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Wonder Of The Greenhouse Effect

Posted in Health, environment, green on 07/07/2011 01:24 pm by
In arid cold desert of Ladakh, the changing seasons signifies a completely different lifestyle for its people.  Summers are short when few vegetables can be grown in the plain areas and when the cattle herds can be taken up to the mountains to graze in the green, luxuriant pastures.  All this would change after October when the temperatures start plummeting; when snow starts to cover the mountains and icy wind begin to blow.
The road links primarily National Highways from Manali in Himachal Pradesh and from Srinagar begin to look deserted and slowly get covered by snowfall, so thick and continuous that it takes a long time to melt and clear once the winter ends.  To the rest of the world, Ladakh remains cut off, inaccessible for six months.  The whole region gets covered by a white blanket of snow.  But how do the people manage, in this bone-chilling, mind-numbing winter?  The whole of Ladakh goes into a deep recess with all of life being sustained on resources gathered and stored in the summer.
Around 90 percent of Ladakhi people are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.  In the rest of the country, we hear of two seasons of cultivation, the ‘rabi’ and ‘kharif’. The range of crops that can be grown in the plains is vast, their sowing and harvesting being done according to seasons. Here in Ladakh the farmers have to cultivate land in a very compressed time frame with a limited range of cultivable crops. 
In the long winters, where does the food, specially the vegetables come from, considering the short growing period and limited range of crops?  It is required for keeping up the nutritional needs of the people. In Ladakh, one is dependent on what has grown before the snow begins to fall.    Airlifting vegetables from outside is simply too expensive.
I know these processes only too well, coming as I do from an agricultural background. I vividly remember when as a child, my grandparents would take me to the fields and dig the ground (sadong) deep, down to 5-6 feet.  Curious, I would scamper around and ask why the soil was dug so deep.  Nodding wisely, my grand mother then told me a fact, which is a truism for all time, for all people in Ladakh. “We have a long winter ahead, so we have to store vegetables like potato, carrot, radish and turnips for survival”.
Grandmother’s words have remained with me and today I can see the wisdom in it, signifying a way of life, a pattern of consumption for the entire region, a pattern that ensures their very survival.  If you slip up here, nature is unlikely to give you a second chance.  A totally different scenario from the plains where you just walk down or cycle down or take a bus at the most to the nearest mandi. If vegetables are not available on one day for any reason, you are bound to get them the next day.  In Ladakh you will have to wait for the season to change for that to happen! 
Still everything was not perfect.  Left in this kind of storage, deep underground, there were problems of ventilation.  The moisture in the ground, lack of air would make the vegetables rot gradually.  Of course, they would not rot all together; yet it was impossible to ‘isolate’ the ones which were rotting fast and the rest, so in the end, it the entire mass would be affected.  Some could be salvaged and consumed fast, others thrown away. Every winter, it would be an exercise in deft management of underground supplies; the price to pay was heavy however.  The lack of fresh food would invariably affect the health of the people.  Malnutrition, heart diseases, indigestion, acidity and body fatigue were common.
Age-old practices of cultivation, cooking, consumption and also storage have been followed in Ladakh, evolved by our ancestors, who have observed nature’s patterns and developed practices in sync with it. . However, as I grew up, I realised that we need to move beyond this traditional wisdom, to evolve  ‘good practices’ based on modern technologies to improve the quality of life in the region.
I have been amazed and delighted both to find Greenhouses coming up on Ladakh’s desolate and icy landscape over the last few years. The region is blessed with plentiful sunshine in the winter months.  The Jammu and Kashmir state government has taken cue from this and introduced an initiative to build these structures. Now farmers in Ladakh have the option of. Growing vegetables throughout the year, something unbelievable in grandmother’s days! I was glad to be witnessing this change, in era, in practices, in the way of life that us Ladakhis have known over the generations.
It is actually a concerted effort. Government departments like Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Agriculture and Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) all are involved in this initiative. Non governmental organisation like Ladakh Environmental and Health Organisation (LEHO) also have played an important role in creating awareness amongst the farming community about new technologies.  providing hybrid seeds. And offering support to build these structures including providing poly film on subsidised basis
The ‘Greenhouse effect’ if it can be called that in Ladakh has a salutary effect, not only on the food production, sustainability and diversification of crops but an additional income to its vast majority, still dependent on farming in this high desert mountainous region.  The results are stupendous.  Farmers are growing vegetables which for Ladakh are exotic; capsicum, cucumber, brinjal, cauliflower onion, carrot, spinach tomato, chilli broccoli and knol khol.  They are also growing seeds, gradually getting into multiple cropping. Unheard of plant varieties like rose garlic, sweet potato, asparagus are now growing beautifully in the winter season and being ready for planting of their cutting again in the early spring out in the open.  This is really Ladakh’s version of ‘rabi’ and ‘kharif’!
For my grandmother’s generation, it is nothing short of a miracle. Biting frost outside and all these wonderful vegetables happily growing, cocooned in their hothouses, receiving the goodness of sunshine within and protected from the cold without. This is not a miracle, but a technological marvel, a sign of the changing times.  To use the scientific and technological advances for the good of the people, particularly in harsh terrains like Ladakh is what I believe to be wisdom, equal to but different from those passed down over the generations.

