Environment and Geology

Concept of the Ancient Floods with special reference to Indus Valley Civilization.

2012-01-14T12:46:00.005+05:30

Floods played an important role in the decline of Harappan civilization.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

“And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; fir the earth is filled with violence through them with the earth…And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life…were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. And the waters returned off the earth continually; and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated…”

Some might feel that times have not changed very much since The Flood, but in this article I am concerned with human morality, frailty and punishment- though it is interesting to note that the great catastrophic flood which is recorded in the mythology of other races through out the world is attributed to punishment by a deity of one form or another for the sins of mankind.

A world – destroying flood ( “world” in those days being localized rather than planetary) is a common legend in the ancient history of many races apart from the Hebrews; for example, the Americans, Babylonians, Indians, Persians, Polynesians and Syrians.

Archaeologists in Mesopotamia have discovered evidence of severe flooding at various levels- in particular a stratum of clay eight feet deep, excavated by Sir Leonard Woolley at Ur, which he identified with the biblical flood.

The Babylonian records say that some 4,000 years old refer to a “dark cloud” that encompassed the planet and intense fire that scorched the land- “all that was bright was turned into darkness. For six days a deluge of water driven by hurricane winds swept over earth, destroying all forms of life and changing the face of the planet.”

Hindu legend tells of the appearance in the sky of a rapidly expanding dark shape in the form of boar, which suddenly broke into loud thunder. The shape hurtled into the water which, convulsed by the motion, rose in enormous waves.

The same basic story is related in the mythology of other races and countries, including even the Celts of Britain and the Maoris of New Zealand.

Research since the 1970s suggests that there were three global super-floods: 15,000 to 14,000 years ago; 12,000 to 11,000 years ago; and 8,000 to 7,000 years ago. The second period ties in with the date Plato ascribed in the Timaeus and Critias to the destruction by earthquakes and flooding of Atlantis, and with the Tamil myth of the submerging of the fabled land of Kumari Kandam. Kumari Kandam, an antediluvian civilization said to have existed thousands of years ago around south India. It is believed to have been a great center of learning with magnificent academies which may have left a legacy of cartographic and astronomical knowledge which exists today in the ancient Indian texts.

There is also strong evidence that nearly half the total melt water released at the end of the last Ice Age was concentrated into these three relatively short periods. Such events would have had a momentous impact on the human inhabitants at that time, leaving a marked impression on oral tradition, the original transmitter of all ancient myths.

Geological record indicates that during Late Pleistocene glaciation, waters of the Himalaya were frozen and that in place of rivers there were only glaciers, masses of solid ice. As and when the climate became warmer, the glaciers began to break up and the frozen water held by them surged forth in great floods, inundating the alluvial plains in front of the mountains.

Floods played an important role in the decline of Harappan civilization. Several individual sites like Dholavira show that floods and rising sea levels leading to increased salinity made them uninhabitable. The Rann of Kutch, for example, was inhabited during the Harappan era. Dholavira, a major Harappan site is located in the Rann.

When we use the term ‘floods’ with the reference to the Harappan civilization, it is important to distinguish between the river floods and encroachment by the flooding ocean due to rising sea levels. The latter is recorded scientific fact.

In coastal areas, floods do not necessarily mean riverine floods but tidal waves and rising sea levels. The Mausala Parva of the Mahabharata seems to record a tidal wave leading to the destruction of Dwarka. The description in the Mausala suggests a massive tidal wave triggered by underwater volcanic activity- sometimes known as the tsunami. There are far more deadly than river floods. More seriously, if it is part of permanent environmental change, their effect can be permanent. This seems to have the case with coastal areas of the Harappan civilization.

Rising sea levels can be devastating for coastal settlements since there is no recovering from it. We find records of floods in the literature all across the ancient worlds. The better known among these ( outside India) are the Bible and the ancient Mesopotamian work known as the Epic of Gilgamesh. The question is : can we find any record of floods on the Indus seals? We have found at least two that record the terrifying effects of floods.

The first of these is a seven – sign message inscribed in the compact form characteristic of most Harappan writing. It is written from right to left and may be deciphered as follows.

Decipherment: saka-ta-va-sa-ma-dra (right –to- left in original)

Reading : Śakta vāsa samudrah

Written in the concise Harappan (sutra) style, this may be rendered into English as follows: “ The sea has entered dwelling places.” The writing on the next seal is more vivid and poignant-almost an anguished cry for help. It is written from left to right which is the more common mode on the Harappan seals. With a total of sixteen signs it is one of the longer Harappan inscriptions on record.

Decipherment: Line 1: da-śa-sa-sra-dha
Line2: a-gha-va-asta-ja
Line3: śaka-ta-kavrahan-yat-ta

Reading Line 1: dāsśuse-śrudhi
Line 2: agho vai astojan
Line 3: śaktikah vrā hanāyattah

The inscription may be explained as follows. The first line is an invocation: “Oh Gods! Hear our prayers as we make our offerings to you in your yajnas”. The second line is a description of the flood: “ We see before us floods (enemy) in eight directions ( or all around us).” The third is a cry of despair: “Powerful people find themselves at the mercy of death.”

These seem to be inspired by the experience of floods and their own helplessness before them.

Prompted by the discovery of some 30 skeletons in the ruins, Sir Mortimer Wheeler, dean of subcontinent archaeology in the 1940s and 1950s, wrote that “men, women, and children were massacred in the streets and houses, and were left lying there or, at the best, crudely covered without last rites.” To Wheeler the “massacre” tracked with verses in the Rig-Veda, a collection of ancient Hindu hymns that recounts the destruction of cities by the fierce and war like God Indra.

Today archaeologists point out that no weapons or other evidence of an attack were found at Mohenjo Daro. Some believe that skeletons were of persons who died of disease. And many archaeologists doubt that there was an invasion. Examination of skeletons from Indus cemeteries has failed to show that the original people were supplanted by new-comers with different characteristics.

No one can say with certainty why the subcontinent’s long-lived civilization came to an end, but experts suspect unruly rivers. Geological and archeological evidence, it turns out, give strong evidence that a long and devastating drought followed by devastating floods led to the abandonment of the settlements along the banks of the Indus and Saraswati rivers in western India, ending an urban civilization that had flourished, archeologists now surmise, sometime between 2,600 BC and 1,900 BC. Experts think the fluctuations of the Indus had a major impact on Mohenjo Daro. It whipped back and forth across the plains, causing floods that destroyed the agricultural base of the city. Trade and the economy were disrupted. Hundred of villages may have been destroyed by floods or by rivers carving new channels.

Reference:

National Geographic, June 2000, vol. 197, no.6.

Patten, D.W. 1966. The Biblical flood and the ice epoch. Pacific Meridian Publishing co., Seattle.

Rajaram, N.S. 1999. Sarasvati Civilization in the Harappan Seals. In ed. B.P. Radhakrishna and S.S. Merh, Vedic Sarasvati Evolutionary history of a lost river of Northwestern India. Geological Society of India, Bangalore.

http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/science/sc-harry.htm
http://sanskrit.safire.com/pdf/ORIGINS.PDF

Water qualities of Indian rivers are deteriorating. Many Rivers are under threat.

2011-12-22T11:44:00.006+05:30

Rivers have been rendered to the level of sewage flowing drains.
by

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi.

email: nitish.priyadarshi@gmail.com

Water is one of the most important commodities which Man has exploited than any other resource for sustenance of his life. Most of the water on this planet is stored in oceans and ice caps which is difficult to be recovered for our diverse needs. Most of our demand for water is fulfilled by rain water which gets deposited in surface and ground water resources. The quantity of this utilizable water is very much limited on the earth. Though, water is continuously purified by evaporation and precipitation, yet pollution of water has emerged as one of the most significant environmental problems of the recent times. Not only there is an increasing concern for rapidly deteriorating supply of water but the quantity of utilizable water is also fast diminishing. The causes of such a situation may be many, but gross pollution of water has its origin mainly in urbanization, industrialization, agriculture and increase in human population observed in past one and a half century.

There has been a steady deterioration in the quality of water of Indian rivers over several decades. India’s fourteen major, 55 minor and several hundred small rivers receive millions of liters of sewage, mining, industrial and agricultural wastes. Most of these rivers have been rendered to the level of sewage flowing drains. There are serious water quality problems in the cities, towns and villages using these waters. Water borne diseases are rampant, fisheries are on decline, and even cattle are not spared from the onslaught of pollution.

Present article is a collection of research report on significant rivers in this field which present a very grim picture of India’s precious water resources.

Ganga River:

River Ganga (Ganges) of India has been held in high esteem since time immemorial and Hindus from all over the world cherish the idea of a holy dip in the river under the faith that by doing so they will get rid of their sins of life. More than 400 million people live along the Ganges River. An estimated 2,000,000 persons ritually bathe daily in the river. Historically also, Ganga is the most important river of the country and beyond doubt is closely connected with the history of civilization as can be noticed from the location of the ancient cities of Hardwar, Prayag, Kashi and Patliputra at its bank. To millions of people it is sustainer of life through multitude of canal system and irrigation of the wasting load. Hundreds of the villages and even the big cities depend for their drinking water on this river. It is believed, a fact which has also been observed, that the water of Ganga never decays even for months and years when water of other rivers and agencies begins to develop bacteria and fungi within a couple of days. This self purification characteristic of Ganga is the key to the holiness and sanctity of its water. The combination of bacteriophages and large populations of people bathing in the river have apparently produced a self-purification effect, in which water-borne bacteria such as dysentery and cholera are killed off, preventing large-scale epidemics. The river also has an unusual ability to retain dissolved oxygen.
A number of investigations have been carried out on the physiochemical and biological characters of the Ganga. Lakshminarayana (1965) published a series of papers reporting the results of studies carried out at Varanasi during the period between March, 1957 and March, 1958. it was observed by him that the values of the most of the parameters decreased during rainy season while no marked variation was observed during winters and summers.
In the same year Chakraborty et.al. (1965) from Kanpur reported the water quality of Ganga at J.K. Rayon’s water intake point and at Golaghat and Bhairoghat pumping stations situated at the upstream of the river. It was concluded that the water quality gradually deteriorated as it passes from Bhairoghat pumping station to the J.K. Rayon water intake point in summers because in this stretch the river received waste waters from number of sewage drains.
A year later Saxena et.al. (1966) made a systematic survey of the chemical quantity of Ganga at Kanpur. According to the study, the biological oxygen demand, i.e. B.O.D. varied from 5.3ppm (minimum) in winter to 16.0ppm (maximum) in summer. The chloride ranged between 9.2 and 12.7 ppm and the river was found to be alkaline in nature except in rainy season. He concluded that the tanneries significantly increased the pollution load of river as they discharge huge amounts of effluents containing organic wastes and heavy metals. It was further reported that forty five tanneries, ten textile mills and several other industrial units discharged 37.15 million gallon per day of waste water generating BOD load of approximately 61630 Kg/day.
Subsequently Agarwal et.al. (1976) studied the bacteriological population of the river water and concluded that addition of untreated waste and sewage was responsible for the presence of pathogenic organisms posing threat to the residents of the Varanasi city.
Hydrobiological features of the river Ganga was studied by Pahwa and Mehrotra (1966). The authors studied a stretch of 1090 kms. of river Ganga extending from Kanpur in west to Rajmahal, in Jharkhand state, in the east. They reported that the turbidity was maximum (1100-2170 ppm) in monsoon and minimum ( less than100 ppm) during January to June. The pH of the river water ranged between 7.45 (minimum) during June to August and 8.30 (maximum) during January to May. The dissolved oxygen, i.e. D.O. count ranged from 5.0 to 10.5 ppm with maximum values during January and February. While the minimum values were recorded in monsoon.
Bhargava (1982) in a survey of total length of the river Ganga found that quality index was far above the prescribed limit at Kanpur. He further found that the Ganga water was having unusually fast regenerating capacity by bringing down B.O.D. owing to the presence of large amount of well adopted micro-organisms. According to the research Ganga is rich in polymers excreted by various species of bacteria. These polymers being excellent coagulants remove turbidity by coagulation, setting the suspended particles at the sewage discharge point.
Study carried out in 1986-87 on physico-chemical properties of river Ganga water at Buxar (Unnao) clearly revealed that extent of pollution varied in different seasons. Usually all the 23 parameters studied showed high values in summer and lower during monsoons except turbidity which was high in rainy season. Values of BOD, COD, DO and H2S were recorded high than the tolerance limits.
Study on water quality of river Ganga at Kalakankar (Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh) revealed that even at such a remote and undisturbed place like Kalakankar the river water was not safe for drinking and bathing. It was also noted that the river showed an alkaline trend throughout the course of study.
Upstream from Varanasi, one of the major pilgrimage sites along the river, the water is comparatively pure, having a low Biochemical oxygen demand and fecal coliform count. Studies conducted in 1983 on water samples taken from the right bank of the Ganga at Patna confirm that escheria coli (E.Coli.), fecal streptococci and vibrio cholerae organisms die two to three times faster in the Ganga than in water taken from the rivers Son and Gandak and from dug wells and tube wells in the same area.
The chemical pollution of the river Ganga in Patna city in Bihar state has been found somewhat alarming beside the storm drain, especially in the regions like Rajapur, Mandiri and Krishnaghat.
For some time now, this romantic view of the Ganges has collided with India's grim realities. During the past three decades, the country's explosive growth (at nearly 1.2 billion people, India's population is second only to China's), industrialization and rapid urbanization have put unyielding pressure on the sacred stream.

Ganga, the most sacred of rivers for Hindus, has become polluted for some years now.

Damodar River:

Today the picture of Damodar or Damuda, considered a sacred river by the local tribals,in Jharkhand State of India is quite like a sewage canal shrunken and filled with filth and rubbish, emanating obnoxious odours. It is also contaminated with toxic metals like arsenic, mercury, flouride, and lead.

The Damodar river basin is a repository of approximately 46% of the Indian coal reserves. A high demographic and industrial expansion has taken place in last three decades in the region. Exploitation of coal by underground and open cast mining has lead to a great environmental threat in this area. Besides mining, coal based industries like coal washeries, coke oven plants, coal fired thermal power plants, steel plants and other related industries in the region also greatly impart towards degradation of the environmental quality vis-a-vis human health.

It is a small rainfed river (541 km long) originating from the Khamerpet hill (1068 m), near the trijunction of Palamau, Ranchi, and Hazaribag districts of Jharkhand. It flows through the cities Ramgarh, Dhanbad, Asansol, Durgapur, Bardwan and Howrah before ultimately joining the lower Ganga (Hooghly estuary) at Shayampur, 55 Km downstram of Howrah. The river is fed by a number of tributaries at different reaches, the principal ones being Jamunia, Bokaro, Konar, Safi, Bhera, Nalkari and Barakar. The total catchment area of the basin is about 23,170 km2; of this, three-fourths of the basin lies in Jharkhand and one-fourth in West Bengal. The major part of the rainfall (82%) occurs during the monsoon season with a few sporadic rains in winter. Damodar basin is an important coal bearing area and at least seven coal fields are located in this region.
High increase in the population i.e. from 5.0 million (1951) to 14.6 million (1991) has been observed during the last four decades which is the outcome of the heavy industrialization in this basin mainly in coal sector.

Due to easy availability of coal and prime coking coal, several thermal power plants, steel plants have grown up. Discharge of uncontrolled and untreated industrial wastewater, often containing highly toxic metals is the major source of pollution of Damodar River.
Mine water and runoff through overburden material of open cast mines also contribute towards pollution of nearby water resources of the area. Huge amount of overburden materials has been dumped on the bank of the river and its tributaries, which finally get spread in the rivers especially in the rainy season. These activities have resulted in the visible deterioration of the quality of the river water.

The large scale mining operations going on this region have also adversely affected ground water table in many areas with the result that yield of water from the wells of adjoining villages has drastically reduced. Further, effluents discharged from the mine sites have also seriously polluted the underground waters of the area.

Mine waters does not have acid mine drainage problem. It may be due to the fact that coal deposits of this basin are associated with minor amounts of pyrites and contain low sulfur. Iron content in these waters are found in the range of 1 to 6 mg/l. Though it is not alarming but it may be toxic to some aquatic species. Mine waters are generally bacterially contaminated which is clear from the value lying in the range of 100 to 2500.
Heavy metals like manganese, chromium, lead, arsenic, mercury, floride, cadmium, and copper are also found in the sediments and water of Damodar River and its tributaries like Safi, Nalkari, Bhera Rivers etc. Permian coal of this area contains all these toxic elements in considerable amount. Presence of lead is high above the alarming level i.e. 300 ppm (parts per million) in the coals of North Karanpura coal field.

The study warned that long term exposure to the lead present in that area might result in general weakness, anorexia, dyspepsia, metallic taste in the mouth, headache, drowsiness, high blood pressure and anaemia etc.

The Damodar sediments are deficient in calcium and magnesium and rich in potassium concentration. Titanium and iron are the dominant heavy metals followed by manganese, zinc, copper, chromium, lead, arsenic, and mercury. Other heavy metal like strontium shows more or less uniform concentration throughout the basin. Average concentration of strontium in the sediments of the river is 130 ppm. Silica is also high in the sediments of Damodar River and its tributary. The value is 28ppm. Arsenic in the water ranges from 0.001 to 0.006 mg/l, mercury ranges from 0.0002 to 0.0004 mg/l, floride ranges from 1 to 3 mg/l.

The seven thermal power plants in the Damodar valley (three of which, with a combined installed capacity of about 1,800 mw, belong to the DVC) consume between 3,000 and 8,000 tonnes of coal a day and as much as 50 per cent of the total solids generated is in the form of flyash. Yet, there is little effort to manage the waste. This is obvious from the fact that very few DVC units, which are better managed than those run by the state electricity boards, have electrostatic precipitators (ESPS). Of the six units of the DVC's Chandrapura Thermal Power Plant in Giridih district, only one has an ESP, while the others make do with old mechanical dust collectors. As these plants are located on the banks of the river, the flyash eventually finds its way into the water.Disposal of solid waste, or bottom ash, from boilers degrades the river even more. The bottom ash is supposed to be mixed with water to form slurry which is then drained into ash ponds. Most of the ponds are full and in several cases drainage pipes are choked. The slurry is discharged into the river.

The people who live in the vicinity of the Damodar are the worst affected. The river and its tributaries are the largest sources of drinking water for the huge population that lives in the valley. On April 2, 1990 about 200,000 litres of furnace oil spilled into the Damodar river from the Bokaro Steel Plant. The oil travelled about 150 km downstream to Durgapur and for at least a week after the incident, the five million people in the area drank contaminated water. The water from the river that the people drank was unfit for human consumption, with oil levels 40-80 times higher than the maximum permissible value of 0.03 mg/l.

It is obvious that due to extensive coal mining and vigorous growth of industries in this area water resources have been badly contaminated. The habitants have, however, been compromising by taking contaminated and sometimes polluted water, as there is no alternate source of drinking water. Thus, a sizeable populace suffers from water borne diseases. As per the health survey of about 3 lakh population, the most common diseases are dysentery, diarrhoea, skin infection, worm infection, jaundice, and typhoid. Dysentery and skin infections occur in high percentage in the area. If proper steps are not taken up the total population mostly tribals will be on the verge of extinction.

Subarnrekha River:

Translated literally, Subarnarekha means 'streak of gold'. With a drainage area of 1.93 million ha this smallest of India's major inter-state river basins is a mute host to effluents from various uranium mining and processing units. While most rivers in the country are classified -- depending on the pollution load -- on a 'best designated use’ basis, the Subarnarekha defies any classification, as the existing parameters do not include radioactivity.The rain-fed Subarnarekha originates 15 kms south of Ranchi on the Chhotanagpur plateau draining the states of Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal before entering the Bay of Bengal. The total length of the river is 450 kms and its important tributaries include the Raru, Kanchi, Karkari, Kharkai, Garra and Sankh rivers.The only streaks visible in the river are those of domestic, industrial or - incredibly - radioactive pollution. Subarnarekha's rich resource base has spelled doom for the basin. Between Mayurbhanj and Singhbhum districts, on the right banks of the Subarnarekha, are the country’s richest copper deposits. The proliferation of unplanned and unregulated mining and mineral processing industries has led to a devastating environmental degradation of the region. Improper mining practices have led to uncontrolled dumping of overburden (rock and soil extracted while mining) and mine tailings. During monsoons, this exposed earth flows into the river, increasing suspended solid and heavy metal load in the water, silting the dams and reservoirs. Quarrying of construction material, such as granite, basalt, quartzite, dolerite, sandstone, limestone, dolomite, gravel, and even sand, has created vast stretches of wasteland in the river basin. Used and abandoned mines and quarries are a source of mineral wastewater and suspended solids.Subarnarekha also has to bear radioactive waste that enters the river through seepage from tailing ponds of the Uranium Corporation of India at Jadugoda. It has three productive uranium mines, all within a 5 km radius: Jadugoda, Batin and Narwapahar. The uranium ore is mined from underground and brought to the surface. Uranium is then extracted and processed to make 'yellow cake', an ingredient used to fuel nuclear plants. What is left behind are 'tailings' or effluents comprising radioactive products, which are mixed into slurry and pumped into tailing ponds. These ponds, each covering about 160 ha of land and about 30 metres deep are situated between adjoining villages.No standards have been met in their construction and no measures taken to control the emissions. Overflow and seepage from the tailing ponds ultimately ends into the streams that feed Subarnarekha. These radiations pose the greatest threat to human health, as they harm living cells, often leading to genetic mutation, cancer and slow death.Subarnarekha is the lifeline of tribal communities inhabiting the Chhotanagpur belt. Once these communities made a living out of the river's gold and fish. But today the polluted Subarnarekha has little to offer. Between 5,000-6,000 families of local tribals, including the fishing community of Dharas, residing on the riverbanks from Mango in Jamshedpur to Bharagora, have been affected by the river’s pollution.Oil and slug deposits on the riverbed deter the growth of moss and fungi, vital food for fish, hindering the movement of Hilsa fish from the Bay of Bengal to Ghatsila. Even sweet water fish like sol die in large numbers during their breeding season. Reports reveal that villages in the region around Ghatsila such as Kalikapara, Royam, Jadugoda, Aminagar, Benasol and Baraghat are suffering from skin diseases. The male fertility rate has also declined. Unfortunately, people have not been active in protecting the river as yet, when they could do well and take an example from other social movements in other river basins.

Yamuna River:

Originating at Yamunotri and merging with river Ganga at Allahabd, river Yamuna, though a major river of Uttar Pradesh also passes through Delhi, the capital of country. According to different research report, the river is badly polluted at Delhi, Mathura, Agra and Allahabad as the BOD values ranged from 1.6 mg/lit to 31.3 mg/l in different seasons while the total coliform count ranged between 1820 to 63,500. High percentage of cadmium, copper and zinc were reported between Dakpathar and Agra, which clearly indicates that pollution load increases as the river receives industrial effluents along its course.

The major tributaries of the river are Tons, Betwa, Chambal, Ken and Sindh and these together contribute 70.9% of the catchment area and balance 29.1% is the direct drainage of main River and smaller tributaries. On the basis of area, the catchment basin of Yamuna amounts to 40.2% of the Ganga Basin and 10.7% of the country.

Yamuna is the sub-basin of the Ganga river system. Out of the total catchment’s area of 861404 sq km of the Ganga basin, the Yamuna River and its catchment together contribute to a total of 345848 sq. km area which 40.14% of total Ganga River Basin (CPCB, 1980-81; CPCB, 1982-83). It is a large basin covering seven Indian states. The river water is used for both abstractive and in stream uses like irrigation, domestic water supply, industrial etc. It has been subjected to over exploitation, both in quantity and quality. Given that a large population is dependent on the river, it is of significance to
preserve its water quality. The river is polluted by both point and non-point sources, where National Capital Territory (NCT) – Delhi is the major contributor, followed by Agra and Mathura. Approximately, 85% of the total pollution is from domestic source. The condition deteriorates further due to significant water abstraction which reduces the dilution capacity of the river. The stretch between Wazirabad barrage and Chambal river confluence is critically polluted and 22km of Delhi stretch is the maximum polluted amongst all.

Although the river is polluted almost throughout its journey in plains but maximum of pollution occurs during its journey through NCT. The main sources of pollution in NCT are:
•Rising density of human population on the river banks and poor sanitation practices by residents;
•untreated domestic wastewater;
•untreated industrial effluents;
•diffuse pollution (agricultural runoffs; dead body dumping and cattle washing)
•undetected and untreated pesticide residues leave a toxic mark all across the river
•religious activity and immersion of idols.

Monitoring data shows that pollution measured in terms of BOD load has increased 2.5 times from 1980-2005. BOD load, which was 117 tonnes per day (tpd) in 1980 increased to 276 tpd in 2005. The river has no fresh water flow for virtually nine months. Delhi impounds water at the barrage constructed at Wazirabad. Water that flows subsequently is only sewage and waste .The anaerobic condition in the river is frequently observed and as evident from the presence of masses of rising sludge from the bottom, gas bubbles and floating solids on the surface (CPCB, 2000).

