Category Archives: Nature

Now is the best time to visit Shivanasamudra

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
A view of Bharachukki waterfall. / Photo: M.A. Srirram
A view of Bharachukki waterfall. / Photo: M.A. Srirram

Tourists and local people alike from Mysore and surrounding regions are thronging the famed Shivanasamudra Falls, about 70 km from here, following copious discharge from the Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini reservoirs.

Shivanasamudra refers to the twin falls of Gaganachukki in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district and Bharachukki in Kollegal taluk of Chamarajanagar district which are separated by a few km. Shivanasamudra is located about 145 km away from Bangalore.

A view of the Gaganachukki falls. / Photo: M.A. Srirram
A view of the Gaganachukki falls. / Photo: M.A. Srirram

With the combined discharge from the KRS and the Kabini reservoirs in excess of 1,00,000 cusecs, the sight of water gushing down the gorge and plunging into the depths below with a roaring sound is a feast for the eyes. Mist engulfs the entire place when the water is in full flow, lending an ethereal beauty to the falls.

The rate of outflow from the KRS was at about 60,000 cusecs while it was at about 40,000 cusecs from the Kabini reservoir in H.D. Kote taluk. The discharge has remained more or less constant since the last 24 hours due to good inflow into the reservoir and hence Shivanasamudra has come alive in full glory.

Inflow

On Saturday, inflow into the KRS, as measured at 6 a.m., was at 50,049 cusecsand inflow into the Kabini reservoir was at 31,298 cusecs.

Both the Cauvery and the Kabini (also called the Kapila) meet at the Triveni Sangama in T. Narsipur taluk of Mysore district and beyond this point of confluence, the river is referred to as the Cauvery and hence Shivanasamudra is also called as the Cauvery Falls.

Ranked 45

Incidentally, Shivanasamudra has been ranked 45 among the world’s top 100 waterfalls by the World Waterfall Database (www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com). The website goes on to state that it would easily be among the world’s top 10 waterfalls but for the fact that the river has been harnessed. The fact that the river splits into two to form two falls could also be a factor in reduced visual appeal and grandeur compared with other great falls of the world. But none of this matters when the river is in spate as at present.

The visitors’ flow to the falls began as the monsoon picked up momentum. The number of tourists visiting the falls increased in the last couple of weeks following continuous discharge from the Kabini reservoir. With the KRS having attained its full reservoir level of 124.8 feet (but the level was maintained at 123.25 feet on Saturday for safety purpose) and excess water being released from the dam, the volume of water at the falls will be high.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Nation> Karnataka / by R. Krishna Kumar / Mysore – July 28th, 2013

Environmentalists want rocky areas to be declared ecological parks

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

A group of 40 environmental scientists are mulling over recommending the State Government to declare rocky areas in the State as ‘Ecological Parks’.

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Delivering a talk on ‘Water is the product of forest’ as part of ninth conservation speak organised by Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, popular as Mysore Zoo, in the city, on Tuesday, A N Yellappa Reddy, former secretary of forests and environmentalist, said, it is imperative to conserve rocky areas in the State from B R Hills in Chamarajanagar district to Hampi in Bellary district as they are also considered as ‘oldest granite rock system’.

Similarly, at Chitradurga and Holenarsipura. Moreover, they are called as ‘rocky mountain forests’.

Referring to recent Uttarakhand natural calamity, that has claimed many lives leaving behind a trail of destruction, Yellappa Reddy said, “the natural fury in the State could be owed to the destruction of natural resources.”

In our own Karnataka, nature’s fury in north Karnataka in the year 2009 has left behind a similar story. Yet, conservation of environment assumes least significance in political party manifestos, he said.

Yellappa Reddy said, “Herbs like magadi beru (used in preparing pickles) and sogade beru, grown on rocky surfaces, play a bigger role in the conservation of environment, by facilitating percolation of rain water. He called them as ‘intact natural forest’ that are ‘most reliable dynamic hydro-bio-systems’.

