by rakesh | Nov 2, 2006 | Env & Geography
The combined live storage in these 76 reservoirs at the beginning of monsoon i.e. 1st June, 2006 was 22 per cent of their designed capacity and stood at 82 per cent of the designed capacity as on 26th October 2006. The present storage is 105 per cent of the last year’s storage and 124 per cent of last 10 years average storage during the same period. Out of these 76 reservoirs there are presently 4 reservoirs where this year’s storage is 80 per cent or less than the average of previous 10 years.
In order to derive the best possible benefits from the available water, Central Water Commission is keeping in touch with the Department of Agriculture and Co-operation and providing information of the weekly storage position to the Crop Weather Watch Group for evolving suitable crop strategies and also appraising the situation to various Departments and Ministries involved in Water Resources Planning.
Basinwise storage position as on 26th October’06 is as follows:
The storage position in all the basins namely Indus, Ganga, Tapi, Mahi, Sabarmati, Narmada, Rivers of Kutch, Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi and Neighbouring East Flowing Rivers, Cauvery and Neighbouring East flowing Rivers and West Flowing rivers of South is better than average of previous 10 years.
Out of 31 reservoirs with significant hydro potential, 4 reservoirs have storage build up less than the average of last 10 years capacity and no reservoir has negative storage i.e. less than MDDL.
by rakesh | Sep 21, 2006 | Env & Geography
Rabies is mainly a problem of developing world – Asia and Africa where 99% of all human deaths estimated to be over 50,000 occur globally every year. Though the exact statistical data is not availwable but it is estimated that in India alone approximately 20,000 people die of Rabies every year, besides it causes a large number of deaths in domestic and wild animals. Moreover, there is a huge expenditure incurred on post- exposure vaccination. Therefore, there is an urgent need to control and finally eradicate this dreaded disease from India as has been achieved by several South-East Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore.
The main vector of rabies in India is the dog. The twin strategies to control and eradicate rabies in India will be:
a) To achieve at least 80% prophylactic immunization of dog population (owned / stay / community)
b) To push forward the existing ABC/AR programme for stray/ community dogs on war footing to control their population.
The WHO at its Fourth International Symposium on Rabies Control in Asia stated:
“Elimination of Rabies in human requires control of rabies in dogs”. Dr. F.X. Meslin of the Communicable Diseases Surveillance Department of WHO says: “Rabies elimination by vaccination of the dog population is the most cost beneficial strategy.” It has also been repeatedly stressed that once we reach the threshold figure of 70% of a dog population being vaccinated, the propagation of rabies is virtually halted.
The Animal Welfare Board of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests is presently engaged in controlling the population of stray dogs through its Animal Birth Control/Anti-Rabies inoculation programme(ABC/AR) being carried out through the medium of NGOs, SPCAs and AWOs throughout the Country. Over 70,000 stray/community dogs are being sterilized/ neutered every year and given Anti-Rabies vaccine. These dogs are relocated to their original habitat with efforts of local bodies after the sterilization. This programme has significantly reduced the incidence of Rabies in several Metros such as Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Banglore, Kalimpong & Kolkata.
One of the major problems encountered in control of rabies is the mass immunization of stray/community dogs which are not accessible for injectable rabies vaccine – recommended by WHO for immunization of stray/community dogs – the problem can now be addressed.
WHO also recommended controlling the rabies population of dogs through ABC programme rather than killing them, which is inhuman and does not go well with our culture ethos of love and compassion for animals.
The entire success of this project rests on the realm of local Municipal bodies, Rural Administration and State Veterinary Services which come under the State Governments.
by rakesh | Sep 19, 2006 | Env & Geography
“Solar-B will record how energy stored in the solar magnetic field is released as that field rises into the sun’s outer atmosphere,” said Larry Hill, Solar-B project manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
Solar-B’s three instruments — the Solar Optical Telescope, the X-Ray Telescope and the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer — will perform coordinated measurements of the different layers of the solar atmosphere. Continuous, simultaneous observations of specific solar features by all three instruments will enable Solar-B to observe how changes in the magnetic field at the sun’s surface spread through the layers of the solar atmosphere.
JAXA is the overall lead for the Solar-B mission, the spacecraft, the launch vehicle and management of space operations. NASA provided the Focal Plane Package for the Solar Optical Telescope, and components for the Solar X-ray Telescope and the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer, as well as engineering support for integration of the instruments.