Najafgarh drain of NCT – Delhi is the biggest polluter of River Yamuna, which
contributes about 26% (year 2001) to 33% 22 (year 2000) of total BOD load and
48% (year 2003) to 52% (year 2001) of total discharge that joins Yamuna river
and canal at Delhi by various drains. There are 70 sub drains that join main Najafgarh Drain. The study indicated that the total BOD load received by Najafgarh Drain through sub-drains was 136 TPD, whereas the BOD load at the terminal end of the Najafgarh Drain was 83 TPD only. This reduction may be contributed by biodegradation, deposition of setllable material at the bottom and diversion of drain water for irrigation etc.

The significant measure to be undertaken for abatement of pollution in river
Yamuna areas below:
▪ Industries should treat their effluents so as to confirm the specified
requirements.
▪ To reduce over exploitation of river water for various human activities,
adoption of water harvesting system on large scale becoming necessary.
▪ Construction of small barrages in the entire Yamuna river stretch will also
solve the water scarcity problem.
▪ Disposal of garbage, solid, semi-solid, waste into river, its tributaries and
drains should be restricted.
▪ Community participation in various Yamuna water quality restoration
programme should be encouraged.

Gomati River:

River Gomati an important tributary of river Ganga and a perennial river of Awadh plains runs across the major part of Uttar Pradesh covering nine districts and a distance of approximately 940 kms. Originating from Madhoganj Tanda village in Pilibhit districts, it passes through the districts of Shahjahanpur, Kheri, Hardoi, Sitapur, Lucknow, Barabanki, Sultanpur, Jaunpur and ultimately merges in river Ganga near Saidpur town of district Ghazipur. During its course, it receives huge quantities untreated sewage and industrial wastes which alter the physico-chemical characteristics of river water significantly. It was found that the Gomati at Lucknow was polluted with copper, zinc and chromium. The concentration of metals was found much higher than the permissible limits and it was suggested that the river water was not safe for human usage without proper treatment. Physico-chemical parameters and microbial counts (MPN) clearly revealed that river was grossly polluted at Lucknow and Jaunpur due to discharge of large quantities of raw sewage and industrial wastes. Studies conducted on the tributaries of river Gomati viz. Sarayan at Sitapur and Gone at Kamalapur indicated that both of them were significantly polluted due to discharge of sugar mill effluent and distillery waste water in their catchment areas.

Historically, Gomati has served as a waterway, source of fish and water and provided livelihood to dwellers along the Avadh plains. Because of this important role, a number of big and small towns developed on its banks. The growing inflow of pollutants in the river now has destabilised its self-purification mechanism. Result: Water becoming unsafe for use. Two kinds of wastes are discharged into the river - organic and inorganic. The bacterial pollution in the river is increasing due to the discharge of organic wastes - human excreta, sewage waste, polythenes, municipal garbage and toxic discharge from the factories which flow into the storm drains, mixing with common water and subsequently posing a serious threat to the human population.

Heavy metals like, copper, zinc, magnesium iron and chromium have been found in large quantities in the river water. However their percentages differ in summers and winters.

Kuttiadi River (Kerala):

Kuttiadi River originates from the Narikota ranges on the western slope of the Wynad hills, a part of Western Ghats, at an elevation of 1220 meters above the mean sea level. The river flows through Badagara, Quilandy and Kozhikode Taluks in Kerala state before it falls into the Arabian Sea at Kottakal 7 km south of Badagara.

In general the water quality of Kuttiadi River depends significantly on the following factors: seasons, saline water intrusion, demographic pressure around the river, and topography. The river showed exceptionally low levels of Dissolved Oxygen at 8 km upstream (near Payyoli canal) where a stream carrying domestic and industrial wastes joins the river. Exceptionally high level of total hardness were recorded in waters collected near Payyoli canal. Exceptionally high levels of zinc were recorded in samples collected near Payyoli canal. The concentration of copper increased gradually as the river approached the sea.

Sabarmati River:

The river rises in the South-Western spurs of Aravali hills. It traverse through Sabarkantha, Ahmedabad, and Kheda districts and finally discharges into the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay). Sabarmati River rises in the Aravali hills, which roughly mark the western boundary of Udaipur District, i.e. Mount Abu area, and flows in a south-westerly direction. The main tributaries of the Sabarmati river are Wakal river and the Sei Nadi, which also rise in the Aravali hill range west of Udaipur city and flow south-westwards in courses generally parallel to the Sabarmati river, up to their confluence with the river (in Gujarat).

Ahmedabad, seventh largest populous city of India and Commercial Capital of Gujarat State has unique identity recognize by River Sabarmati. It’s potential to provide city level social infrastructure and recreation facilities lie untapped. Though it is a major source of water for the city and despite the building of a major barrage to retain water, except for a few months during the monsoon the river is dry. Sewage contaminated storm water out-falls and the dumping of industrial waste pose a major health and environmental hazard. Though the riverbanks and bed provide a place to stay and source of livelihood for many poor citizens, the riverbank slums are disastrously flood prone and lack basic infrastructure services. The slums located along the riverbed also pose a major impediment to efficient management of monsoon flood sin the river.

It is mainly a dumping ground of domestic, textile, chemical, dye and industrial wastes of units located on or near the river bank. River has been studied to its entire health by various workers. pH was always in alkaline range. The alkalinity was remarkably high and D.O. content was very low at most of the sites. The water was rich in chloride, phosphate, nitrate and COD indicating its polluted nature. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has also reported highest volumes of faecal coliform (FC) — a bacteria present in human and animal excreta — in the country in Sabarmati. FC in these stretches is measured to be 2.8 million Most Probable Number (MPN) in every 100 ml of the river.

The major polluting units along the rivers include distilleries, sugar, textile, electroplating, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper mills, tanneries, dyes and dye intermediates, petrochemicals and steel plants, among others. According to CPCB, the major reason for polluted river stretches in Gujarat is the effluent directly discharged by the factories into these water bodies.

An observation supported by the fact that the Amlakhadi, which meets Narmada near Bharuch district, has been reduced to an effluent channel of over 1,500 chemical units in Ankleshwar, Panoli, Vilayat, Dahej and Jhagadia.

Purna River:

This river flows through Valsad in Gujrat state. The water of this river, irrespective of season was always muddy due to the flushing character of the river. pH was always alkaline through out the flow. Dissolved oxygen was very long except in spring. The high value of phosphate and silicate revealed the amount of industrial effluents released into the rivers. The alarmingly high levels of lead (0.2 to 1.08 ppm) was due to the burning of gasoline, or by the petrol operated vehicles or industries.

Khan River:

Khan river is the main water body of the study area. The drainage of the city is provided by two small rivers, Khan and Sarswati. Khan river, a tributary of Shipra river emerges near Umaria village 11 km South of Indore and flows through heart of city. traveling of distance of around 50 km, it confluences in to Shipra river at Ujjain.

Years before, Khan was a flowing river in Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Due to urbanization of the city the river has become a waste water disposal site. The growth of the city was fairly rapid during the past few years, as a consequence of which the waste entering into the river has increased at an enormous rate. At present it has been fully converted into a ‘Nallah’.

The maximum value of dissolved solids was recorded in July due to less flow of water and high impurities because rains did not pours much at that time. The pH value of the water is above 8 at all the sites. High value of chlorides was found because of the contamination of water due to sewage of the city. The relative higher hardness was recorded at all the places. It is due to the sewage effluent and industrial waste.

Satluj River:

The river Satluj, one of the main rivers of the Punjab, originates from ‘Mansarovar’ Lake, in Tibet, enters Punjab near Bhakra, flows through this state to finally join the river Beas at Harike. During its course, it get heavily polluted by domestic sewage, agricultural runoff and untreated or inadequately treated industrial effluents. Samples analyzed near industrial Ludhiana town showed high concentration of zinc, lead, and mercury, while chromium and cadmium were found to be absent. Zinc, lead, and mercury were also found to be present in both in water and sediment near Jalandhar city. In general terms, concentration of heavy metals were found to be considerably high in sediments than in water. The effluents being discharged by Budha Nalah into Satluj River over the years has attained alarming proportions causing a drastic decline in the number of fish species besides showing high concentration of heavy metal.

Ludhiana has 250 large and medium-scale units and 41,116 small-scale units. Electroplating, heat treatment, cycle manufacturing, hosiery, machine parts, vegetable oils, dyeing processes and chemical industries are the major industries. They use huge quantities of chemicals, various types of dyes, chrome, nickel and cyanide. With poor effluent treatment facilities, traces of these heavy metals end up in Budha Nalah and thus in the river. In the process, even groundwater is contaminated, posing a public issue as well.

It's no secret that rivers in Punjab are heavily polluted. Now, the comptroller and auditor general's (CAG) office, in its latest report, has expressed concern over the degradation of state rivers and blamed government for not doing enough to save them.

The CAG report on " Water Pollution in India" said the rivers and groundwater in the state were highly polluted with the government not being able to effectively implement National River Conservation Project (NCRP) in six cities, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Phagwara, Phillaur, Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi, which were situated on banks of the Satluj river.

Krishna and Koyana River:

Krishna river rises in the western ghats of India at an altitude of 1337 m. near Mahabaleshwar, about 64 km from the Arabian sea. It is one of the longest rivers in India. The Krishna river is around 1,290 km in length. It flows through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh before merging in the Bay of Bengal at Hamasaladeevi in Andhra Pradesh. The principle tributaries of the Krishna River includes Koyna, Bhima, Mallaprabha, Ghataprabha, Yerla, Warna, Dindi, Musi, Tungabhadra and Dudhganga rivers. The river basin is approximately 200 meter deep. A tributary of Krishna river Koyana also originates in the western ghats and finally meets the river Krishna at Karad in frontal confluence. River Krishna is dying at an increasing rate. The river receives the waste from the large number of cities including Hyderabad, Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Kurnool and many more. The sewages from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad flows into it. Large number of industrial units operates from the river basin which are the main reason for the water pollution in the Krishna river.

The study found that, the Satara-Sangli stretch of the Krishna river is polluted grossly by the human-induced activities in the subwatersheds. The factors for acute pollution of water are:
The intensive use of fertilisers and pesticides in the agricultural land, growth of medium to big size sugar and distillery factories and very high growth of population leading to high domestic load from urban setup.
Turbidity values increased and the same results were witnessed after 1990 for chemical parameters such as BOD, COD, Na, Mg, Ca, Cl, and sulphate.
Of all sources, the share of agriculture to water consumption and water pollution was the highest. Agricultural sources contributed to 91% of total waste discharge while the same for domestic and industrial sources were 4.5% each.

Iron and zinc was present in considerable quantity in both the rivers. Copper concentration varied from 10 to 150 µg/lt. in the rivers. Lead concentration was found to be higher than the concentration of copper in the Krishna river. Nickel showed higher variation at all the sites from nil to 200µg/lt. in the river Krishna. Low concentration ranging from 10µg/lt. to 50 µg/lt. was noted in the river Koyana. The Koyna river is polluted in Karad due to the sewage released from Karad.

Reference:

Agarwal, D.K., Gaur, S.D., Tiwari T.C., Narayanswami, N. and Marwah, S.M. 1976.. Physico-chemical characteristics of Ganges water at Varanasi. India J. Environ. Hlth. 18 (3). 210-206.

Bhargava, D.S.1982. Purification power of the Ganges unmatched. L.S.T. Bull. 34. 52.

Chakraborty, R.N., Saxena, K.L. and Khan, A.Q. 1965. Stream pollution and its effect on water supply. A report of survey, Proc. Symp. Problems in Water treatment. Oct. 29-30, Nagpur. 211-219.

CPCB, 1980–81. The Ganga River—Part I—The Yamuna basin, ADSORBS/2, Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi, India.

CPCB, 1982–83. Assimilation capacity of point pollution load, CUPS/12, Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi, India.

CPCB, 2000. Status of water quality of river Yamuna and drains adjoining river Yamuna in Delhi. Information submitted to the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

Garg, S.L et.al, 2000. Pollution studies on the Khan river at Indore. , in Pollution and Biomonitoring of Indian Rivers. Ed. Dr. R.K. Trivedy, pp. 154-158.

Kaur, H. et al. 2000. Occurrence of heavy metals in the water and sediment of the river Satluj in Punjab, , in Pollution and Biomonitoring of Indian Rivers. Ed. Dr. R.K. Trivedy, pp. 176-180.

Lakshminarayana, J.S.S. 1965. studies of the phytoplankton of the river Ganges, Varanasi, India, Part-I, Physico chemical characteristics of River Ganga. Hydrobiologia. 25. 119-175.

Manoj, E. and Ragothaman, G. 2000. Assessment of the water quality of Purna river, Valsad (Gujarat) with special reference to the heavy metal pollution, in Pollution and Biomonitoring of Indian Rivers. Ed. Dr. R.K. Trivedy, pp. 126-129.

Pahwa, D.V. and Mehrotra, S.N., 1966. Observations on fluctuation in the abundance of plankton in relation to certain hydrobiological vonditions of river Ganges. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., India, Sec. 36B (2). 157-89.

Priyadarshi, N.: Arsenic in Damodar poisoning West Bengal. Indian Express, July 12, 1998.
Priyadarshi, N. 2004. Distribution of arsenic in Permian Coals of North Karanpura coalfield, Jharkhand. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, 63, 533-536.

Saxena, K.L., Chakraborty, A.K., Khan, A.Q., Chattopadhayay, R.N. and Chandra, H. 1966. Pollution study of river near Kanpur. Indian, J. environ. Hlth. 8. 270.

Trivedy, R.K., Khatavkar, S.D. and Arjugade, B.L. 2000. Heavy metal pollution in the River Krishna and Koyana in Maharashtra, India, in Pollution and Biomonitoring of Indian Rivers. Ed. Dr. R.K. Trivedy. pp. 327-341.

http://fore.research.yale.edu/information/Yamuna/Current_Condition_of_Yamuna_River.pdf

http://www.cpcb.nic.in/newitems/11.pdf

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/pollutants-in-gomati-destabilising-river/

http://watterpollution.blogspot.com/2009/08/information-of-sabarmati-river.html

http://www.ecoindia.com/rivers/krishna.html

http://www.indiawaterportal.org/node/816

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-03-29/chandigarh/27275228_1_fish-species-effluents-heavy-metal

http://www.cleanganga.com/articles/december/satluj.php

Possibilities of helium deposit in Jharkhand State of India.

2011-11-19T15:58:00.007+05:30

Assessment of helium reservoir may be under

taken in the Jharkhand state.
By
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi.

Fig: The above pictures are of Surajkund area in Hazaribag district in Jharkhand.

Rocks of Jharkhand State in India which are mineral rich can also be used for trapping Helium deposit. In Jharkhand helium has been reported in the gases of different thermal springs of Hazaribag district.

In Jharkhand, concentration of helium is highest in thermal gases of Surajkund (3.63 mole %) followed by Charhi (3.38 mole %), Duari (2.95 mole%), Barkagaon (0.29 mole %)and Badam (0.09 mole %). Surajkund hot spring (also called Surya Kund) is a natural hot spring in Belkapi gram panchayat of Barkatha community development block in Barhi subdivision of Hazaribag district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.

Mineral radioactivity plays an important role in the natural occurrence of helium. Helium is an end product of radioactive decay. Helium is also known from the damp of many coal mines. The release of helium from rocks/minerals is greatly promoted by leaching with H2 , CH4 and its homologues. In this area high helium seems to have originated from the combination of the above processes.

According to other report, two well-known groups of thermal springs at Bakreswar (West Bengal) and Tantloi (Jharkhand) give-off substantial quantities of helium-bearing natural gases as bubbling emanations. These two thermal spring sites are located 25 km from
each other and about 250 km from Kolkata. In Tantloi the presence of helium in gases of thermal spring is 1.26 vol. %.

Helium is used for many purposes that require some of its unique properties, such as its low boiling point, low density, low solubility, high thermal conductivity, or inertness. Of the 2008 world helium total production of about 32 million kg (193 million standard cubic meters) helium per year, the largest use (about 22% of the total in 2008) is in cryogenic applications, most of which involves cooling the superconducting magnets in medical MRI scanners.

Helium is extracted in Poland, Russia, China, Algeria, Canada and the Netherlands. The average concentration of helium in fields of these countries ranges between 0.18 and 0.9 vol%. Since such favourable natural gas deposits are not found in India, it seems logical to look for them in unconventional terrestrial sources such as thermal spring emanations and monazite sands.

A thermal spring is the manifestation of extremity of an ascending hot fluid column, which pierces successive layers of the lithosphere and comes forth through the vents. It issues along fractures and fissures, which are invariably linked with deep-seated faults in well-defined zones of mechanical weakness. There are nearly three hundred thermal springs scattered all over India. Preliminary estimation performed by Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) at Bakreswar, District Birbhum, West Bengal reveals that quite a number of thermal springs emit natural gases containing helium in significant measure.

Three distinct belts of thermal springs so far identified in India by the Geological Survey of India are: (1) Eastern India – Jharkhand, Assam and Orissa; (2) West coast of India – Ratnagiri, Thane, Colaba and Surat, and (3) Himalayan Belt – Jamunotri (Uttaranchal), Gangotri and Monikaran (Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh).

Earlier, radon, helium and uranium measurements have been carried out in hot water springs in the Parbati and Beas valleys of Himachal Pradesh in India. Most of these hot springs are known as famous pilgrimage centers. The activity of dissolved radon in the liquid phase is found to vary widely, by an order of magnitude, between 10 and 750 Bq L−1, whereas, the dissolved helium content in these thermal springs varies between 10 and 100 ppm. The uranium contents are low and vary from <0.01 to 5 μg L−1. The measured values of radon, helium and uranium are possibly controlled by structural geology, namely the presence of pervious fault systems, and by the lithology of the leached host rocks.

Helium is found in large amounts in minerals of uranium and thorium, including cleveite, pitchblende, carnotite and monazite, because they emit alpha particles (helium nuclei, He2+) to which electrons immediately combine as soon as the particle is stopped by the rock. In this way an estimated 3000 metric tons of helium are generated per year throughout the lithosphere. In the Earth's crust, the concentration of helium is 8 parts per billion. In seawater, the concentration is only 4 parts per trillion. There are also small amounts in mineral springs, volcanic gas, and meteoric iron. Because helium is trapped in the subsurface under conditions that also trap natural gas, the greatest natural concentrations of helium on the planet are found in natural gas, from which most commercial helium is extracted.

We believe that exploitation of the existing natural gas reserves in India could meet the requirement for domestic consumption of Grade-A helium. This, in turn, would ensure a reliable supply of helium for sustainable development and application of cryogenic technology. Taking into account the growing demand of cryogenic technology in our country, helium concentration assessment of helium reservoir may be undertaken in the Jharkhand state to see if helium can be mined. A detail exploration is needed to improve the database for assessing and evaluating the helium potential in Jharkhand State. Geological Survey of India along with state government and other national agencies will have to play a key role.

Reference:

Priyadarshi N. 2002. Potential of geothermal energy in Jharkhand State, India: Proceedings of the 1st conference and exhibition on strategic challenges and paradigm shift in hydrocarbon exploration with special reference to Frontier Basins. Mussoorie, India, v2, p. 261-265.

Singh, R., and Bandyopadhyaya, A.K., 1995. Geochemical studies of some thermal springs in Hazaribag district, Bihar, India: Indian Minerals, v49, no.1 & 2, p. 55-60.

http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/jun252005/1883.pdf

Climate change do affect our mind and body.

2011-11-12T11:49:00.001+05:30

Are the people of Ranchi suffering from SAD Syndrome?
By.
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Recent increase in suicidal incident in Ranchi city reminds me of an old research which says that it is not only the social issue which instigates people to commit suicide but also the climate change affects our mind and body. According to the research the changes in weather sharply affects our mind it may be peak winter season, summer season or rainy season. This theory is commonly known as SAD. SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder. Ranchi city is famous for its sudden change in weather.

SAD is a syndrome characterized by depression during winter months when there is less daylight. Seasonal Affective Disorder is directly related or even caused by too little sunlight, which causes the body's time clock to go out of sync, thus upsetting the body's routine, and may even affect certain hormonal levels in the body. The symptoms of SAD are depression, sadness, lethargy, fatigue, excessive sleeping, difficulty getting up in the morning, loss of appetite or increased eating of carbohydrates, thus increase in weight, decreased activity and socialization, apathy, irritability. The disorder may begin during the teen years or in early adulthood. Like other forms of depression, it occurs more often in women than in men.

There are studies that link weather with long periods of high temperatures to increase in crime. It is believed that people get irritable and hostile when it is extremely hot. Several law enforcement agencies have statistics that shows the correlation of the two. Think about how you felt if ever you had experienced a heat wave: hot, irritable, frustrated, may be even angry.

The weather can affect your mood more than you realise. "The human body, its metabolism and hormones react to the changing season resulting in changes in mood and behaviour. Just as you find yourself getting irritable and aggressive during summer, you may find yourself feeling low and lethargic in monsoon and winter.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, summer blues, or seasonal depression, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer, spring or autumn year after year.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine notes that "some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and may also feel depressed. People who experience spring and summer depression show symptoms of classic depression including insomnia, anxiety, irritability, decreased appetite, weight loss, social withdrawal, an increased sex drive, and suicide. Additionally, many patients are unable to cope with the increased temperatures during spring and summer.

SAD was first systematically reported and named in the early 1980s by Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., and his associates at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Rosenthal was initially motivated by his desire to discover the cause of his own experience of depression during the dark days of the northern US winter. He theorized that the lesser amount of light in winter was the cause.

Some natural disaster like earthquake, floods and drought also affects our mind. People become depressed for several months after the disaster forcing few of them to commit suicide like farmers of India who were forced to commit suicide due to continued drought in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh states etc.

Not only weather change but also the pollution in atmosphere especially heavy metal pollution like Lead etc. affects our body and mind. Lead increases blood pressure which gradually affects our mind and increase irritation.

After becoming the capital Ranchi city is facing acute changes in atmosphere. Earlier it was the summer capital of united Bihar Jharkhand State famous for its pleasant climate but now the atmosphere is gradually becoming worse day by day. People of Ranchi are definitely going to be affected with such syndrome.

Effects on national highway in Jharkhand State of India due to 19th September Earthquake.

2011-10-17T18:54:00.006+05:30

The tremor left a 200-foot long/10-foot deep crater on the road.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

It is for the first time in earthquake history of Jharkhand that the earthquake, which jolted North and Eastern India on 19th September, left a 200-foot long crack on the NH-75 in Latehar district, disrupting traffic. The tremor left a 200-foot long/10-foot deep crater on the road disrupting traffic near Sikni Colliery. It came as surprise as the area is treated geologically as the most stable cratonic block related to tremors.

According to the local administration it was due to Sikni coal mines near that highway. They said that the mining has created instability of the upper surface of the earth of near by areas and the cracks were the multiple effects of both mining and tremors. If it is true then most of the areas of the Jharkhand State where the coal mining are rampant are under tremendous threat in future.

Geologically Jharkhand state represents a part of the Indian Peninsular shield, which is a stable cratonic block of the earth’s crust. Though it is a part of the stable block it is being rocked by mild to medium tremors. Jharkhand plateau has faced lots of tremors and geological movements in the geological past and now it is assumed that the plateau is free from any type of tremors or cratonic movement. Evidences of the regional tectonic movement in the plateau area are preserved in the form of faulting, folding, joints etc in the rocks.

Earthquakes of Jharkhand may be placed in one broad categories. Earthquakes originate from stress fields built up in the Precambrian shield, supporting the Vindhyan, Gondwana and younger basins.

Several events such as the 1868 Hazaribagh, 1963 Ranchi and 1969 Bankura were generated by release of stress built up in the relatively more stable Jharkhand Plateau region underlain by Precambrian formations. These, by analogy with other Peninsular Shield events such as Latur and Jabalpur earthquakes,may possible belong to the class of Stable Continental Earthquakes.

Possibilities of major earthquake in this stable region cannot be ruled out. Different researches has shown that ancient fault line can be re-activated. Old continental crust contains a billion-year record of past tectonic activity. This area was once a seismically active. "We don't yet understand how faults are reactivated, but it appears that some pre-existing faults are more likely to break than others. Regarding Jharkhand the possibility of reactivation of a pre-existing fault can happen under the influence of the ambient stress field due to the India–Eurasia plate collision forces.

There are some methods for medium and short range earthquake forecasting.

2011-10-10T13:28:00.007+05:30

These methods are concerned with forecasting earthquake of a particular intensity over a specified locality within a specified time limit.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Tectonic earthquakes are attributed to rupture in the rock masses which occur following accumulation of strain. Earthquakes present a frightening experience in the lives of men. The disaster strikes suddenly, similar to that of lightning, tornadoes or nuclear explosions. It is estimated that an average, about 15,000 human lives are lost every year, while in a singe year of 1976 about 200, 000 were killed by earthquakes in china, Guatemala, Philippines and in other parts of the world. The damage to property runs into billions of dollars.