 

Wildlife Sanctuaries in India

Posted in Healing, Lifestyle, environment, green, wildlife on 08/24/2010 03:37 pm by

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India the land of the majestic tiger and the graceful elephant, the magnificent peacock and the gigantic rhinoceros, offers natural habitat to the wild animals in its Wildlife sanctuaries and national parks is indeed, a delight for the nature lover.The wildlife sanctuaries and national parks spread across the country offer a fascinating diversity of terrain, flora and fauna. India has preserved vast tracts of forests and habitats in its 441 Wildlife Sanctuaries and 80 National Parks. So next time you travel to India, take a refuge in the quietude along with the wildlife and watch the exuberance of the bountiful nature in India
     

     

Srisailam Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh
 The largest of India’s Tiger Reserves, the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Sanctuary ( 3568 sq. km.); spreads over five districts - Nalgonda, Mahaboobnagar, Kurnool, Prakasam and Guntur in the state of Andhra Pradesh.The Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Sanctuary was notified in 1978 and declared a Tiger Reserve in 1983. The Reserve was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in 1992.

     

The river Krishna flows through the sanctuary over a distance of 130 km. The multipurpose reservoirs, Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar, which are important sources of irrigation and power in the state are located in the sanctuary. The reservoirs and temples of Srisailam are a major tourist and pilgrim attraction for people from all over the country and abroad.

     

The terrain is rugged and winding gorges slice through the Mallamalai hills. Adjoining the reserve is the large reservoir of the Nagarjunasagar Dam on the River Krishna. The dry deciduous forests with scrub and bamboo thickets provide shelter to a range of animals from the tiger and leopard at the top of the food chain, to deer, sloth bear, hyena, jungle cat, palm civet, bonnet macaque and pangolin. In this unspoilt jungle, the tiger is truly nocturnal and is rarely seen.
       
          Main Flora
      Srisailam SantuaryAnogeissus latifolia, Cleisthanthus collinus, Terminalia species, Pterocarpus marsupium, Hardwickia binata, Boswellia serrata, Tectona grandis, Mandelia suberora, Albizzia species.
     
      Main Fauna
      Tiger, leopard, sloth bear, wild dog, pangolin, spotted deer, sambar, mouse deer, black buck, chinkara, chausingha, mugger, python, cobra, peafowl.
     
      Best time to visit
      Summer: Mid-March to mid-June
        Monsoon: Mid-June to mid-November
        Winter: Mid-November to February
       
        Accommodation
      Three Forest Rest Houses and 40 bed capacity dormitories are available for tourist occupation in the Tiger Reserve at Srisailam, Mannanur and Nagarjunasagar. There are connections to Srisailam from Hyderabad, Vijaywada, Guntur, Kurnool, Markapur. The distance from these towns to Srisailam ranges between 90 to 240 km.
      Nearest town
      Macherla (29 km)
      How to get there
      Rail-Hyderabad (150 km) Air-Hyderabad (150 km)

     

 

     

Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary

     

Total Area: 3568-sq-kms

     

Species found: Catla, Rahu, Murrel, Ech Paten, Karugu, Chidwa,Painted Storks, Herons, Coots, Teals, Cormorants, Pochards, Black and White Ibises, Spoon Bills, Open Billed Storks etc.

