Steps against dengue fever

Dengue fever surveillance has been strengthened in the district
following the increased reporting of cases from various parts of the
district.The district-level disease surveillance review meeting held
here on Wednesday decided to intensify preventive action to check the
spread of dengue fever. The meeting was chaired by Additional Director
(Public Health) K.S. Anilkumar. Spraying, fogging, source reduction
and awareness creation would be intensified with the help of local
bodies.

The Hindu, 18th December 2008

More than 1,000 species discovered in Mekong: WWF

Scientists have discovered more than 1000 species in Sotheast Asia's
Greater Mekong region in the past decade, including a spider as big as
a dinner plate, the World Wildlife Fund said Monday.A rat throuht to
have become extinct 11 million years ago and cyanide-laced, shocking
pink millipede were among creatures found in what the group called a
"biological treasure trove".The species were all found in the
rainforests and wetlands along the Mekong River, which flows through
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand,Vietnam and the southern Chinese
province of Yunnan.One species of pitiviper was firest noted by
scientists after it was found iin the rafters of a restaurant at the
headquarters of Thailand's Kho Yai national park in 2001.The new
species highlighted in the report includes 519 plants, 279 fish, 88
frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, four birds, four
turtles, two salamanders and a toad an average of two previously
undiscovered species a week for the past 10 yeard.The report warned,
however, that many of the species could be at risk from development,
and called for a cross-border agreement between the countries in the
Greater Mekong area to protect it.

The Hindu, 18th December 2008

A unique green revolution

Behind the high walls of the Poojapura Central Prison, a green
revolution is in the making. Three acres of prison land are now all
set for cultivating paddy.Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran
on Tuesday launched the 'Ottanjaar' (System of Rice Intensification)
farming in the jail. The Seed Farm at Chirayinkeezhu is providing
'Uma', a paddy seed variety fopr the cultivation.The Minister said
that a revival was needed in the agriculture sector of the State. The
Agriculture Department is in the process of readying fallow lands for
farming, he said. The Department plans to set up 250 demonstration
plots across the State as part of extending the SRI method in paddy
cultivation. The department is also providing Rs.4,000 as financial
aid per hectare.The advantage of this method is that only eight kgs of
seeds are required per hectare, while conventional cultivation methods
require 80-100 kgs. The yield is also better.V.Sivankutty MLA
presided. DGP (Prisons) K.P.Somarajan, IG (Prisons) Paul Leslie and
Agriculture additional director K.K. Ramakrishnan were present.

The New Indian Express, 17th December 2008

New system of farming in Central jail

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister for Agriculture Mullakkara Ratnakaran
joined hands with prisoners at the Central Jail here on Tuesday to
plant paddy shoots, under a project to promote farming on
wasteland.The prisoners will plant and tend to the three acre-farm
inside the jail premises. The paddy seeds will be sourced from the
seed farm at Chirayinkeezh. The project named 'System of Rice
Intensification' has been launched by the Department of Agriculture to
enhance productivity and revive paddy farming.The government will
provide an assistance of Rs.4,000 per hectare. The farms set up under
the project will need only eight kg of seeds per hectare as against 80
to 100 kg in other fields. The department claims that the yield would
also go up significantly.Addressing a function organised to mark the
inauguration of the project, the Minister said the new system of paddy
farming was aimed at converting all the wasteland in the state into
paddy fields. He said demonstration plots would be set up in 250
hectares across the State.Mr. Ratnakaran added that moves were on to
promote vegetable farming among prisoners.V. Sivankutty, MLA, presided
over the function.

The Hindu, 17th December 2008

2 trillion tonnes of ice have melted since 2003: NASA

WASHINGTON: More than two trillion tonnes of land ice in Greenland,
Antarctica and Alaska have melted since 2003, according to new NASA
satellite data that show the latest signs of what scientists say is
global warming.More than half of the loss of landlocked ice in the
past five years has occurred in Greenland, based on measurements of
ice weight by NASA's GRACE satellite, said NASA geophysicist Scott
Luthcke.NASA scientists planned to present their findings on Thursday
at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco. Mr.
Luthcke said Greenland figures for the summer of 2008 aren't complete
yet, but this year's ice loss, while still significant, won't be as
severe as in 2007.The news was better for Alaska. After a precipitous
drop in 2005, land ice increased slightly in 2008 because of large
winter snowfalls, Mr. Luthcke said. Since 2003, when the NASA
satellite started taking measurements, Alaska has lost 400 billion
tonnes of land ice.In assessing climate change, scientists generally
look at several years to determine the overall trend.Melting of land
ice, unlike sea ice, increases sea levels very slightly.In the 1990s,
Greenland didn't add to world sea level rise; now that island is
adding about half a millimetre of sea level rise a year, NASA ice
scientist Jay Zwally said in a telephone interview from the
conference.Between Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska, melting land ice
has raised global sea levels about one-fifth of an inch in the past
five years, Mr. Luthcke said. Sea levels also rise from water
expanding as it warms.Other research, being presented this week at the
geophysical meeting point to more melting concerns from global
warming, especially with sea ice."It's not getting better; it's
continuing to show strong signs of warming and amplification," Mr.
Zwally said. "There's no reversal taking place."

The Hindu, 17th December 2008

Sustainable farming key to food security: Minister

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister for Agriculture Mullakara Ratnakaran said
here on Monday that revival of sustainable and environment-friendly
agricultural practices held the key to achieving food
security.Delivering the inaugural address at an international seminar
on 'Sustainable Utilisation of Tropical Plant Biomass,' organised by
the University of Kerala in association with the Lund University,
Sweden, he said threat to food security was the consequence of man's
plunder of natural resources to satisfy his greed. "The solution is to
go back to Nature and restore harmony with the environment," he
said.The Minister said the government's effort to promote organic
farming in Kerala had received a good response from farmers.In his
keynote address, chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board
V.S.Vijayan said the nation's drive to increase the GDP-based economic
growth had led to grave consequences for the natural environment.
"Environmental degradation and species extinction are the result of
this mad race to achieve the GDP growth rate at any cost. As much as
38 per cent of wetlands have disappeared over the last 10 years,
affecting water availability. There is no action plan to protect the
remaining wetlands." Dr. Vijayan said biomass-based development
offered a means to reverse environmental degradation. "As a key input
for organic farming, efforts should be directed to sustainable
utilisation of this resource," he said.Baboo M. Nair, Lund University,
Sweden, who presided over the function, also stressed the need to
ensure sustainability through intervention at the grassroots level.

The Hindu, 16th December 2008

Horticulture expansion projects for Kannur

KANNUR: Projects worth Rs. 4 crore will be implemented in the district
during this financial year for increasing production of horticultural
crops under the State Horticulture Mission (SHM).The Agriculture
Department has drawn up a plan to expand areas under horticultural
crops, increase production and set targets to enhance production of
various crops.This year, the district target under the SHM envisages
projects worth Rs. 4 crore that include development of nurseries and
gardens, extension of existing horticulture areas, replacement of
senile plants, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), organic farming, farm
mechanisation and rural market establishment.Agriculture Department
officials involved in the SHM schemes say that two nurseries—each of
pineapple and mushroom—will be set up in the district under the
scheme.Pepper will be extended to 250 ha, ginger 300 ha, turmeric 50
ha and cashew 500 ha. Rejuvenation of senile plants under the scheme
will cover 250 ha under cashew plants, 100 ha under cocoa and 500 ha
under pepper. Five projects for development of water resource
facilities have also been included in the plan, the officials add.The
IPM scheme will be implemented in 400 ha of pepper, 300 ha of ginger,
50 acres of vegetable gardens, 100 ha of pineapple and 200 ha of
banana.The plan also envisages organic farming of 50 ha of banana, 50
ha of vegetable and 100 ha of pepper. As many as 110 vermicompost
units and 1,750 bee-keeping units are planned here under the
SHM.Twenty mushroom cultivation units will be set up, each estimated
to cost Rs. 2.25 lakh. A sum of Rs. 14 lakh has been set apart for
farm mechanisation.The officials say that the achievement of the
projects under the SHM during the past three financial years was 53
per cent.

The Hindu, 15th December 2008

Eco-tourism to get a boost

PALAKKAD: A high-level meeting of officials of the Departments of
Tourism and Forest and the district panchayat called by Minister for
Home and Tourism Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in Thiruvananthapuram recently
decided to exploit eco-tourism potentials of the Silent Valley and
Mannarkad forest areas of the district.The meeting which was called at
the request of Deputy Speaker Jose Baby, who represents the Mannarkad
constituency in the Assembly, decided to establish
interpretation-cum-ticketing centres at Mukkali, Attappady and
Siruvani with state-of-the-art facilities.The Forest Department was
directed to take necessary steps to get permission to use the old
unused buildings owned by the Kerala State Electricity Board for
converting them to provide accommodation for tourists in Mukkali.It
was also decided to liaison with the Irrigation Department for
transferring their unutilised buildings at Siruvani to the Forest
Department for providing accommodation for tourists in the forest and
dam areas.The meeting entrusted the Forest Department to prepare
eco-tourism projects for Silent Valley, Siruvani and Attappady within
a month. The projects will be implemented with financial assistance
from the Department of Tourism and the Attappady Hill Area Development
Society (AHADS).The Deputy Speaker told The Hindu that there was high
potential for development of eco-tourism in Silent Valley, Siruvani,
Kanjirapuzha and Attappady Hills of the Western Ghats.Mr. Baby said
that in the absence of infrastructure facilities like facilitation
centre, interpretation, ticketing, transportation and accommodation,
tourists were not able to reach these beautiful areas gifted by
nature.If the Forest and Tourism departments could jointly create
required facilities, these destinations could attract large number of
tourists, both domestic and international.These projects would also
cater to the employment needs of the tribal people who were now
dependent on forest resources only, Mr. Baby said.

