Indian vultures face extinction

Indian vultures in the wild could be extinct within a decade in the absence of measures to check the retail sale of diclofenac, the livestock drug that triggered their decline, a new study has warned. BirdLife International, a global partnership of conservation organisations, quotes the study published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society to drive home the point that the drug continues to kill vultures, after entering its food chain, despite a ban put in place in 2006 on its manufacture.The study shows that the white-rumped vulture, Gyps bengalensis, is in dire straits with only one thousandth of the 1992 population of the birds remaining. Its population has been dropping by more than 40 per cent a year and their numbers could now be down to 11,000 from tens of millions in the 1980s.The numbers of Indian G. indicus and the slender-billed vulture, G. tenuirostris together, too have fallen by almost 97 per cent in the same period: their population has dwindled to 45,000 and 1,000 respectively. The decline of the vulture population in India is largely traced to their feeding on livestock carcasses bearing traces of diclofenac.Though the veterinary form, used as an anti-inflammatory drug for livestock, was outlawed two years ago, it remains widely available.

The Hindu, May 4, 2008

#end

Crusher unit poses threat to environment, health

Over 30 households at Chunkappara in the Kottangal grama panchayat in Mallappally taluk are seeking action against a granite quarry-cum-crusher unit for allegedly polluting the environment and causing health hazards to the local people.

The local action council leaders say that the terrain where blasting is under way is reportedly part of the Karavallikkad hills alias Avolimala which was identified as one of the 3,500 great trigonometrical (GT) stations in the country by the Survey of India.

The GT station was reportedly identified by a British surveyor William Lambton as part of the Great Trigonometrical Survey 205 years ago for mapping purposes. Action council leaders V.N. Gopinatha Pillai, Tom Thomas Thumkuzhiyil, Muhammed Nazer and George Sebastian alleged that the crusher unit operators were flouting pollution control norms and mining regulations, posing damage to the environment.

Depletion of the groundwater table, drying up of wells in the vicinity and lung ailments posed by dust emanating from the crusher unit were the main causes of concern ever since the crusher unit started functioning in 2005, Mr. Sebastian said.

A 12-year-old boy was fatally hit by a flying granite piece while he was standing on his courtyard, about 300 metres from the blasting site on April 12 last year. Mr. Gopinatha Pillai said the Forest Department too had written to the Kottangal grama panchayat that clearance for quarrying should not be permitted at the site bordering the forest area.

Denying the allegations, the crusher unit operators said they had obtained mandatory clearance from the Mining and Geology Department, Pollution Control Board, Inspector of Factories and Boilers, District Medical Officer and the local grama panchayat, besides licence from the Union Department of Explosives.

The Hindu, April 29,2008

#end

Climate change to blame for musth

The recent spurt in captive elephant violence is being attributed to climatic changes. B. Aravind, veterinary surgeon and technical expert to the elephant squad of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told The Hindu that the change in climate brought about by the off-season rain had advanced the musth period in many tuskers.

Dr. Aravind said musth was an indication of robustness in elephants. Musth occurred only in healthy elephants between the age of 16 to 60 as a three-month annual cycle. Among Asian elephants, only bull elephants came to musth, whereas among African elephants, both bull and female elephants came to musth. Musth is characterised by three phases – pre-musth, blown musth and post-musth phases. The tendency to attack during musth is somewhat constant over the years. Some elephants target only their first mahouts, others the owners and some others target human beings who are strangers to them, Dr. Aravind said. It is in the pre-musth phase that captive tuskers are the most dangerous to human beings. This is a period during which tuskers do not show any physical symptoms of musth but remain highly unpredictable. They can easily become violent. Often, it is only after an elephant starts becoming violent that its mahout and owner become aware that it is entering musth.Dr. Aravind, who has tranquillized over 120 tuskers in musth and is an expert in musth care management, said the off-season rain this year had had a devastating effect on captive tuskers. The heat and humidity caused by the intermittent rain had advanced the musth period.

