

Rs.3000 crore project for nine coastal districts

 
The State Government plans to implement a Rs.3,000 crore project for the comprehensive development of nine coastal districts in the State, Fisheries Minister S.Sarma has said. At a press conference here on Friday, the Minister said the Bangalore-based National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) had been appointed consultant for the project and they were asked to submit a project report within four months. The project would integrate schemes of the Union and State Government and funds for the project would come from different sources, including the Centre, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and funds from the 12th Finance Commission, said the Minister.As a beginning, the State Government would start the scheme in Kasaragod with own funds, said Mr.Sarma. A sum of Rs.7.5 crore earmarked in the State budge for integrated coastal development would be spent in the district, he said. A dedicated team with the District Collector as Chairman and Fisheries Deputy Director as convener and representatives of people from the district as members had been formed to finalise the development works to be executed, said Mr.Sarma.

(The Hindu,9th  June  2007)

State facing severe sea erosion

 
Kerala is facing unusually severe sea erosion this month, Minister for Water Resources N.K.Premachandran said on Friday. He was visiting the affected areas here. There were demand for protection of he coasts using tetra pods, Mr.Premachandran said. Though the Government had received a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in this respect, the costs were prohibitive. However, two breakwaters using tetra pods would be conducted near Poonthura estuary in the Thiruvananthapuram district on experimental basis. Similar experimental works would be taken up in Kollam and Alappuzha district also, he said.  It would be possible to spend Rs.300 crore under the Award of the Central Finance Commission and the Tsunami Rehabilitation Project for construction of sea wall in the next four years. Mr.Premachandran said. But rock needed for the work was not available from approved quarries.

However, urgent works would be undertaken in the areas affected by sea erosion. A sum of Rs.21 crore would be spent to build a sea wall at Arattupuzha as per the specifications of the IIT. Construction of permanent sea walls would be taken up in other places after the monsoon, he said.

(The Hindu,9th  June  2007)

Project launched to restore Padmatheertham pond

 
The Padmatheertham temple tank, one of the oldest water bodies in the city, is awaiting a new lease of life. The Sri.Padmanabhaswamy Temple Trust has taken up a project to revive the pond and restore the water quality. The first phase of the project involves purification of the water by increasing the dissolved oxygen content. The trust has installed six pumps that spray jets of water into the pond. The pumps are operated for three hours in the morning and evening. Biomedical consultant Madhavan Nair who supervises the restoration project says the pumps help to aerate the water by surface agitation. "Gradually, as the dissolved oxygen content goes up, it will generate friendly bacteria that help to clean up the water and algae. We also purpose to introduce special bacteria into the water to eat up the impurities", he says. The pumps will be in operation for the next three months.

In the second phase of the project, a slurry pump will be pressed into service to remove the sludge accumulated at the bottom of the water body. The pond was originally designed with a flushing mechanism that brought in water from the Kochar, a tributary of the Killi river constructed during the Travancore era. The excess water was then diverted to the nearby Pathrakulam from where it was redirected to the Thekkanamkara canal. The system helped to maintain the level and quality of the water in the pond. The restoration project is being funded by the temple trust.


(The Hindu,9th  June  2007)
 

Land seizures behind Colombia’s biofuel revolution

 
Armed groups in Colombia are driving peasants off their land to make way for plantations of palm oil, a biofuel that us being promoted as an environment-friendly source of energy. Surging demand for "green" fuel has prompted right-wing paramilitaries to seize swathes of territory. According to activists and farmers Thousands of families are believed to have fled a campaign of killing and intimidation. Several, companies were collaborating by falsifying deeds to claim ownership of the land, said Andres Castro, the general secretary of Fed Palma, the national federation of palm oil producers." As a consequence of the development and palm secretive business practices and the use of threats, people have been displaced and [the businesses] have claimed land for themselves", he said. His claim was backed up by witnesses and group such as Christian Aid and the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia. The revelations tarnish what has been considered an economic and environmental success story. The fruit of the palm oil tree produces a vegetable oil also used in cooking, employs 80,000 people, and is increasingly being turned into biofuel.

(The Hindu,7th  June  2007)

‘Amendments to CRZ will affect fisheries sector’

 
Noted environmental activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar said here on Tuesday that the Union Government's move to implement the recommendations of the M.S.Swaminathan Committee on coastal zone management would prove disastrous for the fishermen community in the country. She was inaugurating a dharna organized by the Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhillai Federation in front of the Accountant-General's office here as part of a nationwide agitation by the National Fish Workers Forum. Ms.Patkar said the proposed reforms would undermine the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Act of 1991, affecting the livelihood security of traditional fishermen. "Whose interests us the Centre trying to protect by extending the coastal management zone by 12 nautical miles?" she asked.Ms.Patkar alleged that the reforms would make it easy to legitimize the operations of tourist resorts constructed in violation of the coastal regulation norms. She said the Swaminathan Committee report was designed to protect the interests of tourist, industrial and sand-mining lobbies. She said the proposed special economic zones would have a detrimental effect on most coastal areas.