The Hindu, 15th December 2008

Green card scheme for more farmers

KALPETTA: Minister for Agriculture Mullakkara Ratnakaran said here on
Saturday that the green card scheme for paddy farmers, which has been
implemented in Palakkad district, would be extended to other districts
soon.Mr. Ratnakaran was inaugurating the Wayanad Harvest Festival and
the South Indian Rice Farmers Meet at the Rajeev Gandhi Residential
School auditorium at Kalloor. The green card would help farmers get
various benefits from the government and banks without intermediaries,
Mr. Ratnakaran said.The government agencies would procure paddy from
Wayanad ditrict from the next Nanja (Rabbi) harvest season at the
minimum support price fixed by the government, Mr. Ratnakaran said. To
avoid loss in transportation, a rice mill would be set up either in
Kozhikode or in Wayanad district.Mr. Ratnakaran said paddy farmers
were the most exploited class in society and most of them were unaware
of the various schemes provided by the government. He said the
government would implement a new project to open a direct access for
farmers to the market by connecting six wholesale marketing centres in
the State within two months. For this, an apex authority would be set
up soon. As part of this, a review meeting would be held in January. A
two-day workshop also would be conducted. He said pension benefits for
farmers were on the anvil and priority would be given to paddy
farmers. The Minister honoured seven farmers in the district on the
occasion.

The Hindu, 14th December 2008

Go green, save the world

Thiruvananthapuram: Forest Minister Benoy Viswom said here on Saturday
that planting of saplings offered a solution to the problems caused by
global warming.He was addressing a gathering at Cotton Hill Girls
Higher Secondary School here to mark the inauguration of 'Ente Maram
Varnotsavam', a painting competition organised by the City Corporation
to encourage students to plant saplings. Mr.Viswom said that school
students would be given one sapling each on June 5 every year to
instil the love of nature in them."The 'Ente Maram' project succeeded
only because of the spirited participation of students. It is their
enthusiasm that is responsible for the success of other afforestation
programmes like 'Nammude Maram', 'Vazhiyora Thanal' and 'Haritha
Theeram'. The 'Haritha Keralam' project which aims to plant 10 million
saplings all over the State will be taken up next year," he added

The Hindu, 14th December 2008

Oxygen booth for traffic policemen

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police will install an oxygen booth for the
benefit of constables who endure long hours of vehicular pollution,
dust and heat to regulate traffic on the city roads.City Police
Commissioner Ravada Azad Chandrasekhar said a private mobile telephone
service provider had agreed to help the police set up the proposed
oxygen booth at the Traffic Police Station, Pattom.He said traffic
police personnel could refresh themselves by inhaling pure oxygen
inside the booth.Official sources said the traffic police faced a
severe shortage of men and equipment.Its current staff strength (69
head constables and 219 constables) was fixed on the basis of the
traffic situation in the city in 1994.In 14 years, the city has grown
in size and its vehicle population has increased. However, there has
been no corresponding expansion of the traffic constabulary. "We are
struggling to operate. Most policemen are doing two shifts a day," an
official said.Head constables primarily responsible for investigation
of traffic accident cases are deployed to monitor traffic in front of
educational institutions and other congested areas of the city for the
better part of the day, thus inadvertently causing delay in
prosecution.The courts solely relied on the manpower of the traffic
constabulary to serve summons and execute warrants in traffic offence
cases. Ideally, the traffic constabulary would require at least 400
constables and 150 head constables to meet its current duties. The
traffic police have no specialised equipment to check the speed or
emission levels of vehicles.Its only speed sensing radar has been
lying in a state of disrepair for the past several years. The
constabulary has only one recovery truck for salvaging vehicles
involved in accidents. It is unable to deploy sufficient men and
vehicles for traffic enforcement duty at night.There has been no
let-up in the number of accidents in the city. More than 134 persons
were killed and 1,312 grievously injured in road accidents in the city
till November 30, 2008.Rash and negligent driving and drunk-driving
had caused most of the accidents. Stringent enforcement of traffic
norms, particularly at night, was one way of bringing down the
accident rate in the city

The Hindu, 14th December 2008

Energy generation from waste a feasible option: German delegation

Thrissur: At a time when waste management poses a challenge for local
bodies, making power out of waste using modern technologies is a
viable option for Kerala cities, a seminar on 'Energy from waste' has
suggested. The conference organised by City Service Centre and Chamber
of Commerce discussed the scope of converting waste into electricity.A
four-member German team, which participated at the meeting, explained
how Germany was converting most of its waste into electricity in an
attempt to become self-sufficient in power. The team said it was ready
to provide technology and logistic support if the government here was
ready to set up common treatment plants. The conference was a
follow-up on an Indian Buyers Summit on 'Solar, Bio-Energy' held in
Germany in October.A ten-member team from Kerala had visited Germany
to take a look at the latest technologies for using various
alternative energy sources. The programme was organised by
Deutseche-Energie-Agentur(DENA), the German Energy Agency."Germans
have been making use of entire waste, including drain water, to
produce energy," said Roy John Pullockaren, Project Officer of Amala
Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, who was part of the delegation to
Germany. "We visited one 20 MW sewage treatment plant in Erfurt, near
Berlin, which produces electricity from 90,000 tonnes of waste
collected from nearby areas."Mass Burn is the most common
waste-to-energy technology, in which waste is combusted directly in
much the same way as fossil fuels are used in other direct combustion
technologies. Burning waste converts water to steam to drive a turbine
connected to an electricity generator. In European counties,
individuals and firms have been encouraged to produce power through
alternative technologies. They could sell the power to common grid at
an attractive price, explained K. Alexander Mathew, member of German
delegation.Wolfgang Ament, Sebastian Everding and Calus Hagenhoff were
the other members. Thrissur Municipal Corporation is estimated to
spend Rs.2 for disposing a kilogram of waste. "If the authorities
provide land and other facilities, these common treatment plants could
turn into a viable alternative energy source within 6-7 years," said
Mr. Pullockaren.

The Hindu, 13th December 2008

Space science is for common man: ISRO chief

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) G. Madhavan Nair has said the fishermen can now be told exactly
in which part of the sea they should go to get boatloads of fish.The
ISRO has developed a methodology to locate fish schools by reading sea
surface temperature and analysing the ocean colour through satellite
remote sensing, he said here on Thursday.He was delivering the
endowment lecture in the name of the late Prof. C. Karunakaran, the
founder of the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), a leading
science institution of the State government.Mr. Madhavan Nair referred
to this methodology to explain how space science could positively
influence the life of the common man in the country.He said India's
space programme had been discussed so exhaustively in the media in the
wake of the success of the moon mission Chandrayaan-I that there was
greater public awareness now on what it meant to the common man.He
said the moon mission taken up under the space programme had taken
only three per cent of ISRO's budget for the last four years. Nearly
85 per cent of the budget was spent solely on applications that
directly impacted the lives of the common man. He touched upon several
applications now available for helping in economic planning,
healthcare services, education, nature conservation and weather and
disaster forecast.He said the need now was to go for 'web-based
information system' so that the applications were fully utilised by
the people of the country. ISRO would shortly put in place an IRS
Image Portal called 'BHUVAN' and an information portal called
'BHU-SAMPADA' for this. "Integrated with application-specific Spatial
Decision Support tools, these will open up a new era for use of space
images and spatial information for development efforts in the
country," Mr. Madhavan Nair said. He also shared with the audience his
ideas on how space science applications could be used to address
Kerala-specific development issues. The State gave a rousing reception
to Mr. Madhavan Nair and the leaders of Chandrayaan-I mission during
the day, taking them through a cavalcade of programmes in the capital
city to laud their achievement.Besides the CESS programme, they
attended separate receptions organised by the State government, the
Industrial Forum of Thiruvananthapuram and the School of Bhagavad
Gita.Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, Leader of the Opposition
Oommen Chandy, several Ministers, top politicians, high officials,
industry leaders, heads of local science institutions and spiritual
leaders shared the platform with the team at these programmes.Schools
and colleges in the city and suburbs sent their teachers and students
to the programmes. They took out a procession from the Museum Ground
to the University Senate Hall one kilometre away in honour of the
Chandrayaan-I team. And, at all the four programmes, there was
unending applause as the team members were given 'ponnadas' and
mementos.The Chandrayaan-I team leaders present to receive the honours
included K. Radhakrishnan, P.S. Veeraraghavan, T.K. Alex, M.C. Dathan,
M.K.G. Nair, George Koshy, S. Ramakrishnan, Bhaskaranarayana, V.
Adimurthy, H.N. Madhusudhana, C. Venugopal, M. Annadurai and A.S.
Kiran Kumar.

The Hindu, 12th December 2008

Disaster management workshop

KOZHIKODE: The ongoing three-day workshop on disaster management for
NCC cadets, now on in the city, has turned out to be an opportunity
for the participants to learn strategies to respond effectively to
man-made and natural disasters.The cadets would prepare a disaster
management plan for Kozhikode as part of the programme. The
participants would later lead similar programmes in colleges. Experts
from the Army, the Centre for Water Resources Development and
Management (CWRDM) and the media spoke on different aspects of
disaster management.