If quarrying is allowed in such rocky areas, ecology will be disturbed. However, nature is being manipulated according to the people’s whims and fancy.

Taking all these factors into consideration, Yellappa Reddy said he and a group of 40 scientists from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Ecological Survey of India (ESI) recently visited Ramanagar, dotted with rocky areas, where illegal quarrying has reached its peak.

Similarly, Yellappa Reddy termed trees as mini dams, which trap water immensely, contributing to the ecosystem. Whenever there is a decision involving trees, in the name of development, cutting trees should be the last option, he stressed.

Kempegowda’s efforts gone in no time

Making a mockery of successive governments that boast conferring awards in the name of erstwhile ruler of Bangalore Kempegowda, A N Yellappa Reddy said, “The efforts of the late ruler in building 4,000 tanks in the then Bangalore and surrounding areas has gone in vain”. Yellappa Reddy said, earlier there were nearly three to four tanks in every villages around the State capital. Some areas like Malleshwaram and Basavanagudi were receiving abundant water. In the later days, most water sources were exploited, making water a mirage in the city.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS / Mysore – July 02nd, 2013

Puttur: Agriculturist takes up sandalwood farming to conserve species

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Puttur : 

“Today the land of sandalwood is seeing its extinction; sandalwood trees are now an endangered species in India,” says Jairam Sharma, owner of a sandalwood nursery in Nelyadi.

Sharma is an agriculturist and his love for nature and concern for the environment led him to cultivate a sandalwood nursery on his 16 acre plot. Sharma started this model nursery ‘Chandana’, under the National Horticulture Mission, National Medicinal Plant Board, to grow the endangered species in 2003.

His mission was to provide more income to farmers and economically empower them, while increasing the extinct species ‘Santalum Album’ and ‘Pterocarpus Santalinus’ that are an asset to the nation and to the government.

Sharma is not only an agriculturist but is an expert on sandalwood plantation. He mourns for man’s perversion towards exploiting nature for his selfish wants.

He also said, “Karnataka is said to be the ‘Land of Sandal’ – ‘Gandhada Nadu’ – but what is the present of condition of  this land of sandalwood? Sandalwood trees are reaching extinction. Both Santalum Album and Pterocarpus Santalinus have become endangered species. Even the huge trees in the forest are trampled down by the smuggling mafia.”

Narrating the techniques of sandalwood cultivation, Sharma said, “Basically, sandalwood cultivation is well-suited for dry land. On one hectare, a farmer can cultivate 500 plants. Today, in Australia, sandalwood cultivation has become a regular crop.”

“Cultivated plants can be grown for 25 to 30 years, but it is viable at the age of 15 years and it gets good market value. The cost of a sandalwood plant depends on its age and height. Basically, the Santalum Album is a semi root parasitic plant. Sandalwood plant can also be cultivated as a mixed crop between Mango or Sapodilla plantations. Seeds of this plant can be used for fat extraction for soaps and detergents. Apart from this, it can be also used as cereal grains for food but it is not affordable to the common man,” says Sharma form his experience of cultivation.

“India is pioneer of sandalwood and East Indian sandalwood has wide demand and market throughout the world because of its quality. Till 2001, there was restriction on growing sandalwood. In 2001, the Act was amended with regard to growing sandalwood trees in Karnataka, where in 2003 the state government implemented the Act on growing and cutting sandalwood trees without any restrictions. But a farmer has to sell the sandalwood to government-owned bodies like Karnataka Soap Factory, Karnataka Handicraft Emporium, or to Karnataka Forest Department. Unfortunately, a farmer doesn’t have an open market for sandalwood,” said Sharma.

Sharma sells sandalwood plants from his nursery in states like Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Orissa, but selling is not the sole aim. He also visits such places to check the condition of plants he has sold.

Talking on the products and demand of Red Sanders, he said, “Red Sanders is also used in preparing music instruments and idols especially which are exported to Japan. So, it has wide demand in the world.”