(The Hindu,7th  June  2007)

Cabinet approves buffer zone for Silent Valley

 
The Cabinet approved a proposal for the formation of a buffer zone for Silent Valley National Park on Wednesday. The zone will bind the Park on all sides except the north where it is contiguous with the Mukkurthi National Park of Tamil Nadu. The total area of the buffer zone will be about 148 sq.km; carved out from Attappady, Mannarkkad and Kalikavu forest ranges of Kerala.

Forest Minister Binoy Viswom said the zone would only have reserve forest status. A new range, Bhavani Forest Range would be formed to take care of 94sq.km. There would be two forest stations under that range at Anavai and Thudukki. The remaining 54 sq.km would be brought under the existing Silent Valley Range of the National Park. Mr.Viswom said the Department had sought 59 additional hands to protect the area. The Cabinet had sanctioned 35 posts, 15 of which were to be filled by redeployment.

    (The Hindu,7th  June  2007)

Climate change: end for great apes?

 
One of the world's most prominent conservation experts recently issued a rallying: cry to save the great apes, man's closest biological cousins, which are under serious threat of extinction. Richard Leakey, former head of the Kenya Wildlife Direct, said apes across the world faced unprecedented threats from the combined effects of hunting, disease and logging. And he said efforts to tackle global warming through the use of biofuels could cause more damage to ape populations because of pressure to chop down their tropical forest homes.

Habitat destroyed
About 80 percent of orangutan habitat in south-east Asia has been destroyed in the past 20 years because of soaring demand for land to produce palm oil for western markets. Experts warn that increased uptake of alternative fuels could mean the disappearance of the remaining 50,000 animals there within a generation. Dr.Leakey said human activity was directly to blame for the deaths of millions of gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos across the world. He urged politicians working on a new international treaty to regulate greenhouse gas emissions to focus more on incentives to conserve forests across south-east Asia, Africa and central and south America.

(The Hindu,7th  June  2007)
 

Responsible eco-tourism comes to Pathiramanal

 
After over a decade's struggle to protect Pathiramanal Island in Vembanad Lake from being handed over to tourism industry giants, the Muhamma grama panchayat will finally start its own eco-tourism project on the island on August 14. The inauguration of the project, titled the Pathiramanal Biodiversity Conservation and Responsible Eco-Tourism Development Project, would not be like normal inaugurals. Over 1000 country boats carrying fishermen from Muhamma and surrounding localities would coverage at the island and sow seeds, plant saplings and all that was needed for mangroves around the island.

(Patihiramanal, a small island in the backwaters of Alappuzha, is a haven for hundreds of rare birds migrating from different parts of the world. Surrounded by Vembanad Lake, stretching from Alappuzha to Kochi and Kayamkulam Lake, Pathiramanal is accessible only by boat). Announcing this s at a seminar on the project jointly organized by the grama panchayat and the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram, at Muhamma, near here on Tuesday, Finance Minister T.M.Thomas Issac, who was also the local MLA, said the Central Government had agreed for a grant of Rs.5 crore for the project, which was the first of its kind initiated by a grama panchayat anywhere in the country. The state government had already set aside Rs.50lakh in the recent budget for the project.

 
(The Hindu, 6th  June  2007)

‘Ente Maram’ sprouts in the State

 
Narmada bachao Andolan leader and environmentalust Medha Patkar planted a sapling at Karthika Tirunal Government Girls Vocational Higher Secondary School, Manacud , to kick off the Statewide 'Ente Maram' tree planting campaign orgainised in connection with World Envrionment Day here on Tuesday. The programme jointly organized by the departments of forest and education is one of the most intensive afforesttaion programmes even taken up here. Minister Forest Benoy Voswom, Minister for Law M.Vijayakumar;Mayor C.Jayan Babu; Panniyan Ravindran MP, V.Surendran Pillai MLA; noted poet B.Sughathakumari; District Collector,N.Ayyappan and top officials if the Forest Department were present.


(The Hindu, 6th  June  2007)

Base at Antarctica will offer excellent scope for studies

 
The third Indian research base at Antarctica, green-signaled by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) last month, will offer excellent scope for studies on geological structures and tectonics with special reference to the once existent southern super-continent Gondwanaland, National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research(NCAOR) director, Rasik Ravindra has said. NCAOR, Goa is the R&D wing of Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, which co-ordinates Indian activity in the Antarctic. The proposed station will come up on Laremann Hills in East Antarctica. It will carry out long-term research in various domains of polar, ocean and atmospheric sciences ", he said.

