Environment India

In environments where human activities have significantly altered the natural landscape, wildlife faces a multitude of challenges, necessitating a thorough understanding of the responsible factors in order to advance conservation efforts. A recent research paper authored by   Acharyya, T., et.al., (2023)   offers valuable insights centered around the Irrawaddy Dolphins ( Oracella brevirostris ), an endangered species inhabiting the Chilika lagoon located on the eastern seaboard of India. Through a comprehensive synthesis of existing knowledge, the article highlights the identified threats to these dolphins arising from both climate change and human activities, while also proposing a conservation roadmap aimed at safeguarding their survival within the Chilika ecosystem. Presently, the population of Irrawaddy Dolphins in Chilika faces a grave endangerment, with only a meager count of a few hundred individuals remaining. Although protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act...

SALINITY, RECHARGE ISSUES AND EXTRACTION HAVE SPELT DOOM In Gothra and Khanpur Khurd: HARYANA Gothra village is located in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana’s newest district on the state’s border with Rajasthan. It looks like any other dusty village in north India. Except that it is suffering extreme water shortages which, if not controlled, will soon make the village a desert. The village has fallen prey to excessive salinity in its groundwater, caused by lack of recharge due to decreasing rainfall and consequent extreme groundwater extraction. All this has led to the village being caught in a vicious cycle which is now so bad that it neither has potable drinking water nor water for its crops .Gothra is in the ‘over-exploited’ category as far as groundwater is concerned, according to the Central Ground Water Authority. This means that more groundwater is being drained out than necessary. The groundwater in Gothra continues to fall, according to the Haryana Water Resources (conservation, regulat...

  Meghalaya’s Living Root Bridges Find A Spot In Unesco’s Tentative List Known for its extensive cave system and its unique living root bridges, Meghalaya is a traveller’s paradise. The state has once again been put on a global map with the inclusion of the living roots in the tentative list of Unesco’s World Heritage Sites. The announcement was made by Meghalaya’s Chief Minister — Conrad K Sangma — on Twitter. “The living root bridges not only stand out for their exemplary human-environment symbiotic relationship but also focus on their pioneering use for connectivity and resilience, and the need to adopt sustainable measures to balance economy and ecology,” he said. Often used as a path across a stream or a river, the bridges famous in Meghalaya are found in many villages — currently about 100 bridges spread across nearly 70 villages. These bridges are built by the local tribal communities and take a few years before they are fully strengthened and ready for use. ...

Reduce air pollution to avoid land conflicts due to solar projects, recommends study Due to high air pollution, India is witnessing an estimated loss of US$ 245-835 million every year. Improvement in air quality will in turn improve the performance of the solar power projects, says a study. Soiling Effect According to the researchers who conducted the study, cleaner air and better performance of solar power projects would also mean that India could save a crucial resource like land by which conflicts with communities and the environment could also be avoided. According to the study, aerosols in the atmosphere attenuate incoming solar radiation through scattering and absorption and this is known as the “atmospheric attenuation effect.” In addition, aerosols often get deposited over panel surfaces and affect their PV performances. High air pollution translates into low efficiency of solar power projects which leads to higher auxiliary power consumption (use of robots for cle...

  Indian coastal cities need to design and build with nature Panaji, the capital city of Goa, was hit by floods in July 2021. Historically, this is not the first time that the city has been flooded since it is built on the marshlands on the floodplains of river Mandovi. A community art project, titled “Mangrave (En)circling the Loss” by The Earthivist Collective highlights the plight of this important ecosystem on the outskirts of Panaji Urbanisation, driven by a rapid increase of Goa’s urban population, has spilled over to Panaji’s neighboring rural areas to accommodate real estate pressures. According to estimations by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Goa’s urban population is expected to grow to 88% in 2036 from the current 62.5%. Unsurprisingly, this sprawl has diminished the city’s green cover as repurposed Khazan farmlands at the fringes of the city have transformed into a concrete jungle along primary arterial roads leading to the city. Recent construction and urba...

  Haryana government killing the Aravallis and people: Mining Five people were killed in a landslide at a mining site in the Bhiwani district of Haryana in January 2022. The site, according to reports submitted in the National Green Tribunal, was illegal and unscientific but had still got a go-ahead for mining after a penalty was paid. According to the official  documents , nearly three reserved forests and three protected forests falls within a 10-kilometre radius of the mine lease area. It is alleged that the miners are drawing water from the ground below the permissible limits and extending their mining activities beyond the designated area to the protected areas in Aravallis. In the last 8 years, Gurugram’s Aravallis lost more than 10,000 acres of the Natural Conversation Zone (NCZ), which is considered to be the greenest area of the city’s forest cover, a recent report submitted to the NGT showed. According to a report, 3,676 square kilometres and 776...

  Sloth bear, dhole, tiger most affected among apex predators globally due to road development: Study The sloth bear, tiger and dhole are among 36 apex predators worldwide affected the most due to road construction in their native habitats, a study published February 21, 2022, in the journal Nature, has stated. The sloth bear was the most affected predator as its habitat was in the Indian subcontinent, “where roadless areas are almost non-existent,” the study said. Some 97% of its area of distribution was covered by roads, which led to several instances of roadkills, or deaths due to collisions with vehicles. The sloth bear is followed by the dhole or Asiatic Wild Dog, which is, in turn, followed by the tiger, Asiatic black bear, clouded leopard, sun bear and Sunda clouded leopard. The researchers said Asiatic predators, especially in south Asia, were more exposed to roads. Roads are especially harmful for apex predators because their home ranges are large and thei...

  व्यंजन द्वादशी ५०० वर्ष पुराना - परोपकार, खाद्य सुरक्षा और सन्तुलित आहार को सम्बोधित करता पर्व भारतीय संस्कृति की विशालता को दर्शाता हुआ व्यंजन द्वादशी पर्व पुरी, ओड़िशा में अभी कुछ सप्ताह पुर्व ही सम्पूर्ण हुआ है, पर जानकार और बिद्धिजीवियों के बीच यह अभी भी एक सोचने का विषय बना हुआ है कि कैसे एक ५०० वर्ष पुराना त्यौहार आज समाज, खाद्य सुरक्षा और सन्तुलित आहार का सूचक बन चुका है। व्यंजन द्वादशी पर ७०१ प्रकार के पकवान बनाये जाते हैं। यह त्यौहार वैष्णवों द्वारा मार्गशीर्ष के शुक्लपक्ष की द्वादशी को मनाया जाता है। जैसा कि नाम से ही पता चलता है इस दिन कई प्रकार के व्यंजन भगवान को चढ़ाए जाते हैं और फिर प्रसाद स्वरूप लोगों को खिलाया जाता है। मान्यता के अनुसार महाभार युद्ध के पश्चात जब श्रीकृष्ण अपने घर गए तो माता यशोदा को लगा कि वे बहुत कमजोर हो गए हैं और युद्ध में असुरों से लड़ने के दौरान वे अच्छे से भोजन नहीं कर पाए। इस कारण मातृप्रेम में उन्होंने श्रीकृष्ण के लिए ढेर सारे पकवान बनाये। आज से ५०० वर्ष पूर्व भारत के महान विचारक चैतन्य महाप्रभु ने इसी प्रथा को बढ़ाते हुए पुरी के...