Neyyar dam safe: CESS

Thiruvananthapuram: The fracture in the ground reported from an area near the Neyyar dam is the result of soil dislocation, a localised phenomenon that poses no danger to the dam, scientists from the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) reported on Monday.

T. Radhakrishna, Director, CESS, and G. Sankar, scientist, came to the conclusion after visiting the site to study the fracture that had led to concern among the local people. The district administration had shifted two families from the area on Sunday after the crack in the soil started extending.

Rotational slide

Mr. Sankar said the fracture was the result of a rotational slide, a small dislocation confined to the top layer of the soil. “The area between the river and the left bank canal where the fissure had developed is an unstable chunk characterised by reworked soil. Different layers had been added to raise the level of earth here. The heavy rain over the past few days saturated the soil layers, leading to a small dislocation. The cracks seen on the walls of the houses were also caused by the same phenomenon,” he said.

Ruling out the chance of a tremor in the region, the scientists said they had verified seismic data to confirm the fact.

“The small area between the river and the canal is unstable and is prone to another dislocation, especially during rain. There is a possibility that the whole chunk will slip and fall into the river. The residents of these houses are at risk during rain,” Mr. Sankar said.

The scientists said they would submit their report to the Additional District Magistrate on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran visited the area. He had a telephone conversation with the scientists on their analysis.

Source: The Hindu, 30-11-2010

205 watershed projects cleared

KATTAPPANA: The District Planning Council has cleared 205 watershed projects to be implemented through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the 30 grama panchayats of the district. An official with the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), which is the implementing agency, said that about 30 projects, including digging of ponds in farmlands, weed clearance and construction of bunds to prevent soil erosion and rain water collection could be taken up under the scheme.

It is expected that projects under MGNREGS could be implemented in around 1,83,000 hectares of land in the district and the watershed projects will turn to be one of the major employment creating areas under the scheme, he said. Konnathady, Peruvanthanam, Nedumkandam and Adimaly grama panchayats will take up more than 10 watershed programmes, as per the list cleared by the council.

According to the official, MGNREGS will be implemented in a way to provide support to the farm sector in the High Range areas where labour shortage is a major problem. In Kanjikuzhy, Rajakumari, Vathikudy and Nedumkandam grama panchayats, where watershed projects have already started, focus will be on the completion of projects and spreading of them to more areas, he said.

Source: The Hindu
Online edition
Thursday, Feb 25, 2010

Seismic micro-zoning and city planning

Seismic micro-zoning is necessary in city planning so that in case of
a natural calamity, such as an earthquake, the district administration
and the disaster management team in a city knows how to go about
rescue operations. A. Bhoominathan, Professor, Department of Civil
Engineering, IIT, Madras, says that study of soil properties is
important to know the kind of design a building should have. Since
Ernakulam has different compositions of soil because it has both
coastal and mountainous terrains, it is important that the town
planners have an idea of seismic micro-zoning.
Prof. Bhoominathan, who is in charge of micro-zoning studies in
Chennai for which IIT, Madras, is the nodal agency, says that
constructing tall buildings and bridges on deep soil sites (where
thickness of soil is in several layers) requires effective designing
to lessen the risk of damage during earthquakes. Similarly, rocky
areas require a different design. More damage is expected on single-
or double-floor buildings in a rocky area. The thickness of soil
decides the response of the constructed structure during an
earthquake. The district administration can suitably plan if
micro-zoning for earthquakes is taken up, he adds. Prof. Bhoominathan
was in Kochi on a training programme for engineers and architects
organised by the United Nations Development Programme and the district
administration. As Kochi has been recently included as a vulnerable
city for earthquakes, the training programme aimed at equipping the
engineers working in government institutions and private organisations
to get an update on design modules for disaster mitigation. The
micro-zoning study is part of a project of the Union Ministry of Earth
Sciences. The National Earthquake Disaster Mitigation project for
training the engineers is being jointly implemented by the Union
government and the United Nations Development Programme through the
district administration.

The Hindu, June 20

Survey recommends organic farming at Vellayani

 A two-month survey conducted by the faculty and students of the College of Agriculture, Vellayani, has proposed the constitution of an ecosystem development authority comprising representatives of local people to manage and conserve the Vellayani freshwater lake.The survey carried out during November-December 2008 by the Social Science division of the college recommended an intervention strategy for sustainable management of the Vellayani wetland ecosystem. It identified sand-mining as the biggest threat to the lake.The survey, funded by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), collected inputs from NGOs, agricultural labourers, people's representatives, social activists and environmentalists. The report of the study, which was published recently, called for proactive participatory 'water literacy campaigns' and educational programmes highlighting the need to conserve the Vellayani wetland ecosystem and ensure the rational use of resources.It stressed the need to promote organic farming in the areas bordering the lake and encourage farmers to take up soil conservation and protection of water resources."Heavy soil erosion in the upstream reaches of the canals emptying into the lake has led to the accumulation of mud on the lake bed, reducing the depth of the reservoir," says Dr. S. Mothilal Nehru, Associate Director (Extension), College of Agriculture. "Field investigation revealed that several houses on the boundary of the lake were discharging raw sewage into the water. Analysis of water samples also indicated the presence of coliform bacteria."The report underlines the need to renovate and deepen the Kannukalichal canal and strengthen and raise the bund around the pump house. It highlights the need to educate the residents about the necessity and importance of sanitation.The report points out that the construction of roads across the length and breadth of the lake had affected the ecosystem. It recommends the construction of bridges to replace the roads and enhance the flow of water.The survey team called for an end to the practice of dewatering parts of the lake for paddy farming. It proposed a comprehensive project to promote organic farming in the vicinity of the lake with the support of the Kerala Agriculture University, Department of Agriculture, Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam and local bodies. A market for organic products, with a business plan was another major recommendation.The team called for the establishment of a separate authority to promote ecotourism and farm tourism for employment generation and livelihood. It also recommended controlled fish farming with assistance from the Department of Fisheries.It called for a detailed project by the Department of Agriculture, Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat and the College of Agriculture for paddy cultivation in the farmlands around the lake.The report stressed the need to identify alternate means of livelihood like rabbit rearing, vermi-composting, coir pith processing, beekeeping and value addition of fruits and vegetables for farm workers who lose their jobs by the discontinuation of cultivation on the lakebed after dewatering.Pointing out that the area of the lake had shrunk considerably over the years, it called for an action plan to conserve the remaining portions.