Sharma, feeling proud about his profession, says, “This profession gives me more peace and happiness where one can show love towards nature. If the market for sandalwood falls, no matter, but we can save this earth from global warming.”

As Franklin D Roosevelt said, “A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Top Stories / by DaijiWorld Media Network – Puttur / by Deekshith  D.V. / Tuesday – July 02nd, 2013

Flight of the flamingo

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Travel

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If you love bird-watching and are on the look-out for spots in the State where you can spot an exquisite kind of birds such as flamingos, look no further than the banks of the backwaters of Krishna river in North Karnataka, or near Bagalkot.

You can also spot these birds in Raichur’s Manchalapura. The many lakes and tanks here are home to flamingos which land here in January. You can spot them till the months of May-June.

The flurry of activities revolving around the flight of these birds is a treat to watch. A feast for any photographer. The birds gather in huge flocks; their attempts at self-defence, their foraging for food and their mutual co-operation are all worth observing.

The Greater Flamingo (phoenicopterus roseus), the species that can typically be spotted in India  is the most widespread species of the flamingo family. It is found in parts of Africa, southern Asia (coastal regions of Pakistan and India), and southern Europe.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by M. R. Manjunath / DHNS – June 11th, 2013

Farmer reaps fruits of smart work

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology

 On a govt-sponsored trip to Israel, he learnt waterwise ways to get a good yield.

Businessman-turned-farmer Mahesh Mittalkod shows the yield of a mango tree on his field. His income and profit are soaring since he adopted new techniques. - DNA/DNA
Businessman-turned-farmer Mahesh Mittalkod shows the yield of a mango tree on his field. His income and profit are soaring since he adopted new techniques. – DNA/DNA

While many farmers are selling their land and quitting farming owing to ‘unfavourable conditions’, one man is seeing his profit increasing manifold in the arid region of Koppal.

A government-sponsored trip to Israel in 2009 taught Mahesh Mittalkod methods to improve his yield. Upon returning, he put those methods to practice. Now, he is reaping the benefits. Literally.

He told dna that after the study trip, he got his first profit last year—Rs3 lakh. This year, the profit more than doubled to Rs7 lakh. He said he is expecting his income to touch Rs15-20 lakh the next season.

The businessman-turned-farmer said Israeli farmers’ technique of growing mangoes, using minimal water, impressed him a great deal. He found it of use particularly as Koppal, from where he hails, is infamous for water-shortage. He said that upon returning from the study trip, he took a sample of soil from his field to horticulture department for test. The report gave thumbs up to the soil quality, which encouraged Mittalkod to procure seeds of alphonso from Andhra Pradesh in April 2009.

In line with what he learnt in Israel, he dug one-foot-deep pits and used green leaves, neem cake and superphosphate as fertilizer, besides switching to drip irrigation for watering plants. He said his initiative made him the butt of joke of his neighbours, but he continued doing what he was doing. He said the support of horticulture department officials—such as Mohan NB and Murthy—egged him on. And the result is here for everyone to see.

While the saplings he had bought in 2009 have started giving yield, the ones he bought in 2010 would be giving result from the next season, taking his expected income to Rs15-20 lakh, he said.

District information centre BV Tukaram acknowledged Mittalkod’s achievement. He said the farmer grew five tonnes of alphonso mangoes this season and his yield might increase threefold next year. Mittalkod said the success of the new method has spurred him on to expand the practice to the other 17 acres of his land.

Having learnt about Mittalkod’s success, farmers from the region have been visiting his field for the past two months to learn the tricks of the trade from him. He said he would like to appeal to other farmers to look for such innovative ways instead of abandoning the profession.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com  / DNA / Home> Bangalore> Report / by Sangamesh Menasinakai / Agency:DNA, Place: Koppal / Sunday – June 02nd, 2013

City dentist makes news in Lutton city, England

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Science & Technology, Travel

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1) Dr. Syeda Shaguffa with former Health Minister of UK, Ann Keen, at the Indian Embassy in Central London. 2) The clipping of news item on Dr. Syeda Shaguffa published in Lutonon / Sunday newspaper on May 19, 2013.
1) Dr. Syeda Shaguffa with former Health Minister of UK, Ann Keen, at the Indian Embassy in Central London. 2) The clipping of news item on Dr. Syeda Shaguffa published in Lutonon / Sunday newspaper on May 19, 2013.