"The Mahanadi graben (depression of land flanked by faults) on the Eastern Ghat of India Exposes an entire sequence of rock types. A similar sequence is found to be present along the Lampert graben in East Antarctica. The correlation between the two distant locations with respect to lithology, structure, tectonics and other geographical constrains would held in fine-tuning the India-Gondwana fit", he said. The station is for a total lifespan of 25 years and the construction is to be started in summer 2008.

    (The New Indian Express, 6th  June  2007)
   

‘Make environmental education compulsory’

 
The global mean temperature has been going up on alarming scale. The declining snow cover and increasing sea levels formed the topics of discussion at a function held here to observe the World Environment Day 2007. Which focused on polar regions. The programme was organized by the State Science&Technology Museum at Priyadarshini Auditorium on Tuesday. Inaugurating the programme Water Resources Minister N.K.Premachandran said that environment education should be made compulsory in the academic curriculum. He released the State of Environment Report 2007 at the function.

Rasik Ravindra, Director, National Centre for Antarctica and Ocean Research, Goa said referring Antartica that 11 of the last 12 years (1995-2006) ranked amongst the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of surface temperature. In his keynote address on Global warming and sea level change An Antarctica perspective, he said that warming of the climate system was continuing unabated. Most of the observed increase in global temperatures since the mid 20th century can be traced to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The intergovernmental panel on climate  change 2007 has observed that world temperatures could rise by between 1.1 and 6.4 degree Celsius during the 21st centuary and sea levels will probably rise by 18 to 59cm.


(The New Indian Express, 6th  June  2007)

Controlled burns: are they desirable?

 
The Forest Department has been using controlled fires as a forestry management practice for years to prevent major fires. However, opinion is growing against such prescribed fires especially in view of change in priorities of forest management away from hardwood production to biodiversity conservation. The department is of the view that controlled burns, which is used to burn down litter, dry grass and other underbrush, will help to prevent disastrous late fires in summer resulting from accumulation of combustible material on the ground. The burning of the underbrush does not affect the big trees while larger fires would. So, controlled fires have been prescribed even in the management plans of wildlife sanctuaries. Burning will also facilitate growing of fresh grass favored by animals, it says.
However, experts are almost, unanimous in their opinion that the controlled burns would prevent regeneration of degraded forests in the State. Those who agree with limited application of controlled burning for fire control object to the timing and manner in which the prescribed burning is being, done. The burnings were being carried out without proper monitoring and there were several instances if fires going out of control. Studies have shown the burning of forests too often poses serious threat to biodiversity and their cumulative effect may be as profound as high intensity fires. Fire can sign9ificantly alter the ability of a landscape to capture and retain water, nutrients and carbon, through its effects on soil macro fauna.


(The Hindu, 4th  June 2007)

Mumbai abloom with rare palms

 
One of the world's largest palm trees, the Talipot, or Corpypha umbraculifera, is abloom in different parts of Mumbai. They have flowered at the St.Francis d' Assissi Church compound in Borivali,Mazgoan,Goregaon,Vile Parle and at the Jijampta Udyan, the local zoo. "This species.. needs around 50 or 60 years to bloom", plant taxonomist Dr.Suchnadra Dutta sid here on Saturday. " According to calculations they produce about 12 million flowers, which contain more than 500kg of seeds". Once it bears fruits, the plant dies. It gradually uses up all the nutrient reserves accumulated in the trunk over the decades. The Talipot is monocarpic, flowering only once when it is 30 to 80 years old. It takes about  a year for the fruits to mature. There will be thousands of round yellow-green fruits, measuring to 3-4 cm im a diameter. Each will have a single seed.The flower is native to the Malabar coast and Srilanka, and it is SriLanka's national tree. As the name Umbraculifera suggets, the flowers simulate a crown and an umbrella. Individual specimens can reach a height of 25m, with stems up to 1.3mm in diameter. It is a fan palm, with large palmate leaves upto 5m in diameter, with a petiole spreading up to 4 m and with some 130 leaflets.

 
(The Hindu, 3rd June 2007)

Environment Day: Students to plant trees

  Around 22 lakh students of standards V to IX will plant trees on the premises of their houses on June 5, the World Environment Day, as part of the 'ente maram' project being jointly organized by Education Department and Forest Department. A dairy covering various educational activities in the schools for the academic year from June 1 to March 31 will also be distributed to students as part of the project. Education Minister M.A.Baby and Forest Minister Benoy Viswam told reports here that the programme was the largest social forestry project undertaken in any part of the world. This is also the largest environment study project undertaken in schools, he said.

President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam in a message has said that this project can be an occasion to create interest amongst school children to not only plant seedlings, but also care for the trees in the long term. Governor R.L.Bhatia will inaugurate the state-level project to be held at 3 pm on June 5 at Government Higher Secondary School, Parathipala in Palakkad district. Education Minister M.A.Baby and Electricity Minister A.K.Balan will take part in the state-level project.