Earthquakes generate a variety of effects. Some are temporary, such as the shaking ground, swinging objects, rattling windows and oscillating trees. Permanent effects include damage to buildings, transportation, water supply systems and the landslides.

Till today there is no perfect method to forecast earthquakes. There are some methods for long, medium and short range earthquake forecasting. My article is more concentrated on medium and short range earthquake forecasting.

Medium term prediction means forecast of an earthquake a few months to a year or more ahead, while short term prediction implies forecast ranging from a few hours to some day in advance. The medium and short range stages in earthquake prediction are concerned with forecasting the occurrence of an earthquake of a particular intensity over a specified locality within a specified time limit. Satisfying this criterion, a few earthquakes have been successfully predicted in Japan, USA former USSR, India and China. It is actually these two stages of earthquake prediction which save the largest population from disaster in terms of life or property, and is more often demanded by public as well as Government. Even though the medium and short range prediction techniques are broadly similar using several disciplines of geophysics, some simple observations like earthquakes lights or sounds, unusual behaviour of animals, changes in the level and colours of well water, hydrochemical changes and foreshocks can be of great assistance from the point of view of short range prediction of large earthquakes.

Unusual animal behaviour: Unusual behaviour of animals prior to earthquakes received wide publicity after the Haichang earthquake of February 4, 1975 was successfully predicted in China. The official report was presented by the Chinese delegation at the Inter-governmental meeting convened at UNESCO, Paris in February 1976 which stimulated considerable scientific interest. Prior to this, however, several instances of abnormal animal behaviour were noticed before occurrence of some of the damaging earthquakes in different parts of the world, but they were considered more as historical legend. In Japan, innumerable rats were seen every day in a restaurant in Nagoya city, which suddenly disappeared on the evening prior to the Nobi earthquake of 1891.
Hyodrochemical precursors: Regular observations of the chemical composition of underground water were taken during 1997 in seismically active regions of Tadzhik, and Uzbekistan. The water samples were analyzed in the following two ways:
· The concentration levels of dissolved mineral components like sodium and calcium ions, bicarbonate and chloride ions were measured before, during and after the earthquakes.
· The gaseous components of water like helium and hydrogen sulfide were analyzed at various intervals of time.
The following results were obtained:
· During seismically inactive period, the concentration levels of dissolved minerals and gaseous components remained almost constant.
· About 2 to 8 days before an earthquake, appreciable increase in the concentration for dissolved minerals was noticed. Also, the maximum volume of helium gas in thermal water occurred 3 to 5 days before the increase in seismic activity.

Significant pre-disaster and post disaster hydro geo-logical changes rendering the groundwater turbid were observed during Jabalpur earthquake, 1997 (I.M.D. Report 1998).

The mechanism of the behaviour of these hydro geochemical precursors is attributed to the upsetting of balance in the rock/interstatial solution/ underground water system prior to earthquake. This is due to increase of stress and the consequent appearance of permeable fissures through which an increased inflow underground fluid from the subsurface zones of the earth’s crust takes place.
Temperature changes: A rise of temperature by 10 degree c. and 15 degree c. was reported before earthquakes in Lunglin, China (1976) and Przhevalsk, Russia (1970). Same relationship between magnitude and geothermal anomaly has been found for earthquakes in China.
Water level: Unusually muddy and fall in the level of water was reported in several wells a few days before the great Nankai earthquake (1946) in Japan. However, rise of water level by 3 and 15 cm was also reported before the Lunglin (China) and Przhevalsk (Russia) earthquakes. Similarly, water level rose by 3 cm a few hours before the earthquakes in Meckering, Australia (1968). In general a pre-seismic variations at observation wells follows this sequence:1) A gradual lowering of water levels of a period of months or years2) An accelerated lowering of water levels (rate often exponential) in the final few months or weeks preceding the earthquake. 3) A “rebound” where water levels begin to increase rapidly in the last few days or hours before the main shock.In the monitoring of water levels in deep wells, care must be taken to correct the data for “earth tides”. This is due either to volume changes caused in fractured aquifers by tidal strain, or perhaps by changes in gravitational acceleration alone. In either case, it is important that data is corrected for this phenomenon. In addition water extraction from the aquifer must also be considered. In many part’s of the planet the water table is falling due to water abstraction for drinking and irrigation. It is quite possible that such drops could be mistaken for a long-term seismic precursor.

Radon gas: The first evidence of a correlation between radon and earthquake came from Tashkent Basin prior to destructive earthquake in 1966. Radon observations revealed many precursory changes in its concentration as far as 1800 km from their respective epicenters. The measured radon in soils could be strongly disturbed by meteorological parameters, seasonal factors as well as a deeper phenomenon of seismic activity. Variety of studies which use complex mathematical methods have been done in order to distinguish between the variations of radon caused by environmental factors.

Work carried out in this direction was based upon the assumption that significant changes take place in the emission of gases such as radon and trapped in the earth crust before the arrival of a 'physical jolt' of an earthquake. This change takes place because of the physical stresses which are built up within the earth crust to trigger an earthquake. Work so far done has indicated the existence of a relationship between earthquake producing processes and radon movement. It has been noted that variation in radon levels is related to the intensity of an approaching earthquake.

Radon is a radioactive gas with a half-life of about 2.5 days. It is discharged from rock masses prior to an earthquake and dissolves in the well water which shows increase in its concentration.
Oil wells: some cases of sharp fluctuations in the oil flow prior to earthquakes were reported for wells in Israel, northern Caucasus and China. It is argued that when the tectonic stress accumulates to certain level, the pore pressure within a deep oil bearing strata may reach its breaking strength causing oil to spout along the oil wells.
Changes in the Electrical Resistivity of Rocks - Electrical resistivity is the resistance to the flow of electric current . In general rocks are poor conductors of electricity, but water is more efficient a conducting electricity. If microcracks develop and groundwater is forced into the cracks, this may cause the electrical resistivity to decrease (causing the electrical conductivity to increase). In some cases a 5-10% drop in electrical resistivity has been observed prior to an earthquake.
Ground Uplift and Tilting of the ground - Measurements taken in the vicinity of active faults sometimes show that prior to an earthquake the ground is uplifted or tilts due to the swelling of rocks caused by strain building on the fault. This may lead to the formation of numerous small cracks (called microcracks). This cracking in the rocks may lead to small earthquakes called foreshocks.

Reference:

Srivastava, H.N. 1983. Earthquakes, Forecasting and Mitigation. National Book Trust, India, New Delhi.

Gupta, D. and Shahani, D.T. 2011. Estimation of Radon as an Earthquake Precursor: A neural network approach. Jr. of Geol. Soc. Of India, Vol.78, pp. 243-248.

http://www.fujitaresearch.com/reports/earthquakes.html
http://earthsci.org/processes/struct/equake3/EQPredictionControl.html http://www.medicaljournal-ias.org/Belgelerim/Belge/KhanFXTDIRNGCH45570.pdf

Why New Delhi Groundwater is highly saline?

2011-09-06T16:02:00.004+05:30

Most of the areas of New Delhi and its adjoining places are affected by salinity hazards.
By
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Inland salinity in ground water is prevalent mainly in the arid and semi arid regions of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In some areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat, ground water salinity is so high that the well water is directly used for salt manufacturing by solar evaporation.

Salts in groundwater originate either from minute quantities dissolved in rain water, from the chemical breakdown of rocks or from direct connection to sea water.

Inland salinity is also caused due to practice of surface water irrigation without consideration of ground water status. The gradual rise of ground water levels with time has resulted in water logging and heavy evaporation in semi arid regions lead to salinity problem in command areas.

Most of the areas of New Delhi and its adjoining places are affected by salinity hazards due to excessive presence of sodium, calcium, magnesium, chlorine etc. ions. Interpretation of surface and subsurface geological and hydrological data indicate that integration of lithological, geomorphic and tectonic factors have led to restricting the circulation of surface and sub-surface water in a graben like structure causing rise of water level. During summer, high evaporation causes capillary rise of shallow groundwater and subsequent precipitation of salts in soil.

The ground water availability in Delhi is controlled by the hydrogeological formations characterized by the presence of alluvial formation and quartzitic hard rocks.
The rock formation is widely varied with variation in land formation like ridge areas. It is traversing across the city and is quite significant to control the occurrence and movement of groundwater. In shallow aquifers, the groundwater occurs under phreatic confined condition. Contrarily, it is in semiconfined to confined conditions in deep aquifers. The shallow aquifers contain saline water and the depth varies from 5 to 10 m.

The affected areas are South Delhi, East Delhi, Gurgaon, Mayur Vihar, Munirka, sector 16,37,50 of Noida and many more areas.

Depth to water table in the area of salinity is mainly between 3 and 5 meter and many places is above 5 meter to 10 meter. In post-monsoon period, the water level however, rises marginally in most of the areas. Long term fluctuation studies shows that in many parts of the Delhi the water level has remained more or less static between 1982 and 1992 period.

The groundwater in about 70% of the area is unfit for drinking and agriculture on account of high TDS (total dissolved solid) of 9000 to 12000 ppm (parts per million). Analytical data show the enrichment of sodium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, and sulfate ions in such water.

Study area is highly affected with inland salinity which is geogenic in origin. The seasonal water level fluctuation and rising water level increases nutrients concentration in groundwater. Mixing with old saline sub-surface groundwater and dissolution of surface salts in the salt affected soil areas were identified as the principle processes controlling groundwater salinity.

Origin of salinity in Delhi groundwater:

At the onset, contribution of salts from the local rocks is ruled out as the quartzite-phyllite association hardly has any mineral which can give rise to such extensive salinity. Moreover, limestone of buried basement could supply a few ions but its limited occurrence could not cause such extensive and intensive salinity. The problem therefore appears to be secondary in nature.

Evaluation of multiple surface and subsurface data shows that an interesting association of geomorphic, lithologic, and climatic factors has developed a typical set-up receptive to salinity hazard. The set-up comprises, a subsurface graben like basin, surface depression, predominance of silt-clayey lithology and semi arid condition. Of these, the subsurface graben is most important feature. It results in ponding of groundwater by restricting its circulation. In geology, a graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults.

Next comes the role of climate which actually causes salinity. The area witnesses a semi-arid climate characterizing a high temperature. Variation from 4 degree to 44 degree and low and erratic rainfall of 233 to 985 mm per year.

During summer, arid conditions cause capillary rise of water from the shallow water table through fine pores of silt clay. Evaporation of water then leads to the precipitation of salts in the near surface soil and groundwater. Continuation of this process make the soil, hard impervious by depositing salts in the sediment pores.

How we can manage salinity?

1. The water table in the depression should be lowered. This could be done by installing a number of shallow bore wells and arranging the withdrawal of groundwater at least equal to the annual recharge. This will control the rise of water table and reduce the scope of evaporation.
2. Excessive surface runoff should be passed out of the area through lined drains. The drain should also be used for transportation of saline groundwater out of the area.

How the groundwater gets contaminated?

2011-08-29T10:46:00.004+05:30

Groundwater is an important source of water supply throughout the world.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

The circulation of water:

There is a continual movement of the earth’s water. The main reservoir is the ocean. From its surface water vapor is formed by the heat from the sun and carried up into the atmosphere by the air movement we called winds and breezes. The water vapor in the air is condensed to drops as the air rises and becomes visible as clouds. The contained moisture may then be precipitated as rain or snow or hail or mixture of these. The rain or snow which falls on the land may be partly re-evaporated, a part may flow into the streams and rivers and be returned to the ocean, and a part may sink into the ground where it supplies the moisture to the soil and also infiltrates downward into the rocks to form groundwater.

Water occupying openings, cavities, and spaces in rocks is commonly known as groundwater. There are two main sources of such water: Juvenile water, which rises from a deep, magmatic source, and meteoric water, which is due to rainfall having soaked into the underlying rocks. Water may be held in space between the grains of a rock (porosity) or in joints, cleavage, bedding planes etc.

Groundwater is an important source of water supply throughout the world. Its use in irrigation, industries, municipalities, and rural homes continue to increase. Cooling and air-conditioning have made heavy demands on groundwater because of characteristic uniformity in temperatures.

Groundwater pollution may be defined as the artificially or geologically induced degradation of natural groundwater quality. A large number of sources and causes can modify groundwater quality, ranging from septic tanks to irrigated agriculture. In contrast with surface water pollution, subsurface pollution is difficult to detect, is even more difficult to control, and may persist for decades. With the growing recognition of the importance of under groundwater, efforts are increasing to prevent, reduce, and eliminate groundwater pollution.

General mechanisms of groundwater contamination-

Contaminant releases to groundwater can occur by design, by accident, or by neglect. Most groundwater contamination incidents involve substances released at or only slightly below the land surface. Consequently, it is shallow groundwater which is affected initially by contaminant releases. In general shallow groundwater resources are considered more susceptible to surface sources of contamination than deeper groundwater sources. There are at least four ways by which groundwater contamination occurs: infiltration, direct migration, interaquifer exchange, and recharge from surface water.

Infiltration: contamination by infiltration is probably the most common groundwater contamination mechanism. A portion of the water which has fallen to the earth slowly infiltrates the soil through pore spaces in the soil matrix. As the water moves downward under the influence of gravity, it dissolves materials with which it comes into contact. Water percolating downward through a contaminated zone can dissolve contaminants, forming the leachate. Depending on the composition of the contaminated zone, the leachate formed can contain a number of inorganic and organic constituents. The leachate will continue to migrate downward under gravity’s influence until the saturated zone is contacted, horizontal and vertical spreading of the contaminants in the leachate will occur in the direction of groundwater flow.
Direct Migration: contaminants can migrate directly into groundwater from below ground sources (e.g. storage tanks, pipelines) which lie within the saturated zone. Storage sites and landfills excavated to a depth near the water table also may permit direct contact of contaminants with groundwater.
Interaquifer Exchange: contaminated groundwater can mix with uncontaminated groundwater through a process known as interaquifer exchange in which one water –bearing unit “communicates” hydraulically with another. This is most common in bedrock aquifers where a well penetrates more than one water-bearing formation to provide increased yield. Each water-bearing unit will have its own head potential, some greater than others. When the well is not being pumped, water will move from the formation with the greatest potential to formations of lesser potential. If the formation with the greater potential contains contaminated or poorer quality water, the quality of water in another formation can be degraded. Similar to the process of direct migration, old and improperly abandoned wells with deteriorated casings or seals are a potential contributor to interaquifer exchange.

Different sources of groundwater contamination-

Industrial sources:

1. Liquid wastes: Groundwater pollution can occur where industrial wastewaters are discharged into pits, ponds, or lagoons, thereby enabling the wastes to migrate down to the water table.
2. Tank and pipeline leakage: underground storage and transmission of a wide variety of fuels and chemicals are common practices for industrial and commercial installations. These tanks and pipelines are subject to structural failures so that subsequent leakage becomes a source of groundwater pollution. Petroleum and petroleum products are responsible for much of the pollution.
3. Mining activities: Mines can produce a variety of groundwater pollution problems. Pollution depends on the material being extracted and the milling process: coal, phosphate, and uranium mines are major contributors; metallic ores for production of iron, copper, zinc, and lead are also important. Heavy metal pollution is caused when such metals as arsenic, cobalt, copper, cadmium, lead, silver and zinc contained in excavated rock or exposed in an underground mine come in contact with water. Metals are leached out and carried downwards as water washes over the rock surface. Although metals can become mobile in neutral pH conditions, leaching is particularly accelerated in the low pH conditions such as are created by Acid Mine Drainage.

Agricultural Sources:

Irrigation return flows: Approximately one-half to two thirds of the water applied for irrigation of crops is consumed by evapotranspiration; the remainder, termed irrigation return flow, drains to surface channels or joins the underlying groundwater. Irrigation increases the salinity of irrigation return flow from three to ten times that of applied water. The degradation results from the addition of salts by dissolution during the irrigation process, from salts added as fertilizers or soil amendments.

Other sources.
1 Residential: Residential wastewater systems can be a source of many categories of contaminants, including bacteria, viruses, nitrates from human waste, and organic compounds. Injection wells used for domestic wastewater disposal (septic systems, cesspools, drainage wells for storm water runoff, groundwater recharge wells) are of particular concern to groundwater quality if located close to drinking water wells. Improperly storing or disposing of household chemicals such as paints, synthetic detergents, solvents, oils, medicines, disinfectants, pool chemicals, pesticides, batteries, gasoline and diesel fuel can lead to groundwater contamination. When stored in garages or basements with floor drains, spills and flooding may introduce such contaminants into the groundwater. When thrown in the household trash, the products will eventually be carried into the groundwater because community landfills are not equipped to handle hazardous materials. Similarly, wastes dumped or buried in the ground can contaminate the soil and leach into the groundwater.
2. Natural: groundwater contains some impurities, even if it is unaffected by human activities. The types and concentrations of natural impurities depend on the nature of the geological material through which the groundwater moves and the quality of the recharge water. Groundwater moving through sedimentary rocks and soils may pick up a wide range of compounds such as magnesium, calcium, and chlorides. Some aquifers have high natural concentration of dissolved constituents such as arsenic, boron, and selenium. The effect of these natural sources of contamination on groundwater quality depends on the type of contaminant and its concentrations.

Miscellaneous sources:

Stockpiles
Septic Tanks
Saline water intrusion.
Surface water.

8 Plant Species in Danger of Disappearing.

2011-08-10T13:24:00.013+05:30

Source:

http://www.toponlinecolleges.com/blog/2011/8-plant-species-in-danger-of-disappearing/

Plants don't get enough credit in our world. They're seen as lifeless decorations or a way to recycle cow manure. But plants have a magic all their own. A bouquet of flowers can patch up a couple after a fight, while a man-eating plant can play the villain in a movie or musical. Plus, they fill that minorly important role of producing food and oxygen. So while they help keep us alive, here are eight plant species that could probably use our help to survive.

1. Hawaiian gardenia

This small tree with white flowers is found on the islands of Lanai and Oahu in Hawaii and is also known as Nanu, though it probably has nothing to do with Mork. The trees grow to about 16 feet tall with shiny oval leaves, and the flowers have six petals. You've probably seen the flowers, or one of the other two types of gardenias in Hawaii, used in leis. There are thought to only be 15 or 20 trees left today, and those numbers are decreasing. Once common and found on all the main islands, the Hawaiian gardenia was used by Hawaiians for wood, dyes, and landscaping purposes.

2. Poke-me-boy
Though its name sounds like a Facebook come-on, the poke-me-boy is actually a spiny tree in the bean family found only on the British Virgin Islands, specifically on the island of Anegada. It produces fuzzy, yellow flowers between its long thorns. As the poke-me-boy's tiny island habitat becomes more developed for residences and tourism, the plant is suffering quick losses. Fire is often used to clear land, and the trees are continuously under threat of natural disasters. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods threaten the poke-me-boys, which live barely above sea level. There are also many roaming animals on the one-town island that often trample or graze on the plant

3. Cabbage on a stick
Cabbage on a stick is pretty much what it sounds like: a tuft of leaves that looks like a head of cabbage sitting on top of a thick stick. It's also known as alula. In the wild, this plant is only found on the Hawaiian island of Kauai and without the work of botanists, it would be extinct. Because the only insect that could pollinate the cabbage on a stick, a type of hawk moth, doesn't exist anymore, the plant species can only reproduce if humans hand-pollinate it. Botanists repelled down cliffs to reach the existing alula, pollinate it, and bring some back with them to grow in nurseries. Cabbage on a stick is still critically endangered in the wild, but can be found in plant conservatories around the world.
4. Mun ebony
Mun, or moon, ebony is from the same family as the black, shiny stuff that goes so well with ivory in song. But mun ebony is often striped and even more rare than black ebony. It's found in Vietnam and possibly Laos, and is just as dense as its famous cousin. Because of its heaviness and fine texture that allows it to be polished, it has been very popular to make instruments, tools, and sculptures from it. The export of mun ebony is now banned, and some parks are protecting the ebony within them, but it may not be enough to keep ebony from disappearing into the hands of merchants and woodworkers

5. Golden barrel

This plant is also known as mother-in-law's cushion, which would be sweet except that the golden barrel is a cactus. Even though this prickly sphere is one of the most popular kinds of cacti in cultivation, it is nearing extinction in the wild. It's found in Central Mexico, but its habitat was severely reduced in the '90s by the construction of a dam and reservoir. The golden barrel cactus is grown all over the world in nurseries, but people continue to take the cacti illegally from the wild. Experts estimate that this plant could be extinct in the wild within 30 years. And once it's gone, where will the in-laws sit?

6. Virginia round-leaf birch

This birch, the most endangered tree in North America, has already come back from the dead once. After it was first discovered in 1918, experts thought it had become extinct when they couldn't find any more, until more birches were discovered in 1975. The tree is found in Virginia, and while there are more than 900 found in the wild as of 2006, this birch is only known to have naturally reproduced once, in the '80s. This means the round-leaf birch is dependent on human aid to keep the species going. And humans are also a major threat to the tree; vandals and thieves have historically been attracted to the trees and seedlings, presumably because of their rarity. This is why we can't have nice things.

7. Large-leaved pitcher plant
When you first see the large-leaved pitcher plant, you might think it's just a vase of water conveniently growing in the jungle. But get too close and it could eat you — well, if you're a bug. The pitcher plant is one kind of carnivorous plant, and this is one of the largest versions, with the pitcher often growing more than a foot deep. It's only found on one mountain in Borneo, though, so this species faces the threat of extinction. Pitcher plants lure insects into their fluid-filled pitchers, where the insects drown and are ingested. Large-leaved pitcher plants were recently found to have the exact dimensions as tree shrews in the area, but even though the plants probably could trap and kill the rodents, it's more likely that they are engineered to catch the shrew's droppings for food. It'd be a pity to lose one of the only plants that gathers its own fertilizer.
8. Capa rose
The capa rose by any other name would probably not seem like a rose at all. It's actually part of a family of small trees that produce small, star-shaped flowers and bright purple berries. It only grows in Puerto Rico and has trouble reproducing naturally. Deforestation and development of land for agriculture are causing its habitat to shrink even further. The capa rose's habitat is under U.S. jurisdiction, and the Forest Service chose not to list its habitat as critical because they would have to publish details on the plant's location, basically providing a map for people who want to collect the plant illegally.

My small journey on holy Ganga River in Varanasi city, India.

2011-08-07T17:25:00.004+05:30

In spite of high pollution level river Ganga is still treated as holy river in India. This video is small travelling by me on boat on Ganga river in Varanasi city in India.

वृक्ष कम होंगे तो कम होगा आक्सीजन .

2011-08-06T17:26:00.003+05:30

झारखण्ड में प्रदुषण बढ़ने का भी खतरा होगा.
द्वारा
डा. नितीश प्रियदर्शी

आज पुरे विश्वा में जंगल का विनाश हो रहा हे. जंगल में लगी आग के रूप में या जंगल की कटाई के रूप में . वृक्ष हमारे वातावरण को संतुलित करते हैं. एवं जल चक्र को बनाये रखने में भी सहायक होता है. यह भू छरण को भी रोकता है. जंगल के विनाश से इनपर तो असर हो रहा हे किन्तु सबसे खतरनाक असर हमारे वातावरण में मौजूद प्राणवायु आक्सीजन पर दिख रहा है अब माना जाने लगा है की वृक्षों के कम होने से वायुमंडल में मौजूद आक्सीजन (२० %) में भी कमी होगी जो मनुष्य एवं दूसरे जंतुओं के लिये भी खतरनाक संकेत है. वृक्ष प्रकाश संश्लेषण की प्रक्रिया द्वारा वातावरण से कार्बन ड़ाइओक्सइड को लेकर आक्सीजन मुक्त करते है. इस आक्सीजन को जीव जीवित रहने के लिये ग्रहण करते है. पृथ्वी पर वृक्षों की यदि कमी होने लगेगी तो निश्चित रूप से इसका असर आक्सीजन की मात्र पर होगा.

वृक्ष के केवल कटने से ही नहीं; जंगल में आग लगने से भी आक्सीकरण की कमी हो सकती हे क्योंकि जलने से भी आक्सीजन का इस्तेमाल होता है. आज जिन पौधे या वृक्षों के बदौलत हमारे पृथ्वी पर आक्सीजन है हम उन्ही को कम करते जा रहे हैं. एक नए शोध से यह ज्ञात हुआ है कि १९८९ और १९९४ के बीच आक्सीजन कि मात्रा पृथ्वी पर २ भाग प्रति मिलियन प्रतिवर्ष के हिसाब से कम हुई है. कम होने कि गति काफी कम होने के कारण हम इसकी घटने कि गति पर नजर नहीं रख पा रहे हैं.