Mysore :

A young dentist from Mysore, Dr. Syeda Shaguffa, has made news in Luton, England, by drawing attention of the authorities towards the litter-strewn area of River Lea in Luton, eliciting a pledge from the officials to clear up the area.

In recognition of this, she was chosen to attend a health conference at the Indian Embassy, by none other than by the former Health Minister of UK, Ann Keen.

It all started when Dr. Shaguffa did a voluntary presentation in public health lecture. The presentation was about a river called Lea which flows across Luton, Bedfordshire and joins River Thames in London.

Dr. Shaguffa told Star of Mysore, “I made a presentation at a public health lecture, for which the former Minister Ann Keen was invited as a guest lecturer. She was very pleased with my effort and straight away contacted the local newspaper journalist who took my interview and the news was published in Luton On Sunday.”

“Then the day came when Ann Keen personally invited me to attend a conference with her at the Indian Embassy in Central London. Many high profile personalities were present at the conference including Kamlesh Sharma, General Secretariat to Common Wealth Nations, his wife Babli Sharma. J. Bhagwati, Indian High Commissioner to the Embassy in UK, his wife Rita Bhagwati, Brigid Mc Convillie, Director of World Ribbon Alliance, the organisers of the conference, Bollywood director Gurindher Chadda who made the iconic film ‘Bend it like Beckham,’ famous MTV singer Susheela Raman, actress Meera Sahay and Ann Keen herself.

“There I got a chance to talk a few words about the social causes of maternal deaths in India, and domestic violence being the major one. Everyone were pleased with me and Ann Keen told me that I made her proud. She praised me for my confidence to stand up and speak in front of such a big audience,” said Dr. Shaguffa.

“She also said, since I have good communication skills she sees a good politician in me and asked me to give a serious thought of being one. But when I said politics is regarded as “bad thing” in India because of the present corruption, she explained of good things in politics and how we can bring a revolution through the same,” she said.

Dr. Syeda Shaguffa, 24, is a resident of N.R. Mohalla in city, who is doing her MBA in Hospital Management and Health Care Services at the University of Bedfordshire, Luton.

Luton On Sunday, a newspaper in Luton city, had published a news item about Dr. Syeda Shaguffa on May 19 last, which is reproduced here.

Dr. Shaguffa, who did her BDS from Farooqia Dental College in city, has been awarded overseas merit scholarship by the Government of Karnataka.

After her return in April 2014, Dr. Shaguffa plans either to start a own hospital or take up an hospital administrative job, said her father Syed Mushtaq Ahmed, a Consultant Geologist. Dr. Shaguffa’s mother, Nikhat Fathima was a bank employee. She is married to Dr. Nawaz Pasha. Her elder brother Ishraq has studied BBM while two younger brothers, twins, Arshaq and Ishaq are studying 2nd PUC at Vidyashram School in city.

“I miss reading Star of Mysore and eating churmuri here,” said Dr. Shaguffa who is keen to get back to her home town as soon as the course is completed and plans to focus on her dental as well as administrative career.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / June 06th, 2013

Bengaluru’s connection to Nobel prize in Economics deepens

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

2013 ELINOR OSTROM AWARDEE – HARINI NAGENDRA

Bangalore ecologist Harini Nagendra is a 2013 Elinor Ostrom awardee, instituted in the name of the 2009 Nobel Prize winner.

For Bangalore-based ecologist Harini Nagendra, whose name has just been announced as a winner of the 2013 Elinor Ostrom award, it is a bittersweet moment.

Harini Nagendra and Dr. Ostrom at Kaikondrahalli Lake. Pic: Priya Ramasubban.
Harini Nagendra and Dr. Ostrom at Kaikondrahalli Lake. Pic: Priya Ramasubban.

