Scientists discover vast undersea freshwater reserves

Scientists discover vast undersea freshwater reserves

SYDNEY: Australian researchers said on Thursday they had established the existence of vast freshwater reserves trapped beneath the ocean floor which could sustain future generations as current sources dwindle.

Lead author Vincent Post, from Australia's Flinders University, said that an estimated 500,000 cubic kilometres (120,000 cubic miles) of low-salinity water had been found buried beneath the seabed on continental shelves off Australia, China, North America and South Africa.

"The volume of this water resource is a hundred times greater than the amount we've extracted from the Earth's sub-surface in the past century since 1900," said Post of the study, published in the latest edition of Nature.

"Freshwater on our planet is increasingly under stress and strain so the discovery of significant new stores off the coast is very exciting.

"It means that more options can be considered to help reduce the impact of droughts and continental water shortages."

UN Water, the United Nations' water agency, estimates that water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population in the last century due to demands such as irrigated agriculture and meat production.

More than 40 percent of the world's population already live in conditions of water scarcity. By 2030, UN Water estimates that 47 percent of people will exist under high water stress.

Post said his team's findings were drawn from a review of seafloor water studies done for scientific or oil and gas exploration purposes.

"By combining all this information we've demonstrated that the freshwater below the seafloor is a common finding, and not some anomaly that only occurs under very special circumstances," he told AFP.

The deposits were formed over hundreds of thousands of years in the past, when the sea level was much lower and areas now under the ocean were exposed to rainfall which was absorbed into the underlying water table.

When the polar icecaps started melting about 20,000 years ago these coastlines disappeared under water, but their aquifers remain intact -- protected by layers of clay and sediment.

Post said the deposits were comparable with the bore basins currently relied upon by much of the world for drinking water and would cost much less than seawater to desalinate.

Drilling for the water would be expensive, and Post said great care would have to be taken not to contaminate the aquifers.


He warned that they were a precious resource. "We should use them carefully: once gone, they won't be replenished until the sea level drops again, which is not likely to happen for a very long time," Post said.

Source: Timesofindia

South African Indians raising funds for Uttarakhand

Johannesburg: Indian community in South Africa has launched a fund raising drive to contribute to the relief efforts in flood-hit Uttarakhand.

Local welfare organisation 'Atmadaan' and the 'Johannesburg Yuvak Mandal' have launched a collection drive already, while the BAPS Charities organisation is on the verge of launching a national relief fund.


"We are appealing to South Africans to open their hearts and wallets, as they have done in the past with relief efforts for earthquake and tsunami victims in India," said Atmadaan spokesman Ishwarlal Govan.

Indian High Commissioner to South Africa, Virendra Gupta, has lauded the efforts of local organisations in raising relief funds for the victims of the floods that devastating killed thousands of people.

India is grateful for the contributions by South Africans, both with the empathy shown and the material assistance, Gupta said at an event at the Indian Cultural Centre here yesterday.

"The exact extent of the loss will never be known. Many thousands have been simply lost without being able to account for them. But the magnitude of the loss is not in numbers. It is in the trail of tragedy which has been left behind, with huge devastation which will take several months if not years for reconstruction," Gupta said.

Gupta said all funds raised in South Africa will be sent to either the Prime Minister's Relief Fund or to any other organisation which can channel it into the relief effor

ts.

PTI 

Noida Authority to shift 300 mobile towers

NOIDA: The Noida Authority has decided to relocate over 300 mobile towers away from densely populated areas in the city, in a bid to reduce the alleged health risks of exposure to radiation from these towers.

This was decided by top authority officials at a meeting on Wednesday. The move may hit mobile connectivity as more than half of the total 572 towers in Noida are slated to be moved. Officials said the decision was in line with an Allahabad high court order in January last year, in which installation of new towers was prohibited in residential areas . The court had also asked for an assessment to determine the harm caused by mobile towers on human health.

"Towers located in densely populated areas would be moved to safer sites," said P K Agarwal, Noida ACEO. The Authority has also turned its attention towards cell towers on hospitals, schools and nursing homes.

Following the court's order last year, the Greater Noida Authority had relocated many towers to green belts. Officials said in Noida, too, such sites would be identified. The towers would be shifted in a phased manner once the Authority prepares a survey report to finalize a process which would cause minimal interruptions in mobile services.