The Hindu, 12th December 2008

Eco group voices concern over work on bio-park

KOZHIKODE: The Kozhikode Sustainable Development Initiative (KSDI), a
registered society in which professionals and nature-lovers are
members, has renewed its appeal to Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan
to ensure that the Sarovaram Tourism Project on Kottuli wetlands is
executed without causing any damage to the fragile eco-system of the
region."All officials concerned with the implementation of the project
should be given clear instruction to adhere to the rules and
regulations related to environmental care and protection," KSDI
president A. Achyuthan and secretary A.K. Prasanth said in their
representation to the Chief Minister.In the memorandum, which was
given to the Chief Minister when he was in Kozhikode to inaugurate the
Sarovaram bio-park on December 7, the KSDI alleged that the project
was launched without conducting an environment impact assessment
study.The Department of Tourism appeared to have decided to do the
mandatory environment impact assessment study after commencement of
the project, and after causing much damage to the flora and fauna of
the wetland region, the KSDI spokespersons alleged.The memorandum
pointed out that the District Collector of Kozhikode had also brought
to the notice of the Chief Minister the environmental degradation
caused at the project site.KSDI had also appealed to the Union
Ministry of Environment and Forest to advise the State government to
refrain from causing "environmental damage to Kottuli wetland
eco-system in the pretext of developing tourism facilities."Dr.
Achyuthan recalled that the KSDI had adopted a resolution at a
'People's Forum' it had organised at Kozhikode Town Hall in February
this year urging the government to take necessary action to protect
the wetland system of Kozhikode district from Kadalundi to
Akalapuzha.The Central government had declared the region as a wetland
of national importance.

The Hindu, 12th December 2008

Bio-pesticids: State nowehere in picture

Despite being a state that has been inclined towards an organic
farming policy, Kerala is nowhere in the picture as far as the use of
bio-pesticides is concerned. If 12 districts in Andhra Pradesh have
become inclined towards farming using bio-pesticies, why is Kerala not
moving towards it asks Devinder Sharma of forum for biodiversity and
food security, New Delhi. It is the time that states follow the
success stories from AP where the Punkula model produced 350 quinals
of pesticide-free chillies a couple of years ago and has begun to
spread to more villages, he said. Sharma was in the city recently to
talk about bio-pesticide management.With the technical support from
the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) and the government
support to market the agricultural products including vegetables,
chilli, redgram, cotton and paddy of the small amd marginal farmers,
more than 10 lakh hectares of land will soon be farmed under the Non
–Pesticidal Management (NPM)."The West has come out with very strict
rules against the pesticides. Recently Japan which accepts only
organic products is checking the DNA of genetically cultivated
products for contamination. If that is the story in Andhra Pradesh,
then the countries's most versatile farmer, from Punjab is not behind.

The New Indian Express,9th December 2008.

Alien fish species in the Bharathapuzha

Thiruvananthapuram: An exotic species of fish, native to Africa and
West Asia, has been discovered in the Bharathapuzha, raising concern
about its impact on the native aquatic ecosystem.A. Biju Kumar of the
Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala,
discovered Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) while documenting the
biodiversity of the river. It was collected from Chamravatom, Shoranur
and Ottapalam regions. The identity of the species was confirmed by K.
Rema Devi, ichthyologist at the Zoological Survey of India, Chennai,
where the specimens are now deposited.Nile tilapia can be
distinguished from its close cousin, Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis
mossambica), a very prevalent fish in Kerala, by the dark vertical
stripes throughout the depth of the caudal fin.Tilapias have been
transplanted to many parts of the world for aquaculture. "They are
large, fast-growing and tolerate a wide variety of water conditions
(even marine conditions). Once introduced into a habitat, they
generally establish themselves very quickly. Though predominantly
phytoplankton feeders, in many water bodies, they act as omnivores and
even carnivores. They may spread to a new river system via estuaries
and coastal waters in which they are able to breed," says Mr.
Kumar.Out of the 112 species of fishes collected by the researchers
from the river, the exotic fishes were represented also by the common
carp and Mozambique tilapia. These fishes were found in the Chulliar,
Meenkara and Malampuzha reservoirs and the tributaries of the
river."However, the presence of Nile tilapia in the river comes as a
surprise as this species has not been introduced in the State formally
for aquaculture. Tilapias have already established breeding
populations and hence their negative impacts on indigenous species
should be viewed seriously," Mr. Kumar said. "They could compete with
local species and prey on the eggs and larvae of other fish."
International organisations such as Worldwatch Institute consider
bio-invasion as the second greatest threat to biological diversity,
the first being habitat degradation. When an exotic species
establishes a beachhead, it can proliferate over time and spread to
new areas. It can also adapt — it tends to get better and better at
exploiting an area's resources and at suppressing native species.
Published scientific data on the ecological and economic impacts of
invasion of alien fish species are not available in India. "While the
introduction of exotic organisms is strictly monitored in most other
countries, considering the threat to the local biodiversity and
endemic organisms, quarantine measures in India are inadequate. There
are no legal restrictions or standardised procedures for introduction
and monitoring of species," Mr. Kumar said.The list of alien fish
species invading the natural water bodies of Kerala includes
Mozambique tilapia, rainbow trout, giant gourami, blue gourami, common
carp, catla, rohu, mrigal, guppy, African catfish, sucker catfish,
platies and sword tail.The Food and Agriculture Organisation has named
tilapia as a biological pollutant after several countries reported
adverse ecological impact after the introduction of the species.

The Hindu, 8th December 2008

31 paddy shelters to be set up in three districts

ALAPPUZHA: With a view to minimizing the damage caused by unexpected
rain and other natural calamities on the paddy fields of Kuttanad, the
State government has decided to set up as many as 31 temporary paddy
shelters in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta
districts.Announcing this here on Saturday after a review meeting on
preparations of the official machinery from the three districts for
the 'puncha' crop harvest, Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran
said the State Warehousing Corporation would open 20 temporary
shelters in Alappuzha, eight in Kottayam and three in
Pathanamthitta.The meeting, which gave priority to the preparations in
the Upper Kuttanad belt spread over the three districts, also decided
to set up three task forces in each of the districts, comprising
students and members of the National Service Scheme (NSS),
Kudumbashree units, Nehru Yuva Kendra and other local service
organizations.These task forces, to be led by the respective District
Collectors, would be given 3,000 hand-reapers to help farmers in the
harvest, Mr. Ratnakaran said.The Minister, who said that the 'puncha'
acreage in the three districts had gone up by around 5,000 hectares,
said the State Meteorological Department had agreed to provide the
District Collectors with daily weather updates, with a forecast of at
least five days in advance.A high-level team would also visit the
Paddy Processing Research Centre, Thanjavur and also convene a meeting
at Alappuzha in January on modes of processing wet paddy and the
possibilities of value added products from such crop.With the October
rains upsetting the agriculture calendar for the 'puncha' crop, the
Minister said the district-level monitoring committees with Alappuzha
Collector V.K. Balakrishnan at its helm was making efforts to ensure
that the harvest process was not disrupted.Measures to ensure adequate
fertilizer and the operation of the Thanneermukkom Barrage shutters
too were discussed in detail, Mr. Ratnakaran added.Agriculture
Director Tinku Biswal, Kottayam District Collector P. Venugopal,
Principal Agriculture Officer (in-charge) Jose Joseph and other
officials were present. Earlier, the Minister visited the Rani,
Chithira and Marthandam kayal paddy fields along with Mr.
Balakrishnan.

The Hindu,7th December 2008

Winners of science literature awards

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology
and Environment has announced the winners of its Science Literature
Awards for 2007. They are P.V. Vinod Kumar in the Children's
literature category for his book Thoovalkuppayakarum doctor
vezhambalum, P.V. Padmanabhan in the Popular science category for his
book Keralathile Pakshikoodukal, M. Krishnan Nair and P.G. Balagopal
in the In-depth science category for their book Cancerinekkurichu
ariyendathellam and V.R. Hariprasad in the Science journalism category
for his popular science articles published in the Deepika daily. The
awards consist of a purse of Rs.10,000 each, a plaque and a
certificate.

The Hindu,6th December 2008

Projects invited for environment congress

KANNUR: Research projects and working models prepared by high school
and higher secondary school students here have been invited for
selection to be presented at the Kerala Environment Congress to be
held here in April.An official release here said two selected projects
and models would be given prizes and presented at the congress. The
focal theme of the congress was water resources in the State, it said
adding that papers would be presented on water resource management,
water and health, water and climate change, indigenous knowledge of
water resources, water pollution, decline of water resources and
watershed management.The environment congress to be held here from
April 22 to 24 would be organised by the Centre for Environment and
Development, Thiruvananthapuram, in association with the Kannur
Science Park.The release said that details regarding the student
project presentation would be available from P.V. Sadanandan, Kannur
Science Park (Phone: 0497-2766780).

The Hindu, 3rd December 2008

Minister promises steps to protect Vellayani lake

Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran told the Assembly on Tuesday that the
government had initiated moves to carry out a comprehensive survey of
the Vellayani lake.Replying to a submission moved by Kovalam MLA
George Mercier, he said the Survey Director and the District Collector
had been directed to provide adequate staff for the survey work.The
Minister said the survey was necessary to determine the surface area
of the lake and identify encroachments if any."The Legislative
Committee on Environment hard reported widespread encroachments into
the lake. The committee observed that 600 title deeds issued by the
Survey Department were illegal. Besides, records with different
departments showed a wide variance in the acreage of the lake," he
said.Mr. Rajendran said the government would declare the lake and its
surrounding areas as a protected zone and promote organic farming in
the neighbouring paddy fields.The Minister proposed steps to enhance
the capacity of the lake by desilting it and introduce curbs on the
use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by farmers.Mr. Rajendran
said the government had received complaints about sand-mining from the
lake bed."Special squads comprising revenue and police officials have
intensified patrolling in the area and several boats used by the
sand-miners have been seized," the Minister said.The Minister informed
the House that soil conservation activities had been taken up in the
areas around the lake to check bank erosion.He said a meeting
involving Ministers, officials and people's representatives would be
convened soon to discuss means to protect the lake.

The Hindu, 3rd December 2008

Climate change will trigger natural disasters all over the world

KOCHI: Climate change is a challenge facing the world, but enough
attention is not being paid to the issues pertaining to the
phenomenon, said Prasad R. Menon, Managing Director of Tata Power
Company Limited. He was delivering a lecture on 'energy and climate
change', organised by the Madhavan Nayar Foundation at the Centre for
Visual Arts, Edappally.The magnitude of the climate change in the
years ahead will be unbelievable. There could be long spells of heavy
rain, prolonged dry weather, powerful cyclones or tsunamis. The
glaciers in the Himalayas may start melting and the ocean levels may
rise.It will be difficult to reverse the trend even if the entire
world starts taking measures to protect the environment. The impact
will be felt across the world and not limited to one or two countries.
The solutions like changing the energy models are difficult to
achieve. All the agencies concerned all over the world need to work in
concert.

