News and Articles

Ecological destruction of Loktak, the largest freshwater lake in North East India – A five-part FES-InfoChange series
Tradition v. development; the damaged Loktak river sings a saga that falls on deaf ears. An anomaly that has become a standard and none acknowledge it. Posted on 13 Nov, 2010 07:18 PM


Fisherman LoktakThis series by Thingnam Anjulika Samom deals with the impact of modernisation, development and state policy on the traditional use, control and management of Loktak lake, the largest common property aquatic resource in Manipur. The Loktak Hydropower Project commissioned in 1983 has damaged the ecology of the largest freshwater lake in the northeast, and has altered the culture, agricultural and livelihood patterns of communities residing around Loktak. The series looks at what this common property resource used to be and what it has become.

Loktak, the 300-square-km lake is spread over three districts in the valley – Imphal West, Bisnupur and Thoubal and covers 61% of the total identified wetlands of Manipur. Besides being the source of livelihood for hundreds of people, Loktak also houses the floating national park Keibul Lamjao, the only home in the world to the endangered Sangai deer. It is not only the geographical topography of the lake that has changed in the last few decades. The lake is also beset by increasing pollution, siltation, rapid proliferation of phumdis and the commissioning of the Loktak hydel project in the 1980s Manipur or Imphal River, with the Loktak lake forming the headwaters to provide regulated storage for power generation.

Coastal Regulation Zone notification (2010) - Critique by the Kerala Swathanthra Malsya Thozhilali Federation
The fishing communities seek their rights to the coast, the CRZ notification gives them only some concessions. Is their right to have settlements on the coast lost? Posted on 12 Nov, 2010 08:05 PM

 

KSMTF

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has issued the draft CRZ Notification, 2010 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 on 15th September, 2010 inviting suggestions and objections from public within 60 days from date of its issue. The following are the new additions to the original 1991 notification:

The burden of cholera in the slums of Kolkata - A community based study by NICED
Measuring the burden of cholera; this paper searches for potential risk factors that need immediate addressal by public health strategies. Posted on 12 Nov, 2010 12:29 AM

This paper by National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) is based on a prospective, community based study in an impoverished urban site in Kolkata in order to measure the burden of cholera, describe its epidemiology, and search for potential risk factors that could be addressed by public health strategies. The study population was enumerated at the beginning and end of the study period. Surveillance through five field outposts and two referral hospitals for acute, watery, non-bloody diarrhoea was conducted from May 2003 to April 2004.

Effective interventional approach to control anaemia in pregnant women through avoidance of flouride - Current Science paper
Infant and maternal maternal mortality still plague India despite nutrition counselling, iron and folic acid supplements. Another approach to combat this is of fluoride avoidance Posted on 11 Nov, 2010 07:33 PM

This paper from Current Science deals with anaemia in pregnancy and low birth weight babies, which can lead to maternal and infant mortality, and continues to plague India and several other countries despite nutritional counselling and maternal iron and folic acid supplementation. It reports the results of fluoride avoidance as an approach to address the issue. The methodology of the research entailed the following -

Storage above design full tank level in Pichola-Swaroop Saagar and Fatah Saagar lakes of Udaipur - A threat to safety
The hidden danger in the safety of Udaipur's century-old dams. The old design and construction gives way slowly hinting at the impending doom Posted on 10 Nov, 2010 10:02 PM

The historical lakes of Udaipur, Rajasthan, namely Pichola - Swaroop Saagar and Fatah Saagar are more than a century old. Filling them above original design full tank level on public demand or over enthusiasm may prove to be a threat to safety.

Heavy rains, cyclones and floods affect the life of millions; News Roundup (1-7 November 2010)
Cyclone disrupts life and living in three states, Posted on 09 Nov, 2010 08:09 PM

Recent news indicates extensive reports on the threat and destruction unleashed by cyclone Jal in the three states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka being affected the most. Cyclone Jal has led to heavy rainfall in both these states leading to floods and a heavy death toll in the coastal districts of both the states, besides reports of destruction of agricultural produce in the state of Karnataka.

South India

Andhra Pradesh

Flooding in Pakistan: Updates from Earth Observatory
More than three months after floods first struck Pakistan, waters still lingered west of the Indus River. At the beginning of November, the high waters were receding, but only slowly. Posted on 08 Nov, 2010 10:54 AM

Flooding in Pakistan

Flooding in Pakistan

A case study of Dongs – The traditional water management system of the Bodo people
Bodo people have used Doongs to support agriculture for centuries. Understanding these doongs and the people Posted on 05 Nov, 2010 05:24 PM

This report by  SDTT presents a case study on the traditional water management system of the bodo people in Assam and North Bengal, the dongs. Dongs are man-made structures akin to canals, to route water from available water sources, which are usually perennial, to the paddy cultivating fields. The water sources are small rivers, perennial swamps, beel, streams, etc. Dong can have a breadth of 7-15 feet on average or even more. The breadth gradually increases over the course of its flow from the source till the end point.

A blue Pakistan, submerged, in NASA image
Satellite image by NASA show flood waters in Sindh Province of Pakistan two month after the torrential rains and the consequential flood Posted on 27 Oct, 2010 11:09 AM

New satellite images from NASA show the extraordinary scope of the continuing disaster in Pakistan, where thousands of square miles of land remain submerged two months after the country was hit by catastrophic flooding.

A satellite image captured last week shows flood waters lingering in Sindh Province and Manchhar Lake at twice its normal size.