The authority is also likely to compete formulating a 'mobile-tower policy' for the city within the next 10 days with guidelines regarding permissions to be taken from the Authority for setting up towers.

Kerala to strengthen disaster management system

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala will strengthen its disaster management system to tackle crisis arising from natural calamities and outbreak of epidemics, taking the cue from havoc wrought by cloudburst in Uttarakhand.

Health Minister V S Shivakumar said on Thursday that the government was working out plans in this regard in view of the Uttarakhand calamity which claimed thousands of lives in cloudburst and the following flood.

"We are taking steps to strengthen the disaster management system. Doctors and paramedical staff will be given special training to tackle unexpected calamities and outbreak of

epidemics," he said at a function organised to congratulate a medical team from Kerala sent to Uttarakhand as part of emergency response initiatives.

The government, in co-operation with National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), had sent a 10-member team comprising doctors, nurses, health inspectors and other paramedical staff, to the calamity-stricken state last month.

Showering praise on the services rendered by the team, the minister said its members would be given good service entry in appreciation of the help they lent to the affected people.

"They managed to reach the flood-hit area with great difficulty and rendered services in Haridwar and Uttara Kashi and surrounding areas. They also conducted medical camps in six flood-hit villages. They did all these risking their own lives," he added.

The team was led by Dr S Sajith, Associate Professor, Alappuzha Medical College.

PTI

Goa to ban Plaster of Paris Ganesh idols again

Panaji: The Goa government proposes to impose a ban on Ganesh idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) which, after immersion, end up polluting the water source, state Environment Minister Alina Saldanha said on Monday.

The state has imposed a ban on PoP idols earlier too, though such idols continue to have a market as they are relatively cheaper and have a good finish.

Saldanha, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a government function in the capital, said: "PoP does cause a lot of pollution. The decision (to ban PoP idols) will be taken soon, much before Ganesh Chaturthi, so that people have enough time on their hands to get the right idols."


The PoP idols, often containing gypsum, sulphur, phosphorus and magnesium as well as lead paints, disintegrate slowly and, in the process, poison the waters of lakes, ponds and rivers, as well as choking the beds of water bodies.

Last year, after the state government banned the idols, it also started selling eco-friendly Ganesh idols through its handicrafts corporation.

Ganesh Chaturthi, which is scheduled for September 09 this year, is one of Goa's most popular religious festivals.

IANS 

Australia extends help to check pollution in Ganga river

KOLKATA: To save the Ganga from industrial pollution, the Victorian government in Australia is preparing an eco-friendly business model for tanneries, which discharge effluents into the river.

Experts from 'Sustainability Victoria', an Australian agency working on environmental issues in the state of Victoria, would visit India next month to kick-start the Tannery Waste Management Programme from Kanpur.

"The idea was given to us by IIT-Kanpur which will act as our local partners in the project. We will lend our expertise in finding a sustainable and viable solution to safe disposal of waste discharged by tanneries," CEO of Sustainability Victoria, Stan Krpan told during a visit to the city.

Funded through the Australian development 'AusAID', the project aims to clean the river that is one of the five most polluted rivers in the world today.

Krpan said that experts from the agency would explore social, environmental and technical solutions for Kanpur's tannery industry to provide it a sustainable basis.

"We will prepare a road map for the tannery industry by looking at all angles including finding a technical solution for waste management, community engagement for saving the river and regulatory issues as well," the official said.

It is envisaged that successful outcomes of this work in Kanpur will be replicated in other parts of the Ganga basin.

Under extreme pollution pressure, the Ganga river faces significant threats to its biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and both the quantity and quality of its flow.

IPS man on water harvesting mission

AHMEDABAD: While the country like India does not lack adequate rains for agricultural and domestic use, it certainly lacks methods of how to tap water and conserve it from monsoon to monsoon. Mahendra Modi, a UP-cadre IPS officer, spoke at length on this subject at a function organized by a city-based youth group on Tuesday.

Modi, additional director general of police (inquiry), has so far traveled to nine states and addressed 60 gatherings in the past five years on the subject of water conservation, well recharging and harvesting by inexpensive methods. "I got interested in the issue when I was posted in western UP as DIG. During my meetings with citizens, I was surprised to learn that people were more worried about water issues than law and order as there had been scanty rains for two consecutive years and farmers were apprehensive about the agricultural produce. It was thought provoking. I started consulting experts, researched national and international practices," he said.