वृक्ष न केवल आक्सीजन देता हे बल्कि वातावरण को भी शुद्ध एवं ठंडा रखता है. अगर झारखण्ड की ही बात ले तो पिछले कुछ वर्षों मौसम में काफी बदलाव आ रहा है. वर्षा कभी औसत से कम या नहीं हो रही है. रांची जैसा शहर जो अपने मौसम के वजह से मशहुर था आज गर्म होते जा रहे है. इसका एक प्रमुख कारण है रांची के आस पास वृक्षों का कम होते जाना.

वर्षा के कम होने की वजह से यहाँ पेयजल के अस्तित्व पर भी खतरा पैदा हो गया है. वातावरण में कार्बन ड़ाइओक्सइड के बढ़ने का भी खतरा पैदा हो गया है. वृक्षों के कम होने से झारखण्ड के वातावरण में मौजूद आक्सीजन पर भी इसका बुरा प्रभाव हो सकता है जिसका असर आने वाले समय में दिख सकता है. अगर हमारे प्रदेश में आक्सीजन की मात्रा में जरा सा भी कमी आया तो ये कहने की जरुरत नहीं की हमारा क्या हाल होगा. प्रदुषण भी खतरनाक तरीके से बढ़ेगा वो अलग.

रांची के सड़कों के किनारे पनप रहा है पुनर्नवा का पौधा 1

2011-07-28T11:18:00.008+05:30

किडनी के मरीजों में होता है इसका उपयोग 1

द्वारा

नितीश प्रियदर्शी

रांची के सड़कों के किनारे इस समय औषधीय पोधौं का राजा पुनर्नवा कुछ कुछ स्थानों पर पाया जा रहा है 1 अगर जानकारों की माने तो इस पौधे का इस्तेमाल उन मरीजों पर ज्यादा किया जाता है जो गुर्दे (किडनी ) की बीमारी से ग्रसित हैं1 रांची की मिट्टी, चट्टानें एवं जलवायु इस पौधे के लिये काफी उपयूक्त हैं 1 बहुत सारी निजी संस्थाएँ इन पौधों को औषधि के रूप में ऊँचे दामों पर बेचती हैं1 रांची में ये खासकर करमटोली , मोरहाबादी आदि स्थानों में लेखक को ये पौधा दिखा है1

पुनर्नवा पूरे भारत में खासकर गर्म प्रदेशों में बहुतायत से प्राप्त होता है। हर साल बारिश के मौसम में नए पौधे निकलना और गर्मी के मौसम में सूख जाना इसकी खासियत होती है।

पुनर्नवा एक आयुर्वेदिक औषधि है। इस विशेषणात्मक उक्ति की पृष्ठभूमि पूर्णतः वैज्ञानिक है । पुनर्नवा का पौधा जब सूख जाता है तो वर्षा ऋतु आने पर इन से शाखाएँ पुनः फूट पड़ती हैं और पौधा अपनी मृत जीर्ण-शीर्णावस्था से दुबारा नया जीवन प्राप्त कर लेता है । इस विलक्षणता के कारण ही इसे ऋषिगणों ने पुनर्नवा नाम दिया है । इसे शोथहीन व गदहपूरना भी कहते हैं । पुनर्नवा के नामों के संबंध में भारी मतभेद रहा है। भारत के भिन्न-भिन्न भागों में तीन अलग-अलग प्रकार के पौधे पुनर्नवा नाम से जाने जाते हैं । ये हैं-बोअरहेविया डिफ्यूजा, इरेक्टा तथा रीपेण्डा । आय.सी.एम.आर. के वैज्ञानिकों ने वानस्पतिकी के क्षेत्र में शोधकर 'मेडीसिनल प्लाण्ट्स ऑफ इण्डिया' नामक ग्रंथ में इस विषय पर लिखकर काफी कुछ भ्रम को मिटाया है । उनके अनुसार बोअरहेविया डिफ्यूजा जिसके पुष्प श्वेत होते हैं औषधीय पौधे की श्रेणी में आते हैं। पुनर्नवा खाने में ठंडी, सूखी और हल्की होती है।
रक्त पुनर्नवा एक सामान्य पायी जाने वाली घास है जो सर्वत्र सड़कों के किनारे उगी फैली हुई मिलती है । श्वेत पुनर्नवा रक्त वाली प्रजाति से बहुत कम सुलभ है इसलिए श्वेत औषधीय प्रजाति में रक्त पुनर्नवा की अक्सर मिलावट कर दी जाती है ।

इस औषधि का मुख्य औषधीय घटक एक प्रकार का एल्केलायड है, जिसे पुनर्नवा कहा गया है । इसकी मात्रा जड़ में लगभग 0.04 प्रतिशत होती है । अन्य एल्केलायड्स की मात्रा लगभग 6.5 प्रतिशत होती है । पुनर्नवा के जल में न घुल पाने वाले भाग में स्टेरॉन पाए गए हैं, जिनमें बीटा-साइटोस्टीराल और एल्फा-टू साईटोस्टीराल प्रमुख है । इसके निष्कर्ष में एक ओषजन युक्त पदार्थ ऐसेण्टाइन भी मिला है । इसके अतिरिक्त कुछ महत्त्वपूर्ण् कार्बनिक अम्ल तथा लवण भी पाए जाते हैं । अम्लों में स्टायरिक तथा पामिटिक अम्ल एवं लवणों में पोटेशियम नाइट्रेट, सोडियम सल्फेट एवं क्लोराइड प्रमुख हैं । इन्हीं के कारण सूक्ष्म स्तर पर कार्य करने की सामर्थ्य बढ़ती है ।

जानकारों के अनुसार, यह पीलिया, पेट के रोग, खून के विकार, सूजन, सूजाक (गिनोरिया), मूत्राल्पता (पेशाब का कम आना), बुखार तथा मोटापा आदि विकारों को नष्ट करती है। पुनर्नवा का प्रयोग जलोदर (पेट में पानी का भरना), मूत्रकृच्छ (पेशाब करने में परेशानी या जलन), घाव की सूजन, श्वास (दमा), हृदय (दिल) रोग, बेरी-बेरी, यकृत (जिगर) रोग, खांसी, विष (जहर) के दुष्प्रभाव को दूर करता है।

आज भी बहुत कम लोग इस पौधे की चमत्कारी गुणों को जानते हैं 1 लेखक ने जब इस पौधे की तस्वीर उतरने की कोशिश की तो कई लोग कोतुहल वश इसकी जानकारी चाही 1 हो सकता है ये आपके घरों के आसपास ही हो और आपको इसकी जानकारी न हो 1 अगर आप इनको पहचान लेते हैं तो इसे बचाने की कोशिश करें ताकि अगले वर्ष बरसात में फिर से उग जाएँ 1 झारखण्ड में वैसे भी औषधीय पौधों का भंडार है जिनकी विस्तृत जानकारी और संगरक्षण जरुरी है1

Different moods of Ganges River in Varanasy city, India.

2011-07-24T16:03:00.019+05:30

Inspite of most polluted river in India, Ganga is still beautiful.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

One plastic bottle seen which is beeing used to mark the boundary of the fishing net.

Pollution in the Holy River.

Devotee praying to Ganga River.

Devotees waiting to see the prayer offered to Ganga River.

Candle seen flowing on the surface of water. Hindu devotees show their respect to this holy river by floating candle (diya).

Final destination. Human dead bodies seen burning on the banks of the river.

Tourists enjoying boating on this river.

Animal species about to go extinct.

2011-07-22T11:22:00.016+05:30

11 ANIMAL SPECIES ABOUT TO GO EXTINCT

source:

http://www.onlinedegree.net/11-animal-species-about-to-go-extinct/

Some endangered species get all the attention. Polar bears, pandas, and Siberian tigers are hotshots in mainstream conservation campaigns and are featured in various commercials, complete with melodramatic music and emotional appeals. But there are many animal species that are just as close or closer to extinction than these select few. And many of them are equally cute. The following animals are all considered to be critically endangered and could disappear within our lifetimes.

1. Golden-Mantled Tree Kangaroo

Less famous than its ground-dwelling, boxing relatives, the golden-mantled tree kangaroo (pictured above) has jumped onto the list of species facing extinction. It looks similar to a kangaroo or wallaby, but has strong forearms and a long ringed tail. Tree kangaroos also have rubbery soles on shorter, wider feet to make them more adept at climbing than kangaroos on the ground. Though they are slow and clumsy on land, tree kangaroos move expertly through trees, wrapping their forearms around a limb and using the hind legs to propel themselves up. They also leap with ease between trees. The golden-mantled tree kangaroo lives in the forested areas of a mountain range in Papua New Guinea and was discovered in Indonesia in 2006 by a group of scientists. As more of the forest is cleared away to be made into cultivated land, the tree kangaroo's home is shrinking -- bad news when it has been run out of 99% of its historical habitat range. In 2008 there were only 250 of its kind left, and experts expect the number to drop under 200 in the next 10 years or so.

2. Siau Island Tarsier

This Gremlin-esque little guy comes, unsurprisingly, from the island of Siau in Indonesia. Tarsiers are nocturnal primates with extremely large eyes, soft fur, and long fingers and feet. Researchers believe the Siau Island tarsier numbers in the low thousands, and local residents have said they've seen fewer and fewer of these tarsiers during the past 10 years. Take into account that more than half of the animal's home is an active volcano and that the island's human population is rumored to regularly eat five to 10 tarsiers in one sitting, and the future's not looking good for this species. In fact, it was put on the 2008-2010 list of the 25 most endangered primates, ranking up there with heavyweight names like the Sumatran Orangutan and Cross River Gorilla.

3. Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth
A slightly smaller version of your average sloth found only on one small island off the coast of Panama, the pygmy three-toed sloth is inching its way toward extinction with presumably fewer than 500 of its kind remaining. Though apparently not helping it survive human threats, this sloth's set of skills includes the ability to turn its head 360 degrees and to grow algae on its fur. The algae is thought to be a sort of camouflage, but it hasn't been able to protect the sloth from fishermen, who hunt the sloths and can spot them easily in their habitats near open sea. And while sloths have gotten a bad name for being lazy, what with the whole seven deadly sins thing, maybe that reputation will help them in this instance. Hopefully when it comes to extinction, these sloths will go very slowly.

4. Beluga

If something's not done to protect the beluga, the rich and famous may have to do without their caviar dreams permanently. The beluga, or European sturgeon, is one of the few sturgeons whose egg masses are used to make traditional caviar. Because of this notoriety, though, the beluga is frequently overfished and poached. And because it takes about 15 years for a beluga to mature, it is difficult for the fish to recover from being hunted. Not to be confused with the beluga whale, this ugly fish looks like something that could've gone extinct with the dinosaurs. A fully grown sturgeon can grow up to 15 feet long and weigh 2500 pounds. The largest one ever recorded was more than 3000 pounds and measured almost 25 feet. But the numbers of this big fish are dwindling, decreasing about 90% during the last 60 years. Most of the beluga in the world today are raised in hatcheries, and it may not be long until this animal is extinct in the wild.

5. Namdapha Flying Squirrel
You would think that a mammal that is able to fly would be evolved enough to avoid facing extinction, but that's not the case with the Namdapha flying squirrel. Being fuzzy and adorable apparently isn't helping either. This squirrel has only been found in one park in northeastern India so it is in great danger of disappearing. Among the top threats to the squirrel are human and animal predators and the degradation of its habitat. Like other flying squirrels, the Namdapha flying squirrel is able to soar from tree to tree using a parachute-like muscle membrane on the sides of its body. As it's soaring, the squirrel is able to steer itself by moving its legs, tail and the membrane. The main differences between this squirrel and its cousins, like Rocky the Flying Squirrel, are the coloring and some variations in its features. Maybe this flying squirrel needs some help from Bullwinkle to save the day.

6. Iberian Lynx
This species of cat is just about out of lives. The near-relative to the common bobcat has earned the title of "world's most threatened species of cat" and could become the first feral cat to become extinct in about 2000 years. The Iberian lynx lives in Spain and possibly in Portugal, and while this cat's preferred food is rabbits, it has been forced to hunt other types of prey as the rabbit population has decreased drastically due to disease. The lynx has also increasingly been killed by speeding traffic on Spain's growing network of roads. In 2000, there were thought to be 400 Iberian lynx remaining. By 2003, that number had been cut to about 160 and then possibly to 100 by 2005. It's rumored that the Spanish government is releasing rabbits into the wild to replenish the lynx's hunting grounds and organizations are calling for the closure of the busiest road that runs through the lynx habitat. It's yet to be seen if these actions could help this cat species land on its feet.

7. Radiated Tortoise
Considered by many to be the world's most beautiful tortoise species, the radiated tortoise is in a losing race against time. It's found on the southern coast of Madagascar, and though it once numbered in the millions, it has been hunted to a point that the species may not survive. People use its meat for food, but it is also said to be an aphrodisiac -- some people from China will pay $50 to eat one. The bright star pattern on its shell also makes the tortoise a commodity in the illegal pet trade market. Madagascar park authorities and law enforcement are poorly equipped to deal with poachers, and the poachers have even started hunting the radiated tortoise on protected areas, like reserves or World Heritage Sites. Some scientists have predicted that this tortoise could be extinct in 20 years if drastic measures

8. Monk Seal
Only two kinds of monk seals still exist: the Hawaiian monk seal and the Mediterranean monk seal. And both are close to extinction. To make matters more serious, the third monk seal species, the Caribbean monk seal, went extinct sometime in the last 60 years. (To make matters less serious, native Hawaiians call their monk seal 'Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, a name that means "dog that runs in rough water.") The threats to monk seals include angry fisherman who are afraid they can't compete with the seals for fish, water pollution and the use of boats and the beaches where seals frequent. There are about 1000 Hawaiian monk seals alive today, but experts predict that number will fall to 200 in the next 20 years. Only 350 to 450 Mediterranean monk seals remain and that number is also falling.

9. Blue-Throated Macaw
This blue-and-yellow Bolivian bird has quickly decreased in number during the past few generations. Its bright feathers makes it a favorite as a pet, and though it's illegal to trade macaws, it continues to happen. Parrot-stealing seems like the perfect crime for a pirate. There are also a few instances of the bird being hunted for its feathers to make indigenous headdresses or for its meat to bait fish hooks. This parrot's habitat is also being threatened because it's located on cattle farms where trees are being cut down to create pastures and provide fuel. The blue-throated macaw is also facing competition for nesting sites from other birds such as toucans and big woodpeckers, as well as other macaws. There are only about 300 blue-throated

10. Florida Bonneted Bat

No matter how many bat signals Florida authorities cast into the sky, the bonneted bats aren't coming out. This bat, Florida's largest with a wingspan of up to 18 inches, is named for its big ears that stick out over its eyes like a hat and can only be found on the southern tip of the state. It lives in hollowed-out trees, in suburban places like attics or under Spanish roof tiles and sometimes in foliage or under rocks. But because the suitable hiding places are normally older buildings or trees with large cavities, many of the bat's habitats are being destroyed, by both humans and hurricanes. With only 250 or so bonneted bats left, this species could be on its way out. Holy extinction, Batman!

11. Dama Gazelle
Dama gazelles used to graze all across northern Africa, presumably showing up in herds to join in a chorus of "The Circle of Life." But now the animals that once numbered up to 10,000 on just one reserve can only be found in a few isolated areas in Chad, Mali, and Niger. Experts say there are definitely less than 500 of these gazelles left in the wild and they can't be found in groups of more than 20, which are normally hundreds of miles apart. The main threats to this gazelle are hunting by nomads, military and hunting parties, and a loss of its habitat because of overgrazing of domestic livestock. The dama gazelle is expected to follow the same path out of the circle of life as the Scimitar-horned Oryx, which is now extinct in the wild.

Seeds of Destruction.

2011-07-14T12:19:00.002+05:30

This book clearly indicates about the consequences of over population and depleting of resources.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Recently I went through a book written by Allan Hendry “SEEDS OF DESTRUCTION”. This book is work of fiction that combines suspense and intrigue with strong message about environment and overpopulation. From the very first page author has gripped me with thrilling incidents.

This book clearly indicates about the consequences of over population and depleting of resources. This book also shows us the dark face of so called civilized humans.

I was more thrilled on Jordan incident where the theologian and an arms dealer meet a terrifying sect and in Australia, a dietary researcher unmasks a hidden cult. In Colorado, a computer scientist encounters some mysterious people who seem to see in the dark. There are more such thrilled incidents in this book where you can keep guessing.

I request to all environmentalists and policy makers of the world to go through this book. I am sure it will be mind opening and exciting and also make you wonder.

Does God exist? - Some scientific evidences.

2011-06-24T16:34:00.002+05:30

There is abundant evidence that the universe was designed by super intelligent agent.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

For a thousand years, mathematicians, scientists, philosophers and religious figures have wrestled with the question of whether it’s possible to know once and for all whether there is such a thing as a ‘God’. And if so, what form might ‘He’ take.

Such question was always there in my mind. From my childhood I saw my mother praying and worshipping God for more than two hours daily. Even one of my professor in Geology department was devoted to Goddess Kali and uses to advice me; if you want to achieve something in your life get the blessings of God.

Twelve years ago my mother took me to an astrologer who was also a head of Mechanical Engineering Department of an engineering college. My mother was more curious to know about my carrier and future. After going through my horoscope he suggested me to offer prayer on particular days. In reply, my mother told him that I don’t believe on god and I will also not follow the complicated rituals of worshipping. After hearing to my mother he gave very calm reply, never thrust your son to believe on god. Time will come when god himself will show his existence to your son.

At that time I was not able to understand his version. Being a believer on science I always believed that every action in this universe is natural and it is nothing to do with god.

But now every thing has changed. From last few years I am trying to understand about the stars, universe, big bang theory, evolution of planets, and rotation of planets around the sun, cosmology, photosynthesis, continuous pumping of your heart, human genome and lots more. Everything thing is happening in perfect mode as if someone super has created all these. It may be GOD.

If we want to see the existence of god we can see it in the form of Big Bang. The existence of the big bangs begs the question of what came before that and who or what was responsible. The big bang cries out for a devine explanation. It forces the conclusion that nature had a defined beginning. I cannot see how nature could have created itself. Only a supernatural force that is outside of space and time could have done that.

But what of the rest of creation? What are we to make of the long, drawn-out process by which our own planet, Earth, came into existence, some 10 billion years after the big bang? Who gave the first rotation to our planets? Was it natural or some supernatural force have done it.

God has not left His name etched onto the surface of planets. However, there is abundant evidence that the universe was designed by super intelligent Agent, who purposed that the universe should exist and be capable of supporting advanced life. The design of the universe is just one line of evidence that God created the universe. The design of the earth and solar system is also quite impressive.

Regarding origin of water, atmosphere, oxygen there are lots of speculations and theories but no final conclusion. How these are all created no body knows.

Now if you see the human genome, it consists of all the DNA of our species, the hereditary code of life. This newly revealed text was 3 billion letters long, and written in a strange and cryptographic four-letter code. Such is the amazing complexity of the information carried within each cell of the human body, that a live reading of that code at a rate of one letter per second would take thirty one years, even if reading continued day and night.

The size and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding. The dimensions of the cosmos are so large that using familiar units of distance, such as meters or miles, chosen for their utility on Earth, would make little sense. Instead we measure distance with the speed of light.

A galaxy is composed of gas, dust and stars- billions upon billions of stars. There are some hundred billion galaxies, each with, on the average, a hundred billion stars. Who has created all these? Is it not the creation by some super natural force?

In the face of such overpowering numbers, what is the likelihood that only one ordinary star, the Sun, is accompanied by an inhabited planet? Why should we, tucked away in some forgotten corner of the cosmos. Is this a wish of God or the mystery lies somewhere else?

What about the Atom? The average atom is about two hundred-millionths of centimeter or about 0.8 hundred-millionths of an inch in diameter. Alternatively, it would take a string of about 125 million atoms to form an inch-long chain. A cubic centimeter of almost any solid contains about 100 sextillions (100,000 billion billion) atoms.

Many people may say its all science. But science is an ongoing process. It never ends. There is no single ultimate truth to be achieved, after which all the scientists can retire.

Science is not only way of knowing. Science alone is not enough to answer all the important questions. The spiritual worldview provides another way of finding truth. Scientists who deny this would be well advised to consider the limits of their own tools, as nicely represented in a parable told by the astronomer Aurthur Eddington. He described a man who set about to study deep-sea life using a net that had a mesh size of three inches. After catching many wild and wonderful creatures from the depths, the man concluded that are no deep-sea fish that are smaller than three inches in length! If we are using the scientific net to catch our particular version of truth, we should not be surprised that it does not catch the evidence of spirit.

Importance of Ficus Religosa (Peepal) tree in our environment.

2011-05-26T11:49:00.004+05:30

Peepal is also a pollution indicator tree.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

The Ficus Religosa (commonly known as Peepal tree in India) is one of the best known trees of India; it is planted in most villages of the country, and is held in high esteem by the people of India. Hindus and Buddhists hold the tree in veneration. The name religosa has reference to the tree often found near temples or shrines.

This is a tree that reaches very large proportions, it is in fact about the largest of our indigenous trees. The leaves are generally pendulous, that is , hanging down, and are such that a slight breeze sets them all quivering and trembling. There can hardly be a more peaceful scene than a peasant, at the end of a long day of toil in the fields, sitting under the village Peepal and being lulled to sleep by the rustling of its leaves.

Every villager in India knows that the Peepal has a very long life, compared with other common trees. There are records, however, of a tree taken to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from Northern India in 288 B.C.; at the end of the 18th century the tree was still doing well; in 1852 it was, not just supposed, but known to be 2147 years old. There seems to have been a tradition in Sri Lanka that the ruling dynasty would last in power as long as the sacred Peepal (Ficus Religosa) remained alive. It was according to tradition, under this tree that Gautam Buddha, sat in meditation at Bodh Gaya in Bihar State of India.; unfortunately the original tree has disappeared, and is now replaced by a successor. There is a saying that it gives more oxygen than any other trees. It is an important host plant for the summer brood of lac insect. An aqueous extract of bark shows antibacterial activity.

Propogation of the Peepal is very easy, it may be done by seeds or by cuttings; natural regeneration takes place through the seeds scattered by birds. Cuttings, even large pieces, can be used with advantage. Peepal is good avenue trees, it is also used as fodder, fuel, fruit and medicinal. Protein concentration is high in Peepal trees. Hence integration of peepal tree with agricultural crops could play an important role in meeting the fodder requirements of animals. Peepal not only produce fodder, but also balance climatic conditions, control soil erosion, improve soil structure and its fertility. It is also dust and sound absorbent. It can also grow on highly degraded and poor soils and still provide useful out put for animal food, fuel wood and timber. Peepal tree is also known as pollution indicators. In recent study, researchers observed that pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxide and dust choke the roots, steam, flowers and fruits of the plants. Leaves are particularly sensitive to pollution. Earlier studies have shown a quantitative decrease in the chlorophyll A and B pigments in peepal tree by air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide.

Peepal trees have many medicinal uses. Juice extracted from the leaves is used for eardrops. The bark is used to heal inflammations of the neck and glandular swellings. Chewing the roots of a peepal tree is said to help prevent gum disease.

Its fruit is laxative which promotes digestion and checks vomiting. Its ripe fruits are good for the foul taste, thirst and heart diseases. The powered fruit is taken for Asthma. Its seeds have proved useful in urinary troubles. The leaves are used to treat constipation.

Megaliths site in Jharkhand State of India.

2011-05-02T11:35:00.004+05:30

Jharkhand state is very rich in ancient and historical sites.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

The above photographs are from Chatra district. Photos were send by Mr. Ujjal Ghosh.

Different Megaliths site has been identified by different workers in Jharkhand State of India. The sites are mainly concentrated in Hazaribagh, Lohardagga, Singhbhum, Chatra districts etc. Jharkhand state is very rich in ancient and historical sites which need urgent care and importance. Most of the sites in state are still unexplored and needs more research to disclose its mysteries.

Megaliths are the most unfortunate relics of our country's prehistory. Although they are found in almost the entire expanse of the country, still they are not regarded as a source of our prehistory perhaps owing to their tribal origin. But as they are found in almost the entire sacred land of India, these ancient monuments are therefore our truest archaeological heritage.

Megaliths are large stone structures or groups of standing stones which are located at sites in various parts of the would and believed to have religious significance. The term "megalith" means "great stone" which is derived from the Greek words "megas" ('great') and "lithos" ('stone'). However, the general meaning of megaliths includes any structure composed of large stones which includes tombs and circular standing structures. Such structures have been found in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and South America.

Their origins and purposes have tantalized experts and ordinary people for centuries. There is a general consensus that many were built in the Neolithic and early Bronze Ages.

Those found in India date from the first centuries of the Christian era. The megaliths on Easter Island, in the South Pacific, probably are contemporary with the Medieval period of Europe.