The Hindu, April 27, 2008

#end

State gears up to tap wind energy

The State has started producing wind energy on a commercial basis with the private sector playing a key role and technical know-how provided by Denmark, the world leader in wind power. Initially, the energy contribution to the State pool will be only a fraction of the total production. But with more companies keen on investing in the project, it is estimated that the production may reach 200 MW, sources say.The wind farm was set up after a survey of the wind path and its velocity. Six of the seven units have started supplying power to the Kerala State Electricity Board's (KSEB) Kallar sub-station, 17 km away from the installed area.

An engineer says seven more units will be set up soon. Companies such as Etton World, Sun Star, IBN, Zenith Energy, Eastern and Miton have installed units with technical support of Vestar India, an arm of Vestar Denmark, which at present has 35,000 wind farms the world over.Official sources say the cost of installing (excluding the land price) a wind unit is Rs.4.15 crore and the power generated is sold to the KSEB at a rate of Rs.3.15 paise a unit as fixed by the Central Regulatory Authority. Each unit now produces 500 to 600 kWh electricity and it can reach 1,500 kWh calculated at a maximum speed of 24 rpm (revolution per minute).In comparison to thermal, atomic and hydro-electric plants where pollution, waste management and ecological costs are high, wind energy, with a zero level of pollution, opens a new window as energy supplier, says an official. Though the installation cost is high, the advantage, if continuous production is possible, is that the initial loss can be compensated in due course of time.

Studies have shown that Ramakkalmedu is the most suitable place for setting up the farm, as the area is blessed with uninterrupted and high velocity wind during the season. Studies also point out that vast areas in Munnar, Chinnakkanal, Santhanpara, Udumpanchola, Nedumkandam, Karunapuram, Vandanmedu and Chakkupallam grama panchayats bordering Tamil Nadu have the potential for setting up windmills."Though windmills have been installed on experimental basis by individuals, this is the first time that wind energy is being made commercially," says a representative of a company.An added advantage of Ramakkalmedu is that vast barren land is available for the project.

"There are parameters for setting up the units, including space and distance from each unit. At least 2.5 acres of land is needed for each unit," says the official. He says land prices have gone up ever since the project was launched. Agencies like the Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Development (ANERT) owns land at Ramakkalmedu and is on the process of installing wind energy units, it is learnt. Sources in various companies say that at least 20 wind power units will come up in the area by the end of next month. The wind farm is an added attraction to Ramakkalmedu, which is known as a major tourism spot that provides a panoramic view of Tamil Nadu. Around 10,000 visitors come to the area each day since the launch of the windmill.

The Hindu, April 21, 2008

#end

Artificial rain- an answer to UP’s miseries

In the chronically drought-hit Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh where natural rainfall over the past four years has been scarce, causing a severe drinking water and agrarian crisis, creating artificial rain through cloud seeding with the help of small airplanes is being seen as a viable alternative to obviate the people's miseries. A similar experiment has yielded satisfactory results in Andhra Pradesh.

 

 Mr.Jaganmohan, who has authored the unique concept – applicable when a cloud cover is available during the monsoon—told The Hindu from Jhansi that proposal has been approved by Chief Minister Mayawati and State Chief Secretary P.K.Mishra "It is likely to be put up before the Cabinet", said the Jhansi Division Commissioner. With water sources drying up, the seven districts of Bundelkhand have been left at nature's mercy, notwithstanding the steps taken by the Mayawati Government to partially offset the twin problems of water and food faced by the people of the region. Government agencies have projected that the water and agrarian crisis would become more acute this year if urgent measures are not taken soon and if the rainfall is again scanty. Artificial rain is being perceived as the sole solution for enhancing the rainfall quotient in the region.