"Everyone, right from a farmer to an apartment dweller, can conserve water and harvest it through ways such as recharge trenches in land and collection of rainwater on terraces. These methods are not expensive or complicated. I have seen dramatic changes in water levels in various parts of UP through such initiatives.

As the monsoon has arrived, it is a model time to start the savings for future so that we should not witness water wars," he said.

Source:TNN

60,000 sq km of Western Ghats to be green zone

NEW DELHI: The Union environment ministry is expected to approve the K Kasturirangan panel report on Western Ghats and declare around 60,000 square kilometers of the southern hills — spanning across six states — as no-go area for mining, thermal power plants and heavily polluting industries.

Sources in the ministry said, the process has begun to finalize the decision after receiving comments from public and state governments on the panel report.

The panel — headed by the Planning Commission member K Kasturirangan — had been set up by the central government after an earlier report of a team of ecologists, headed by NAC member Madhav Gadgil, had suggested for almost 75% of the ghats to be put under various levels of restrictions much to the opposition of the states and other interest groups alike. The Gadgil committee had suggested a blanket ban on mining and pitched for the powerful Western Ghats Authority to be the final arbiter of development activities in the region.

The Kasturirangan panel had scaled down the area that was recommended for providing protection under the eco-sensitive zone provisions of the Environment Protection Act. Disagreeing with the Gadgil report it also recommended against setting up a centralized authority that would override all existing decision-making mechanisms under the green laws and the federal structure.

Even when the environment ministry does accept the Kasturirangan panel report the process of declaring eco-sensitive zones is bound to take long as it requires extensive regional and on-the-ground due diligence.

The Kasturirangan panel had also recommended against bringing farmlands, plantations and habitations under the restrictive regime, or Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) of the Environment Protection Act, 1976. It has instead suggested that 90% of the natural forests in the Western Ghats complex - adding up to 60,000 sq kilometers and constituting 37% of the entire hilly belt — be conserved under the ESA provisions of the green law. The forest area falling within the ESA would also cover 4,156 villages across six states. The panel has said, "The villages falling under ESA will be involved in decision making on the future projects. All projects will require prior-informed consent and no-objection from the gram sabha (village council) of the village."

While the Kasturirangan panel may have taken a more moderate stand as compared to the Gadgil committee, the Centre is unlikely to have an easy time convincing the state governments even now.

The second panel report has recommended that there should be a complete ban on mining activity in this zone and current mining activities should be phased out within five years, or at the time of expiry of the mining lease. It has banned development of any township or construction over the size of 20,000 square metres in the ESA zone. It has not recommended a ban on hydroelectric projects in the zone, but put a regime of stricter clearances for dams and other projects. For dams it has demanded an uninterrupted ecological flow of at least 30% level of the rivers flow till individual baselines for dams are set. Cumulative studies to assess impact of dams on a river and ensuring that the minimum distance between projects is maintained at 3km, and that not more than 50% of the river basin is affected at any time.

Source:TNN

Pre-monsoon showers bring respite in parts of Rajasthan

Jaipur: Parts of Rajasthan were lashed by pre-monsoon showers on Tuesday, giving relief to people suffering from hot and humid conditions, as Ajmer recorded a maximum rainfall of 50.4 mm.

People in pink city of Jaipur also enjoyed showers as the city witnessed 25.9 mm rainfall this afternoon.

Kota received a maximum rainfall of 2.4 mm.

However, there was no let up in heat wave conditions in rest of the state as Sriganganagar was the hottest with 43 degree Celsius followed by Jaisalmer 41.2, Bikaner 40.6, Churu 39.4, Jodhpur 39, and Jaipur 31.7 deg C.

Showers or squall may hit parts of north-west Rajasthan in the next 24 hours, according to the meteorological department.

PTI

Above average rainfall cheers parched state

MUMBAI: The onset of monsoon in the drought-hit state has been impressive. So far, about 60% of the state has received above average rainfall.

Data from the chief minister's office shows that 21 of the 35 districts in the state received more than 100% of the rainfall usual for this time of the year.

These districts include some of the worst-hit by drought, such as Jalna, Aurangabad, Satara and Sangli, where the precipitation recorded was 123%, 138%, 176% and 179% of normal, respectively.

Since June 1, the city suburbs have recorded 301 mm rainfall, which is 166% of the average.