     

Manjira bird sanctuary spreads over an area of 20 sq.kms and is the abode of a number of resident and migratory birds and the marsh crocodiles.It has an Environmental Education Centre with a museum, a library, and an auditorium. All this facilitates in educating the visitors about nature conservation and maintenance of ecological balance.Boats are in operation to take the visitors around the sanctuary for bird watching. Binoculars and books on identification of birds are also available. The films of birds and animals are also shown everyday on 16-mm projector.

     

Invertebrates : Prawns, Mollusis and Zoo plankton.

     

Fishes : Catla, Rahu, Murrel, Ech Paten, Karugu, Chidwa.

     

Reptiles : Monitor Lizards, Fresh Water Turtles, Cobra and Marsh Crocodiles.

     

Manjira Wildlife SantuaryBirds : Painted Storks, Herons, Coots, Teals, Cormorants, Pochards, Black and White Ibises, Spoon Bills, Open Billed Storks etc

     

Extensive growth of Babul Prosopis. Plants commonly found in water are Pistia, Hydrilla, Eichornia and Vallisneria

     

How to Reach There (Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary)

     

Train to Hyderabad (150 km); Hyderabad (150 km)
     

     

Nagarjunasagar Wildlife Sanctuary
      Evolved out of different needs, the town of Srisailam is divided into three zones. Srisailam or the original pilgrim town centers round the age-old temples dedicated to Lord Mallikarjuna and Goddess Bhramaramba, incarnations of Shiva and Parvati. A fairly stocked marketplace and several lodges for pilgrims lie alongside the temple quadrangle.About eight kilometers from the temple town is Sunnipenta, another ridge top where most offices and a few eating houses are located. Also located here is the office of the Project Tiger and the Field Director. The dam site on the river Krishna-the Srisailam Hydel Projects-makes up the third zone.

     

Nestling in the Nallamalai Hill ranges, an offshoot of the Eastern Ghats, with cliffs, gorges, ridges and plateaus, endowed with a variety of flora and fauna, the NSTR protects a large portion of the once flourishing ecological system that existed here. Without having the benefit of being an erstwhile royal game preserve, the forest in this area was always open to human visitation. Pilgrims from all over southern India carved out routes through the forest to reach Srisailam. It was in 1973 that the area was declared a sanctuary and incorporated under Project Tiger a decade later.

     

A little over 6 sq km in area, the Rollapadu grasslands near Srisailam are dotted with dry, thorny bushes and is home of about a hundred blackbucks. From a distance, one can observe families of blackbucks out on their breakfast trail, a couple of bustards gazing at the horizon while taking a tentive foot forward. At present, day visits to Rollapadu Sanctuary is permitted.
     

     

Places Nearby Nagarjunasagar Wildlife Sanctuary:
      Mannanur is a pre-existing tribal hamlet with a comfortably furnished camp bungalow. Next to the bungalow are a crocodile pond and an environment education center. From Mannanur, one can explore the western corner of the tiger reserve. The forest area here is thickly set with miscellaneous timber species with local names like Nallamadi (Terminalia tomentosa), Chirumanu (Anogeissus latifolia), etc., as well as stretches of teak forest. One can also spot spotted deers, sambars, and nilgais here.Nagarjunasagar is the place where excavations have unearthed many historical monuments belonging to 1st and 2nd century AD. The place is also home to a large dam built on the river Krishna.

      

 

Be vegetarian stay environment friendly

Posted in Health, Lifestyle, environment, green, vegetarian on 08/23/2010 12:59 pm by

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Troposphere ozone layer acts as a shield against all ultraviolet radiation approaching the planet Earth through absorption. It was noticed in mid 80s that ozone layer has thinned on the poles of the planet due to release of man-made substances commonly known as Ozone Depleting Substances, (ODS) into its atmosphere. The consequences of this change are adverse as the harmful radiations reach to the surface of the earth, strongly influencing the crops yield and vegetation. These radiations are also a major cause of skin cancer that has long exposure to Ultra Violet (UV) radiation.