 
The Hindu, 20^th April 2008

Health agencies warn of disease outbreak

The impact of climate changes on public health has never before become a much-debated issue not just among public health experts but among the general population also.As one comes face to face with the vagaries of weather in one's daily life, such as unseasonal and torrential rains or extremely hot and humid days, the risks to health, from deaths in extreme high temperatures to changing patterns of infectious diseases, have been brought in focus.Climate and weather already exert strong influences on health. The World Health Organisation says that continuing climate change will affect, in profoundly adverse ways, some of the most fundamental determinants of health: food, air and water. Also, areas with weak health infrastructure — mostly in developing countries — will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond, WHO warns.Catastrophic weather events, variable climates that affect food and water supplies, new patterns of infectious disease outbreaks, and emerging diseases linked to ecosystem changes, are all associated with global warming.India too has been witnessing several unexpected weather events. The heaviest rain fall in the last hundred years occurred in Mumbai in July 2005, which resulted in massive flooding and heavy loss of lives. The heat wave experienced by Orissa in June in 2005 should also be seen as part of the changing climatic patterns. More recently, the heavy rains experienced in the thick of summer in Kerala – a phenomenon not witnessed in the past 100 years — and which led to massive crop loss, has also triggered discussions on how climate changes should be factored in when planning disaster management.

The Hindu, April 20, 2008

#end

Need for river basin authorities

In the occasion of World Water Day, 2002, Kofi Annan, the then U.N. Secretary General, had warned that "water issues contain the seeds of violent conflict." Similar sentiments were echoed recently by Ban Ki-moon in his message on World Water Day, 2008, that the problems growing from the scarcity of a vital resource (like water) would spill over state borders creating a high risk of violent conflict. The Hogenakkal project, a drinking water scheme across the interstate Cauvery river planned by Tamil Nadu recently, caused a serious law and order situation both in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu with tempers running high in the States.

Similarly widespread protests raged in Orissa when Andhra Pradesh started works on the Mahendratanaya drinking water and irrigation project in the interstate Vamsadhara river basin. Unfortunately, such situations occur due to hydropolitics encouraging ad hoc measures for resolving problems, ignoring needed actions with long term vision, particularly in the case of interstate rivers. An interstate river physically links not only the upstream and downstream users but also the uses. Conflict of interest is the normal state of affairs when the uneven distribution of rainfall in space and time leads to endemic problems of water shortage in the basin. Consequently, the co-basin States start claiming ownership rights to water flowing through their territories forgetting their obligation to cooperate with each other, thus causing irreparable harm to the principle of federalism of the polity. The Central government, whenever confronted with water disputes among the States, takes the plea that under the Constitution, water is a State subject and Central intervention is possible only when the subject is brought under "Central" or "Concurrent" List.

In this connection, the opinion of the Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State Relations (1988) would be of interest. The Commission had stated that the Centre could take over the regulation and development of interstate river waters by virtue of Entry 56, List 1 (Central List) of the Constitution. It had also pointed out that with more frequent meetings of the National Water Resources Council (NWRC), chaired by the Prime Minister with Chief Ministers as members, the points of difference on water issues between the States could be resolved through accommodation. Unfortunately, NWRC was not able to meet frequently and find time to discuss and sort out the issues with the result that water disputes continued for want of a duly empowered forum to enable mutual consultations among the States and to focus the dialogue on water needs rather than water rights. Water being an emotive issue, only a mandated institution comprising Central and State representatives would be able to provide a platform to build consensus among the States through discussions. Interestingly, the River Boards Act, 1956, has a provision for setting up River Basin Organisations (RBO). But the Act provides only for boards advisory in nature and hence does not give any authority to the Central government to control and develop the interstate rivers or regulate the activities of the State governments in these matters.

Though in 1988, the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Water Resources had recommended setting up of RBOs having authority for regulation and control of the basin under Article 246 by suitable enactments, as of now, there is not a single RBO established for the purpose. A duly empowered, well structured RBO alone would be able to promote ethically based behaviour and action in a river basin and guide all parties towards a common goal and collective good.The composition, powers, etc., of RBOs have to be detailed while planning the organisation to ensure that conflicts do not crop up during the operational stages and thereafter, as happened in the Murray-Darling Basin Organisation in Australia and in the Fracer Basin Council in Canada. Considering the fact that interstate rivers contribute a major share of the utilisable water resources of the country, a legally backed RBO has to be in position to accelerate the consensus building process to optimally utilise the precious water resources of the country, as the demand for fresh water is increasingly taking centre-stage on the economic and political agenda, and more and more disputes are arising between States.