The award has been instituted in the name of Elinor Ostrom, the USA-based scholar who received the Nobel Prize for economics in 2009 for her long standing body of work on the governance of the commons. For Harini, Elinor was, apart from being one of the most brilliant, incisive and deeply humanistic scholars, a very dear friend, collaborator and mentor with whom she worked closely for 12 years. Says Harini, “The award (being) in Lin Ostrom’s name, and is a great honour.” Elinor passed away just a year ago in June 2012.

The very first 2013 Elinor Ostram Award  on Collective Governance of the Commons goes to eight individuals and organisations from around the world, including Harini. The award is given by a consortium of 15 international organizations including the UNESCO Man and Biosphere programme, Resilience Alliance and the International Association for the Study of the Commons. Harini will receive the award at IASC conference in Mt. Fuji, Japan, in early June.

The award has been given at end of a process in which experts and an awards council received many candidates and carefully evaluated them in three consecutive rounds.The other laureates are: Foundation for Ecological Security, the Open Spaces Society, Grupo de Estudios Ambientales A.C., Harini Nagendra, Ben Cousins, Charles Schweik, Eduardo Araral and Michael Cox.

Elinor Ostrom had a deeper connection to Bangalore. She had been herself studying lakes in the city and had deep insights into the way forward for citizen action on lake preservation. She passed away in Indiana, United States, mid last year after a short and intense battle with pancreatic cancer. During her trip to Bangalore in February 2012, she visited Kaikondrahalli lake on Sarjapur Road . Kaikondrahalli lake was restored through a collaborative effort by local communities and the BBMP, was one of the sites of research for Harini.

The consortium notes on its website that the Elinor Ostrom award is “to acknowledge Ostrom’s legacy for scholarship and policy-making while making it accessible to wider and more varied audiences, within and outside of the academia”. It also wants to promote academic research on the commons, collective action, and related institutions, as well as its application to the understanding of the governance of different types of commons. The website adds that the awards were also instituted to “multiply the impacts of Ostrom’s proposals on scholarship and policy-making, making her legacy a living one.

For her part, Harini has authored articles in Citizen Matters on environmental issues of Bangalore, and her July 2011 article chronicling the city’s green battles in detail is still an important read for those who want to understand how the city communities have been standing up to grave threat of losing lakes and green spaces to unregulated urbanisation.

She is currently a scholar at Bangalore-headquartered Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment or ATREE, and is also holds an Asia-level research position at Indiana University.
Harini, 41 studied at Bishop Cottons Girls School, Bangalore and National Public School Indiranagar. After her BSc from St. Joseph’s College of Arts and Science, she completed MS in Biological Sciences and PhD in Ecology from Indian Institute of Science. The mother of a 5 year old and National Geographic Conservation Trust grantee has said, “If anything I can do, in collaboration with others, can make the smallest dent in the situation-the likelihood of a better world for my daughter’s generation is worth it in and of itself.

source: http://www.bangalore.citizenmatters.in / Citizen Matters, Bangalore / Home> City> People / by News Desk / Citizen Matters – May 24th, 2013

Puttur’s Rashmiparvathi wins gold in SWEEP Olympiad at Texas

Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Puttur : 

Rashmiparvathi from Puttur has  won a gold medal in the International Sustainable World Energy Engineering  Environment Project Olympiad-2013 for her science project. The event was held at Houston, Texas, USA from May 8 to 12.

rashmiparvathiBF27may2013
Rashmiparvathi who has secured 93 per cent in her PUC exam, wants to pursue studies at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

 
A team   including Rashmiparvathi, Ayush Panara from Rajkot, Nambirajan Konar, Kushal Suvarna, Dhanyeshwari and Manoj Kumar from Mumbai had participated in  I-SWEEP, an international science fair that focuses on energy, engineering, and environmental projects fair. The team also won two silvers and one bronze medal.