The Hindu, 3rd December 2008

Eco-feminism’ for environment protection

KOZHIKODE: The concept of 'eco-feminism' has been mooted as a panacea
for combating the widespread degradation of the environment.The idea
was the highlight of a seminar 'Humanity at a crossroad: Can
eco-feminism make a difference?' organised by the Women's Forum of
Oisca International South India chapter here on Saturday.Senior
researcher and coordinator of Oisca International, Japan, Yukiyo
Kamino addressing the seminar opined that involving women in large
numbers in conservation initiatives as part of empowerment would go a
long way in achieving the objective of environment protection.He said
the Indian culture that venerated the Earth as mother would vibe
excellently with the idea of involving women in conservation
initiatives. Oisca Kozhikode Chapter president M.P.M. Mubashir
presided.

The Hindu, 1st December 2008

SOPs to tackle disasters

Thiruvananthapuram: Major government departments in the State will
soon have standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place to help them
cope with natural disasters and other emergencies and accidents.A
two-day workshop organised by the Department of Revenue and Disaster
Management, which concluded here on Saturday, finalised a draft
outline of the procedures for the State police and the departments of
Health, Education, Public Works and Revenue.While SOP for the police
will deal with disaster response, that for the Health Department will
focus on hospital management. The procedure for the Education
Department will cover school safety. As the nodal agency for
coordinating rescue and relief operations during natural calamities,
the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management will have a SOP on
emergency operations.The draft of the various SOPs were presented and
discussed at the workshop. They will be released after consultations
with the respective heads of departments. The workshop was organised
under the Disaster Risk Management Programme supported by United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP).Delivering the keynote address,
Kamal Taori, retired IAS officer, highlighted the crucial role of
Panchayati Raj institutions and the need for public-private
partnerships in disaster management.He called upon the representatives
of line departments to focus on good governance in disaster
management.Nivedita P. Haran, Principal Secretary, Revenue and
Disaster Management; James Varghese, Secretary, General Education;
Teeka Ram Meena, Secretary, Planning and Economic Affairs; Piyoosh
Rautela, Executive Director, Disaster Mitigation and Management
Centre, Uttarkhand; Ajith Chacko, State Programme Coordinator,
Disaster Risk Management Programme, UNDP; and officials from the
departments of Revenue and Disaster Management, Public Works
Department and the Police participated in the workshop. Speakers who
addressed the delegates underlined the need for government departments
to contend with the increasing complexity in emergency response
techniques and equipment. They called for better coordination and
sharing of resources in disaster management.The workshop was organised
with the objectives of providing emergency service providers with
better understanding and helping them navigate the maze of regulatory
and administrative requirements.Managers, on the other hand, need a
mechanism to convey operational guidance to the members and ensure
departmental compliance with laws, regulations and standards. They
need tools to direct and control the rapid pace of change.
Well-designed SOPs help fill both needs.For individual workers, SOPs
clarify job requirements and expectations in a format that can be
readily applied on the job.They explain in detail what the department
wants them to do in the situations they are most likely to encounter.
For department managers, the advantages are equally great.According to
UNDP officials, SOPs provide a mechanism to identify needed changes,
articulate strategies, implement regulatory requirements, enhance
training and evaluate operational performance.Participants in the
workshop discussed the procedures for crisis management, resource
management, coordination with other departments during emergencies and
mock drills. The roles and responsibilities of line departments and
disaster preparedness and response were evaluated.

The Hindu, 1st December 2008

Forest academy to come up in two years

A national-level forest academy will set up in the State in two years,
Minister for Forests Benoy Viswom has said.Mr. Viswom was speaking at
a function organised at Mananthavadi here on Saturday to give away an
aid of Rs.1,00,000 to the widow of K.T. Rajan, a forester who died a
few months ago at Walayar while attending a departmental training.The
academy should have all modern facilities, Mr. Viswom said. He later
inaugurated the central office of the North Wayanad Forest Development
Agency.The Minster inaugurated a traditional archery competition at
Mananthavadi in connection with the 203rd death anniversary of Veera
Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja.

The Hindu, 30th November 2008

Action plan to check dengue fever

Kochi: The city Mayor Mercy Williams, District Collector M. Beena and
the District Medical Officer K.T. Ramani, in a meeting on Monday,
decided on an action plan to combat the increasing cases of dengue
fever over the last week. According to the Mayor, fogging and spraying
had been going on intermittently, but will be intensified along with
cleaning drains and premises will be cleaned by cutting overgrown
grass.Dry day will be observed to clean up any stagnant water
collected in mud puddles that breed mosquitoes. Officials of the State
entomology cell will be overseeing the vector surveillance in the city
that will provide the information about high risk areas.Ms. Beena
outlined the cleaning operations according to the instructions of the
Minister of Health P.K. Sreemathy, who had attended a review meeting
here on Sunday.While the health squads under the Corporation Health
Officer will be involved in cleaning up the city, volunteers of
Kudumbashree and the Accredited Social Health Activists under the
National Rural Health Mission will be spreading awareness among the
public to keep the premises free of garbage and not allow water to
collect in small bowls and puddles.The collector will be calling a
meeting of the private hospitals in the city to improve reporting
about dengue fever. Under the existing notification system, only the
Government hospitals provide reports.Under the Information and
Education Campaign, school students will be made aware by training
teachers and by showing a visual campaign using a cartoon character.
Students will also be given pamphlets on the disease. Street plays
will be organised to drive the point home on cleanliness and hygiene
and precautionary measures against mosquito bites.Notices will also be
distributed to households.NRHM has already transferred the funds to
create infrastructure at the General Hospital for improving treatment
facilities and providing mosquito nets, mosquito repellents for
patients, said NRHM district co-ordinator K. V. Beena, who had
participated in the meeting.Deputy Mayor C.K. Manishankar, chairman of
the Corporation Standing Committee on Health, N.A. Mani, Corporation
Secretary Mini Antony, Corporation Health Officer C.G. Elizabeth and
District Medical Officers of Indigenous Medicine and Homoeopathy were
some of the other participants.

The Hindu, 25th November 2008

Project to revitalise Thanneerchal

Thiruvankulam Grama Panchayat and BPCL-Kochi Refinery Limited have
drawn up a project to revitalise the large water resource called
Thanneerchal, located in the middle of the panchayat.With the Kochi
Refinery pumping in Rs. 1 crore for the project and the Panchayat
giving Rs. 30 lakh for the first phase of development of the
Thanneerchal Development Project, FACT Engineering and Design
Organisation (FEDO) has been given the charge to execute the project.
Explaining the project that would cost a total of Rs. 3.5 crore, E. V.
Thankappan, president of the panchayat, said that six of the 13
rivulets around the 10.5 acre lake will be preserved and bridges will
be built over it after the lake is cleaned, dredged and is provided a
granite embankment. This will act as the main water reservoir of the
area during the monsoon.The panchayat had bought the 1.62 acres of
land lying around the lake and plans to develop the surroundings with
walkways and gardens and proper lighting in the next phase of the
development. Since the lake is separated from the Hill Palace Museum
by about 500 metres, the panchayat will be looking for an inflow of
visitors from Hill Palace to the lake. The lure of the water body is
likely to result in tourist inflows to the place, he said. A boating
facility will also be arranged on the lake.FEDO, the consultants for
the project has done the detailed study and will be supervising and
evaluating the project. It has already started preparations to tender
the project. The entire project will be completed in 10 months, said
the Panchayat secretary, Thomas Rajan.M. V. Murali, vice-president of
the panchayat; Chandran Kunnapilly, panchayat member; Basil Benjamin,
chief manager of BPCL-KRL; Jose T. K., FEDO chief manager (projects)
and other officials participated.

The Hindu, 25th November 2008

Kuttanad farmers brace for Puncha cultivation

Paddy farmers in Kuttanad and the district official machinery are
racing against time to catch up with the 'puncha' season, which fell
behind schedule by nearly a month after rains threw preparations off
track in October.The season, which witnesses the largest acreage of
paddy cultivation in the district, with around 25,000-plus hectares in
comparison with the 10,000-plus acreage for the additional and second
round crop, was scheduled to begin by October 15 as per the
agricultural calendar drawn out by the Agriculture Department.However,
incessant rains forced farmers to defer their plans and in some cases,
to start from scratch. The harvest of the 'puncha' crop, if everything
had gone by schedule, would begin in early March, just in time to
avoid summer rains from affecting the ripe crop.With the October rains
playing spoilsport, farmers are now a worried lot and are trying their
best to speed up the preparatory processes. According to Principal
Agriculture Officer P.S. Soman, there was a crucial two-week delay in
over 50 per cent of the padasekharams where sowing was scheduled to
begin by October 15.In areas where the seeds were already sown, rains
submerged the fields, leading to decay of the seeds. The department
had to replace these seeds and farmers have carried out sowing for the
second time. "In areas where sowing was supposed to begin by November
15, there has been a delay of about 10 days. Attempts are on to catch
up with the schedule as fast as possible," Mr. Soman said, adding that
efforts to ensure adequate fertilizers by the first week of December
were on.District Collector V.K. Balakrishnan has forwarded to the
government a proposal for a compensation package to farmers of the
Purakad 'kari' fields who faced losses after the October rains.He said
that the district administration was doing all that was possible to
get the 'puncha' schedule back on track. "Wherever bunds are
necessary, they are being built. If any bunds are breached, they are
being repaired immediately. Farmers will be given all necessary help,"
Mr. Balakrishnan said.