The Hindu, April 20, 2008

#end

Water pollution poses threat to public life

THE PERIYAR Tiger Reserve (PTR) is one of the best maintained sanctuaries in the country. Yet big cats in the sanctuary are in danger, while sambars and wild boars are falling prey to the highly polluted water of the Periyar Lake.Forest dossiers show that 16 sambars,which had consumed the lake water, died of water-borne diseases during the past six months. But sources told the website's newspaper that the polluted water had claimed over 40 sambars and an equal number of boar. Coupled with this, the solid waste in the Kumaly town and surrounding areas endangers their life.

The postmortem examination showed that the deceased animals' guts contained plastic waste and old cloth.The major chunk of the waste generated in Kumaly town,which has no well-developed drainage system, reaches Periyar Lake through the canal running across the town. Kumaly panchayat president M S Vasu said that Kumaly town produced 1500-2000 tonnes of solid waste in a normal day and during the Sabarimala season this shot up to 5000 tonnes.At present, there is no system to scientifically dispose of the waste. It is dumped in a yard near the town. The water supplied in the town and Forest Department quarters is drawn from the point where the waste reaches lake.

Slaughterhouses-all operated illegally-hotels and resorts in the tourism town throw their waste into the lake. Sambars and such animals drink water from this point. When the deer contract water borne diseases, tigers and leopards which prey on them are also affected. So all the wildlife in the sanctuary is prone to the disaster caused by pollution in the lake. Officials suspect that the elephant and the antelope which died of anthrax in the sanctuary a year back may have got the disease from the polluted lake water.

The pollution level has worsened this year because Tamil Nadu which received good rains is not taking water from the Mullaperiyar dam and waste in the lake is accumulating.Though the situation is grave, the Health Department has not initiated any step to combat the pollution due to lack of funds.Since the polluted lake water is supplied untreated in the town and forest quarters, chances are high of an outbreak of disease in the town.

New Indian Express, April19, 2008

#end

Plastic bottle chemical may be harmful

A chemical in some plastic food and drink packaging including baby bottles may be tied to early puberty and prostate and breast cancer, the US government said.

Based on draft findings by the National Toxicology Program, part of the US National Institutes of Health, senior congressional Democrats asked the Food and Drug Administration to reconsider its view that the chemical bisphenol A is safe in products for use by infants and children. The chemical, also called BPA, is used in many baby bottles and the plastic lining of cans of infant formula. The National Toxicology Program went further than previous US government statements on possible health risks from BPA. It said: "There is some concern for neural and behavioural effects in foetuses, infants and children at current human exposures." The findings expressed concern about exposure in these populations, "based on effects in the prostate gland, mammary gland, and an earlier age for puberty in females."

Republican John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat and chairman of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, said the draft cast doubt on the FDA's position that BPA was safe."I hope the FDA is willing to reconsider their position on BPA for the safety of our infants and children," he said. The National Toxicology Programme said laboratory rodents exposed to BPA levels similar to human exposures developed precancerous lesions in the prostate and mammary glands, among other things.

Bisphenol A is used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins and can be found in food and drink packaging as well as compact discs and some medical devices. Some dental sealants or composites contain it as well. The National Toxicology Program expressed "negligible concern" that exposure of pregnant women to BPA causes foetal or neonatal death, birth defects or reduced birth weight and growth in babies. It also had "negligible concern" that exposure causes reproductive problems in adults. The American Chemistry Council industry group said the conclusions confirmed that human exposure to bisphenol A is extremely low and noted no direct evidence that exposure adversely affects reproduction or development in humans.