      
 About 90 per cent of the Earth’s protective ozone layer resides in the stratosphere between 15km and

50km altitude. Molecular oxygen is broken down in the stratosphere by solar radiation to yield atomic oxygen, which then combines with molecular oxygen to produce ozone. Ozone is destroyed naturally through a series of catalytic cycles involving oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and to a lesser extent chlorine and bromine species. The abundance of stratospheric ozone is therefore chemically controlled by the stratospheric abundances of compounds containing hydrogen, nitrogen, chlorine and bromine. Increases in the abundances of methane and nitrous oxide (sources of hydrogen and nitrogen oxides respectively) thus affect the abundance and distribution of stratospheric ozone. Stratospheric ozone is also affected by the abundance of carbon dioxide (CO2), because the rates of the chemical reactions that control the abundance of ozone are temperature-dependent, and the abundance of CO2 plays a key role in determining the temperature structure of the stratosphere. While methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, there is over 200 times more CO@ in the atmosphere. Hence the amount of warming methane contributes is 28% of the warming caused by CO2.

      

A United Nations report has identified the worlds rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife. Livestock are responsible for 18% of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together. Burning fuel to produce fertilizer to grow feed to produce and to transport it – and clearing vegetation for grazing – produces 9% of all emissions of CO2, the most common greenhouse gas. And their wind and manure emit more than one third of emissions of another, methane, which warms the world 20 times faster than CO2.

      

Livestock belch out or release methane gas as they digest their food. And a methane molecule released into the atmosphere, has a 25 times greater capacity for trapping heat than a carbon dioxide molecule. Rice, meat, dairy products and fish are associated with high methane emissions while wheat, vegetables and fruits contribute to an oxide of nitrogen – another greenhouse gas that has an even greater heat trapping capacity than methane. Bananas had the least global warming potential, according to the research analysis inasmuch as much of the emissions associated with bananas emerge from their transportation from plantations to retail outlets.

      

In early 1990s, the Indian scientists were caught by surprise when the US researchers had suggested that India’s paddy fields were producing a large amount of methane unmindful of the fact that the livestock industry had a much bigger impact on the environment. This prompted an indigenous research in the subject that showed that the US claims were far exaggerated. The research also led to the assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions during each stage, of the lifecycle of various food items from the farm to the dining table viz. production, processing and cooking, so to say, to generate a comparative chart.        The research designed to generate raw data about the global warming potential of Indian food items has determined the Global Warming Potential in gram carbon dioxide per kg thus: Apple (357), Banana (98), Basmati rice (859), Chapati (250), Dosa (729), Fish (756), Idli (682), Parantha (261), Potato (132), Poultry meat (801), Milk (766), Mutton (9149), Rice (712). ( Stop Smoking for the sake of life )

      

The data thrown up as above clearly shows that a kilogram of mutton has a global warming potential 12 times higher than a kilogram of fish. The global warming potential of poultry meat – chicken or duck – is only slightly higher than that of fish. It also makes it abundantly clear that vegetarians are far more environment-friendly than the non- vegetarians. For the sake of the planet earth and for their own sake, the latter can do their bit by eating a little less meat – or better still, shift over to “mock meats” or vegetarian meats, now available in a large number of Washington area restaurants, where the wizardry and skill of counterfeiting meat has become a sophisticated art.    

 

Healing Power of Colours

Posted in Chromotherapy, Healing, Health, Lifestyle, green on 08/19/2010 10:42 am by

Chromotherapy is a method of treatment of diseases by colour. It is best used as a supportive therapy along with other natural methods of preserving health such as correct diet, adequate rest and relaxation, exercise, yogic asanas and so on.

According to practitioners of chromotherapy, the cause of any disease can be traced to the lack of a particular colour in the human system. Colour therapy is a technique of restoring imbalance by means of applying coloured light to the body. It was a popular method of cure even in ancient times. Some 2,500 years ago, Pythagoras applied colour light therapeutically and ‘colour halls’ were used for healing in ancient Egypt, China and India. Gesundheits-Tipps

The pioneer of modern colour therapy was Niels Finsen of Denmark. Following the discovery, in 1877, of the bactericidal action of solar ultra-violet energy,Finsen studied the possibility of assisting the healing of wounds with visible light. He subse- quently used red light to inhibit the formation of smallpox scars and, in 1896, founded a Light Institute ( now the Finsen Institute of Copenhagen) for the phototreatment of tuberculosis. In 1932, Gerrard and Hessay, two Californian psychologists, scientifically established that blue light had a calming effect and red a stimulating power on human beings.