The Hindu, 25th November 2008

Children’s Science Congress

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Thiruvananthapuram and Navodaya Vidyalaya
Samiti will organize the regional Children's Science Congress at the
Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology here from November 24 to 28.
RGCB Director M.Radhakrishnan Pillai will inaugurate the event.
Science toppers from the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas of Kerala,
Karnataka, Andhra, Pondicherry and Andaman Nicobar Islands will
participate in the congress.

The New Indian Express, 24th November 2008

Huge demand for eco-friendly artefacts

Eco–friendly artefacts made from coconut shell and wood of coconut
palm are becoming highly prized items in the domestic/export market
segment.President of the Kozhikode District Handicrafts Artisans
Cooperative Society Ramadas Taikandi said the situation now was such
that quite often it was not possible to undertake the bulk orders for
items such as coconut shell ice-cream cups, for instance.Items such as
disposable, environment-friendly coconut shell ice-cream cups and
ladles and spoons made of coconut wood are in large demand during
sports matches and other large gatherings within the country as well
as abroad, he said."We now have an order for 50 lakh coconut-wood
spoons to be supplied in a year, from a milk marketing federation in
Bihar," said Mr. Ramdas.The bulk orders, including one from abroad for
one lakh ice-cream cups, cannot be undertaken easily owing to labour
shortage and other difficulties, he said. Power cuts pose a major
problem. The unit does not have adequate infrastructure facilities,
including state-of-the-art machinery, he added.The society's
manufacturing unit in Koyilandy has developed into a prestigious
centre in crafting out artefacts from coconut palm byproducts over the
years.The unit, which was developed in a phased manner, now employs as
many as 20 women on a regular basis, as a self-employment venture.
Besides daily wages, medical, washing and festival allowances are paid
to the women. The unit has been functioning for over 16 years now.The
Handicrafts Ministry under the Government of India and the Coconut
Development Board have provided assistance to sustain the handicrafts
centre. The Union Agriculture Ministry has chipped in with various
assistance schemes.Design development training was provided to the
employees by experts from Hyderabad.However, red-tapism has been a
major obstacle preventing the society from getting various assistance
schemes of the Union government for handicrafts development through
the Kerala Handicrafts Development Corporation, sources alleged.The
handicrafts development society has its origin in the Handicrafts
Development Centre set up in 1938. As part of a revival package, a sum
of Rs.7.5 lakh was sanctioned for the centre in 1995. A site
comprising 3.5 cents of land was bought, though state-of-the-art
machinery was yet to be installed.Self-help groups for manufacturing
the traditional 'Koyilandy' or 'Malabar' hooka have also been
formed.Mr. Ramadas claimed the Koyilandy hooka, along with the coconut
shell artefacts, was now in the process of being accorded the
geographical indication registration by the Chennai-based registration
centre.

The Hindu, 24th November 2008

Fogging, cleaning activities to check dengue fever

As an immediate step to check the spurt of dengue fever, Minister for
Health P.K. Sreemathy has ordered that simultaneous fogging be carried
out in all corporation wards, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday.In a
review meeting held here on Sunday, the Minister also ordered to
organise a 10-day clean-up activity in the Corporation limits as a
follow up of the fogging to clear the area of mosquitoes that spread
the dangerous fever.The Minister has sanctioned Rs.7.10 lakh for the
activity with each of the 71 wards getting Rs.10,000. Apart from the
25 fogging machines of the Corporation, additional equipment provided
by the District Medical Officer will be used for fogging. Every ward
will be provided with a fogging machine each. The Minister said that
the health officials will chart out the action plan on Monday.The
initial phase of the cleaning activity will be monitored by two field
officials in each ward and will be reported to the block co-ordinators
for each ward.Ms. Sreemathy said that nearly 30 additional field
workers would be put on duty to supplement the 120 field staff,
including health inspectors and junior health inspectors, of the
corporation health wing. The Minister said that the cleaning up
activities should be completed by December 15.Besides the awareness
programmes of the District Health authorities, Kudumbashree units will
be pressed into service to spread awareness about disposing garbage in
a healthy and hygienic manner. The households should be able to
dispose the organic waste generated within the premises. Only those
waste that cannot be disposed organically should be taken out, she
said.An isolation ward will be arranged at the General Hospital for
patients with dengue fever, said the Minister.As part of finding an
immediate remedy to the sewage and drainage problem in the hospital,
Rs.6 lakh will be sanctioned from the National Rural Health Mission to
the District Collector, who is the chairperson of the Hospital Welfare
Society, without delay.The Minister said that the government was also
considering to set up a blood separation unit, costing Rs.50-60 lakh,
in the General Hospital to have a full-fledged blood bank at the
hospital.There are only two such units in the district, one in Aluva
Government Hospital and the other at the IMA's Blood Bank. A
separation unit is important as blood platelets are required for the
treatment of dengue fever.The government has plans to renovate the
Government Nursing School and to improve the hostel facilities, she
said. An estimate is being prepared for it.The Minister said that the
government has appointed 1,800 nurses over and above the existing
nursing vacancies to improve the nursing care given to the patients.In
the district alone, there are 135 additional nurses and the General
Hospital has 25 additional nurses, she said.

The Hindu, 24th November 2008

Alert against dengue fever

The District Health authorities have sounded an alert against dengue
fever in the district as at least six confirmed cases were reported
within the last couple of days.There have been about 25 cases of
dengue fever from January to October this year. The District Medical
Officer, K. T. Ramani, has said more fever clinics in various parts of
the district would be opened and have asked the public not to go for
self-medication in case of fever.There were four dengue fever cases
reported from the General Hospital and they came in from Ponnurunni,
Elamakkara, Vaduthala and the city area.Rural areas like Vazakulam,
Varapetty, Piravom have also reported a couple of cases.Vector studies
in the areas and activities reducing the source of breeding mosquitoes
have been intensified, , said Dr. Ramani.The department has planned a
meeting with the Corporation and others this weelk to take stock of
any suspected dengue fever cases.

The Hindu, 23rd November 2008

Students to the rescue of Vellayani Lake

Five students of Mannam Memorial Residential Higher Secondary School,
Neeramankara, submitted a report on their study on conservation of
Vellayani Lake to Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran
recently.The students, Deepthi J, Athira B.P., Jithin V.G., Anoop
Chandran B and Karthik P.R., who are members of the school Eco Club,
undertook the project titled 'Conservation of Vellayani Lake as a
drinking water source' to participate in the National Children's
Science Congress. They conducted surveys, interviews and experiments
of water quality of Vellayani Lake under the guidance of their
teacher, Jayasree. According to their project report, the analysis of
water samples from the lake, conducted at the Government Analyst's
Lab, indicated a high content of iron, ammonia and E-coli bacteria.The
students said that they observed an open drain directly discharging
waste into the lake near Bund Road.The lake is also polluted by runoff
from agricultural fields and nearby areas. Fish culture by the
Fisheries Department had also affected the natural biota of the lake
causing pollution, the students observed.Another factor degrading the
lake was constructional aspects and development works in the name of
tourism. Sand mining is also posing a threat of decrease of
groundwater recharge and increase of turbidity by intervening with the
natural filtering system, the report said. It has also been observed
that the area of the lake, which was 750 ha in 1962, had been reduced
to 397.5 ha by 2005.The students have suggested some solutions to put
an end to the quantitative and qualitative deterioration of the
lake.This includes conducting in-depth studies and preparing lake
conservation and management plans, demarcation of the lake to evacuate
illegal encroachers and sand miners and replacement of roads by
bridges.The project has also been selected for the State Children's
Science Fair.

The Hindu, 22nd November 2008

CZM norms worry fisherfolk

Speakers at a meeting organised here on Friday by the Kerala
Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) as part of the World
Fisheries Day highlighted the threats faced by the fishermen community
in Kerala and other coastal States. Pannian Ravindran, MP, who
inaugurated the meeting called on the Central government to scrap the
move to replace the Coastal Regulation Zone with the Coastal Zone
Management strategy since it would cause hardships to fisherfolk. He
decried efforts by global players to appropriate marine and coastal
resources. "The government must understand the concerns of the
fishermen who are already facing a threat to their livelihood from
foreign trawlers and big business groups. They should be brought back
to the mainstream of social life," he said.State president of the
KSMTF T. Peter said rapacious real estate groups, tourism ventures,
aquaculture farms, ship breaking units and industrial houses were
vying with each other to appropriate large tracts of coastal belt all
along the country. "The tourism industry has claimed 40 per cent of
the coastal area in Alappuzha. Special Economic Zones pose the biggest
threat to fishermen in Ernakulam. Industries and tourism have
appropriated most of the coastal belt Maharashtra, Goa and
Gujarat".Mr. Peter said the proposed Coastal Zone Management would
spell doom for fisherfolk. He said the UPA government would face a
political setback if it went ahead with the CZM, ignoring the concerns
of the fisherfolk.Referring to the attack on the Ashapura clay factory
in Thiruvananthapuram last week, he said the people in the coastal
belt would resist moves to target them on the incident. He accused the
factory management of misleading the government."We are not against
development. But developmental activities should not affect people's
livelihood," he said.Deputy chief executive of the South Indian
Federation of Fishermen Societies Ansil, former Fisheries joint
director Ravindran Nair and KSMTF leaders Anto Elias, Valerian Isaac
and P.V. Wilson were present.A seminar on CZM and fishworkers was
organised.