In Canada, the Globe and Mail newspaper said the Canadian health ministry was ready to declare BPA a dangerous substance, making it the first regulatory body in the world to reach such a determination. The newspaper said the ministry could announce the decision as soon as Wednesday. Environmental activists long have warned about health concerns regarding the chemical. They praised the draft findings of the National Toxicology Program, which cited more potential worries about the chemical than did a panel of experts that advised the program last year. "NTP's decision corrects the scientific record. It reflects a significant body of science showing that BPA may play a larger role than previously thought in a host of common health problems," Anila Jacob of the Environmental Working Group said in a statement.

Business Line, April 17, 2008

#end

Poor climatic conditions hit cardamom

Global warming skims mist off from the hills in Idukki district, the spices capital of the country. Climatic-sensitive crops like cardamom and pepper may wither away with heating up of the earth. The rising temperature has changed the climate over the Western Ghats. Now the area experiences almost torrential rain, which was earlier sprinkled with drizzlings and then it follows long dry spell. The extreme change of climate is detrimental to the cardamom crop. Nearly 20 to 25 percent of the plants had to be replanted in recent years. Vadi Raj, head of Spices Board research station at Pampadumpara, said that the past 30 years temperature chart kept at the station showed an average rise of 0.2 to 0.4 degree Celsius every year. As the temperature has risen, the mist over Udumpanchola amd Santhanpara, where the cardamom yield is the highest , is thinning. Triggering a drastic fall in output, says K K Devasiya, president, Idukki Cardamom Growers Association. Interestingly, the loss of Udumpanchla and Santhanpara has become the gain of chinnakanal and Bisonvalley. Until recently, cardamom did not grow in these high mist areas. But now the climate in the high altitude terrain has become highly conducive for the cardamom crop. The vagaries of nature have cast shadow over the yield. It came down to 700 tonnes in this year from 9000 tonnes last year. Over 70 percent of cardamom crop comes from Idukki. And 90 percent of the country's production is consumed domestically. The same applies to pepper also. Drizzling following a dry spell is the ideal climate for pepper crop.

 
The New Indian Express, 16^th April 2008

State to generate more energy from wind

The State which has already entered the wind energy generation sector is set to improve its position in it. More windmills are to be commissioned at Agali while a new project at Ramakkalmedu is nearing completion. Four windmill machines are in final stages of installation at Agali, where the State government had given sanction to Suzlon, a company engaged in wind power generation, for the project. These machines will be commissioned by the end of April, according to top officials associated with the project. Seven wind mills have already been commissioned by Suzlon at the site where studies had established the feasibility of the project. The windmill project is being completed in accordance with the guidelines of the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission. ANERT was the nodal agency appointed by the State government to give technical sanction for the project. The power generated at the station is being connected to the KSEB sub-station at Agali. The company plans generation of 20 MW electricity at Agali from the 33 windmills of 600 KW capacity each. Thirteen machines have already been sold to entrepreneurs and trade groups. Eight of them have been bought by Kerala-based firms which include a jewellery firm, an umbrella manufacturer and steel entrepreneur. Five machines have been purchased by a Mumbai-based entrepreneur. Two more windmills are in the process of installation. The remaining machines will be installed upon receipt of orders from companies and entrepreneurs.

The windmill project at Ramakkalmedu, being set up by Vestas, is also nearing commissioning stage, according to sources. A few of the windmills are to be commissioned there soon. Apart from contributing to the strengthening of the power position of the State, the windmill projects will add a new phase in power production through internationally accepted renewable energy generation processes that reduce carbon content in the environment. The power generated at the windmill stations is being purchased by the KSEB as per an agreement with the investor, valid for 20 years. Accordingly, the power purchase rate is Rs.3.14 per unit. The meter reading is to be taken every month. The due date of payment will be the 10th day after the billing date. If the KSEB does not pay the amount due within 60 days from the date of billing, it will have to pay penalty at 15 per cent per annum. If the KSEB pays the amount promptly, then a rebate of 2 per cent shall be given to it by the windmill owner.

The Hindu, April 15, 2008

#end