The island city received 213 mm, or 116% of the normal rainfall. Rainfall in neighbouring Thane was 142% of the average. Only three districts, Gondia, Bhandara and Nagpur in Vidarbha region, received rainfall that was below 50% of the average. Eight districts witnessed 50-75% of the average rainfall.

About 93% of the average rainfall was recorded in Beed, which, too, faced ravaging drought conditions over the past months.

The highest deviation was recorded in Dhule, where rainfall was 281% of the normal precipitation, followed by Ahmednagar at 221%, Sangli at 179% and Satara at 176%.

Latest official data shows that water in reservoirs in the state stands at 14% of capacity. Senior state officials said they were hoping the good spell of rain would continue so that water levels in dams rise.

Source: TNN

With good rains, farmers take back their cattle from camps

AURANGABAD: With the on time arrival on monsoon, farmers from the worst drought-hit districts in the Marathwada region have begun taking back their cattle from the camps set up by the state government. As many as 84 cattle camps have been closed down as farmers begin preparations for the kharif season.

Monsoon reached Marathwada on Saturday evening and farmers began taking back their cattle to their farms. Officials said that in coming days more camps are expected to be vacated.

As per the latest figures with the Aurangabad divisional commissionerate, 33 camps in Aurangabad district, eight in Jalna district and 43 in Beed district have been closed down.

Now, 168 camps are still operational, of which 54 are in Aurangabad district, 45 in Jalna district, 40 in Beed district, 28 in Osmanabad district and one in Parbhani district.

The government spent Rs 118 crores on the 252 cattle camps that were set up in five of the eight districts of the Marathwada region. Officials said that 1.10 lakh cattle were being provided shelter and fodder at these camps in the drought-hit areas of the region.

Agriculture experts said that with a good start to the monsoon season, farmers are expecting a good crop this year. They have returned to the fields along with their cattle, especially bullocks, and are using them for ploughing and sowing purposes.

Experts said that during this year's drought, in which there was acute water scarcity, farmers kept their cattle at camps to ensure adequate supply of water. With a good beginning to the monsoon, farmers are confident of finding water in their villages and are taking back their cattle.

Official sources said that the government will not announce closure of the camps as farmers will take back the cattle during the kharif season.

Shimla chosen for international project to lower greenhouse gases

SHIMLA: The Queen of the Hills, as Shimla was fondly called by the British, has been shortlisted for a global project to lower greenhouse gas emissions on the pattern of European cities, a municipal official said.

The Shimla Municipal Corporation is one of six Indian cities selected for implementing the "Promoting low emission urban development strategies in the emerging economy countries" project, municipal health officer Omesh Bharti said.

He said the project, is to be executed by ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) South Asia, with support from the European Commission, in collaboration with UN-Habitat.

A communication from ICLEI said the project aims to support the promotion of low emission urban development in developing economies.

Besides India, the project is also being implemented in Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa.

Bharti said the civic body would enter into a memorandum of understanding with ICLEI once it got approval from the corporation's elected members.

ICLEI would play a role in capacity building of the corporation officials to improve urban planning, mobility, energy, water and solid waste management, leading to sustainable patterns for urban development, he added.

Shimla was planned by the British colonial government in the late nineteenth century for a maximum population of 16,000. Currently, it supports over 200,000 people.

source: IANS

Kerala tourism to set up waste treatment plants

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Tourism Development Corporation has said it will install its own waste treatment plants in all their hotels including 'Tamarind Easy Hotels'.

Biogas plants had already been set up in all major hotels owned by KTDC, while works were being completed at the Mascot and Chitram Hotels in the capital and Bolgatty palace in

Kochi, a KTDC release said.

The initiative was part of the state government's Green Kerala Initiative. The 'Tamarind' KTDC hotels in Alappuzha and Kayamkulam already have waste treatment facility.

Besides KTDC hotels, the corporation had also installed a biogas plant at Thiruvananthapuram museum with the assistance of the Museums and Zoos department.

With the completion of the work, KTDC would set an example of becoming green with biogas treatment plants. Waste generated from the hotels would be recycled and used for gardening.

PTI

Two Asiatic black bears rescued in Arunachal

ITANAGAR: A two-member team of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) rescued two Asiatic Black bear male cubs from two local who were raising them in Shergoan forest division of West Kameng district.

According to the rescue team, the cubs were separated from their mother at least three months ago. It was also reported that one of the cubs had suffered a burn injury. Hunting is rampant in Arunachal Pradesh and the bears were at risk of becoming victims of poachers.