(The New Indian Express, 2nd  June,2007)
 

Paddy production up

 
The crisis- hit farm sector in the state may have some reason to cheer with rice production lat season showing an increase. While the Economics and Statistics Department is yet to come out with the latest Agriculture  Statistics, the indications are quite encouraging. Paddy fields in Alappuzha,Palakkad and Thrissur yielded a good crop last season, Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran said.

Alappuzha put on a really good show, with Kuttanad yielding 1.37 lakh tones. Palakkad and Thrissur, especially the kole lands in Thrissur, also registered an increase", the minister said. Agriculture officials in Alappuzha put the figures at 1.37 lakh tones of paddy from 25,000 hectares in the Kuttanad region. This is 30,000 tonnes more than last year. While the compiled figures for Thrissur and Palakkad districts are not available yet, agriculture officials in Thrissur said that the paddy fields in the district, both Kole and non-Kole lands, have yielded on an average, between four and five tones per hectare. Paddy is cultivated in around 32,000 hectares in the district.

(The New Indian Express, 30th  May,2007)
 

Web reporting to keep track on chikungunya

 
Stepping up monitoring efforts for chikunguniya, the Tamil Nadu Health Department will soon launch a web-based reporting system to keep track on fever cases in hospitals across the state. Apart from the day-to-day surveillance of mosquito density across the state, public health officials are also holding meetings with their counterparts in the other southern states.

Director of Public Health P.Padman said, "We are bringing in a web-based reporting system. The National Informatics Centre is developing the software and it would be completed in a week to 10 days".  Accordingly, the institutions will be grouped as medical colleges and attached institutions, district and sub-district hospitals, primary health centers and private doctors. Once the software is developed, all the institutions should send reports on a daily basis on chickun Guniya cases, dengue, Leptospirosis and also on all fever cases including malaria. The parallel reporting would help in regular analysis of the situation.


(The New Indian Express, 29th  May,2007)
 

Scientists develop virus-killing water

 
Scientists have developed a form of water which they claim could kill vast quantities of bacteria,viruses and fungi, including many that are unaffected by bleach. The water called Dermacyn, developed by California based Oculus, is recommended for external use only and should not be drunk although its makers say they did not find it causing any harm to those who drank it. Dubbed as miracle water by its, maker,Demacyn costs around 16 pounds bottle and has a shelf  life of two years. In trials on diabetic patients it was more effective in clearing up hard to treat foot ulcers took 55 days to heal when treated with iodine and antibiotics while they took 43 days to heal when Dermacyn was used.

"when you spray it on, you see the treated tissue pink up and go beefy, which is good because it means the oxygen supply has resumed", said Dr.Cheryl Bongiovanni who used the product on more than 1,000 patinets in Oregon. Other tests have shown that small amounts of the liquid can kill vast quantities of bacteria, viruses and fungi. Some of the vulnerable germs include hospital super bugs meticillin resistant staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) and clostridium difficile, food poisoning bacteria  e.coil and salmonella, the tuberculosis virus and human immuno deficiency(HIV) virus. The liquid is a chemically altered version of salty water, which is full of negatively charged particles. These are capable of killing dangerous micro-organisms by punching holes in their cell walls. While bacteria and viruses are quickly dispatched, human cells are left intact because they are packed  too tightly together to be attacked, according to online edition on Daily Mail. 

(The New Indian Express, 28th  May,2007)
 

Ancient rock art dating back to 1500 B.C.found in Tamill Nadu

 
A natural cavern with a profusion of ancient rock art, contemporary tribal paintings and even modern day graffiti has been discovered near Mavadaippu tribal village, about 7km from the Kadampari hydel power station in Tamil Nadu's Coimabatore district. K.T.Gandhirajan,art historian and explorer,P.Manivannan,K.Natarajan and a group of students from the Government College of Fine Arts ,Chennai made the discovery on May 17. They also found about a kilometer away from the site a number of dolmens, called "muni aria" in Tamil in four different locations in the backdrop of the Anamalai hills. The dolmens are in square, rectangular and even round shapes. Some have compartments inside.
According to Mr.Gandhirajan, who is a post-graduate in Art History, "a spectacular feature of the site is that the rock surface  is an admixture of ancient rock art and contemporary tribal paintings, showing continuity of traditions as it were". The paintings have been done on a rock surface that is 40 feet long and 20 feet tall. He and other experts put the date of the ancient rock paintings around 1500B.C. these paintings include a tiger with its mouth wide open, a deer with straight horns, a procupine, a wild boar, a peacoak and elephants.