The Solar Optical Telescope will be the first space-borne instrument to measure the strength and direction of the sun’s magnetic field in the sun’s low atmosphere, also called the photosphere.
The sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, will be captured by the X-ray Telescope. The corona is the spawning ground for solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Powered by the sun’s magnetic field, this explosive solar activity produces significant effects in the space between the sun and Earth. By combining observations from Solar-B’s optical and X-ray telescopes, scientists will be able to study how changes in the sun’s magnetic field trigger these powerful events.
The Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer will measure the speed of solar particles. The spectrometer provides a crucial link between the other two instruments, measuring the layers that separate the photosphere from the corona – an area known as the chromosphere and the chromosphere-corona transition region. The spectrometer will also be able to measure the temperature and density of solar plasma – the hot, ionized gas surrounding the sun.
“The information that Solar-B will provide is significant for understanding and forecasting of solar disturbances, which can interfere with satellite communications, electric power transmission grids, and threaten the safety of astronauts traveling beyond the safety of the Earth’s magnetic field,” said John M. Davis, Solar-B project scientist at NASA Marshall.
After its launch from Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima, Japan, the Solar-B spacecraft will circle Earth in an orbit that places the instruments in continuous sunlight for nine months each year. Following launch, NASA and the science teams will support instrument operations and data collection from the spacecraft operations center at JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science facility.
NASA; Lockheed Martin, Palo Alto, Calif.; the High-Altitude Observatory, Boulder, Colo.; JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (JAXA/ISAS), Sagamihara, Japan; and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), Tokyo, participated in the development of the instrumentation for the Solar Optical Telescope. The X-ray Telescope was built by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Mass.; JAXA/ISAS; and NAOJ. The spectrometer was developed by the Mullard Space Science Laboratory of the University College London, United Kingdom; the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington; and NAOJ.
Solar-B is a collaboration among the space agencies of Japan, U.S., the United Kingdom and Europe. The mission is part of the Solar Terrestrial Probes Program within the Heliophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
by rakesh | Sep 17, 2006 | Env & Geography
Males and females are of similar size and are difficult to tell apart without internal examination.
Adélie penguins breed between October and March on areas of rock in colonies of varying size. They start breeding at 3-5 years of age and live up to 20 years.
They make nests out of small stones, lay two eggs, and raise up to two chicks per nest, depending on food availability. Chicks are about two months old when they fledge.
Males and females share incubation and chick rearing duties almost equally.
Adélie penguins feed mainly on krill (Euphausia crystallorophias and E. superba), but will also eat fish, squid and other crustaceans.
Breeding adults travel between 5 and 120 km offshore to catch food for their chicks. Feeding trips range from 5 to 72 hours in duration.
Adélie penguins are capable of diving to depths of up to 175m but usually feed within the upper 70m of the water column.
Written by Judy Clarke, AMLR Program, and Maria Clippingdale, AADC.
© Australian Antarctic Division 2006
Kingston Tasmania 7050
by rakesh | Sep 6, 2006 | Env & Geography
This was informed by the Vice Chairman of Narmada Valley Development Authority, Shri Uday Kumar Verma here in a high level meeting called to review progress of the Narmada Valley projects. Shri Verma said that Mann Project would irrigate about 19 thousand hectare annually. The Member (Engg.) Shri Virendra Kumar Pareekh informed that by the year 2010 the irrigation from Narmada Valley projects is estimated as much as 5.76 lack hectare.
Shri. Verma said that upto March 2006 the ongoing NVDA projects have created irrigation potential of 89640 hectares and all efforts would be done to achieve the yearly targets. He informed that NVDA. is concentrating on catchments area treatment, soil conservation practices and educating farmers in canal irrigation and cropping patterns. Based on geographical, and climatic conditions of the Project area separate plans would be made for each project and would be implemented involving local farmers. Vice Chairman informed that besides power and irrigation benefits, other issues like fisheries, water transport, Eco-tourism etc are being taken care of to exploit every possibilities of public welfare. Shri. Uday Kumar Verma informed that NVDA is working on a plan to extend irrigation facilities to the farmers of those 121 villages which lies in the periphery of Indira Sagar Reservoir. A special power line would be laid in these villages so the farmers could take the water to their fields using pumps.
by rakesh | Sep 6, 2006 | Env & Geography
Wednesday, September 06, 2006 11:18 IST Ministry of Science & Technology PARTIAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON...