The two-member team, including veterinarian Dr Jahan Ahmed and animal keeper Birkhe Bahadur, rescued the cubs, about three-four months old, on June 4 last, official sources informed here on Friday.

Both the bear cubs were admitted to the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) at Pakke Tiger Reserve, Seijosa, in East Kameng the same day.

Ahmed, who will be taking care and treatment of the two cubs at the CBRC, said that other than the burn injury on one cub, their health is good and they will undergo a process of rehabilitation after which they will be released back to the wild after being radio collared.

Another bear cub, which was rescued from Aalo a month ago, was also rushed to the CBRC and is doing fine.

Talking about the wildlife conservation efforts made by the WTI in Arunachal Pradesh, where hunting is prevalent in a big way, Sunil Kyarong, regional head of the WTI, said, "People are now responding to the appeal of rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals, which is a very positive sign."

Sorang Tadap, veterinary officer, Itanagar Zoo, said the Asiatic Black Bear comes under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Source: TNN

Four crore trees to make Uttrar Pradesh greener

LUCKNOW: The annual plantation drive would add more than four crore trees in Uttar Pradesh. The drive would be different this year as trees would be planted on a bigger area to make them more visible. Besides, plantation of trees at one place would make their maintenance easy. Last year, plantation was done to develop green belts in rural and urban areas.

A total of 4.39 crore trees will be planted on 67,600 hectare during 2013-14. The plantation would be done between July and September. The sites for plantation have been identified in most of the divisions, said sources. The idea behind the exercise is to increase the forest and tree cover in the state. Plantation would be done on the government land, roadsides and private land. The forest department would plant maximum trees, 3.21 crore, on 49,500 hectare area.

The rural development department would plant about seven lakh trees on 12,100 hectare area, energy department 1.17 lakh, industrial development 7.8 lakh, housing and urban development 8.5 lakh, irrigation 7.8 lakh, PWD 5.9 lakh, and higher, secondary and primary education together would plant about 2.9 lakh trees. The state nurseries would provide trees ranging between 8 and 12 feet for plantation.

Source : TNN

With 103 tigers, Sunderbans beats official estimates

KOLKATA: It's official now. Sunderbans, one of the last surviving natural tiger habitats in the world, has a minimum of 103 tigers.

And what's more, each swamp tiger is believed to be maintaining a territory of over 20 square kilometres on this critical habitat, a fact which was challenged several times.

TOI had earlier reported that the mangroves has a minimum 77 tigers, much more than the official estimates given by the Centre in 2011. However, the figure for the National Park West range comprising forests of Netidhopani and Choto Hardi could not be compiled by the foresters then.

"We received the National Park West figures - 22 tigers - from the Wildlife Institute of India recently, which take the minimum number of tigers in the mangroves to 101," said chief wildlife warden NC Bahuguna, adding that taking into account the two tigers undergoing treatment at Sajnekhali and Alipore Zoo, the minimum estimate stands at 103.

"But these are only the individuals which could be captured in the camera trap exercise. So, there can be many more," said Soumitra Das Gupta, field director of Sunderbans Tiger Reserve (STR).

The tiger density, according to the new finding, has also managed to beat the official estimates. "Going by this study, Sunderbans has a minimum 5 tigers per 100 square kilometres, compared to the figure 4.3 thrown up during the national census in 2011," said additional PCCF (wildlife) Pradeep Vyas. According to him, the territory of 20 square kilometres for each tiger can also be compared with that of other mainland tigers in Kanha or Corbett.

Meanwhile, foresters are happy with the number of tigers in tourism zone Sajnekhali - 19.

They are also planning to utilize small pockets in the core area for tourism. "We will again start tourism on a 10 square kilometres area at Netidhopani. The tourism activities in the area had to be stopped last year following a Supreme Court directive," said Das Gupta. However, head of forest force S B Mondal said that tourism will have to be restricted since the apex court has directed utilization of up to 15% area inside core forests for tourism.

While the camera-trap exercise for South 24-Parganas forest division, Sajnekhali, National Park East and Basirhat was conducted by WWF-India, officials of Wildlife Institute of India ( WII) conducted the study in National Park West.

Eminent conservationist Valmik Thapar said: "Considering the habitat of Sunderbans, the population of big cats there should be in the range of 75 and 100. So, a maximum limit is necessary so that we can compare the minimum and maximum ranges for a reliable figure.

Source : TNN