The general speculation as to their purposes is that megaliths were used for religious activities, burial sites, and astronomical observatories for the sun and other celestial bodies. Some megaliths are said to possess supernatural or electromagnetic forces.

Megalithic burials are found in Northeast and Southeast Asia. They are found mainly in the Korean Peninsula. They are also found in the Liaoning, Shandong, and Zhejiang in China, Kyūshū in Japan,Dong Nai province in Vietnam and parts of India. Some living megalithic traditions is found on the island of Sumba and Nias in Indonesia. The greatest concentration of megalithic burials is in Korea. Archaeologists estimate that there are 15,000 to 100,000 southern megaliths in the Korean Peninsula.

Megaliths were used for a variety of purposes. The purpose of megaliths ranged from serving as boundary markers of territory, to a reminder of past events, to being part of the society's religion.

Amongst the indigenous peoples of India, Malaysia, Polynesia, North Africa, North America, and South America, the worship of these stones, or the use of these stones to symbolize a spirit or deity, is a possibility.

How much safe is Nuclear Power Plant?

2011-04-22T19:08:00.003+05:30

Increase in the number of reactors will increase the the possibility of exposure to radiation hazards.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Japan has raised its assessment of the accident at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to the worst rating on an international scale, putting the disaster on par with the 1986 Chernobyl explosion.

The decision to raise the alert level to 7 from 5 on the scale amounts to an admission that the accident at the nuclear facility, is likely to have substantial and long lasting consequences for health and for the environment.

Living with radiation can in fact be frightening. Plants making nuclear-weapons materials also pollute our environment. Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, as well as other nuclear power plant accidents, have alarmed us. Nuclear waste is piling up.

What is radiation anyway? Although the term is broad enough to include sunlight and heat, radio waves and microwaves, it is most often used to mean ionizing radiation. Every radioactive substance contains unstable atoms, or radionuclides. They want to become something else- something stable- so they change or decay. With each change energy is released. A radionuclide may transform itself many times before becoming stable. An atom of radioactive uranium 238 goes through 14 changes before stabilizing as lead 206. These sequences are known as decay chains.

If body tissues and cells become ionized, abnormalities in DNA can result. Cancer and birth defects can also result from exposure to ionizing radiation.

Even more than Three Mile Island, the explosion at the Chernobyl power plant in soviet Ukraine confirmed the worst nuclear fears. Poor design magnified operator negligence to cause disaster. The explosion sent the graphite slabs of the reactor core through the roof, setting it afire and spewing radioactive materials around the world. Twenty percent of the plant’s radioactive iodine escaped, along with 10 to 20 percent of its radioactive cesium. Thirty persons died; 237 suffered severe radioactive injury. Chernobyl affected the health of many people throughout Russia. Around 600,000 were classified as being ‘significantly exposed’ and will have their health monitored their whole lives.

The main economic cost of the Chernobyl explosion was from the effect the fallout had on the agriculture. Enormous amount of milk in Poland, Hungary, Austria and Sweden were made unusable by the contamination from radioiodine and radioiodine and radiocesium. Also many countries across Europe had numerous amounts of vegetation burned because of contamination. A ban on many agricultural goods was placed in Eastern Europe. The longest effect the radiation had was on the reindeer and sheep in Sweden.

The Three Mile Island accident was a core meltdown in Unit 2 (a pressurized water reactor ) of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg, United States in 1979.

The power plant was owned and operated by General Public Utilities and Metropolitan Edison. It was the most significant accident in the history of the USA commercial nuclear power generating industry, resulting in the release of up to 481 P Bq (13 million curies) of radioactive gases, and less than 740 GBq (20 curies) of iodine-131.

On December 12, 1952 a partial meltdown of a reactor's uranium core at the Chalk River plant near Ottawa, Canada, resulted after the accidental removal of four control rods. Although millions of gallons of radioactive water poured into the reactor, there were no injuries.

On October 1957 fire destroyed the core of a plutonium-producing reactor at Britain's Windscale nuclear complex - since renamed Sellafield - sending clouds of radioactivity into the atmosphere. An official report said the leaked radiation could have caused dozens of cancer deaths in the vicinity of Liverpool.

Other accident took place on Winter 1957-'58 when a serious accident occurred during the winter of 1957-58 near the town of Kyshtym in the Urals. A Russian scientist who first reported the disaster estimated that hundreds died from radiation sickness.

On January 1,1992 four tons of heavy water spilt at Rajasthan nuclear power plant (India).

Lots more are there to be listed.

Fears of radiation hazards from nuclear energy arise on the following counts:

release of radioactivity into the atmosphere.
doubts on safety of operating nuclear reactors and associated health risks.
management and safe disposal of radioactive waste.
possibilities of nuclear plant accidents including sabotage.
risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Nuclear power plants are subject to a number of hazards that may originate from outside. Among natural hazards are earthquakes, flooding of the site, ground settlement, etc. Other hazards could be accidents in near by industries, fire, aircraft crash, or sabotage such as bombing and missile attacks during war and terrorist activities.

Accidents in nuclear power plants in the past have been attributed mainly to operation errors, design deficiencies and a series of equipments failures. But the accident in Japan is the first case due to earthquake.

Controversies regarding actual number of deaths, the quantity of radioactivity released and delayed effects still persist.

The demand for energy in several countries is being substantially met through nuclear reactors. It is feared that the phenomenal increase in the number of reactors during the last 40 years or so has increased the possibility of exposure to radiation hazards and accidents.

Ruins of an ancient structure found near Ranchi in Jharkhand state of India.

2011-03-28T22:08:00.014+05:30

Is it Geological weathering or remains of ancient structure?

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

We live in a highly advanced, technical world, but there are nevertheless a great many mysteries all around us. Ancient places and mysterious beings, sunken worlds and cultures, landscapes imbued with symbolism, unexplained apparitions, and unbelievable finds from ancient times- all of these remain mysteries for human kind, despite intense investigation. Legendary ancient places tell stories that provide archaeologists and historians with information that is essential for the study of culture.

In the past, we have often been less than careful with old buildings and religious sites, many of which were left to fall to pieces after their abandonment. Lack of repair and natural forces take care of the rest, leaving the large part of most ancient sites in ruins. These ruins can still give us a lot of information about the production, form, and quality of building materials. They can also tell us what led to their destruction. The location and function of the structures can be used to help interpret past cults and cultures. Sometimes problem does arise to interpret such structures as some of it very much resembles with typical geological structures or weathering.

We have to be very careful in studying such structures or rocks. This report unreels the unsolved mysterious rock structures and cuttings, on the hills some 25 km north of Ranchi city, capital of Jharkhand State of India. These structures have recently been exposed due to expansion of road construction, and now are being continuously destroyed due to on going construction.

Ranchi possesses remnants of numerous pre-historic stone implements. Its monuments, some of which are credited to the Asuras by the Mundas, yielded such a mixed assortment of finds as polished stone stools, Carnelian beads, wheel-made pottery, copper and bronze objects, copper and gold ornaments and even iron slags, that it is impossible to date them to any one age.

Credit goes to my senior friend Mrs. Elizabeth Borde who told me about these mysterious unsolved rock structures. She used to visit that area from her childhood. When I visited the area with her, I was surprised to see that some weathered structures which very much resemble to ancient rock pillars were lying at the road side. Many were still found intact with rocks of that area.

The way the rocks are carved, it clearly indicates that people at that time in this area were perfect in making such structure. The rock cuttings and stone blocks fitting snugly together were probably hewed from granite rocks.

At first instance it very much resembled with that of typical geological weathering or different layered rocks. As a geologist I looked on the structures that showed a typical pattern of weathering which are not common in other parts of these state. Though it was a weathering but not of usual local hard rocks but that resembling to some ancient structures like stratified pillars.

I was also surprised to see some geometrical lines and angles, rock cuttings and even plant imprints and radiating lines on the rock surface.

Ranchi rocks are mainly Chotanagpur Granite gneiss with Quartzite, Amphibolites etc. Chotanagpur Granite Gneiss forms the country rock of the district and is a part of the enormous intrusive mass. It shows wide variations from fine to coarse grained and porphyritic types, and form massive to highly gneissic types. Weathered structures seen here are not common in Granitic rocks.

Geologists may feel that structures are the outcome of natural weathering, but the pattern of weathering is peculiar. It seems that in ancient days there must have been huge structure, may be of Buddhism, build up on the top of the hills, which finally collapsed either due to natural disaster or some invasions.

Some scholars feel that Buddhism influenced this area in Early History. There are several ruins of the Buddhist monuments and statutes in different places of Jharkhand. Apart from Buddhism, Jainism also makes its presence in Jharkhand.

In early history this inaccessible region full of dense forest and treacherous terrain coupled with its wild inhabitants, appears never to have been completely subdued. It is said that the “Atavi” (or forest states) too acknowledged the supremacy of Magadh during the reign of Maurayas.

Road construction is going on putting threat on these mysterious rock structures. Early destruction took place in 1960 when rocks of these structures were used for constructing wall guard along the road side. Even today villagers used these rocks for constructing their houses. The ruins of these pillars, rock cuttings may be vital clue to ancient civilizations developed and gradually vanished from this area. More research is needed to reveal the age and the mystery of the structures and rock carvings.

The Volcano Next Door.

2011-03-25T16:04:00.011+05:30

Scientists descend to a fiery lava lake to protect a Congolese city in its path.
By Michael Finkel
Photograph by Carsten Peter

"excerpt comes from the April issue of National Geographic magazine" (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/nyiragongo-volcano/finkel-text)

When? This is the question that has brought two of the world's leading volcano scientists to the center of Africa; it's the question that haunts a team of Congolese seismologists; it's the question that may determine the fate of close to one million people. When will Nyiragongo erupt?
Nyiragongo is a two-mile-high volcano towering over the eastern edge of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—one of the most active volcanoes on the planet and also one of the least studied. The chief reason for the lack of research is that for the past 20 years the eastern DRC has seen nearly constant warfare, including a spillover of the massacres in neighboring Rwanda. One of the largest United Nations forces in the world, some 20,000 troops, currently maintains a fragile, and often broken, peace.
At the base of the volcano sprawls the city of Goma, growing by the day as villagers from the countryside seek refuge from rebel and government forces. An estimated million people are now crammed into Goma.

Fig.1The lava at Nyiragongo is made of an alkali-rich volcanic rock; its unusual composition may be a factor in the lava's fluidity.Photo by Carsten Peter/National Geographic

Fig.2 Photographer Carsten Peter tests the thermal suit that Sims used to get close to the lava lake. "It can protect you from the radiant heat, but if you get hit with a lava splatter, the force will likely kill you," he says. For 30 years Peter has explored volcanoes around the world. "Seeing at close range the primal forces that shaped the planet can be hypnotic. You cannot allow yourself to fall under a volcano's spell, especially one as unpredictable as Nyiragongo. That can be a fatal mistake."Photo by Carsten Peter/National Geographic
Fig. 3 With temperatures around 1800 degree F., the lava is wildly erratic. As molten rock meets the air , it cools and forms plates on the lake's surface.Photo by Carsten Peter/National Geographic

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/nyiragongo-volcano/peter-photography

The above photos are "in the April 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, on newsstands March 29."

Oldest Tsunami occurred in Jharkhand State of India more than 1,600 million years ago.

2011-03-14T21:12:00.003+05:30

The scientists analyzed sedimentary rocks deposited in "Chaibasa Formation" in eastern India.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Scientists have found evidence that the oldest earthquake followed by tsunami traceable in the earth's history took place more than 1,600 million years ago in what is now Jharkhand.

An international team of scientists from India, Japan and Poland has reported the discovery in a paper of the journal 'Sedimentary Geology’ in year 2006.

This occurred long before the massive southern land mass called Gondwana land split up and the piece that now forms peninsular India floated north and crashed in the Asian land mass.

The scientists analyzed sedimentary rocks deposited in "Chaibasa Formation" in eastern India. "The layers show deformations that have never been described before," Rajat Mazumder, lead author and a Humboldt Fellow in the university of Munich told.

Mazumder and co-workers show that earthquakes caused the deformations "while the sediments were still being deposited and before their consolidation," they said.

The layers containing these deformation structures are termed "seismites" and the scientists could trace the deformed horizons up to a kilometer depth.

Considering their occurrence in sediments deposited between 1,600 and 2,100 million years ago, "they are among the earliest records of earthquakes known in the Earth's history," the scientists reported.

"One of the strongest arguments for earthquakes as triggers of the deformation is the occurrence of strongly deformed layers (sandwiched) between unaffected layers of similar grain size," they said. Another argument is the finding of "tabular depressions," the formation of which would have required a large block of sediment to move upwards and drift away.

According to the scientists a tsunami generated by an earthquake most likely detached a weakly consolidated silt/mud block and lifted and transported it away leaving behind a hole that gradually got filled by laminated sediment observed by them.

It is interesting to note that Chaibasa Formation is underlain by volcanic rocks which have been dated as 2100 million years old. In other words the sediments of Chaibasa Formation were being deposited in a basin affected by active volcanism. In such areas high intensity earthquakes do occur.

The high grade Chaibasa Formation is estimated to have 2-4 km of thickness and is traceable westward to the north of the Chakradharpur town South of Ranchi city. The character of the sediments in the Chaibasa Formation, the non-diastropic structures preserved in them, despite extensive but open folding and deformation, and the environment of deposition have received some attention. Deep to shallow marine turbidite environment, peritidal shallow marine environment or even a totally fluvial environment have been proposed. Perhaps more than one environment co exists in the region.

S.M. Mathur in1964 and K. Naha in 1956 are among the earliest geologist to suggest turbidite structures and a deep marine environment in the Ghatsila area. M.V.N. Murthy and Anand Alwar in 1966 recorded some 106 cycles of turbidite beds in a 3500 m thick arenaceous pelite sequence in the Subarnarekha river section north of Rakha mines. It is suspected that such cyclic turbidite sequence may be related to seismic phenomena. Sedimentation in the Singhbhum Mobile Belt is endowed with several features. Both tectonism related to lithospheric stretching and contemporaneous volcanism are reflected in the character of the sediments.

The Chotanagpur Plateau of Jharkhand State represents a part of the Indian Peninsular shield, which is a stable cratonic block of the earth’s crust. Though it is a part of the stable block it is being rocked by mild tremors.

Chotanagpur has faced lots of tremors and geological movements in the geological past and now it is assumed that the plateau is free from any type of tremors or cratonic movement. Evidences of the regional tectonic movement in the plateau area are preserved in the form of faulting, folding, joints etc in the rocks.

According to GSHAP (Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program) data, the state of Jharkhand falls in a region of low to high seismic hazard . As per the 2002 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) map, this state also falls in Zones II, III & IV. Historically, parts of this state have experienced seismic activity in the M 5.0 range.

Though being a stable zone, mild tremors struck Jharkhand Plateau on August 1999 for couple of seconds. Few years back too on July and 21st November 1997 Jharkhand Plateau was rocked by the tremors for few seconds. Due to lack of requisite equipment, the Ranchi Meteorological office was not in a position to say something about the intensity.

A tremor stronger than these had shaken Chotanagpur Plateau of Jharkhand on August 21, 1988 at 4.40 AM. The epicenters of the Earthquake was 525 km north west of Shillong ( Indo-Nepal border in Bihar state) and was measured 6.6 on the scale. The 1988 quake which lasted for few seconds was reported from Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Daltongonj.

A mild earthquake struck the adjacent border regions of the districts of Latehar and Lohardagga, Jharkhand, on 21st March 2007 at 22:04 PM local time. It had a magnitude of M?= 3.3 ( M? is magnitude type unknown) and was felt in many parts of the Chota Nagpur Plateau causing minor damage. The earthquake was centred 81.9 kms NW of Ranchi (Jharkhand), India. Jamshedpur and its adjoining areas experienced at least four low-intensity tremors in the month of January, 2008. This year in month of January mild tremors were in felt in parts of Shaebganj, Pankur, Godda, Ranchi district etc.

From last couple of years Jharkhand has felt few tremors in different parts of the State of low intensity and unfortunately due to its localized occurrence its intensity was not recorded.

Canada’s Dark Secret

2011-03-11T11:27:00.004+05:30

Canada continues to mine asbestos and export the fibers to this day, in spite of many health concerns.

Eric Stevenson

Asbestos was a highly used and valuable mineral; now most countries consider it to be anything but that. It first mined in the great white north in the 1870’s and continued on to help cities thrive off the resource into the next century. Miners started to contract terminal illnesses such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis in the 1900’s after developing an initial shortness of breath on the mining sites.

The exposure to asbestos has since been revealed as the main cause for some of these diseases. The asbestos exposure affects a thin lining of the lungs, chest, abdomen, and heart. Perhaps the worst part about this type of exposure is the fact that mesothelioma symptoms lay dormant in a latency period that can sometimes last up to 50 years.

Diagnosis often comes late in life, with such a long latency period. The mesothelioma life expectancy is an average of between eight to 14 months following diagnosis.

Canada continues to mine asbestos and export the fibers to this day, in spite of many health concerns. The country tried to mend its image in the 1980’s and save the industry when many customers began removing the mineral from their products. America announced its intention to ban the mineral due to health risks. The possibility of legal action on businesses made using the mineral a massive economic liability, even though the US couldn’t ban asbestos right away.

The world health organization has also banned asbestos, citing it as a carcinogenic. The mineral is also banned in all 27 European Union member countries. While other countries have taken this stance, Canada continues to promote the controlled use of asbestos. They even continue the fight to keep the mineral off a U.N. list of dangerous substances.

Asbestos is only used in Canada in particularly exceptional circumstances today. Much of Canada’s own medical associations don’t support the difference and hypocrisy in Canada’s own standards of asbestos use with the countries they’re exporting it to. Right now it’s considered a hazardous substance within the country and only used under precaution.

Perhaps the worst thing about the situation is the types of countries to which the asbestos are dumped onto are third world countries with little or no health and safety regulations. These countries are exposed to a high number of hazardous exposures and have very little resources in helping those affected.

The Canadian government has a certain interest in keeping this trade alive as 95 percent of the 240 tons mined per year is exported out. The country is the fourth largest exporter of asbestos in the world, putting itself at the forefront of western support for the mineral.

Just recently, a high amount of criticism has been brought on towards Canada’s prominent role in the global asbestos industry. Through different media outlets, documentaries, and reports, the country is continuing to come under fire for its exporting practices.

While many Canadians are against the mining of this mineral and speak up to have it stopped, it’s clear that there is still a faction completely behind asbestos exporting due to its monetary value. With the spread of related illnesses and the controversy surrounding the mineral, hopefully this type of exporting comes to end in the near future. There’s certainly an opportunity to impact a rather hypocritical policy where Canada exports asbestos to other countries but actively tries to remove it from its own.

How many plants and animals will become extinct this year?

2011-03-05T11:43:00.004+05:30

The rapid disappearance of species was ranked as one of the planet's gravest environmental worries.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi.

Extinction is defined as ‘wiping out’ or annihilation’: if a certain type of plant or animal becomes extinct, it simply no longer exists. This may occur on a local or regional scale or, in the most extreme cases, on a global scale.

Nobody knows how many species exist on Earth today. About 1.82 million species have been given a specific name, but this is very incomplete sample of what is out there. In 1982, Terry Erwin of the Smithsonian Institute (Washington, DC, USA) publishes a report in which he proposed that estimates of biodiversity on Earth are seriously underestimated. He suggested that there might be 30 million species of insects alone. This conclusion was based largely on his finding that, in the tropical rainforest, insect species were often specific to individual trees. If any given tree in a tropical rainforest houses a number of unique insect species, it follows that there must be many millions more insect species than were previously believed. Estimates of the total number of species living today commonly range from 5 to 50 million, with some estimates as high as 100 millions.

The rapid disappearance of species was ranked as one of the planet's gravest environmental worries, surpassing pollution, global warming and the thinning of the ozone layer, according to the survey of 400 scientists commissioned by New York's American Museum of Natural History.

How many plants and animals will become extinct this year? This is a difficult question to answer. The ‘Red List’ of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN, also known as the World Conservation Union), compiled in 2000, states that a total of 11,046 species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction in the near future, in almost all cases as a result of human induced activities such as, global warming, climate change, pollution etc. Of known species, this includes 24 per cent of mammals, 12 per cent of birds, 25 per cent of reptiles, 20 percent of amphibians and 30 per cent of fishes. BirdLife International lists 1,186 birds as being threatened world wide, up by 75 since 1994, with 99 per cent of these threatened as a result of human activity. A total of 182 of these bird species are described as critical, which means that they have only an estimated 50 per cent chance of surviving either the next 10 years or 3 generations, whichever is shorter. Over the last 600 years, 128 bird species have become extinct, most of them (103) since 1800. Since only a small proportion of reptiles, amphibians and fishes have been assessed, the percentage of threatened species could be much higher.

Presently environmentalists are concerned about the imbalances caused by human activity and industrial growth in the ecosystem, as it is slowly inundating the forest cover, thereby reducing considerably the area of natural habitat of animal and plant life. Carbon dioxide is increasing, earth is warming, climate is changing affecting the life on the earth.

Since life began on Earth, several major mass extinctions have significantly exceeded the background extinction rate. The most recent, Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event, which occurred approximately 65.5 million years ago (Ma), was a large-scale mass extinction of animal and plant species in a geologically short period of time. In the past 540 million years there have been five major events when over 50% of animal species died. There probably were mass extinctions in the Archean and Proterozoic Eons, but before the Phanerozoic there were no animals with hard body parts to leave a significant fossil record.

Human beings are currently causing the greatest mass extinction of species since the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. If present trends continue one half of all species of life on earth will be extinct in less than 100 years, as a result of habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, and climate change.

The U.N. warns several eco-systems including the Amazon rainforest, freshwater lakes and rivers and coral reefs are approaching a "tipping point" which, if reached, may see them never recover. Vertebrate species fell by nearly one third between 1970 and 2006, natural habitats are in decline, genetic diversity of crops is falling and sixty breeds of livestock have become extinct since 2000.

A comprehensive survey of mammals included in the annual report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which covers more than 44,000 animal and plant species, shows that a quarter of the planet's 5,487 known mammals are clearly at risk of disappearing forever.
But the actual situation may be even grimmer because researchers have been unable to classify the threat level for another 836 mammals due to lack of data.

Subarnarekha river in Jharkhand State of India is drying up.

2011-02-24T11:01:00.006+05:30

Origin source is under threat.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Fig.1 In year 2009 the origin source was emitting full of water.
Fig.2. In year 2011 source is completely dried.

Fig.3. In year 2009 area near the source well was filled with water and vegetation.

Fig.4. In year 2011, only small rivulet is left. Green vegetation has vanished.

Few days ago I with my three friends decided to visit the origin place of the famous Subarnarekha (Swarnrekha) River of Jharkhand State in India. This was my third visit. My friends were more curious to see how Subarnarekha originates from the place. This place is 30 kms form the Ranchi city, the capital of Jharkhand State. My friends were imagining that area must be full of greeneries and water. As we were approaching the area our excitement was mounting up. Our car stopped few hundred meters before the spot. We came out of the car and looked around in the clean atmosphere. But what we saw was only dry soils and rocks with very less surface water which was also contaminated with iron. Iron contamination was seen the form of thin oil film on the surface water. Source of iron to the water is from the laterite rocks of that area. Laterite rocks contain high amount of iron which is visible in the form of red colors of the rocks.

My friends were more depressed to see the area as it was just opposite to their imagination. No green luster, no water only desert. Two years ago when I visited the area, different origin spots were emitting clean water and vast area was under flowing water. Today except one or two spots all were dried up.

From last two years Jharkhand is not receiving sufficient rainfall which has adversely affected the river flow and its source. The rain water percolates downwards to recharge the groundwater in the catchment areas of Subarnarekha river. Due to lack of rain water the area has gone dry affecting the flow.

The basin of the Subarnarekha is smaller amongst the mutli-state river basins in India. The rain-fed river covers a drainage area of 1.93 million hectares.

After originating near Piska/ Nagri, near Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, the Subarnarekha traverses a long distance through Ranchi, Seraikela, Kharsawan and East Singhbhum districts in the state. Thereafter it flows for shorter distances through Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal for 83 kilometres (52 mi) and Balasore district of Orissa. There it flows for 79 kilometres and joins the Bay of Bengal near Talsari. The total length of the river is 470 kilometres.

The name Subarnarekha means “the thread of gold” and the sands of the river and some of its tributaries are auriferous, but without any prospect.

The largest river in Jharkhand, the Subarnarekha flows eastward upto Muri, galloping down the Hirni, Dasam, Johna and Hundru falls. It then takes a sharp turn to the south and flows into the gap between the Ajodya (Bhagmundi) hills on the east and the Ranchi uplands in the west.