The Hindu, 12th May 2009 

Indiscriminate sand mining creates water shortage in Kerala

Kochi, May 4 Drinking water shortage in several parts of Kerala, especially in the high and midland areas of many districts, has become so acute that the inhabitants have to depend on water supply by private operators for whom it has turned out to be a lucrative business.The sharp fall in the ground water table, even in the embankments of major rivers like Pampa, Manimala, Achankovil etc, following indiscriminate sand mining, has resulted in the wells drying up even in February, environment activists said."Ever increasing human intervention in several major rivers in Kerala in recent years has changed their physical structure in such a way that it might sound the death knell to these rivers, if the authorities continued to remain indifferent," they told Business Line.One of the major victims of these activities is the River Pampa. Sand mining has removed the sand bed, which used to remain as a carpet, exposing the clay soil in several parts.Indiscriminate sand mining during the past two decades has deepened the riverbed by an average three to four metres, while there are points where it has dropped by six metres.Consequently, the water table in the wells in the catchment areas and in the river basins also have fallen sharply to the surface water levels in the rivers, Mr N.K.S. Nair, General Secretary of an NGO, said.Sand mining, check dams across the rivers, separating a large part of the sand bed as an enclosure for other purposes by dividing the river using permanent construction and so on, have been pointed out as reasons for the degradation of the rivers.When the riverbed level falls, the hydraulic gradient increases leading to higher velocity. As a result, immediately after the monsoon the water that flows into the rivers is drained out quickly. Unlike in the past, rivers are filled during the rains but after a few days of dry weather they become skeleton, said Mr Nair, a retired engineer."In the absence of sand no natural retention of water takes place. Sediment deficient flow of 'hungry water' picks up more sediment from the stream below the mining site, furthering the degradation process," he claimed.Thickets have come up at many points in Bharathapuzha and Periyar rivers also, he said.Normal monsoon season in Kerala is from June 1 to November 30 and the State used to receive on an average 3,000 mm of rainfall. Until a decade ago, the water table used to remain at higher levels up to March.But the situation has totally changed now. Immediately after the southwest monsoon, the water level in the rivers falls drastically leading to drought conditions. The wells in the river basin and the catchment areas dry up fast following the drop in underground water table, he pointed out. Environmental degradation is held as the reason for this situation.According to a study of the Kozhikode-based Central Water Research, the water availability by 2050 in the rivers Achankovil, Pampa and Manimala would drop by 459 million cubic metres, 3,537 million cubic metres and 398 cubic metres, respectively. If all these activities were not controlled and regulated by the authorities the water scarcity in the State would acquire serious dimensions in the years to come; this is already experienced in mid and high lands in several districts of the State, they warned.

The Business Line, 5th May 2009  

Space technology to be tapped for farm sector

 
The State Government is about to tap the potential of space technology in a big way during the 11th Five Year Plan for the development of the trouble-torn agricultural production sector in the state. According to sources, the State Planning Board has allocated Rs.25 crore for the setting up of basic infrastructure facilities in this regard during the plan period. Establishment of a fullfledged Geographical Information system(GIS) unit is being mooted at the State Planning Board as part of the proposal.

Automatic weather stations with crop weather information system, weather advisory services, and implementation if weather insurance is envisaged in the second phase. Additional services like soil testing services, natural resource advisory services, tele training are also envisaged as a continuation of the Village resources Centres. It is also proposed to collaborate with ISRO in areas such as drought monitoring, hazard zonation, utility mapping, and establishment of spatial data infrastructure etc. during the plan period. The plan outlay for the same during 2007-08 fiscal year is Rs.20 lakh. The Village Resource Centres will be linked with local body computerization. 

       
(The New Indian Express, 7th March, 2007)

Are you a carbon criminal

 
Supermarkets are scrambling to capture the millions of "green" pounds spent by increasingly environmentally aware shopers. Farmer's markets across the country are buzzing with conscientious customers buying locally grown knobbly carrots and leeks pulled straight from the soil.

With the threat of climate change racing up the global political agenda Britons are going green when they shop. And their sights are set on food miles.

" The concept of food miles has absolutely rightly entered into people's consciousness in Britain", says Bill Vortey, Head of the Sustainable markets group at Britain  International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) think Tank.

The idea of reducing food miles seems straight forward simply by produce, which has travelled the shortest possible distance from farm to plate.

However, just as British consumer's enthusiasm to cut food miles is growing, some experts are warning that an over simplistic view of the issue risks doing more harm than good.

They are urging policy makers not to rush blindly into formulatring "buy-local-only" campaigns for consumers, which could prove disastrous for many poor African food producers.

According to Britain's National consumer      Council (NCC) about 10 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions associated with British food transport come from air-freighted goods.

(The Business Line 8th February 2007)