(The Hindu, 27th    May 2007)

‘Ente Maram’project from June 5

 
'Ente Maram' project, which aims at planting sapling of trees in houses and schools, will begin on June 5. District panchayat president Anvaoor Nagappan, in a release on Saturday, said the Forest Department would make available saplings of trees in all schools in the district between May 29 and June 4. On July morning, the students would plant the sapling of trees on the school premises. They would plant the sapling in their house on July 5 evening.

  (The Hindu, 27th    May 2007)
   

Eco-development project for Munnar gathering dust

 
A project prepared by the Forest Department four years ago to restore the ecological and aesthetic integrity of the Munnar hills can serve as a reference point for the Government to prepare a plan to turn it into a well-planned tourist resort. Architecture students, teachers,ecologists and heritage restorers from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) had conducted the study to prepare the town's profile and chart out a comprehensive project to conserve ecology.The project report, which is gathering dust in the Forest Department, will provide inputs to the Government on measures to rebuild Munnar after evicting encroachers and demolishing unauthorized constructions.

  (The Hindu, 27th    May 2007)
   

New hybrid cashew variety

 
Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran will release the new hybrid cashew variety Poornima-developed by the Cashew Research Station of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) at Madakkathara, at a function to be held on Saturday. KAU sources said that it is the result of 35 years of research started from 1972. Crossing the varieties,BLA139-1 and K-3-1,KAU developed the new variety. It is the 11th high-yielding variety released from the Cashew Research Station.

KAU sources sources said that 'Poornima' is suitable for cultivation in all parts of Kerala especially in the sandy and laterite soils. Average nut yield of the variety is 14kg per tree a year. The nuts are bold (average weight of 7.8 gram per nut). The kernels are of superior grade and are suitable for export. The variety with straight-growing habit and close banches is suitable for close planting. Poornima has a short harvesting period, which is also an added advantage. It flowers in December-January and harvesting can be completed by February-March. Colour of the ripe cashew apple is yellow.

(The New Indian Express, 26th  May,2007)
 

New promising biofuel from trees

 
A team of University of Georgia researchers has developed a new biofuel derived from wood, the new and still unnamed fuel can be blended with biodiesel and petroleum diesel to power conventional engines. "The exciting thing about our method is that it is very easy to do," said Tom Adams, director of the UGA Faculty for engineering outreach service. "we expect to reduce the price of producing fuels from biomass dramatically with this technique".  Adams, whose findings are detailed in the early online edition of the American Chemical Society journal Energy and Fuels, explained that scientists have long been able to derive oils from wood, but they had been unable to process it effectively or inexpensively so that it can be used in conventional engines.The researchers have developed a new chemical process, which they are working to patent, that inexpensively  treats the oils so that it can be used in unmodified diesel engines or blended with biodiesel and petroleum diesel. Here's how the process works:Wood chips and pellets, roughly a quarter inch in diameter and six tenths of an inch long, are heated in the absence of oxygen at a high temperature , a process known as pyrolysis. Up to a third of the dry weight of the wood becomes a gas. Most of this gas is condensed into a liquid bio-oil and chemically treated. When the process is complete, about 34 percent of the bio-oil(or 15 to 17 percent dry weight of the wood) can be used to power engines. The researchers are currently working to improve the process to derive even more oil form the wood.


(The New Indian Express, 21st May,2007)
 

Project to produce activated carbon

 
As part of its research and development initiative , the Coconut Development Board(CDB) is launching a pilot project for the manufacture of activated carbon from coconut shell in association with the Perambra-based Sustainable Business Development of Innovative Coconut-based Micro-Enterprises for Holistic Growth and Poverty Alleviation(Subicsha) here.
The Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI),Peechi is providing the technical know-how for the manufacture of activated carbon as a value-added product of coconut shell.

The CDB will provide Rs.30 lakh for the plant being set up on the Subicsha premises at Nochad grama panchayat,M.Kunahmmed,Chairman,Subicsha, has said. Activated carbon with multiple industrial uses is rated as a commodity with high export potential. Activated carbon is used in water treatment process, gold refining procedure among other industrial purposes. The process involves conversion of coconut shell into charcol and then to activated carbon. The small-scale unit for manufacturing activated carbon is likely to be replicated in other center if the pilot project is feasible.

(The Hindu, 20th    May 2007)
   

Climate change may force mass migration

 
A billion people one in seven people on Earth today could be forced to leave their homes over the next 50 years as the effects of climate change worsen an already serious migration crisis, a new report from Christian Aid predicts. The report, which is based on latest UN population and climate change figures, says conflict, large-scale development projects and wide spread environmental deterioration will combine to make life unsupportable for hundreds of millions of people, mostly in the Sahara belt, South Asia and the Middle East.