The prominent tributaries of the Subarnarekha are Kharkai, Raru, Kanchi, Damra, Karru, Chinguru, Karakari, Gurma, Garra, Singaduba, Kodia, Dulunga and Khaijori.The Kharkai meets the Subarnarekha at Sonari(Domuhani), a neighbourhood of Jamshedpur.

If this river really goes dry it is not only going to affect the different falls but also two big dams Hatia and Rukka. These two dams are used to quench the thirst of half of the population of Ranchi district. These two dams are already under threat of depleting water level.

The declining water levels in major rivers of Jharkhand State much ahead of the dry season is lowering the underground water levels and also affecting cultivation in State. Environmentalists fear negative changes in overall climate will make the region more prone to calamities.

The adverse impacts of global climate changes (CC) have forced the Subarnarekha River to dry up abnormally much ahead of the dry season now like every year in recent times.
Reduced run-off is increasing the pressure on freshwater resources in much of the state, especially with more demand for water as population increases. Freshwater being a vital resource, the downward trends are a great concern.

Dust storm above Ranchi city, in India.

2011-02-16T21:32:00.002+05:30

Today evening suddenly temperature droped down in Ranchi city due to dust storm. Sky was filled with dust. Moon looked yellow instead of blue.

Behavior of Sodium in geological environment- with special reference to Jharkhand State of India.

2011-02-15T16:13:00.003+05:30

The relationship between elevated sodium intake and hypertension has been subject of scientific controversy.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Sodium salts are found in virtually all food (the main source of daily exposures) and drinking water. Sodium levels in the latter are typically less than 20mg/l (milligram per litre) but can markedly exceed this in some countries. In some parts of Jharkhand state of India the concentration of sodium is more than 100 parts per million.

Sodium ion is soluble in water, and is thus present in great quantities in the Earth's oceans and other stagnant bodies of water. In these bodies it is mostly counterbalanced by the chloride ion, causing evaporated ocean water solids to consist mostly of sodium chloride, or common table salt. Sodium ion is also a component of many minerals.

Although it is generally agreed that sodium is essential to human life, there is no agreement on the minimum daily requirement. However, it has been estimated that a total daily intake of 120 to 400 mg will meet the daily needs of growing infants and young children, and 500 mg those of adults.

In general, sodium salts are not acutely toxic because of the efficiency with which mature kidneys excrete sodium. However, acute effects and death have been reported following accidental over doses of sodium chloride. Acute effects may include nausea, vomiting, convulsions, muscular twitching and rigidity and cerebral and pulmonary oedema. Excessive salt intake seriously aggravates chronic congestive heart failure, and ill effects due to high levels of sodium in drinking –water have been documented.

The relationship between elevated sodium intake and hypertension has been subject of considerable scientific controversy. Although short term studies have suggested that such a relationship does exist, most people in Western Europe and North America ingest a high-salt diet from infancy yet do not exhibit persistent hypertension until the fourth decade. Whereas reducing the sodium intake can reduce the blood pressure of some individuals with hypertension, this is not effective in all cases.

The feldspars contain the bulk of the sodium in the earth’s crust, while clinopyroxenes are the important carriers of sodium in the upper mantle. Sodium is major element in most igneous rocks. Clarke (1924) demonstrated that about 60 per cent of the minerals in igneous rocks are feldspars, either alkali feldspars or Na-Ca feldspars (Plagioclase), and the bulk of the Na and K in igneous rocks is therefore contained in feldspars. Average 2.40 per cent sodium has been reported in Precambrian Granites world wide.

The concentration of sodium in rain and snow is highest near the sea and near large cities since these are areas of sodium input to the atmosphere.

The concentration of elements in river water varies with time at any single sampling sites as a function of discharge, tributary supply and groundwater discharge. In areas where rivers are draining evaporite deposits, the sodium content can be very high.

The sodium content of groundwater is a function of weathering Sodium Plagioclase from bedrock followed by exchange of Ca2+ for Na+ on the surfaces of newly formed clay minerals. Sodium contents of the groundwater would rise due to weathering of plagioclase feldspars. In addition, groundwater can contain large amounts of sodium from the solution of evaporites from the salt water intrusion, and smaller amounts from cyclic sea salts in original precipitation.

What are the known sources of sodium in Groundwater?
All groundwater contains some sodium because most rocks and soils
contain sodium compounds from which sodium is easily dissolved. The most
common sources of elevated sodium levels in groundwater are:
• Erosion of salt deposits and sodium bearing rock minerals
• Naturally occurring brackish water of some aquifers
• Salt water intrusion into wells in coastal areas
• Infiltration of surface water contaminated by road salt
• Irrigation and precipitation leaching through soils high in sodium
• Groundwater pollution by sewage effluent
• Infiltration of leachate from landfills or industrial sites.

The sodium content of lake water is a function of river and groundwater supply followed by increase due to evaporation where this process exceeds input. The evaporation may reach a stage of sodium mineral precipitation.

In Jharkhand State of India where more and more people are now dependent on groundwater for the daily purpose, amount of sodium concentration in groundwater must be taken into priority basis. District wise sodium concentration in groundwater is given below (source Central Ground Water Board, India). Major source may be from the weathering of the feldspar from the bed rocks.

Dhanbad- 20 to 202 ppm (parts per million)
Giridih- 16 to 117 ppm.
Ranchi- 44 to 83 ppm.
Simdega- 14 to 17 ppm
Palamau- 1.1 to 64 ppm.
Lohardagga- 24 to 46 ppm.

Reference:

National Research Council, 1989. Recommended dietary allowances, 10th ed. Washington, DC, National Academy Press.

Luft, FC et al. 1979. Cardiovascular and humoral responses to extremes of sodium intake in normal black and white men. Circulation, 60: 697-706.

Clarke, F.W. 1924. The data of geochemistry, 5th ed. U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull, 770.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/35/6/1459.short
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/plan_protect_sustain/groundwater/library/ground_fact_sheets/pdfs/na(020715)_fin2.pdf

Climate change will force millions of people to migrate.

2011-02-03T10:07:00.006+05:30

People may be forced from their homes in numbers never seen before.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Change is the only constant in the history of the earth. Since its creation around four billion years ago, our home planet has constantly been subjected to changes brought about by the interplay of internal of forces and external influences. The enormous lithospheric plates are continually shifting, reshaping the continents. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are the visible results of this process. Seen from the perspective of the history of the earth, our planet, as we know it today, is merely a snapshot in time. Everything is in a state of flux. Everything- including the climate- is locked in a continuous process of change, giving rise to favourable and unfavourable conditions to which all life on earth-human, plant and animal- must constantly adopt.

After more than 170 million years of being dominated by the dinosaurs, the continental ecosystems saw the triumphant advance of mammals. It is highly probable that the widespread deaths of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period were triggered off by the impact of huge meteorite which resulted in considerable climatic changes. The last 2.6 million years in the history of the earth – the Quaternary Period- were marked by great natural climatic fluctuations.

The last ice age ended 10,000 years ago. The great ice caps above North America and Europe receded, the land masses started to rise, the sea level rose too. Since that time the average temperature on the earth has increased by about four to five degrees Celsius.

Climate is changing. We are entering an era marked by rapid changes in climate brought on by man-made greenhouse gas emissions. Shifts in rainfall patterns and shore line will contribute to mass migrations on a scale never seen before. Since the beginning of record time, climate forced migration have reshaped civilization.

A billion people - one in seven people on Earth today - could be forced to leave their homes over the next 50 years as the effects of climate change worsen an already serious migration crisis, a new report from Christian Aid predicts.

The report, which is based on latest UN population and climate change figures, says conflict, large-scale development projects and widespread environmental deterioration will combine to make life unsupportable for hundreds of millions of people, mostly in the Sahara belt, south Asia and the Middle East.

Anticipated changes include higher rainfall variability, greater frequency of extreme events (such as droughts and floods), sea level rise, ocean acidification, and long term shifts in temperature and precipitation any of which can profoundly disrupt the ecosystems that supply our basic needs. In our more densely settled world, people may be forced from their homes in numbers never seen before.

Most attention has centered on the plight of low-lying islands states threatened by rising sea levels. Under certain scenarios, many of the world’s 38 small island states could disappear by the end of this century. Yet the problem faced by the inhabitants of these states is just the tip of atoll. In India alone, 40 million people would be displaced by a one-meter sea level rise. Shifts in the seasonality of river flows (as winter snowpack declines and glaciers shrink) would affect the agricultural livelihoods of several hundred million rural Asians, as well as the food supplies of an equal number of Asian urbanities.

A study commissioned by Greenpeace India, a not-for-profit organization, on climate change discloses that rising sea levels could force about 75 million people from low-lying Bangladesh and another 50 million from India’s densely populated coastal regions to migrate to interior towns and cities. This may generate severe tensions and instability in the context of already dwindling urban resources.

A one-meter sea level rise will inundate 6000 square kilometers in India, of which Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai will be the major cities being affected. This would mean losses of billions of dollars in infrastructural, social, physical assets and capital.

125 million people are likely to migrate in the coming century of which 75 million will be from Bangladesh. The people from Bangladesh will most likely migrate to India in addition to our own 50 to 60 million people who will be displaced due to sea-level rise, shrinking water sources in the densely populated coastal regions of India.

The meteorological impact of climate change can be divided into two distinct drivers of migration; climate processes such as sea-level rise, salinisation of agricultural land, desertification and growing water scarcity, and climate events such as flooding, storms and glacial lake outburst floods. But non-climate drivers, such as government policy, population growth and community-level resilience to natural disaster, are also important. All contribute to more vulnerable people living in more marginal areas.

A rise in global temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions could leave India facing a rush of 125 million people migrating into or within the country.

The frequency of natural disasters has increased by 42 percent since the 1980s, and the percentage of those that are climate related has risen from 50 to 82 percent. The United Nations office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center estimates that in 2008, climate- related calamities drove 20 million people from their homes- more than four times the number displaced by violent conflict.

Forced migration and displacement prompted by climate change is therefore poised to become the international community’s defining – and potentially overwhelming – humanitarian challenge in coming decades.

Climate change, at a conservative estimate will increase the number of environmental refugees six fold over the next fifty years: from 25 million to 150 million. How will climate change create refugees?

As the planet warms, food and water grow scarcer. In 1998, the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research forecast major decreases in the crop yields 2050. These would above all affect the tropical countries of South America, Russia and Western Africa. As for water scarcity, the Hadley Centre forecasts that by 2050, about 170 million people will suffer severe stress: their country will be using over 40 per cent of their water resources. Badly affected areas will include the US, North Africa, Europe, Turkey, India, the Gulf States and China. Global Warming may also endanger the monsoon, with effects much greater than those of drought alone particularly in India given that 70 per cent of India’s rainfall comes from the monsoon. Indeed, the Asian Pacific region as a whole, which has half the world’s population, likewise depends on the monsoon.

In China, at present, the government estimates that 30 million people are already being displaced by climate change. Some authorities set the figures higher, at up to 72 million. A one –metre rise of sea level would flood all of Shanghai, plus 96 per cent of the province around it. The population of Shanghai is over twelve million; by 2030, it is expected to be 27 million. Egypt would lose 12-15 per cent of its arable land, creating 14 million refugees.

Rising sea levels also threaten delta areas-such as the Mekong in Vietnam, the Yangtze in China, the Irrawaddy in Myanmar, the Tigris-Euphrates in Iraq, the Indus in Pakistan, the Sunderbans delta in India and Bangladesh, the Orinoco in Venezuela and the Amazon in Brazil- that hold more than one billion people (two billion by 2050)

Most of the refugees to Europe are expected to come from the sub-Saharan nations- the source of half of the world’s current total of refugees and states that are projected to suffer severe impacts from climate change.

Every year thousands of poor people from the Jharkhand and its adjoining states in India migrate to mega cities of India like Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi and even to Punjab and North East States. Cause behind this migration, other than poverty, is lack of sufficient rainfall and drought like condition in the states from the last several years.

Although the civil war is behind the migration, a new crisis is now afflicting African country Mozambique. In 2000, 2001 and 2007 disastrous floods in the Zambezi and Limpopo river basins displaced hundreds of thousands of people. The floods of 2007 alone displaced more than 100,000 people, half of whom were evacuated to temporary “accommodation centers.”

Sometimes both droughts and storms can hit in the same year. In July 2001, for example, Honduras suffered a drought that affected a quarter of a million people. A few months later a tropical storm flooded the country side. Many farmers have already found their livelihoods too precarious and moved north; the great majority of migrants to the U.S. come from poor and rural areas in Mexico and Central America. Soil depletion, deforestation and unemployment are among the factors that drive migration.

Regions badly affected by environmental change:

1. The city of Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, has seen its population doubling every six years on an average since 1972 but the major water supply of the city is falling by 6 metres every year. Sana’a is only one of several cities across the world that face such impending crisis.

2. Desertification owing to deforestation and lesser rains is threatening human settlements and agricultural lands in various parts of the world. China, India, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya are potential victims.

3. Agricultural lands are turning saline and are being eroded in places like Egypt and Turkey, respectively.

4. In the US, while Louisiana is losing land area to erosion caused by sea, Alaska is threatened by sea tides that are increasingly intruding further inland each year.

5. Cyclones render millions in places like Bangladesh every year.

6. Low-lying Pacific island state like Tuvalu is under great threat by the rising sea level. The country has entered an agreement with New Zealand to give shelter to accept its 11,600 citizens in the event of it being swallowed by the sea.

Across Africa desertification and a consequent decline in agricultural output is displacing increasingly large amounts of people. An estimated 10 million people within Africa have been forced to migrate over the last two decades due to desertification or environmental degradation.

In 1995, half of Bhola Island in Bangladesh became permanently flooded, leaving 500,000 people homeless. The Bhola Islanders have been described as some of the world's first climate refugees. In 2007, a Bangladeshi scientist stated: "We're already seeing hundreds of thousands of climate refugees moving into slums in Dhaka." These refugees were fleeing flooded coastal areas.

The inhabitants of the Carteret Islands in Papua New Guinea are also among the first climate refugees due to sea level rise attributed to global warming and climate change. Other inhabitants of low lying islands and Island States are also at risk. Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Maldives are especially susceptible to changes in sea level and storm surges.

In Alaska, the village of Shishmaref, located on the 100 km long barrier island of Sarichef, also faces evacuation as rising temperatures cause the melting of sea ice and the thawing of the permafrost.

Despite hundreds of articles and many books about climate change, few discuss the issue of environmental refugees and its impact.

Reference:

Mayers, N. 1993. Environmental Refugees in a Globally warmed world. Bioscience, v.43. no.11, p. 758.

Wang, B., Shenling, Z., and Jiang, S. Impacts of sea- level rise on the Shanghai area. J. Coastal Res. Special Issue No.14. cit. Myers CTB, p.143.

Sherbinin, A.D., Warner, K. and Ehrhart, C. 2011. Casualties of Climate change. Scientific American, India. v.6 no.1. p. 54-57.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/may/14/climatechange.climatechangeenvironment

http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2007-2008/papers/brown_oli.pdf

http://www.earthconservation.net/migration-due-to-climate-change.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_migrant

http://www.indiawaterportal.org/node/6478

मकर संक्रांति - वैज्ञानिक विवेचना .

2011-01-12T20:45:00.003+05:30

माया सभ्यता भी मनाती थी मकर संक्रांति
द्वारा

डॉ. नितीश प्रियदर्शी

पूरा उत्तर भारत ठण्ड की चपेट में है I वैज्ञानिकों का मानना है की इस ठण्ड से निजात १४ जनवरी यानि मकर संक्रांति के बाद से ही मिल पायेगा I आखिर ऐसा क्यों? ऐसा माना जाता है की सूर्य १४ जनवरी से मकर राशी में प्रवेश करता है, यानि वह उत्तर की तरफ बढ़ेगा जिससे धीरे धीरे सूर्य की रौशनी पृथ्वी के उत्तरी गोलार्ध पर सीधी पडने लगेगी I इसकी वजह से उत्तरी गोलार्ध में गर्मी का मौसम शुरू हो जायेगा तथा ठण्ड धीरे धीरे कम होने लगेगी I

पृथ्वी की कक्षा लगभग २३.५ अंश उत्तर-दक्षिण में झुकी हुई है I इसे क्रांति कहते हैं I पृथ्वी जब अपनी कक्षा पर उत्तर की ओर खिसकने लागतो है तो सूर्य दक्षिण की तरफ खिसकता नजर आता है I इसके विपरीत पृथ्वी जब दक्षिण की ओर खिसकती है तो सूर्य उत्तर की ओर खिसकता नजर आता है I यह सूर्य की उत्तरायण और दक्षिणायन स्तिथि के अनुसार माना जाता है I इसका अर्थ यह हुआ की जब सूर्य उत्तर की ओर चलता है तो उत्तरायण, तथा जब दक्षिण की ओर चलता है तो दक्षिणायन माना जाता है I

२१ मार्च को सूर्य विषुवत रेखा के ऊपर रहता है और इस तिथि को दिन- रात बराबर होती है I इसके बाद सूर्य उत्तर की खिसकने लगता है, तथा विषुवत रेखा से उत्तर में दिन बढ़ने लगता है, और दक्षिण में घटने लगता है I २१ जून को सूर्य परम उत्तर में जाता है I फिर सूर्य दक्षिण की और खिसकने लगता है ; और विषुवत रेखा से उत्तर में दिन घटने लगता है ; और दक्षिण में बढ़ने लगता है. इसे ही दक्षिणायन कहते हैं I

वैज्ञानिक तौर पर देखा जाय तो सबसे छोटा दिन दिसम्बर २१-२२ का होता है, इसके बाद दिन क्रमशः बढ़ने लगता है I यानि उस समय से सूर्य मकर राशि में प्रवेश करता है I यदि वैज्ञानिक तौर पर देखें तो सूर्य २१ दिसम्बर से ही उत्तरायण होने लगता है I यही असली मकर संक्रांति का दिन था I

अब प्रश्न ये उठता है की १४ जनवरी को ही क्यों हम मकर संक्रांति मनाते हैं ? इसका कारण है पृथ्वी का सूर्य की तरफ २३.४५ डिग्री का झुकाव I इसी कारण मकर संक्रांति की तिथि खिसक कर १४ जनवरी पर आ गया I ऐसी मान्यता है की हजारों साल पहले ३१ दिसम्बर को ( वर्तमान समयानुसार ) मकर संक्रांति मनाया जाता था और अब यह १४ जनवरी को I पांच हज़ार साल के बाद यह फ़रवरी के अंत में मनाया जाएगा तथा नौ हज़ार साल बाद यह जून अंत में मनाया जाएगा I यानि जैसे जैसे पृथ्वी के झुकाव के डिग्री में फर्क आएगा वैसे वैसे मकर संक्रांति के तिथि में फर्क आएगा I

हम सभी जानते हैं की पृथ्वी अपने कक्ष पर खास कोण बनाकर झुकी रहती है I यही झुकी हुई पृथ्वी जब सूर्य के चारों ओर घुमती है तब विभिन्न मौसम आते हैं I वैज्ञानिक इस निष्कर्ष पर पहुंचे हैं कि पृथ्वी के झुकाव के वजह से पृथ्वी के तापमान में बदलाव होता है I

उनका यह भी मानना है कि पृथ्वी का झुकाव ०.४७ इंच प्रति वर्ष के हिसाब से कम हो रहा है I किन्तु वर्तमान में झुकाव मध्यमान यानि २३.४५ डिग्री है I अथार्त, पृथ्वी का झुकाव वापस २२.५ डिग्री पर होगा I इसके फलस्वरूप सूर्य कि किरणों के प्रभाव में भी बदलाव आयेगा तथा मकर संक्रांति कि तिथि में भी फेरबदल हो सकता है I

ऐसा कहा जाता है कि संक्रांति पिछले छह हज़ार वर्षों से मनाया जा रहा है I यही नहीं लैटिन अमेरिका के प्राचीन माया सभ्यता भी इससे मिलते जुलते पर्व मानती थी I

Possibilities of Petroleum in Bhagalpur district in Bihar State of India.

2011-01-07T11:56:00.005+05:30

Deep well emits gas in Bhagalpur.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

A borewell that started giving out inflammable gas on Christmas Eve has now become a community chullah (earthy stove) at Darpur village in Bhagalpur district in Bihar state of India.

Villagers from surrounding areas have made a mud chullah over the mouth of the borewell to cook food and warm themselves up in chilly weather.

Such incidents were reported earlier too from various parts of North India including that of Jharkhand state, where catching fire in water of deep wells especially in coal fields area were seen.

The areas were so called emission of inflammable gas is taking place lies in Ganga Basin. Several drilling works has been carried out to explore the possibilities of Hydro carbons in Ganga Basin by different Government organizations of India.

According to the reports, the hydrocarbon potential Ganga Basin is till in the stage of preemptive prognostication despite drilling 12 wells. Vast area to be covered with seismic data and other geophysical and geological investigation leaves a large scope of further exploration.

Quantity of hydrocarbon seep is not always indicative of size of subsurface hydrocarbon accumulation.

Adsorbed gas surveys have been carried out in different parts of Ganga Basin and are indicative of hydrocarbon generation/ accumulation potential. Certain alleged gas shows/ seepages have been reported in various parts and the latest such shows was reported from Bhagalpur district. It may be the example of minor occurrences.

Minor occurrences often furnish clues that lead to the discovery of commercial deposits. Nearly every producing region (petroleum province) was discovered as the result of drilling prompted by the recognition of a nearby surface or subsurface showing of gas, oil, or asphalt. Visible surface evidences, or outcrops of petroleum, have often furnished the only reason for drilling an exploration well, especially in the early days of the industry. Minor occurrences indicate the presence of a “source rock”. Although the origin of petroleum is not known, most geologists believe that it comes from some kind of source rock or source environment.

Petroleum seepages are common in the sedimentary regions of the world, and many pools and producing regions have been discovered by drilling near seepages. Occasionally a seepage and a pool are connected.

Surface seepages, either as oil or as gas, are frequently associated with water springs. The oil floats to the surface of the water, and the gas bubbles out and escapes into the atmosphere. If the water is stagnant, the oil may accumulate as a viscous-to-solid mass that remains after the water evaporates. Oil films floating on water have a characteristic iridescent luster and are some-what similar in appearance to films of iron oxide; but, unlike oxide films, they do not break when stirred. Gas seepages are more readily observed when they occur in swamps or bubble through water.

Surface oil seepages may be of large dimensions. There are many such cases in the world e.g. California, Venezuela, Trinidad etc. Petroleum- whether gas, oil, or liquid asphalt-that exudes in the form of springs and seepages may reach the surface along fractures, joints, fault planes, unconformities, or bedding planes, or through any of the connected porous openings of the rocks.

The occurrence of petroleum is widespread but very uneven. In some rocks its occurs only in infinitesimal amounts, measured in parts per million or even in parts per billion, whereas rocks of other areas contain enormous accumulations measured in billions of barrels. Petroleum occurs on all the continents of the world, although some continents are much richer in petroleum than others. And it occurs in all the geologic systems from Precambrian to Recent.

Possibilities of petroleum in Ganga basin in Bhagalpur district cannot be ruled out. Seeing the nature of the seepage of gas the occurrence of petroleum may be either surface or subsurface.

Detail geological survey and drillings are needed.

Ganga is still waiting for its purification.

2010-12-29T20:54:00.004+05:30

In spite of several announcements and promising by the different Governments Ganga still remains polluted.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) presented a time frame of another 10 years to the Supreme Court of India, promising to clean up Ganges by 2020.

Much polluted water has flown under the bridge since the Central Ganga Authority (CGA)was formed in 1985 under the Prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, promulgating the Ganga Action Plan (GAP). At the 1981 session of Indian Science Congress at Varanasi, scientists expressed concern at the growing pollution in the river Ganga in presence of the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi who inaugurated the session. At her instance, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, the then member, Planning Commission asked the Central Board for Preventation and Control of Water Pollution, New Delhi to conduct studies on the state of the river Ganga. In collaboration with the State Pollution Control Boards of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal and the centre for study of Man and Environment Kolkata (Calcutta), studies were conducted on the ‘Sources’ of pollution including all human activities, land use pattern and water quality of the river at selected sites during 1981-82 and report entitled “Basin, sub-basin inventory of water pollution in the Ganga basin part-II” was published in 1984. According to this report sewage of 27 class I cities and towns and effluents from 137 major industries were the main source of pollution of the river. In addition cremation.

In spite of several announcements and promising by the different Governments Ganga still remains polluted. The World Bank has stepped forward with an offer of $ 1 Billion to help save the Ganga. Funds are sufficient but its lack of political will and bureaucratic apathy that stands in the way.

This river has became the dumping ground for domestic and industrial wastes. The uninterrupted release of toxic materials into the river not only affected the aquatic life of this river but also turned these natural sources of water virtually into a nullah carrying all the city waste.