Blue and red colours are considered at the two extremes with yellow representing the midpoint. These are also the three principal colours in a rainbow. A patient is first subjected to an examination to ascertain which colour he lacks. The deficiency is determined by observing the colour of the eyeballs, nails, urine and excrement. In cases of the lack of red the eyes and nails will be bluish, and the urine and excrement white or bluish. If there is a deficiency of the blue colour, the eyes and nails will be reddish and urine and excrement yellowish or red.

Every substance on earth contains colour. Even the rays cast on earth by celestial bodies contain colour in the form of white light. The rays of the sun contain seven different colours - violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. These are natural colours which are highly beneficial to the maintenance of health and for healing diseases. According to Dr. Babbit, a well-known authority on chromotherapy, “sunlight is the principal curative agent in nature’s laboratory and where light cannot enter, disease does. Chlorosis, anaemia, leukaemia, emaciation, muscular debility, degeneration of heart and liver, dropsical effusion, softening of bones,nervous excitability, physical deformity, stunted growth and consumption are the result of excluding oneself from the beneficial effects of sunlight.”  consejos de salud

Sunlight plays an important role in the recovery from chronic diseases. Judicious use of sunlight can be part of the curing process in almost every affliction. The rays of the sun improve digestion and nutrition, quicken blood and lymph circulation and increase the elimination of impurities through the skin.

The action and effect of various colours on the body and their healing qualities are as follows:

Red:
Symbolic of heat, fire and anger. It is a stimulating and energising colour. It stimulates arterial blood and brings warmth to cool extremities. Used as a general tonic, it is very valuable in the treatment of diseases like low blood pressure, rheumatism, paralysis, anaemia and advanced cases of tuber- culosis.

Orange:
Symbolic of prosperity and pride, orange is useful for stimulating blood supply and energising the nerves. It is beneficial in the treatment of kidney and gall stones, hernia and appendicitis. It is also used to stimulate the milk producing action of breasts after childbirth.

Violet:
Violet is beneficial in the treatment of nervous and emotional disturbances, arthritis, acute cases

Yellow:
Associated with joy and happiness, yellow is laxative and diuretic. It is a stimulant to the brain, the liver and the spleen. It is also effective in the treatment of diabetes, indigestion, kidney and liver disorders, constipation, eye and throat infections, syphillis and impotence.

Purple:
Purple or indigo combines the blood-warming red and the cooling antiseptic blue. It is an excellent stimulant without being an irritant. It is beneficial in the treatment of advanced stages of constipation, hydrocle, leucorrhoea, many disorders of the stomach and womb, cataract, migraine and skin disorders. It exerts a soothing effect on the eyes, ears and the nervous
system.

Green:
Made up of the blue and yellow, green is regarded as a colour of harmony. It is a mild sedative. It is useful in the treatment of nervous conditions, hay fever, ulcers, influenza, malaria, colds, sexual disorders and cancer. It preserves and strengthens eyesight. Being highly medicinal and depressive, it is of great help in the treatment of inflammatory conditions.  salute-Consigli

Blue:
Cool, soothing and sedative, blue alleviates pain, reducing bleeding and heals burns. It is beneficial in the treatment of dysentery, colic, asthma, respiratory disorders, high blood pressure and skin aberrations. IN a study at the New England State Hospital in the United States, 25 members of staff with normal blood pressure were bathed in blue light for half an hour. It resulted in universal fall in blood pressure. The blood pressure rose when red light was applied.  Conseils santé

 

Colour Therapy

Posted in Health, Lifestyle, green on 08/18/2010 04:49 pm by
Put Color in Your Health Today


Are you suffering nervous tension, ulcers, sexual disorders, hay fever, colds, etc.? Consider colour therapy. Today is an ideal time to begin putting your tensions away by enhancing your environment with the colour green. Green gently relieves tension and mildly sedates the body. 

It strengthens eyesight. Being highly medicinal and depressive, green is of great help in the treatment of inflammatory conditions. How can you be sure to get the benefits of green? One method of colour therapy is simple: Just be sure to eat green foods. Also eat any of the green vegetables and fruits such as gourds, spinach, plantain, lettuce, pea, green mango, gooseberry, pears, and beans.