According to the development charity, the world faces its largest movement of people forced from their homes. "Forced migration is now the most urgent threat facing poor nations", said John Davision, the report's lead author. "Climate change is the great, frightening unknown in this equation". About 155 million people are known to be displaced now by conflict, natural disaster and development projects. This figure could be augmented by as  many as 850 million, as more people are expected to be affected by water shortage, sea level rise, deteriorating pasture land, conflicts and famine, the report says.

(The Hindu, 17th  May 2007)
   

Forest Minister announces inter-State panel to check poaching

 
The Union Environment and Forests Ministry has announced setting up of an inter-state coordination committee as part of its antipoaching strategy. Comprising  officers from various enforcement agencies and forest divisions, the committee will periodically review poaching problems along the borders. The committee will be set up for better implementation of anti-poaching measures in the sensitive areas around tiger reserves at the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajastan; Palpur Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh; Bandhipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka; Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park in TamilNadu; Wayanad Wildlife sanctuary in Kerala and Pecnh Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

The coordination committee will comprise Field Director of Tiger Reserve, Director of National Park or sanctuary in the area, Deputy Directors of Tiger Reserve or Protected Area, Superintendent of Police or the SSP in the region and the Regional Deputy Director, Ministry of Environment and Forest as its member convenor.


(The Hindu, 16th  May 2007)
   

Steve Irwin gets a memorial

The Crocodile Rehabilation and Research Centre set up to perpetuate the memory of Australian crocodile hunter and environmentalist Steve Irwin was thrown open to public at Neyyar wildlife sanctuary. The Steve Irwin Crocodile Rehabilation and Research Centre, set up by Department of Forest and Wildlife at Markunnam in the sanctuary, was inaugurated by Minister for Forest Binoy Viswom.Mr.Viswam unveiled the plaque of Irwin standing along with a crocodile near the entrance of the center. Later, the Minister released two muggers(Crocodylus palustris) into the artificially created pond. The Minister said the State was the first to announce and set up a memorial for Irwin. The Government is pleased to throw open to the public the memorial before the first death anniversary of the environmentalist. The Government would soon set up a peacock sanctuary at Chorunur in the State, he added. Irwin was known for his fearlessly enthusiastic handling of even the deadliest of wildlife species.

 

  (The Hindu, 16^th   May 2007)

   

Local bodies receive Nirmal Gram Puraskar

The Thiruvananthapuram rural block panchayat and 11 grama panchayats in the district were presented the Nirmal Gram Puraskar at a function held in New Delhi last week. President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam gave away the awards. The award was instituted by the Central Government for total sanitation in 2006-07. It comprises a cash prize of Rs.20 lakh for the block panchayat and Rs.5 lakh each for the Parassala, Vattiyoorkavu,Karakulam,Kazhakuttam,Venganoor, Kudappanakkunnu,Vamanapuram,Ottasekharamangalam,Sreekaryam,Maanickal and Panavoor gram panchayats. This was the first time panchayats in Thiruvananthapuram were being selected for the award. The selection was based on a joint survey by the Ministries of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission and the World Health Organisation.

 

(The Hindu, 14^th   May 2007)

Viable elephant population spotted

Viable elephant populations were spotted in most parts of the Periyar Elephant Reserve during a three day wild elephant survey that concluded last week. According to wildlife officials, 391 elephants were sighted in the Periyar Tiger Reserve and adjoining elephant corridors of the Ranni forest division, which forms the major chunk of the Periyar Elephant Reserve. In the Vallakadavu and Periyar renges of the Periyar east division, 70 elephants each were spotted. In Thekkady, 56 elephants were spotted, said Padma Mahanti, Divisional Forest Officer(DFO) of the east division.In the Periyar west division, the survey team members reported the sighting of 29 elephants,M.L.Thomas,west DFO said. This was 166 in Ranni division,K.Sharafuddin Kutty,Ranni DFO said. The officials reported the sighting of 18 adult tuskers un the Goodrikkal range, said S.Sreekumar,range officer.

 

(The Hindu, 14^th   May 2007)

Rs.1.35 crore project for Ponmudi

Ponmudi, the hill resort in the capital district, is to be made an eco-friendly destination at a cost of Rs.1.35 crore. The Union Government had cleared the project, being implemented under the proposed Southern Eco-tourism Circuit, and provided funds for the first phase. The first phase to be implemented by KITCO, at an estimated cost of Rs.61 lakh, would be completed within a year. The project envisages the protection of the bio-diversity of  Ponmudi besides increasing its tourism potential. The resort, divided into four zones, would have facilities to aid tourist.

Zones I and II would comprise walkways and pathways along the cliff faces with fenced viewing decks and galleries. Zone III would have a parking zone and a play area. Pathways and view decks have been incorporated into the design. The last zone would have an interpretation center, ticketing booth, and entrance arch and toilet facilities, etc. The interpretation center and ticketing booth have been placed strategically to withstand high-speed winds that are characteristic of the resort. Two check dams for rain water harvesting had been proposed in zone IV. The vanasamrakshana samithi which comprises 120 families is in charge of providing visitors with the facilities.