There has been a steady deterioration in the quality of water of Indian rivers over several decades. India’s fourteen major, 55 minor and several hundred small rivers receive millions of litres of sewage, industrial and agricultural wastes. Most of these rivers have been rendered to the level of sewage flowing drains. There are serious water quality problems in the cities, towns and villages using these waters. Water borne diseases are rampant, fisheries are on decline, and even cattle are not spared from the onslaught of pollution.

According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) five rivers in Asia serving over 870 million people are among the most threatened in the world, as dams, water extraction and climate change all take their toll.

The Ganges, Indus, Yangtze, Salween-Nu and Mekong-Lancang rivers make up half of the WWF’s “top ten” most threatened river basins.

River Ganga (Ganges) of India has been held in high esteem since time immemorial and Hindus from all over the world cherish the idea of a holy dip in the river under the faith that by doing so they will get rid of their sins of life. More than 400 million people live along the Ganges River. An estimated 2,000,000 persons ritually bathe daily in the river. Historically also, Ganga is the most important river of the country and beyond doubt is closely connected with the history of civilization as can be noticed from the location of the ancient cities of Hardwar, Prayag, Kashi and Patliputra at its bank. To millions of people it is sustainer of life through multitude of canal system and irrigation of the wasting load. Hundreds of the villages and even the big cities depend for their drinking water on this river. It is believed, a fact which has also been observed, that the water of Ganga never decays even for months and years when water of other rivers and agencies begins to develop bacteria and fungi within a couple of days. This self purification characteristic of Ganga is the key to the holiness and sanctity of its water.

During the past three decades, the country's explosive growth (at nearly 1.2 billion people, India's population is second only to China's), industrialization and rapid urbanization have put unyielding pressure on the sacred stream.

Ganga, the most sacred of rivers for Hindus, has become polluted for some years now. But a recent study by Uttarakhand Environment Conservation and Pollution Control Board says that the level of pollution in the holy river has reached alarming proportions.

Things have come to such a pass that the Ganga water is at present not fit just for drinking and bathing but has become unusable even for agricultural purposes.
As per the UECPCB study, while the level of coliform present in water should be below 50 for drinking purposes, less than 500 for bathing and below 5000 for agricultural use—the present level of coliform in Ganga at Haridwar has reached 5500.

In Varanasi, India's most sacred city, the coliform bacterial count is at least 3,000times higher than the standard established as safe by the United Nations world Health Organization. Coliform are rod-shaped bacteria that are normally found in the colons of humans and animals and become a serious contaminant when found in the food or water supply.

A study by Environmental Biology Laboratory, Department pf Zoology, Patna University, showed the presence of mercury in the Ganga river in Varanasi city. According to the study, annual mean concentration of mercury in the river water was 0.00023 ppm (parts per million). The concentration ranged from NT (not traceable) to 0.00191 ppm.

Study done by Indian Toxicological Research Centre (ITRC), Lucknow during 1986-1992 showed maximum annual concentration of mercury in the Ganga river water at Rishikesh, Allahabad district and Dakshineswar as 0.081, 0.043 and 0.012 ppb (parts per billion) respectively.

Monitoring of Ganga River from Rishikesh to Varanasi indicated that Kannauj to Kanpur and Varanasi are the most polluted stretches of the river Ganga . Analysis of upstream and down stream water and sediment revealed a 10-fold increase in chromium level.

The tannery industry mushrooming in North India has converted the Ganga River into a dumping ground. The tanning industry discharges different types of waste into the environment, primarily in the form of liquid effluents containing organic matters, chromium, sulphide ammonium and other salts. As per an estimate, about 80-90% of the tanneries use chromium as a tanning agent. Of this, the hides take up only 50-70%, while the rest is discharged as effluent. Pollution becomes acute when tanneries are concentrated in clusters in small area like Kanpur. Consequently, the Leather-tanning sector is included in the Red category of industries due to the potential adverse environmental impact caused by tannery wastes.

What hope is there for the Ganga? There is, in the River Thames in England. “Thames, which remained polluted for many years in the wake of the Industrial Revolution and rapid urbanization is now pristinely clean”. It is just a matter of having the will and working together.

Indeed we have no choice but to work together to salvage the Ganga, if we expected to be bestowed with salvation by this river from the heavens any longer.

Geochemistry of Iodine with special reference to Bihar state of India.

2010-12-20T21:48:00.005+05:30

Iodine deficiency is an important global health problem.

8 person out of every hundred, suffer from goiter in India.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Halogens are present and are volatile trace elements in most geological samples. Among them, iodine has the lowest abundance; less than 0.1 ppm in igneous rocks and less than several ppm in sedimentary rocks.

Iodine is least abundant of the halogens and is lithophile element. It is typically a dispersed element and is never concentrated enough in rocks or sediments to form independent minerals. The content of iodine is higher in air masses of marine origin than in those over the continents (Rankama and Sahama, 1950). The content of iodine seems to have some relationship to the salinity of the sea water as it is found to increase to the rise in salinity. Iodine is carried away from the atmosphere partly by rainwater and partly by direct adsorption into the soil and into plants. High solubility of iodine makes it enriched in soil and its highest concentration is noted in cultivated soil. According to most comprehensive observation by Goldschmidt(1954), the concentration of iodine in different media is as follows:

Igneous rock- 0.3 gm/tonne.
Cultivated soil- 2.0 gm/tonne.
Air- 0.0005 gm/tonne.
Rain water- 0.001-0.003 gm/tonne.
Sea water- 0.05 gm/tonne.

Konovalov (1959) found that rivers draining Tertiary marine sediment have higher iodine content than rivers draining other areas and this was considered to be due to iodine being easily leached from the marine sediments.

There is very marked increase in the iodine content of soils as compared to the rocks from which they derive. Many authors have suggested that much of the iodine in soils is derived from atmospheric sources, while another major source of soil iodine is that supplied by plant remains. Silty and clay soils appear to be enriched in iodine. It was found that clay fractions of soil fix iodide, a feature which is most marked for illite.

It has been generally accepted that the oceans are a major source of atmospheric origin; other sources are volcanic gases and rotting bio-materials. It has also been observed that some iodine in urban atmosphere may be derived from combustion of fossil fuels.

Iodine is a micro constituent in all plants and animals. Its influence on plant life is unknown and it may only be ballast element (Rankama and Sahama, 1950). Average content of iodine in marine life (from both plant and animal) is more than the fresh water and inland life (Cauer, 1938). In higher animals like mammals it plays a very important role, when it is present in the thyroid gland in the form of amino acid-thyroxin that controls the rate of metabolism.

Aside from tungsten, iodine is the heaviest element to be essential in living organisms, and iodine is the heaviest element thought to be needed by higher animals. About 19,000 tons are produced annually from natural sources.

A case study of Bihar State in India:

Iodine deficiency is an important global health problem with an estimated 200 million people affected by iodine related problems (Moynahan,1979). Indian Coalition for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD) reveals that 79 million or 8 person out of every hundred, suffer from goiter in India (Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 25-11-2001).

The human body contains very little iodine (0.00004% or 0.4 ppm), yet it is essentially required to be maintained through food and water. Any disruption in iodine content jeopardizes the human metabolism. Thyroxin, a hormone secreted by the thyroid gland located on both side of the trachea contains about 65% iodine. In the absence of optimal quantity of iodine, the gland increases in size to compensate the deficiency of iodine and adversely affects the human metabolism. Water with iodine concentration less than 5-10 µg/l produces goiter.

The Gandak basin in Bihar is also known to be goiter prone since long. A detail research was carried out by Prof. N.C. Ghose (2003) of Department of Geology, Patna University on distribution of iodine in soil-water system in the Gandak Basin in Bihar.

According to Prof. Ghose, the vast tract in Gandak basin in north Bihar is known iodine deficient area and the population is prone to dreaded and endemic disease like goiter. Surface water of this area, iodine content ranges from 1.56 µg/l to 5.52 µg/l, while in groundwater which is the only source for drinking, it varies from 2.1 µg/l to 4.56 µg/l. In soil, the iodine content ranges between 3.65 µg/gm to 12.59 µg/gm. Season wise, there is considerable variation in iodine content both in surface and groundwater. During monsoon it reduces considerably in surface water due to dilution and in groundwater it reduces owing to heavy recharge of the aquifer system through infiltration. In soil, there is no definite pattern in seasonal variation in iodine content. In major part of the study area, the iodine content is deficient and ranges between 3 and 4 µg/l. The cause of low iodine is attributed to repeated floods and erosion of top soil which is the main source of iodine to the groundwater system.

The spatial variation of iodine in both surface and groundwater reveals a striking feature. It is observed that the abundance of iodine both in surface and groundwater decreases downstream from West Champaran to Vaishali. However, in surface water, the profile of iodine content of river Gandak increases again near Hajipur, where it rises to 5.52 µg/l. the high incidence of iodine at the confluence of Ganga and Gandak near Patna is due to mixing of the two river waters.

Low iodine content in water (1-4 µg/l) in the vast tract of land in East and West Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali districts of North Bihar plain makes the people vulnerable to goiter.

Reference:

Rankama, K. and Sahama, Th. G. (1950) Geochemistry, Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago,912p.

Goldschmidt, V.M. (1954) Geochemistry, Clarendon Press, Oxford,730p.

Cauer, H. (1938) Chemisch-bioklimatogische Studien in der Bretagne. II. Mitteilung: Beeinflussung de mitteleuropaischen Jodmilieus durch die Breton ische Jodindustrie auf dem Wege der Luft. Biochen, Z. 299, p.69.

Moynahan, E.J. (1979) Trace elements in man. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London, B-288, pp.65-79.

Konovalov, G.S. (1959) Removal of microelements by the main rivers of the U.S.S.R. Dokl. Acad. Sci. S.S.S.R. 129, p912.

Ghose, N.C., Das, K. and Saha, D. (2003) Distribution of Iodine in Soil-Water system in the Gandak Basin, Bihar, Journal of Geol. Soc. of India, pp 91-98.

Trees are threat to the President of India.

2010-12-07T22:42:00.004+05:30

Trees were cut down mercilessly.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Most of the old trees were cut down on the route of President of India in Ranchi. She is arriving here on 9th December for the convocation in Ranchi University. Local administration feels that these trees are threat to the President. But astonishingly most of the top authorities and ministers are unaware of the cutting down the trees. So this is the way we are protecting our
environment.

Presence of Arsenic in different geological environment.

2010-11-25T21:35:00.003+05:30

In modern parlance, arsenic is viewed as being synonymous with “toxic”.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

As old as recorded history, arsenic has existed through the centuries as a curative, a pigment, a cosmetic, on mirrors, part of alchemical lore, and most notoriously, the deadliest of poisons. In its various forms- as tasteless and odorless arsenic trioxide, the gold-bearing yellow arsenic sulfide, the deadly gas arsine, the practical alloy copper-arsenic, common pesticide white arsenic, and the electronics staple gallium arsenide-arsenic has served with fascinating ease human impulses both noble and wicked.

The long history of arsenic in science, medicine and technology has been over shadowed by its notoriety as a preferred poison in homicides. In modern parlance, arsenic is often viewed as being synonymous with “toxic”.

Widespread arsenic contamination of groundwater has led to a massive epidemic of arsenic poisoning in India and Bangladesh and neighbouring countries. Presently 42 major incidents around the world have been reported on groundwater arsenic contamination. It is estimated that approximately 57 million people are drinking groundwater with arsenic concentrations elevated above the World Health Organization's standard of 10 parts per billion.

The notoriety and lingering concern about the potential effects of arsenic on various fauna and flora has inevitably engendered a lot of research on the many facets of this element in the environment. This paper represents an attempt to bring together the key research results from the different geological work.

Arsenic is considered to be a rare but ubiquitous element of the upper lithosphere. Arsenic is occasionally observed in the native state in nature. However it is more frequently found combined with sulfur, selenium, tellurium and also as sulfo salts and arsenides of various heavy metals such as copper, iron, nickel and cobalt. It also forms a number of pentavalent arsenate minerals that bear a close geochemical relationship with phosphates and vandates with which it can form some isomorphic compounds.

Arsenopyrite, which is the most abundant and widespread mineral of arsenic, is found in pegmatites but more frequently in high temperature gold-quartz veins, high temperature tin-veins, and in contact with metamorphic sulfide deposits.

The numerous oxidic minerals of arsenic observed in nature are a result of the oxidation of sulfide and arsenide deposits in contact with the free oxygen of the atmosphere. The arsenate mineral are the most preponderant of the oxide minerals. Some arsenate minerals have been observed in metamorphic rocks deep in the earth.

It is not surprising to find that there has been increased interest in coals, together with work on rocks, soils, plants and waste materials, probably because of possible adverse health effects of high concentrations. Arsenic with some other environmentally sensitive elements, coal tends to be seen as a major source of arsenic, whereas, where as it only contributes 1.8 % of the total emissions to the atmosphere, which is about the same as wood fuel. There is a wide range of values from less than 1 ppm to several hundred ppm, sometimes enrichment being related to nearly arsenic rich ores. Arsenic has similar chemical properties to phosphorus (P), the element immediately below arsenic on the periodic chart. During coal combustion, arsenic oxidizes and forms gaseous As2 O3 and enters the atmosphere. This volatilization causes concerns for governments of many countries because of environmental pollution due to extensive use of coal.

Although it has been stated categorically that arsenic is present in coal as arsenopyrite and that ‘little exists in any other form’, the only good evidence for the nature of the association of arsenic with pyrite has come from a detailed study of an eastern U.S. coal. It was found that the arsenic was most likely to be present in solid solution in the pyrite, and it was noted that the arsenic was predominantely in fractures in the coal and in microfractures in the pyrite. Arsenic was also detected at isolated points in some pyrite grains, perhaps because small arsenic and selenium bearing minerals inclusions formed and were incorporated into the pyrite at the time of crystallization. However, not all high pyrite coals contain high arsenic, an observations that has also been made in respect of many Australian bituminous coals. This probably means that some coals contain arsenic in other forms, for example organically associated, associated with clays, perhaps as arsenate ions or with phosphate minerals, where (As04)3- could replace some (PO4)3-. Studies need to be carried out on a variety of coals, in order to clarify the nature of the mineral association of arsenic in coals. The extent of organically associated of arsenic is not clear, although organic bonding has been suggested for many Bulgarian coals, for some low rank Canadian coals and for some low sulfur Siberian coals. For most coals, arsenic seems to be mainly associated with the mineral matter, with varying smaller amounts being associated with organic matter.

Many researchers recognize arsenic as a sulphophile element. The occurrence of arsenic in coal is chiefly associated with sulfide minerals, pyrite in particular , and subordinately with organic matter. Therefore, there is commonly a positive correlative relationship between arsenic and total sulfur content in coal.

The distribution of arsenic in a coal - bearing basin appears to have been profoundly modified by the combined effects of many factors , such as the diagenesis of arsenic matter derived from vegetal matter , or the surrounding rocks , the geochemistry of peat formation including pH and Eh conditions of the basin and many other variables. Syn- depositional tectonic activities also exert an impact on peat accumulation and on the quality of coal as well.

A high coal bearing index indicates a relative balance between the rate of basin subsidence and the compensative peat accumulation over a long period of deposition. The weaker the tectonic disturbance, the higher the coal – bearing index and the lower the arsenic concentration in the coal. High concentration of arsenic in coals reflects the relatively vigorous tectonic activities during deposition.

Under the geological and geochemical conditions described above, the secondary arsenic enrichment occurs in part of coal beds. Because the secondary arsenic enrichment results from deuterogenic tectonic (mainly faults ) and hydrothermal activities, the enrichment is local in extent. Thus within the same mining area, the arsenic distribution in coal can be divided into two major distribution types : synsedimentary and secondary.

Deuterogenic arsenic concentration in coal is controlled to some extent by the original sulfur content of the coal. This is manifested by the apparent strong positive correlation of arsenic and total sulfur in the coal.

According to different geo-scientists basalts and diabases contain an average of 2.0ppm arsenic and gabbros 1.4ppm. At present a value of 1.5ppm arsenic may be assigned to basaltic rocks. Fifty-six individual samples of granitic rocks analyzed by different workers gave an average of 1.6ppm arsenic. The average for granitic rocks may be taken as 1.5ppm. Thus the granitic average does not differ enough from the basaltic and gabbroic averages (1.5 and 1.4ppm, respectively). Rhyolitic rocks and silicic glasses are higher in arsenic than other common rock types. The average content of arsenic in igneous rocks may be taken as 1.5ppm arsenic based on the average for granitic rocks, basalts and gabbros.

In nonmarine carbonaceous shales and near shore marine shales and claystones , the arsenic content is not related to the organic carbon content of the samples. However, in offshore marine samples arsenic is concentrated in high carbon – samples. Arsenic occurs in some samples in syngenetic pyrite but also is present in relatively large amount in samples that contain little pyrite. In general, arsenic is present in iron sulfides, clay minerals ( possibly in adsorbed form), organic matter etc in shales. Because of the wide variation of arsenic among the shales, it is not easy to obtain a precise average. At present the average for shales may be taken as 13ppm arsenic. A tentative average for sandstones may be taken as 1ppm arsenic. Analysis of many sandstone samples from the various parts of the world are desirable. Cherts usually contain about 1ppm arsenic. An average of 1ppm arsenic may be given for limestones and dolomites.

Data on the arsenic content of metamorphic rocks are not abundant, and therefore, behavior of arsenic is metamorphic reactions is not well known. Arsenic is likely to be lost in the transformation of slates and graywackes into schists and gneiss in regional metamorphism. In metamorphosed sedimentary iron ores containing coarsely crystalline hematite the arsenic seemed to have been removed by some leaching process.

Many arsenic compounds are water soluble and hence arsenic contamination of water can occur readily. Water is the major means of transport of arsenic in the environmental compartments. Sedimentation of arsenic in association with iron and aluminium may sometimes be considerable. Rivers and lakes generally contain less than 0.01 mg/1.arsenic. The concentration in ground water depends on the arsenic content of the bedrock. Where ever arsenic is present in natural waters, it is most often found as the anion, either as arsenate or arsenite.

The solubility of arsenic oxide in water is 2.05 g. As2 O3 per 100 g. of water at 25 0 C. The solubility of arsenic sulfide As2 S3 in water in extremely low.

Arsenic as a tendency to become precipitated in the hydralyzates. It is more concentrated near the surface than deep in the sediments. It is enriched in oxidate sediments, chiefly by absorption on ferric hydroxide. The manganese – rich oxidates are lower in arsenic than the iron rich type.

Arsenic is present in air mainly in the particulate form as inorganic arsenic. Though both tri and pentavalent forms occurs in air, the pentavalent form is more predominant than the trivalent form. Methylarsenic is also present in small amounts in air of suburban , urban and industrial areas.

Data on the arsenic content of soils were summarized by different scientists. Their results showed that about 30% of the soils contained less than 5ppm arsenic, about 50% contained 5 to 10ppm and about 20% contain more than 10ppm (parts per million). Most of the recent data on arsenic in various soils give less than 10ppm arsenic. The average value of arsenic in soils probably lies in the range of 5 to 10ppm arsenic. Thus soils are enriched in arsenic compared to igneous rocks.

Arsenic, in small quantities, is a universal contaminant of plants and animals and may sometimes be notably concentrated in organisms, e.g. in land plants growing in soil rich in arsenic and in marine and fresh – water organisms , such as fishes , mollusks , crustaceans , plankton , and some brown algae.

Though organic arsenic compounds are beneficial as a growth stimulant for animals and arsenic compounds have been used as medicines , there is no firm evidence that arsenic in any form is essential to man. In fact arsenic compounds are proved to be toxic. The toxicity of arsenic compounds depends on the chemical and physical form of the compound, the route by which it enters the body and dose and duration of exposure. In man, subacute and chronic arsenic poising may be insidious and pernicious. The symptoms of mild chronic poisoning are fatigue and lot of energy. In more severe intoxication the following symptoms may be observed: kidney degeneration, tendency to edema , liver cirrhosis , bone marrow injury , gastrointestinal catarrh , polyneuritis , exfoliate dermatitis and altered skin pigmentation.

No true tolerance of arsenic has ever been demonstrated. During chronic exposure, trivalent arsenic accumulates mainly in bone , muscle , and skin and to a lesser degree in the liver and kidneys.

A W.H.O task group, applying the linear non-threshold model estimated that a life time exposure to arsenic in drinking water at a concentration of 0.2 mg/1 gave a 5% risk of getting cancer of the skin.

Red clouds above Ranchi city.

2010-11-21T15:12:00.004+05:30

Sky above Ranchi city is covered with red clouds.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

On 19th night layers of Red coloured clouds were seen in the sky of Ranchi city, the capital of Jharkhand State of India. These colour is due to pollution mixed with reflection of city light. From last several days lots of fire crackers were used due to Diwali and other festivals.

Toxic smokes due to fire crackers.

2010-11-07T15:51:00.007+05:30

Toxic smoke is seen in the sky above Ranchi city.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi.

In the above picture stagnant toxic smoke is seen above Ranchi city in Jharkhand state of India. It is due to the fire crackers and other explosives burnt during Diwali night and the next day. Such smokes are contaminated with toxic heavy metals injurious to lungs, eyes etc. It may cause breathing problems, irritation in eyes, increase in blood pressure etc. If it rains it may also cause acid rain.

Lighting firecrackers increases the sulphur dioxide level 200-fold, above the safety levels prescribed by the World Health Organisation.

More chemicals are added to give colour, Metals, such as aluminum, magnesium, and titanium, burn very brightly and are useful for increasing the temperature of the firework. Fireworks produce smoke and dust that may contain residues of heavy metals, sulfur-coal compounds and some low concentration toxic chemicals. These by-products of fireworks combustion will vary depending on the mix of ingredients of a particular firework. (The color green, for instance, may be produced by adding the various compounds and salts of Barium,

Fireworks were invented in ancient China in the 12th century to scare away evil spirits.

झारखण्ड एवं बिहार के भूमिगत जल में फैल रहा है आर्सेनिक का जहर I

2010-10-30T15:37:00.003+05:30

बहुत सारे छेत्रों में अपना प्रभाव दिखा रहा है I
द्वारा
डा. नितीश प्रियदर्शी

आर्सेनिक शब्द का नाम आते ही नेपोलियन की याद आती है जिनके बारे में यह कहा जाता है की उनको आर्सेनिक का जहर देकर मारा गया था I
देश के कई भागों में आर्सेनिक युक्त जल पीने के कारण लोग कैंसर की चपेट में आ रहे हैं। पश्चिम बंगाल, उत्तर प्रदेश, झारखण्ड तथा बिहार के अनेक गांवों में भूजल में आर्सेनिक तत्व पाए जाने की पुष्टि वैज्ञानिकों ने की है।
पश्चिम बंगाल के मालदा, मुर्शिदाबाद, वर्धमान, नाडिया, हावड़ा, हुगली, उत्तर 24 परगना, दक्षिण 24 परगना और कोलकाता जिलों के लोग इस पानी को पीने से विभिन्न रोगों के शिकार हो रहे हैं।
पूरे विशव मे करीब बीस मिलियन लोग इससे प्रभावित है , कई तरीकों से इससे उत्पन्न हुये रोगों से निजात पाने की चेष्टा की गयी लेकिन अभी तक कोई ठॊस परिणाम सामने नही आये हैं ।

आज पश्चिम बंगाल के कई जिले इस जहर से प्रभावित हैं. वहां के भूमिगत जलों में आर्सेनिक की मात्रा खतरनाक स्तिथि तक पहुँच चुकी है I हजारों लोग इससे प्रभावित है I
बिहार एवं झारखण्ड के भी कई जगहों पर यह जहर यहाँ के भूमिगत जल में तेजी से फैल रहा है. तथा हजारों लोग इस आर्सेनिक के जहर से त्रस्त हैं I धरती की सतही जल में इसकी उपस्थिति लगभग नगण्य होती है किन्तु जैसे जैसे पृथ्वी के भीतर की और बढ़ते हैं एवं जल पाइराइट नामक खनिज के संपर्क में रहता है आर्सेनिक की सांद्रता बढ़ती जाती है I
दोनों राज्यों में आर्सेनिक की मात्रा १० पि. पि. बी. (पार्ट्स पर बिलियन ) की संख्या को पर कर चूका है तथा अपना प्रभाव दिखाना शुरू कर दिया है I झारखण्ड में सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित जगह है झारखंड के पूर्वी-पश्चिमी सिंहभूम, सरायकेला-खरसावां, कोडरमा, हजारीबाग, साहेबगंज, राजमहल, चतरा, दुमका, पाकुड़, उधवा, आदि जिले पूरी तरह आर्सेनिक की चपेट में हैं। यहाँ पर आर्सेनिक की मात्रा भूमिगत जल में खतरनाक स्तिथि तक पहुँच चुकी है एवं कई लोग इस प्रदूषित जल को पीने से विभिन्न प्रकार के चर्म रोग से त्रस्त हैं I कई लोग तो पेट सम्भंदित बिमारिओं की भी शिकायत की है I मानव शारीर में उपस्थित आर्सेनिक केंद्रीय तंत्रिका तंत्र के लिए घातक है I इसके अलावा मांसपेशिओं की कमजोरी, भूख न लगना, जी मिचलाना, जैसी बिमारियों की संभावना बढ़ सकती है I आरेसेनिक संक्रमण से त्वचा का कैन्सर , केरोटोसिस [keratoses] जैसी समस्यायें उत्पन्न हो सकती हैं ।
वैसे तो झारखण्ड से होकर बहने वाली दामोदर एवं स्वर्णरेखा नदी भी इस जहर के प्रभाव से अछूती नहीं है. इसका प्रभाव धीरे धीरे अब दिखने लगा है I सवर्णरेखा एवं दामोदर में इस जहर का स्रोत यहाँ पर उपस्थित विभिन्न उद्योग और खनिज की खानें हैं I झारखण्ड में घाटशिला के पास भी कुछ भूमिगत जालों में आर्सेनिक मिलने की सुचना है I

बिहार में सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित छेत्र पटना , भोजपुर, वैशाली एवं भागलपुर जिले हैं I यहाँ पर आर्सेनिक की मात्रा १० पि.पि.बी. को पार कर चुकी है I यह सारे छेत्र गंगा नदी के छेत्र हैं I सबसे खतरनाक बात यह है की यहाँ के भूमिगत जलों में आर्सेनिक की मात्रा मौसम के अनुसार बदलती है I पटना के पास मनेर इस जहर से सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित है जहाँ आर्सेनिक की मात्रा ३० पि.पि.बी. से ६० पि.पि.बी. तक पहुँच चुकी है I भोजपुर के पाण्डेय टोला एवं बरहरा में आर्सेनिक की सांद्रता १८६१ पि.पि.बी. तक पहुँच चुकी है I भागलपुर के पास कहलगांव में आर्सेनिक का जहर सबसे ज्यादा पाया गया है I दूसरा प्रभावित छेत्र है सबौर और सुल्तानगंज I मनेर में जहाँ आर्सेनिक ६० फीट की गहराई वाले कुऐं में ही मिल जा रहा है वहीँ भोजपुर में १५० फीट नीचे में आर्सेनिक मिल रहा
है I
समस्तीपुर के एक गाँव हराइल छापर में भूजल के एक नमूने में आर्सेनिक की मात्रा 2100 ppb पाई गई जो कि सर्वाधिक है।उल्लेखनीय है कि विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन ने पेयजल में 10 ppb की मानक मात्रा तय की है जबकि भारत सरकार के दिशानिर्देशों के अनुसार अधिकतम सुरक्षित मात्रा 50 ppb मानी जाती है।

बिहार के अन्य प्रभावित छेत्र हें बक्सर, खगरिया,कटिहार, छपरा, मुंगेर एवं दरभंगा I
आर्सेनिक का जहर अगर इसी तरह बढ़ता रहा तो दोनों राज्यों की स्थिती और भयावह हो जायगी I

Coal mining destroying the environment and health of people in Jharkhand state of India.