The Hindu, 22nd November 2008

CZM norms worry fisherfolk

Speakers at a meeting organised here on Friday by the Kerala
Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) as part of the World
Fisheries Day highlighted the threats faced by the fishermen community
in Kerala and other coastal States. Pannian Ravindran, MP, who
inaugurated the meeting called on the Central government to scrap the
move to replace the Coastal Regulation Zone with the Coastal Zone
Management strategy since it would cause hardships to fisherfolk. He
decried efforts by global players to appropriate marine and coastal
resources. "The government must understand the concerns of the
fishermen who are already facing a threat to their livelihood from
foreign trawlers and big business groups. They should be brought back
to the mainstream of social life," he said.State president of the
KSMTF T. Peter said rapacious real estate groups, tourism ventures,
aquaculture farms, ship breaking units and industrial houses were
vying with each other to appropriate large tracts of coastal belt all
along the country. "The tourism industry has claimed 40 per cent of
the coastal area in Alappuzha. Special Economic Zones pose the biggest
threat to fishermen in Ernakulam. Industries and tourism have
appropriated most of the coastal belt Maharashtra, Goa and
Gujarat".'Political setback'Mr. Peter said the proposed Coastal Zone
Management would spell doom for fisherfolk. He said the UPA government
would face a political setback if it went ahead with the CZM, ignoring
the concerns of the fisherfolk.Referring to the attack on the Ashapura
clay factory in Thiruvananthapuram last week, he said the people in
the coastal belt would resist moves to target them on the incident. He
accused the factory management of misleading the government. "We are
not against development. But developmental activities should not
affect people's livelihood," he said.Deputy chief executive of the
South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies Ansil, former Fisheries
joint director Ravindran Nair and KSMTF leaders Anto Elias, Valerian
Isaac and P.V. Wilson were present.A seminar on CZM and fishworkers
was organised.

The Hindu, 22nd November 2008

Project to double State’s rice production by 2011

Agriculture Minister, Mullakkara Ratnakaran, said the government was
planning to launch paddy cultivation in 21,500 hectares of fallow land
across the State as part of the Food Safety Programme in the current
financial year.The Minister was inaugurating a public meeting at St.
Mary's Orthodox Church auditorium at Niranom, after launching paddy
cultivation at Chennamkary paddy fields in the Upper Kuttanad region
of Thiruvalla taluk on Friday.According to him, the State's annual
rice production has been put at only 6.5 lakh tonne against the annual
consumption of 38 lakh tonne.Mr. Ratnakaran said the Food Safety
Programme had been launched with a mission to increase State's paddy
production to 12 lakh tonne by 2011.He said Kerala was the first State
in the country to introduce interest-free farm loans to paddy
cultivators. Moreover, the government had provided insurance cover for
peasants who came forward for paddy cultivation in fallow lands as
part of Food Safety Programme, he added.Mr. Ratnakaran said farming
was part of our culture and the government was on a mission to revive
this culture by upholding the slogan, "all roads lead to paddy
fields."He said children attached to as many as 52 schools in the
State had joined the Food Safety Programme by engaging themselves in
paddy cultivation.The Minister said the government was planning to
launch paddy cultivation in an extent of 1,000 ha fallow land in
Pathanamthitta district this year.Transport Minister Mathew T. Thomas
presided over the meeting. Delivering the keynote address, Dr.
Philipose Mar Chrysostum, senior Metropolitan of Mar Thoma Church,
stressed the need for evolving a positive farming culture.

The Hindu, 22nd November 2008

Steps sought to mitigate impact of climate change

Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran has stressed the need
to formulate an action plan to mitigate the impact of climate change
on vulnerable communities in the State.Inaugurating a workshop
organised in connection with the National Environment Awareness
Campaign by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Centre for
Environment Development (CED) here on Thursday, he said Kerala could
ignore climate change only at its peril."The available statistics on
atmospheric temperature variation and greenhouse emissions are
alarming. There is urgent need for intervention to control the
causative factors, which are largely human-induced."The Minister said
the State was also being exposed to extreme climatic conditions like
other parts of the world.The Minister said it would take strong
measures to mitigate the impact of climate change.Executive chairman
of the Information Kerala Mission Prof. M.K.Prasad presided over the
function.Executive director, CED, Babu Ambatt was also present.

The Hindu, 21st November 2008

Kollam to host Kerala Science Congress

A special session on People's Science will be the highlight of the
21st Kerala Science Congress to be held in Kollam from January 28 to
31.A pressnote issued by the Kerala State Council for Science,
Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) said the session was aimed at
providing a forum for public participation. Those who have developed
grassroot innovations and products will get an opportunity to
participate in the 'People's Science.' The participants of the
'People's Science' will be allowed to present their findings or
products through posters, exhibition or demonstration during the
Science Congress.Those who wish to participate may write with the
details of the invention, full address and telephone number to V. Ajit
Prabhu, Principal Scientific Officer, Sasthra Bhavan, Pattom,
Thiruvananthapuram - 4 or visit the web site www.ksc.kerala.gov.in for
more details. The last date for registration of participants in
'People's Science' Congress will be December 15, 2008. Only those
entries selected by an expert panel will be accepted for participation
in the 'People's Science'.

The Hindu, 20th November 2008

Eco group clarifies stance on rubber dam

Pampa Parirakshana Samiti (PPS) secretary Bensi Mathew has alleged
that certain political quarters and a contractors' lobby are issuing
"baseless and defamatory statements" against the organisation in
connection with the proposal to construct a rubber dam in the Pampa at
Aranmula. In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Mathew condemned the reported
statements of two District Tourism Promotion Council members terming
the samiti general secretary N.K. Sukumaran Nair a 'quack.'Mr. Mathew
claimed that the samiti had played a key role in the inclusion of the
Pampa in the National River Conservation Programme.He recalled that at
a recent meeting that was held at Environmental Resource Centre at
Poovathoor near Aranmula, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister T.K.A.
Nair too had hailed the contribution of the samiti and its founder
general secretary Sukumaran Nair in highlighting the problems faced by
the river.This had ultimately led to the Union government sanctioning
the Pampa Action Plan on the lines of Ganga Action Plan, Mr. Mathew
said.He said the samiti had never opposed construction of a rubber dam
in Pampa.Its opposition was to implementing the project without
conducting proper environmental impact study, he added.

The Hindu, 19th November 2008

Paddy scheme launched at Maniyur

Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran launched on Tuesday a Rs.5.5-crore scheme for making Cherandathur chira in Maniyur fit for paddy cultivation and expressed the hope that by bringing more land under paddy cultivation, the State would be able to considerably ease its rice deficit.Mr. Ratnakaran said that the launching of the scheme in Maniyur was part of a government programme to extend paddy cultivation by 40,000 hectares. With the increase in paddy yield, paddy-based industries would also come up, the Minister said.Emphasising the need to reduce dependence on other States for meeting food requirements of local people, the Minister said the State was spending Rs.500 crore annually to meet its food needs. But he was confident the food deficit could be overcome by 2010. K.P. Kunhammedkutty, president, district panchayat, presided over the function.The Minister also inaugurated the distribution of soil health card scheme in Kozhikode district at a function held at Peruvayal St. Xavier's UP School on Tuesday. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ratnakaran hoped the scheme would help people understand the value of soil better. He said the problems on the food front could be traced to the neglect of soil. Productivity was inextricably linked to health of the soil. Quality of soil also had a bearing on quality of human life, he said.He pointed out that though the average Keralite's life span had increased in recent years, the number of people living with diseases was also rising. As many as 120 soil health cards were distributed at the function. U.C. Raman, MLA, presided.

The Hindu, 19^th November 2008

Experts meet to improve weather forecast

Weather experts are probing ways to make better use of automatic weather stations by linking up various states to provide improved and user-friendly forecast to farmers and the public.Experts from various government agencies and universities are set to meet in Thrissur on November 29 for a user-oriented workshop to thrash out details. Weather experts fro the ISRO, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the Meteorology wing of the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and the Centre for Monsoon Studies (CMS) of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) will meet the KAU, Thrissur to work out details regarding improved supply of weather inputs.The intended idea is better co-ordination if weather inputs and using available resources to supply hourly weather forecasts in a way that it can be easily grasped by even the layman. In the first phase, inputs from weather stations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu will be pooled. Such inputs can be made public through dedicated website in subsequent stages.Recently the KAU had announced plans for linking up with CMS, ISRO and the IMD to provide 'AgroMet' services in a timely manner to farmers in the state. The idea now is to take it one big step forward.While the number of automatic weather stations  in the country are set to go up in the years ahead, weather prediction mechanics and supporting technological infrastructure, remains something of a mystery to the general public.With public attention called towards climatic changes in the light of global warming, the new set-up is intended to close this gap and bring localiswed forecast of weather a mouse-click away.

The New Indian Express, 19^th November 2008

Plan to improve fish production

The annual fish production from lakes and ponds across the State will be raised to two lakh metric tonnes in the next three years, Minister for Fisheries S. Sarma has said.He was speaking after inaugurating an artificial reef installation project launched by the Department of Fisheries at the Vizhinjam Harbour in the district on Tuesday."Through fisheries clubs in the 700 grama panchayats adjoining coastal areas, we propose to raise the annual inland production," he said. The triangular artificial reef is expected to enhance the quantity of fish by creating a favourable environment, similar to that of a natural reef, for the marine species to breed.Artificial reefs made of mild steel and numbering around 360 will be deployed at five coastal panchayats including Anchuthengu, Kadinamkulam, Karimkulam, Poovar and Kulathoor in the inaugural phase.Based on its effectiveness the reefs, weighing 160 kg, will be deployed in other coastal areas.According to Xavier David, mission coordinator of Agency for Development of Aquaculture Kerala (ADAK), which is implementing the project, enrichment materials such as palm leaves and tyres will be added to the reefs at a later stage to attract fish.Since the reefs will be placed permanently under seawater at a depth of around 30 ft, there is no danger of corrosion. George Mercier, MLA, who presided over the function, said that efforts should be made to bring people working in the fishing industry in the insurance net.The function was attended by P.A. Shaikh Pareed, Director, Fisheries, and Pulluvila Stanley, Chairman, Kerala Fishworkers Welfare Board.