 

(The Hindu, 13^th   May 2007)

Boundaries of Vellayani lake

The speakers at on open forum on 'Whither Vellayani lake' organized by the Centre for Environment and Development as part of the Kerala Environment Congress in the city on Thursday emphasized the need to demarcate the boundaries of Vellayani lake for its effective conservation. E.J.Jmes,Executive Director, Centre for water Resources Development and Management, Kozhikode, who inaugurated the session said demarcation was essential as it brought about a stamp of authority. Demarcation of the lake was not a difficult task as the area was less, he said. Though debates and discussion on how top conserve the lake had been on for more than two decades, a solution was yet to be found, Mr.James said. There were also suggestions to declare the lake as a Ramsar site.

 

(The Hindu, 12^th   May 2007)

Pathrakadavu will affect Silent Valley

The Kerala Nadi Samrakshana Samithi and the Association for Environment Protection have urged the Government to withdraw from the Pathrakadavu hydroelectric project. The samithi representatives said here on Tuesday that the project would adversely affect the biodiversity of the Silent Valley National Park.

 

C.M.Joy,general secretary of the samithi, said the project would have an impact on the long-term viability of the existing park. He said the distance between the boundary of the Silent Valley and the dam was less than 50 meters. S.Sitaraman, secretary of the Association for Environment Protection said the proposed dam area was well within the ecological boundary of the Silent Valley. Pathrakadavu was an important nesting habitat. The project would affect the sensitive ecosystem of the area, he said.

 

Environmentalists said the area proposed for the dam site was within the already proposed buffer area of the Park and adjoining the core of Silent Valley. They said the national park was set up to protect the unique ecology and biodiversity of the Silent Valley Reserve Forest. Attempts to set up a dam would adversely affect the ecology, they said.

 

(The Hindu, 11^th   May 2007)

A vulture takes wing, now on its own

A rare vulture was released into the wilds of Thailand on Thursday, after bird flu fears thwarted plans to send the young bird back to nesting grounds in Mongolia. It was high the end of a high-level and to get the bird to its homeland- a saga involving every one from South Korean diplomats to Thailand's national airline,Thai Airways.

 

The cinereous vulture was released from a cage along with four Himalayan griffon vultures in a mountainous part of northern Thailand near the Myanmar border. After an hour, the four brown-and white Himalayan griffons flew off, leaving the black, cinereous vulture standing alone, stretching its wings. A veterinarian then picked up the vulture and threw it into the air, forcing it to fly off toward a ridge.

 

(The Hindu, 11^th   May 2007)

Formal system of wetland regulation soon

A formal system of wetland regulation aimed at the conservation and management of identified wetlands in the country will soon be in place. The draft notification which seeks to set up a legally enforceable regulatory mechanism for identified valuable wetlands is ready and will be tabled in Parliament soon. In India, the wetlands both coastal and riverine-cover an area of 7.58 million ha. It was the National Environment Policy(NEP) 2006 approved by the Cabinet in May 2006 which raised the need for a regulatory mechanism for the sustainable development of wetlands. The expert group has prepared its recommendations on the categories of wetlands for regulation, process and procedure for identification, composition of regulatory authority, functions of the authority and activities to be regulated.

 

 

(The New Indian Express, 11^th May 2007)

Trawling results in heavy depletion of marine biodiversity, says study

Thousands of tones of fish and other marine organisms are unintentionally trapped by trawlers operating along the Kerala coast every year, resulting in heavy depletion of marine biodiversity and devastation of the seabed ecosystem, according to a report  submitted to the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and  Environment(KSCSTE). A major portion of the incidental capture of non-target species(by-catch) by trawlers is discarded by fishermen, while some of it is brought back to landing centers. The report based on a study conducted by A.Bijukumar, Kerala State Biodiversity Board, reveals that the trawl by –catch in the State includes 534 species.

The two-year study was carried from 2004 to 2006 at all the major fishing harbours in the State, including Sakthikulangara and Neendakara in Kollam, Munambam in Ernakulam,Ponnai in Malappuram,Puthiyappa in Kozhikode and Azheekkal in Kannur district. The study points out that the total lack of selectivity of the species caught by the bottom trawling method makes ita destructive fishing method. Even though bottom trawling is meant for commercially valuable species such as shrimps and cuttle fish, it hauls up every small creature on the seabed. Such intensive fishing, the report observes, will affect the sustainability of marine fisheries.

The report recommends equipping trawl nets with bycatch reduction devices to avoid trapping non-target species. It calls for strict enforcement of the Marine Fishing Regulation act to maintain the minimum cod-end mesh size of trawl nets at 35mm. the report also stresses need to limit the number of trawlers operating from the state to 2,500.