 
Rashmiparvati was earlier in the news when she won a gold for her invention of remedy for skin ailments, made of a salt from coconut palm petiole.

source: http://www.mangaloretoday.com / Mangalore Today / Home> Main News / by Mangalore Times News Network / Puttur – Monday, May 19th, 2013

City lensman wins gold medal in International – level competition

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nature, Records, All

NageshBF19may2013

Mysore, (VNS) :

Nagesh Panathale, Senior Photojournalist of Vijaya Karnataka newspaper here in city has won a gold medal in an international photography competition organised by Jodhana Photojournalist Society at Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

Nagesh Panathale has been awarded Gold Medal in Journalism category for his photo titled ‘Leopard Attack’ [see pic. above]. A total number of 8,164 photographers had participated in the competition from 50 countries around the world.

Previously, Nagesh had also won a gold medal in a competition organised by the same organisation in 2011.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / May 13th, 2013

The solar man on a mission

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology

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By S.N. Venkatnag Sobers

He is no engineer or a scientist or a scholar with great knowledge, but a humble person who is on a mission to create awareness about the need to make environment free from pollution. Meet Syed Sajjad Ahamed, a Bangalorean, who has been travelling across the country with his handmade Solar Car in an effort to create awareness about environmental hazards.

Syed Sajjad Ahamed, born to a poor family in Kolar, is a Class 12 drop-out. During his schooling he even struggled to pass 8th std. His father worked as manager in a transport company in Kolar, where he spent his childhood and later shifted to Bangalore. Sajjad Ahamed after being unsuccessful in his studies, did not stop but was determined enough to come out with innovations by altering some of the vehicles that were already in the market.

At first, Sajjad Ahamed came out with electrically powered Luna in 2002. The speciality of the vehicle was that it used to operate by charging the batteries without using petrol. In case of batteries going dry, the vehicle would operate through petrol. Speaking to Star of Mysore, Sajjad Ahamed said that though he was a college drop-out, he was very much interested in experimenting with things available in the market and that is how he developed and came out with innovations of his own.

Sajjad Ahamed did not stop with Luna. He later came out with an electrically operated autorickshaw which was a success but unfortunately could not be taken forward as none of the manufacturers or companies came forward to take up further research on the product.

Sajjad said, “None of the companies have come forward to even look at the innovations that I have come out with. They fear that supporting the product I invented would hurt their products which are already in the market.”

However, many organisations have helped Sajjad in his endeavour to come out with solar powered vehicles. Institutions such as Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited, Raman Research Institute, Exide, have all been encouraging Sajjad by providing him with necessary materials to conduct his research. He has also been assisting engineering students about the manufacturing of solar powered automobiles for their projects. “I wanted to become a professor, but I couldn’t complete my studies. I am satisfied that at least I have been able to assist engineering students in their projects”, added Sajjad.

Sajjad has till now not patented any of his innovations. When asked about the reason, he said “If I patent there will be a problem for interested people who want to take up similar work in the future. I have left the options open for the people. Anybody can come and take it forward and I will assist them in coming out similar with products.”

Currently, Sajjad has been travelling on Solar Car Mark II, which was innovated by him. He has travelled about 1,000 kms in the car which can travel at a speed of about 15 kms/ hr and can cover 150 kms/per day. The car is enabled with 500 Watt Solar panels compared to 250 watt solar panel in his first Solar Car which he came out previously. Sajjad has travelled to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana and other States in his car. During his journey Sajjad stops by colleges and schools to educate them about the environmental hazards and enlighten them about the need to protect the environment from pollution in order to make the world an ideal place for living.

He not only creates awareness on pollution but also is a volunteer of anti-corruption. He has the posters of Swami Vivekananda, Anna Hazare and other great personalities through which he tries to inspire young minds to take lead in crusade against corruption. He distributes pamphlets to people during his journey regarding need to control pollution and corruption. “I want to ignite young minds to come forward and take up the mantle of leading the country forward. Youngsters should be educated and awarded about their duties”, said Sajjad.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> Feature Articles / March 24th, 2013