The Hindu, 19^th November 2008

Forum for wetland protection by 2009

Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran said here on Monday that the proposed Wetland Conservation Authority under the State government would come into being in 2009. He was speaking after inaugurating a wastewater treatment plant at the Kozhikode Cooperative Hospital.Mr. Premachandran, who maintained that the responsibility and powers to maintain and manage the wetlands of the respective region should be vested with the State government and not the Centre, said the absence of an exclusive authority with statutory powers had caused confusion in the past. "The rough draft of the bill for the proposed authority is ready and the body having statutory powers would come into being by 2009," he said.Mr. Premachandran, who stated that conservation of wetlands, watersheds and paddy fields were "top priorities" of the government, said only a focussed legislation in this regard would ensure the conservation and proper management of "these priceless assets."Praising the efforts of the Cooperative Hospital management in setting up a state-of-the-art waste water treatment plant at the hospital at a cost of Rs.15 lakh, the Minister said the plant was a "model" for all other industrial units and hospitals in the State. "It is an important step towards the dream of a cleaner city and a cleaner State," he said.Stating that management of waste was one of the major challenges faced by the State, Mr. Premachandran said cities cannot wait till major treatment plants capable of treating the whole waste of the city together become a reality."It might take time; till then, we have to think about small plants like the one commissioned today to make our city a cleaner and a better place to live," he said. Kozhikode Mayor M. Bhaskaran presided over the function. Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) director K.V. Jayakumar spoke on the occasion.

The Hindu, 18^th November 2008

Kattampally river basin to see tidal action again

 Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran has said that tidal action will be experimentally restored on the Kattampally river basin for two months to change the soil properties of the vast expanse of land that was once under 'Kaipadu' paddy cultivation.The Minister told presspersons here on Monday that an action plan for reviving paddy cultivation in the land lying fallow for four decades had been submitted. The report proposed revival of tidal action in April and May to loosen the soil hardened from prevention of saltwater intrusion.He said the months to restore tidal action would be finalised at a detailed discussion in Thiruvananthapuram in December.The Minister said efforts would be made to revive paddy cultivation in the area in as much hectares as possible. The Kaipad land would be monitored and studied after the experimental restoration of tidal action.He said the Kattampally irrigation project originally envisaged 18 shutters. The existing 13 were inadequate for releasing floodwater. The report proposed construction of five more shutters and bunds wherever saline water was likely to create problem.The report prepared by Rice Mission Coordinator P.V. Balachandran was submitted to the Minister at a meeting of farmers and officials at the Collectorate Conference Hall here.District panchayat president K.K. Narayanan and District Collector Ishita Roy were present.

The Hindu, 18^th November 2008

Kottuli wetland protection will be ensured: Minister

Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran inaugurating a waste water treatment plant installed at the District Cooperative Hospital in Kozhikode.Kozhikode: No project will be allowed to jeopardise the maintenance and preservation of the Kottuli wetlands, one of the vital wetlands of the district, said Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran here on Monday.He was inaugurating a wastewater treatment plant at the District Cooperative Hospital. The plant is part of a series of initiatives to protect the ecologically valuable wetlands at Kottuli in the city. "The government is resolved to preserve its shrinking treasures of water wherever it may be," the Minister said. He said stringent measures would be taken against those who moved ahead with plans or projects that harmed the hygienic existence of the wetlands in violation of the law.The Minister maintained that various projects to clean and revive the historic Canoly Canal were progressing well. The treatment plant at the hospital built at an affordable Rs.15 lakh was a "model" for industrial and other enterprises, such as hospitals and hotels, in the district.Mr. Premachandran urged the industries to prefer "such small and individual plants" without waiting for a mammoth plant to come into being to contain the colossal waste of the city at a single take.

The Hindu, 18^th November 2008

Call for research on medicinal plants

 More research on biodiversity of medicinal and aromatic plants is needed to tap the huge potential of herbal medicine market, U. Srivastava, Assistant Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, has said.Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural session of the national workshop on medicinal and aromatic plants at College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, Mr. Srivastava said short growing period and availability of skilled and cheap manpower for growing the crop were the major advantages in the country."A closer coordination among ayurvedic drug producers, farmers and research institutions should be established to ensure high quality of medicinal plant products. More emphasis should be given for indigenous collection of medicinal/aromatic plants," he said.Mr. Srivastava called for developing resistant varieties of plants and plant protection technology using biotechnological approaches. Indian Council of Agricultural Research had earmarked Rs.20 crore for the research on medicinal and aromatic plants during the eleventh plan period, he said. Rajaji Mathew Thomas, MLA, inaugurated the workshop. Over 100 delegates across the county are participating the three-day workshop.

The Hindu, 16^th November 2008

Preventing pollution of Kottuli wetland

A waste water treatment plant constructed as part of a series of measures aimed at protecting the ecologically precious Kottuli wetland, will become operational at the Cooperative Hospital in Kozhikode on Monday.By treating waste generated by the hospital, the treatment plant would prevent entry of hospital waste into Cannoly Canal and Kottuli wetland to a considerable extent.Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran will inaugurate the waste water treatment facility.Earlier, waste from the hospital was being released directly into Cannoly Canal polluting the canal and its neighbourhood when the canal overflows in heavy rain.The plant has a capacity to treat 80,000 litres of waste water and was equipped to reduce level of pollutants to permissible limits, a spokesman for the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) said here on Saturday.The treatment plant was designed and constructed by Kerala Water Authority (KWA) using the funds received from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for the management action plan for protection of Kottuli wetland.The Forest Department, State Pollution Control Board, KWA, Fisheries Department, and Corporation of Kozhikode are closely associated with this project which will be executed by the CWRDM.Besides constructing waste water treatment plants, the management action plan drawn up for Kottuli wetland also envisages, mangrove afforestation, planting of a belt of screw pine , fisheries development, de-silting works and de-weeding.Environmental activists have been carrying on a high pitch campaign for effective safeguards to protect Kottuli wetland since it is a major receptacle of flood waters, reducing flooding in rainy reason and is under threat of encroachment.There are complaints that some parts of the 87.04 hectares of wetland has already been grabbed by private agencies.Kottuli wetland receives tidal influx from Kallai and Korapuzha estuaries. It is also home to seven species of mangroves, 20 mangrove associates, 20 species of water birds, 11 species of fishes, one species of prawn, and one species of crab.The inaugural function on Monday would be attended by S. Kaul, Director, Ministry of Environment and Forests, A. Jaythilak, District Collector, K.V. Jayakumar, Executive Director, CWRDM, R. Sasidharan, Chief Engineer, KWA, and Bharathan, president, Cooperative Hospital, besides Mayor M. Bhaskaran who will preside

The Hindu, 16^th November 2008

Variation in bird sightings reported

Climate changes, loss of preferred tree species, habitat degradation and atmospheric pollution have reportedly led to the substantial variation in the number and frequency of sighting of birds in and around the State capital. The Kerala Bird Race 2008 held on Sunday at 10 locations here has highlighted the need for an in-depth survey and site and species specific studies to protect bird population. The bird race, held with the active participation of 78 bird enthusiasts, has highlighted the need for protecting potential bird areas and ensuring the quality of living environment. As many as 34 species of birds were reported from Peroorkada. Non-sighting of the House Sparrow, a common small grey and brown bird, came in as a surprise to the birdwatchers. The Oriental Darter, an endangered and red-listed snake bird, which was earlier reported from Akkulam, was also not sighted. The Crested Honey Buzzard and the Booted Eagle which were not reported previously from Akkulam were spotted. Birdwatchers attributed the dip in the number of birds to an increase in the water level and spread of water hyacinth in Akkulam Lake. Reclamation of wetlands is also a major threat to the avian population of the area. Greater Spotted Eagle, a rare bird of prey, and White Ibis, were sighted at Punchakkary paddy fields in the suburbs. Booted eagle was sighted from Vellayani Lake area. The Arippa forest area, near Kulathuppuzha, was found to have a rich avian diversity. Close to 75 species of birds were sighted there. Important sightings were that of the Black Baza, a bird of prey, the Brown Fish Owl and the Malabar Trogon. There was a considerable increase in the number of Greenish Warblers. Sighting of the Black Bulbul, a forest species comparatively seen in higher altitudes, was reported from the low-lying Chathancode forests foothills of Bonaccord.  The green lung of the capital, the Museum-Zoo premises, had considerable bird diversity with 41 species including the Grey Fronted Green Pigeon, a forest bird. The Grey Headed Fishing Eagle, an indicator for aquatic habitat within forests, was reported from the Kallada reservoir area. The sighting of Black Kites in and around Thenmala caused apprehension as it is a major scavenger species seen in towns and cities. As many as six species of birds of prey were sighted in the grasslands of Ponmudi. Sighting of the Black Caped Kingfisher along the Kallar was the most important sighting. The Bird Race, sponsored by HSBC, was coordinated locally by the WWF and the Warblers & Waders. The participants were grouped in teams of ten and were equipped with binoculars. The Egrets team which surveyed the area in and around Punchakkary paddy fields won the first prize with a sighting of 82 species. The Black Baza team which surveyed Arippa forests won second prize with 75 species. The third place was secured by the Kingfisher team which spotted 66 species. T. Anantha Padmanabhan was the senior-most bird-watcher and Sohaib was the youngest among the lot.

The Hindu, 13^th November 2008

Biofuel from water hyacinth

 Farming a menacing weed may seem preposterous. But, a few years from now, farmers across the State may be cultivating water hyacinth, one of the most invasive and prolific aquatic weeds that threaten to devastate lakes, canals and ponds. On the cards is a project to produce bio ethanol out of the menacing weed that smothers water bodies, chokes other aquatic life, prevents navigation, provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes, fosters water-borne diseases and even interferes with hydropower generation. The Department of Life Sciences, Kannur University, has tied up with the Institute for Research and Development (IRD), Marseille, France, for the project that will convert water hyacinth into biofuel through a natural process. The Indo-French initiative will involve the identification of micro organisms that will produce enzymes to degrade the complex sugars or polysaccharides in the weed. "Biochemical tests have revealed the potential of water hyacinth in the production of bio ethanol, though not on a large scale," said Christopher Augur of IRD."The presence of complex sugars like cellulose and hemicellulose in water hyacinth however inhibits fermentation. The project will seek to identify a fungal strain that will help to break down the polysaccharides into simple sugars through enzymatic action," he told The Hindu. "A decentralised production system would help local communities to generate revenue while getting rid of a menace," Mr. Augur said. Abdulhameed Sabu, Kannur University, said: "Once the technology is developed, we propose to equip cooperatives or self-help groups to harvest and prepare the weeds for production of bio ethanol." The project will be taken up under the Indo French centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR).