 

 

 (The Hindu, 10^th   May 2007)

Disaster Management Authority launched

Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan inaugurated the Kerala State Disaster management Authority, which will coordinate efforts to tighten the State's preparedness to combat disasters and avert them through precautionary measures.The authority, constituted under the Disaster Management  Act passed by Parliament in 2005, will be under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, with the Revenue Minister  as vice-chairman.

 

It will have an expert committee to advise it and a State level committee to implement decisions, with the involvement of the police, Fire and Rescue Services, scientific institutions and all other agencies that can contribute to its objectives. There will be implementation committees at the district-level also. Kerala is the first State in the country to set up such an authority under the Central Act passed in the context of the tsunami tragedy in December 2004. the authority would act as an institutionalized mechanism to identify the possibilities of disasters, take precautions and ensure coordinated action from various agencies to manage crisis situations. Training, awareness building and equipping the disaster handlers with everything they needed for rescue work in the event of a tragedy would form part of the responsibilities of the authority.

 

 

 (The Hindu, 10^th May 2007)

Wetlands under threat, warns expert

A considerable area of the backwaters in Kerala has been lost due to reclamation for agriculture, mining, urban area development and other activities, a study on the faunal biodiversity of selected wetland ecosystems of Kerala carried out by S.Bijoy Nandan, Reader, Department of Marine Biology, School of Marine Sciences, the Cochin University of Science and Technology, has revealed. The findings of the study, presented at the ongoing Kerala Environment Congress 2007 organized by the Centre for Environment and Development (CED) here, calls for strict regulations on encroachment and reclamation of wetlands in the State. The study report states that man made and natural calamities such as the tsunami had considerably eroded the biodiversity in the 'kayal' and riverine wetlands. Several stretches of the backwaters are polluted by organic and industrial effluents.

 

 (The Hindu, 10^th May 2007)

Neelakurinji-generation next

The next generation of neelakurinji plants (Strobilanthes kunthiana) is ready to sprout in a few months time. The seeds have matured in thousands of kurinji plants on the grasslands of Eravikulam National Park, Kurinjimala Sanctuary and neighbouring regions and are getting dispersed across the hills. The purplish blue flowers of neelakurinji bloomed gregariously from April to October last year.From the budding stage, it takes about ten months for the seeds to mature. They start drying up within weeks of the flowering, but will not wither until the seeds are dispersed. The drying plants virtually toss their seeds in summer months as the pods dry up and explode mildly. The plants are now in the last stage of seed dispersal.

 

 (The Hindu, 7^th May 2007)

Mosquito genes explain response to climate change

Onc

The response to climate warming in animal populations has penetrated to the level of the gene. It affects development, reproduction and dormancy, and this response is occurring in diverse groups of animals from insects to birds and mammals. A chromosomal map has been developed that will allow researchers to narrow their focus to identify specific genes that control the seasonal development of animals. The map shows regions of chromosomes that activate and are apparently evolving in animals in response to climate change.Such information will help predict which animals may survive in changing climate and identify which disease carrying vectors may move northward, allowing for the production of appropriate vaccines. The newly created map contains 900 million DNA base pairs.

 

(The Hindu, 3^rd  May 2007)

Theeravanam project to be implemented during rains

Once the monsoon sets, in the Forest Department will implement the Teeravanam project for afforestation of the coastal belt to protect it from natural disasters. The project announced some time ago by Minister for Forest Benoy Viswom, is being implemented by the Social Forestry Wing in five northern districts, with involvement of the local people.

 

Theeravana Samrakshana Samithis (coastal protection committees) comprising local people; including women, have been formed for managing the programme.

 

 (The Hindu, 2^nd  May 2007)

Web portals for Panchayats

Grama panchayats in the State will soon have their own custommade web portals with all the information relating to the panchayats in Malayalam. Akshaya, Kerala Government's e-governance initiative, is all set to implement a pilot project to establish panchayat-level web portals with people's participation in select panchayats in Kannur in North Kerala with financial and technical assistance from UNESCO.

 

The panchayats that will get their very own web portals initially are Pinarayi, Muzhappilangad,EramamKuttoor,Pappinissery,Sreekanturam,Payam,Maloor and Vengad. Besides them, the Thalassery municipality and the Kannur district panchayat will also get their own web portals as part of the pilot project.

 

The Web portals will function from the Akshaya centers in each area. The portal of each panchayat will feature the local history, information about prominent individuals, organizations, institutions and places of special interest in the area, services provided by the local self-governmentt institution, farm information, list of enterprises and the products manufactured by them, employment opportunities available in the locality, information on availability of labour and local programmes. There will be periodic updates and newsletter on new trends in information technology.

 

(The Hindu, 1^st May 2007)