The Hindu, 13^th November 2008

Conditional approval for sand-mining

A meeting of the district-level expert committee on river protection has given conditional approval to resume sand-mining at a ghat in Kalady on Tuesday. The meeting chaired by District Collector M. Beena allowed the resumption of sand-mining at the Kavunkal ghat in Okkal panchayat, provided it did not in any way disturb the ecology of manappuram.A committee comprising of the representatives of revenue, irrigation and police departments and the members of the Kalady Mahadeva Temple protection committee would be formed to decide the limits within which mining would be permitted. The Collector said that a project worth Rs.1.5 crore for the conservation of Sivarathri manappuram has been submitted for approval. Though the ban on sand-mining was lifted early last month, mining at Kavunkal ghat remained banned owing to the protest registered by the temple protection committee.

The Hindu, 13^th November 2008

227 species of birds sighted in bird race

 As many as 227 species of birds were sighted in the Bird Race conducted in the northern districts on November 9 in which 18 teams of birdwatchers participated.The Bird Race, a signature event of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. (HSBC), in association with the KeraBirder, an Internet mailing group of bird-watchers, and Eco-Media, a Mumbai-based organisation engaged in environment-related activities, was held on Sunday last to commemorate the birth anniversary of late Dr. Salim Ali. In the northern districts, the event was jointly organised by the Malabar Natural History Society (MNHS). It covered almost all habitats from hill areas to coastal areas in the Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur and Wayanad districts. Some of the important birding locations observed by the birders participated in the race included the Wayanad wildlife sanctuary, Kadalundi community reserve, Kattampally, Purathur, Kottuli and Mavoor wetlands.The Kannur team comprising Jayan Thomas, an ophthalmologist, and P.C. Rajeevan won the first prize by identifying 140 species in the race.The team in Malappuram led by K.M. Arif and that in Kozhikode led by C.P. Rajan won second and third prizes respectively, MNHS officials informed. Some of the important sightings included Black Bellied tern, Small pratincole, Oriental pratincole, Black stork, Blue throat, Black capped king fisher, Chempallikkundu, Jerdons Baza, Great Black, Wood Pecker, Grey necked Bunting, Greater Spotted eagle, Indian Spotted eagle and Broadbilled Sandpiper.The organisers said that scores of experienced birdwatchers spent the day spotting and identifying birds in the dawn-to-dusk Bird Race event. The bird watchers also learned the finer points of bird watching, they said. The event was organised to create awareness among people about the bird life surrounding the region as well as mobilise support for the conservation of nature and the environment.

The Hindu, 13^th November 2008

Abattoir waste emitting inflammable gas

An inflammable gas emanates from the year-old waste remaining in the two tanks in the City Corporation's abattoir after some of it was let out into the Ashtamudi Lake on Sunday. The escaping gas had pushed out slurry from the tanks on Saturday. People were hospitalised on Sunday after taking ill on inhaling the stench from the waste fin the lake. The odour lingered on Monday.prevails in the area, a residential colony. The residents alleged that the Corporation authorities were passive in finding a solution. The authorities said the situation was serious and went into an emergency session.The State Human Rights Commission registered a case for pollution caused by the abattoir on a complaint lodged by the Paristhiti Samrakshana Ekopana Samithi.The abattoir contractor told the Corporation authorities that he pumped out the waste into the lake because the gas formation could have led to an explosion.The authorities said he failed to treat and convert the waste in the biogas plant. The possibility of converting the gas into electricity was now being explored.George D. Kattil, Leader of the Opposition in the Corporation, alleged apathy by the Corporation. Several lakhs of rupees were spent on the biogas plant; despite this, the whole area was polluted.Mr. Kattil wanted Prasanna Earnest, Chairperson of the Health standing committee of the Corporation, to own moral responsibility and resign. He called for action under the law against the contractor and the officials responsible for the situation.S. Varghese, Member of the Human Rights Commission, directed the Corporation Secretary and Member-Secretary of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board to appear before its next sitting. An urgent report was sought from the Secretary of the Local Self-Government Department.He told The Hindu that the pollution of the lake in this manner was a serious human rights violation. The Corporation appeared to have been consistently averse to human safety and environmental protection. Very often, it was noticed that the Corporation wanted to take decisions and implement them with some sort of vengeance even if that was harmful to the people and the environment.Odanavattom Vijayaprakash, general convener of the samithi, who lodged the complaint, said the abattoir did not follow the rules. He requested the commission to register cases against the Corporation.

The Hindu, 11^th November 2008

Kuttanad reaps a bitter harvest State Trends

Uncertainty can drive anyone crazy.In the paddy fields of Kuttanad, it is this feeling of doubt and insecurity that has been a major concern for the farmer. And this has not been a temporary phenomenon in a State which offers the highest paddy procurement price, Rs.1,100 per quintal, and is the only State that offers interest-free loans for paddy cultivation. For the last two years, there has been no sense of security in Kuttanad, once known as the 'Rice Bowl of Kerala' and only the second place in the world where cultivation is done below mean sea level.Sample this. In March-April, 2007, the region saw the best 'puncha' yield in a decade. From 1,07,500 tonnes the previous season, the yield jumped to 1,37,500 tonnes. Increased use of certified seed varieties such as and spread of mechanisation, from 17 combined harvester machines in 2006 to about 140 of the multi-purpose machines, were cited as the reason. But procurement of the crop was slow, mainly because private rice mills contracted by the State Civil Supplies Department were ill-equipped to handle the increased quantity and to speed up the process. And then, rain struck. Tonnes of harvested paddy exposed to the rain while waiting for procurement germinated.Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who visited the frustrated farmers, had told The Hindu in an interview then that the loss could be devastating. Hundreds of farmers who had taken loans to cultivate paddy in 22,814 hectares suffered crushing losses. But they were undeterred and went back to the fields for the second round. The high yield story was repeated. The procurement process was better. And then, Kuttanad saw the biggest floods in 16 years and the story of loss too was repeated.In March this year, when the 'puncha' paddy acreage rose to 25,232 hectares and there was a consequent rise in yield, from around three-four tonnes a hectare to five tonnes, untimely summer rain wreaked havoc. The damage to paddy alone was around Rs.70 crore in monetary terms. Financial loss was not the only setback. Four farmers ended their lives in two weeks. One case: Pushkaran, 65, of Edathua, owning a 50-cent paddy field, took three acres on lease for cultivation, a gold loan of Rs.44,465 from the State Cooperative Bank, Oorukari, and another Rs.50,000 through a micro-finance scheme of the Sree Narayana Trust and an informal loan of Rs.8,696. The unexpected summer rain did not allow him to harvest the crop. Pushkaran consumed pesticide on March 28.The rest of the farmers were not discouraged. Their grit and determination have seen the acreage increasing from 7,347 tonnes to 10,000 hectares in the second round of cultivation from May this year. One issue that had plagued farmers during the previous season, the clash between labourer and machine, was solved to a great extent this time with the government itself procuring combined harvester machines through cooperative societies. The government also set up the first of its kind monitoring system to guide the farmer from the sowing stage to the harvest, both at the State-level and the district-level. According to Principal Agriculture Officer P.S. Soman, the yield was set to rise again. A few areas where harvest was over by mid-October reported a rise from five-six tonnes to 6.5 tonnes a hectare. "As assured by the government, financial help, seeds and fertilizer were given to cultivate in fallow land, interest-free loans of over Rs.10 crore were disbursed and availability of machines was ensured. All this created a positive atmosphere, which is why the acreage saw a corresponding increase," he says.But just when the farmers were about to harvest the crop, rain has struck. At least 1,000 hectares of standing crop is already submerged by October 25. Harvested paddy in a few areas has started sprouting as well, yet another story of loss for the fourth consecutive season in succession.A bund breach in the 9,000-acre 'kayal' paddy field and threats of the same in other areas have thrown preparations for the forthcoming 'puncha' round as well into uncertainty. The Thanneermukkom Barrage too continues to be a point of controversy. Uncertainty reigns over whether the bund, set up to prevent saline water intrusion from the Arabian Sea into Kuttanad, should be kept open round the year or how long its shutters should be kept down a year.So, are nature and her allies the biggest enemies of the Kuttanad farmer? Yes and no is how Kuttanad Vikasana Samithi executive director Fr. Thomas Peelianickal replies to that question. "Unpredictable climate is a recent phenomenon. It is proper planning and preparation to tackle this that has been lacking. The Kuttanad Package of the M.S. Swaminathan Commission calls for two storage shelters to protect the harvested crop from rain. But we need paddy shelters all across Kuttanad if the rain has to be effectively tackled. The outer bunds of all the fields can be strengthened and shelters built on them. Labourers can rest in these, store the harvested crop and also protect the hay from rain. The expense for such multi-purpose shelters is nothing compared to the losses if they are not there," points out Fr. Peelianickal, who also feels that the number of combined harvesters is still insufficient."Dr. Swaminathan called for at least 300 of them. Training for local youth to maintain these and job assurance for labourers too has to be ensured. The Supplyco should have its godowns in Kuttanad and start rice mills of its own so that exploitation and follies by private mills are prevented. Such elaborate, well-planned preparations can bring about a dynamic change in Kuttanad," he says.

The Hindu, 10^th   November 2008