2010-10-28T11:00:00.010+05:30

Longevity has reduced drastically.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Children are more affected.

Contaminated community water source with low pH value

Polluted river bed.

Atmosphere is also polluted.

Black river.

Dust is every where.

The health hazards, degeneration of the health conditions of the people especially tribal women and children and water contamination is one of the most serious impacts of coal mining in Jharkhand.

Jharkhand is an area of abundant coalmines. Most of the coalmines are situated in Hazaribag, Chatra, Palamau, Rajmahal, Dhanbad and Ranchi district. Mighty Damodar River and its tributaries flow through these coalmines.

Jharkhand is the homeland of over a dozen indigenous communities, the major ones being the Santhals, the Mundas, the Oraons and the Hos. Most of their populations are concentrated around the coal mines area.

Today, the picture of Damodar River or Damuda, considered a sacred river by the local tribals, is quite like a sewage canal shrunken and filled with filth and rubbish, emanating obnoxious odours. This river once known as “River of Sorrow” for its seasonal ravages, has now turned into a “River of Agony” from the environmental point of view.

Due to extensive coal mining and vigorous growth of industries in this area water resources have been badly contaminated. The habitants have, however, been compromising by taking contaminated and sometimes polluted water, as there is no alternative source of safe drinking water. Thus, a sizeable populace suffers from water borne diseases.

The Damodar river basin is a repository of approximately 46 per cent of the Indian coal reserves. A high demographic and industrial expansion has taken place in last three decades in the region. Exploitation of coal by underground and open cast mining has lead to a great environmental threat in this area.

Besides mining, coal based industries like coal washeries, coke oven plants, coal fired thermal power plants, steel plants and other related industries in the region also greatly impart towards degradation of the environmental equality vis-a-vis human health.
The most affected part of the natural- resources is water in this region and thereby human health.

Damodar is a small rainfed river (541 km long) originating from the Khamerpet hill (1068 m), near the trijunction of Palamau, Ranchi, and Hazaribag districts of Jharkhand. It flows through the cities Ramgarh, Dhanbad, Asansol, Durgapur, Bardwan and Howrah before ultimately joining the lower Ganga (Hooghly estuary) at Shayampur, 55 km downstream of Howrah. The river is fed by a number of tributaries at different reaches, the principal ones being Jamunia, Bokaro, Konar, Safi, Bhera, Nalkari and Barakar.

The total catchment area of the basin is about 23,170 km of this, three- fourth of the basin lies in Jharkhand and one-fourth in West Bengal. The major part of the rainfall (82%) occurs during the monsoon season with a few sporadic rains in winter. Damodar basin is an important coal bearing area and at least seven coal fields are located in this region.

High increase in the population i.e. from 5.0 million (1951) to 14.6 mil- lion (1991) has been observed during the last four decades which is the out- come of the heavy industrialization in this basin mainly in coal sector.

Due to easy availability of coal and prime cooking coal, several thermal power plants, steel plants have grown up. Discharge of uncontrolled and untreated industrial wastewater, often containing highly toxic metals is the major source of pollution of Damodar River.

Mine water and runoff through overburden material of open cast mines also contribute towards pollution of nearby water resources of the area. Huge amount of overburden materials have been dumped on the bank of the river and its tributaries, which finally get spread in the rivers especially in the rainy season. These activities have resulted in the visible deterioration of the quality of the river water.

The large scale mining operations going on this region have also adversely affected ground water table in many areas with the result that yield of water from the wells of adjoining villages has drastically reduced. Further, effluents discharged from the mine sites have also seriously, polluted the underground water of the area.

Mine water does not have acid mine drainage problem. It may be due to the fact that coal deposits of this basin are associated with minor amounts of pyrites and contain low Sulphur. Iron content in this water is found in the range of 1 to 6 mg/1. Though it is not alarming but it may be toxic to some aquatic species. Mine water is generally bacterially contaminated which is clear from the value lying in the range of 100 to 2500.

Heavy metals like manganese, chromium, lead, arsenic, mercury, floride, cadmium, and copper are also found in the sediments and water of Damodar river and its tributary like Safi River. Permian coal of this area contains all these toxic elements in considerable amount. Presence of lead is high above the alarming level i.e. 300 ppm (parts per million) in the coals of North Karanpura coal field.

The study warned that long term exposure to the lead present in that area might result in general weakness, anorexia, dyspepsia, metallic taste in the mouth, headache, drowsiness, high blood pressure and anaemia etc.

The Damodar sediments are deficient in calcium and magnesium and rich in potassium concentration. Titanium and iron are the dominant heavy metals followed by manganese, zine, copper, chromium, lead, arsenic, and mercury. Other heavy metal like strontium shows more or less uniform concentration throughout the basin. Average concentration of strontium in the sediments of the river is 130 ppm. Silica is also high in the sediments of Damodar River and its tributary. The value is 28ppm.

Arsenic in the water ranges from 0.001 to 0.06 mg/1, mercury ranges from 0.0002 to 0.004 mg/1, floride ranges from 1 to 3 mg/1.

It is obvious that due to extensive coal mining and vigorous growth of industries in this area water resources have been badly contaminated. The habitants have, however, been compromising by taking contaminated and sometimes polluted water, as there is no alternate source of drinking water. Thus, a sizeable populace suffers from water borne diseases.

As per the heath survey of the local people, the most common diseases are dysentery, diarrhoea, skin infection, worm infection, jaundice, and typhoid. Dysentery and skin infections occur in high percentage in the area. If proper steps are not taken up the total population mostly tribals will be on the verge of extinction.

The Agaria tribe and other tribes that inhabit the coalfields of North Karanpura and East Parej, India are faced with severe water contamination. In East Parej, more than 80% of the community lives in poverty. Water for the community comes from hand pumps, dug wells, local streams and rivers. In some areas, mine water and river water is supplied through pipes. But most people are dependent on other sources - which are contaminated - for their water needs. Women and children in these areas have to travel more than 1 kilometer to fetch safe drinking water. Most villagers are left with no choice but to drink contaminated water. Dug wells are generally dried up during the summer and winter. Natural drainage is obstructed and diverted due to the expansion of mining. Villagers in these areas have no concept of how to preserve and purify rainwater.

Our longevity has reduced drastically, said Phulmani Kujur a 38 year old women of East Parej coal field. We avoid taking bath everyday, there are a gap of 5 to 10 days, and do not drink water adequately due to water pollution, said Mahesh a Santhal Tribe of the same village.

Study reveals that average longevity of women in East Parej coal field was found to be 45 and in most of the villages only one or two women had crossed the age of 60. In North Karanpura coal field average longevity of male is 50 years and that of female is 45 years.

The number of deaths in a period of five years, in East Parej, also reveals shocking figures in Dudhmatia village: 6 out of average 80 people, in Agariatola village: 12 out of average 100 people, in Lapangtandi: 13 out of average 115 people, and in Ulhara: 9 (seven were children) out of average 80 people.

Villagers of Agariatola complain that their only source of drinking water has been damaged due to dumping of overburden and expansion of open cast mine. Villagers have no substitute but to drink the water of well provided by the miners which according to the villagers is not good in taste with foul smell and yellow colour. Villagers of Dudhmatia of the same coal field complained about foul smell present in the water of the only hand pump.

Average kilometers travel by the villagers to retrieve safe drinking water is 1 to 2 kilometers. In summer season we have to travel even more to have safe drinking water, alleged women of the affected areas. Sometimes organizations supply us the water through tankers but they are not sufficient, said villagers of the East Parej, North Karanpura and South Karanpura coal field.

In the absence of even primary hospital and doctors in East Parej (there is only one hospital run by Central Coalfields Limited) villagers are more dependent on the quacks as they are the regular visitor in the remote area.

Our children are the most affected due to living in such unhygienic conditions and filth, said villagers of the North Karanpura coal field, one of the biggest coal mines of the area.
These are one of the most common situations in all the coal mines area of Jharkhand. Most of the population in North Karanpura coal field is dependent on Safi River for drinking and other domestic purposes. This river is polluted because of the coalmines waste dumped along the banks of the river at different locations. Water of the area is contaminated with toxic metals like arsenic and mercury. Manganese has crossed the toxic level ( 3.6 milligram per liter against the permissible level of 0.5 mg/l.). According to WHO (World Health Organization) high manganese may affect with the symptoms like lethargy, increased muscle tone and mental disturbances.

Health survey done among the boys and girls in a local school it was found that majority of the children (both tribal and non-tribal) are lethargic may be due to inhalation of coal dust and consumption of contaminated water containing high manganese.

In the coal fields of Jharkhand most of the tribal women are employed in secondary activities such as loading and unloading of the coals. According to Chotanagpur Adivasi Sewa Samiti, a NGO working in Hazaribag district, constant contact with dust pollution and indirectly through contamination of water, air, etc. cause severe health hazard to women workers. As majority of the women workers are contract labourers, and paid on daily wage basis there is no economic security or compensation paid due to loss of workdays on account of health problems. Even during pregnancy women has to work in hazardous conditions amidst noise, air pollution that have adverse affects on their offspring.

Malaria is very common. It is found that there are numerous ditches, stagnant mine water, and open tanks breeding all the species mosquitoes. Majorities of the death were attributed to malaria. Next come the skin diseases such as eczema, rashes on the skin etc. it may be due to lack of care and cleanliness or due to the presence of nickel in drinking water. In some area like East Parej high nickel (0.024 mg/l) have been reported in the water. According to WHO nickel is a common skin allergen.

Many especially children of the coal fields suffer from dysentery and diarrhoea. According to the residents of the coal field, it is because of consuming contaminated water. About 60% of the local people are affected with seasonal allergies. Other diseases found were tuberculosis, headache, joints pain (pain begins at the age of 5 to 10 years, especially in North Karanpura), gastric, cough and cold and asthma.

When asked from the villagers in East Parej and North Karanpura about what do they think about future, they replied situation is going to worsen. They are not very confident about their life span. There is always a threat of displacement due to expansion of coal mining, which finally affects their longevity.

Fluoride, arsenic, nickel, sulfate, and manganese pose the biggest threats to water sources in the region. They have been shown to cause adverse effects when consumed over a long period of time. Health care facilities can improve the situation immensely, but it is more desirable to maintain the philosophy that prevention is better than the cure. Medical checkups can be adopted to improve the situation. Installation of pollution control equipment is needed for monitoring and analyzing pollution data. Seeing that nearly all the water sources under study are contaminated, the only short term solution for safe drinking water is rain water harvesting. Indigenous methods, such as disinfecting and purifying water with the help of medicinal plants, can be adopted for purifying water in ways that are cost efficient.

The international community can also help by providing funds to carry out research and analysis of the problem in more detail. Publishing these results can help other communities around the world figure out the best methods for improving water quality. Awareness programs should be given major importance.

These research project was sponsored to the author by Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India and Green Grant Fund, U.S.A. and supported by Earth Day Network, U.S.A

Diesel Generators releases black carbon which affects plant life.

2010-10-24T16:16:00.008+05:30

It is also hazardous to the lungs and general health.

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Fig.1. Thick layer of black carbon deposited on the fungus. Source is nearby diesel generator.
Fig.2 Black carbon being deposited on the fungus.
Fig.3 Black carbon deposited on the fungus.
Fig.4. Black carbon deposited on leafs.
Fig.5. Dead leafs due to the impact of exhaust fumes from the diesel generator.

Above photographs shows how the black carbons released by the diesel generators affect the plants. Black carbon or soot is seen deposited on fungus. These fungus are very nearer to the exhaust pipe of the generator. Even the leaves exposed to the fumes are seen dead in the picture.

Commonly known as soot, black carbon enters the air when fossil fuels and biofuels, such as coal, wood, and diesel are burned. Black carbon is found worldwide, but its presence and impact are particularly strong in Asia.

These black particulate can affect vegetation in three ways. These are:

Direct deposition on leaf surfaces or other surfaces exposed to atmosphere.

Blocking leaf stomata and /or uptake into leaf tissues.

Deposition onto substrates (e.g. soil) and indirect effects via changes in substrate chemistry.

Black carbon is a potent climate forcing agent, estimated to be the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Soot is a general term that refers to impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of a hydrocarbon. They are classified as a "known human carcinogen" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Soot or black carbon is in the general category of airborne particulate matter, and as such is considered hazardous to the lungs and general health when the particles are less than five micrometres in diameter, as such particles are not filtered out by the upper respiratory tract. Smoke from diesel engines, while composed mostly of carbon soot, is considered especially dangerous owing to both its particulate size and the many other chemical compounds present.

Between 25 and 35 percent of black carbon in the global atmosphere comes from China and India, emitted from the burning of wood and cow dung in household cooking and through the use of coal to heat homes. Countries in Europe and elsewhere that rely heavily on diesel fuel for transportation also contribute large amounts.

Diesel combustion in trucks, buses and cars emit a lot of black carbon. The particulate air pollution also commonly comes from burning firewood, indoor cooking, and biomass burning.

Black soot deposited on Tibetan glaciers has contributed significantly to the retreat of the world's largest non-polar ice masses, according to new research by scientists from NASA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Soot absorbs incoming solar radiation and can speed glacial melting when deposited on snow in sufficient quantities.

What ancient people thought about lightning in the sky?

2010-10-13T15:56:00.004+05:30

Lightning plays a role in many mythologies.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Lightning and thunder have awed man and beats ever since these creatures made their appearance on earth. Inevitably, these forces of nature found their way into mythology and folklore. In ancient Rome, lightning have even played a political role.

Lightning plays a role in many mythologies, often as the weapon of a sky and storm god. As such, it is an unsurpassed method of dramatic instantaneous retributive destruction: thunderbolts as divine weapons can be found in many mythologies.

Various ancient societies associated the lightning with a wheel. Marija Gimbutas has shown that the Baltic thunder god, Perkunas, was thought to procure fire by rotating his lightning-club in the nave of the solar wheel. In India the thunderbolt was envisaged as a disc with a hole in the middle that rotated when launched and shot lightning in all directions. This disc was a form of the vajra, the sacred lightning weapon of Indra, and was later depicted in the hands of Vishnu as the chakra.

References to lightning and thunder can be traced to Akkadian times (2200 B.C.) and the works of Hittite (900 B.C.). For the Vikings, lightning was produced by Thor as his hammer struck an anvil while riding his chariot across the clouds. In the Hindu mythology, lightning is the weapon of lord Indra, the king of Devas. Reportedly, there is even a temple in Tibet that is consecrated to lightning.

In ancient Rome, the members of the college of Augurs searched the southern skies for lightning. A lightning bolt passing from east to west was a good omen. If it was from west to east, it meant something was wrong with current political situation. The Augurs reports were politically exploited to postpone unwanted meetings, to delay passage of laws and event to prevent election of magistrates!

Nearly all cultures believed that thunder and lightning were caused by the activity of sky gods. These sky gods were associated with planets; they reigned supreme, and thunderbolts were their emblem of power over heaven and Earth. In Scandinavia, it was the great god Thor swinging his mighty hammer. The Greeks believed that it was Zeus (Jupiter) who threw thunderbolts. In Germanic mythology, Thor is specifically the god of thunder and lightning, wielding Mjolnir. In Maya mythology, Huracan is sometimes represented as three lightning bolts.

The Goddess of Lightning, also called Dian Mu in Chinese, is a supernatural being that has magic power and is in charge of lighting in the heaven. It is said that she is the wife of the God of Thunder. She is viewed as the symbol of justice as she can distinguish good from evil and uphold justice.

The history of the Goddess of Lightning can date back to the period of Song Dynasty (960~1279). In ancient China, the image of the Goddess of Lightning was often depicted as a kind and elegant woman. She has two lightning mirrors, which can help her look carefully whether the person is good or evil.
There spread a legend about the Goddess of Lightning. The legend goes that, in ancient times, there was no lightning during the thunderstorm. One night, the God of Thunder killed a good woman by mistake. He blamed himself for a long time. Then he told the Jade Emperor about this woman. Jade Emperor also commiserated with the woman and conferred the Goddess of Lightning on her. From then on, the God of Thunder and the Goddess of Lightning worked together to chase away the evil spirits and punish the criminals. In order not to kill the good people, the Goddess of Lightning would use her mirror to judge first and then the God of Thunder will make thunder to punish the evil. Therefore, we can always see a flash of lightning before hearing the thunder during the thunderstorm.

There is a good reason why all mythologies in the world contain references to lightning. Most of the natural disasters like earthquakes, cyclones, floods etc., result in deaths of many people. But lightning seems to choose its individual victims! Apparently, the vengeful Gods punish only the erring individual! There must be something divine about lightning!

Even today, lightning and thunder can, and occasionally do, strike fear into the hearts of humans by their dazzling display of fire-works, by deafening roar and by their enormous destructive potential. Lightning wreaks havoc by causing forest fires, by interrupting power distribution, by disrupting communications, by destroying property and by causing injury and death to humans and other animals.

Suicides at India’s Nuclear Plants.

2010-10-05T11:36:00.007+05:30

The largest number of suicide cases at 74 have been reported from Uranium Corporation of India Ltd, Jharkhand.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

197 employees belonging to a number of nuclear establishments and related institutes in India have committed suicide and 1,733 scientists and employees belonging to these centres have died of illnesses like multiple organ failure, lung cancer, cirrhosis of liver etc, as per a report compiled by Mumbai-based RTI activist Chetan Kothari..

Suicide is often committed out of despair, or attributed to some underlying mental disorder which includes depression, bipolar disorder,schizophrenia, alcoholism and drug abuse, Financial difficulties, interpersonal relationships and other undesirable situations play a significant role.
Over one million people commit suicide every year. The World Health Organization estimates that it is the thirteenth-leading cause of death worldwide. It is a leading cause of death among teenagers and adults under 35. There are an estimated 10to 20 million non-fatal attempted suicides every year worldwide.

The report based on 175 pages of documents sourced through 32 such centres also reveal that 1,733 employees and scientists from these establishments died due to various illnesses that include cardiac strokes, liver failure, multiple organ failure, tuberculosis, cardio-respiratory diseases, lung cancer, septicemia, cirrhosis of liver, cerebro-vascular dieseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, mellitus etc amongst a host of other diseases.

Some of these illnesses can be contributed to Occupational Health Hazard. Exposure to radiation, chemicals and other biological agents account for one of the most common and most harmful of occupational health hazards that effect several industries. The health risks from these hazards include liver damage, cancer etc.

The largest number of suicide cases at 74 have been reported from Uranium Corporation of India Ltd, Jharkhand, and those who died of other illnesses mentioned above stood at 203 at this centre. Major cause of suicide in this area may be attributed to its remote position . As this area situated in very remote in Jharkhand State does not have any recreation spots as it is in metro cities or big towns. Lack of recreation coupled with work pressure and working in adverse condition and in hazardous condition may increase mental disorders among the officials and workers.

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, have reported highest number of deaths, at 680, of its employees and scientists due to various illnesses.
The data has been sourced from the Nuclear Power Corporation of India in Mumbai, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Tata Memorial Hospital, Department of Atomic Energy, Atomic Energy Rgulatory Board, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (Kolkata ), Uranium Corporation of India (Jharkhand), Nuclear Fuel Complex (Hyderabad), Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Environmental and Industrial safety (Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu), The Institute fo Mathematical Sciences (Chennai), Department fo Atomic Energy, Heavy Watyer Plant (Tuticorin), Harish Chandra Research Institute (Allahabad), Institute for Plasma Research Centre (Gandhinagar), Institute of Physics (Bhubaneshwar), Heavy Water Plant in Kota (Rajasthan ), Heavy water Pklant, Talcher (Orissa), Raja Ramanna Centre for Advaced Technology (Indore) amongst several others.

Source of this informations:
http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/oct/04/suicides-at-indias-atomic-centres-in-15-years.htm

Radiogenic Osmium in Ganga river sediments of India.

2010-10-03T16:09:00.003+05:30

Ganga river Sediments are the major source of radiogenic Osmium.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

The Ganga sediments are characterized by high Re/Os (rhenium-osmium) ratios and are extremely radiogenic as evident from their 187 Os/ 188 Os isotopic ratios. Samples from the tributaries Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Gandak and Ghaghra show pronounced 187 Os/ 188 Os. High Os concentrations combined with sediments flux makes the Ganga an important source for soluble Os isotopic evolution in oceans.

Interest in rhenium-osmium systematics in rivers has risen sharply in recent years due to the revelation of changes associated with sea water Os isotopic compositions during the past 70 Ma. Radiogenic 187 Os is produced from the β- decay of 187 Re. Osmium isotopic composition in sea water is derived from the weathering of basaltic and peridotitic oceanic crust, hydrothermal solutions, additions from cosmic dust and continental weathering products.

Os isotopes in the oceans convey the then prevalent continental weathering processes. The Osmium isotopic composition of the present day sea water is markedly higher since the past 70 Ma. This enhancement in radiogenic Os in sea water is largely attributed to the Himalayan tectonics with its accompanying increased silicate weathering and in particular, chemical weathering of the extremely radiogenic black shales in the lesser Himalayan region.

Marine black shales have been proposed as a source of very radiogenic Os because of their large enrichments in Re and because they can even at trace amounts weather very fast due to oxidative processes. If true, this then has the possibility of tracking exposure and weathering of organic carbon in the form of black shales in the past, e.g. uplift of the Himalayas or the Andes.

According to the article published in Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta in year 1999, Indus and Brahmaputra are less radiogenic than the Ganges, presumably due to the erosion of ophiolitic assemblages exposed along the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone.

The tributaries in the upstream, Alaknanada and Bhagirathi flow through predominantly silicates (shales, phyllites, quartzites, crystalines) and show high Re/ Os ratios of 24.9 and 19.8 respectively. Re is preferentially incorporated into the silicate minerals relative to Os.

Rivers draining the Canadian Shield have radiogenic values at low concentrations (24 to 35 fmol/kg). They are more radiogenic than the Zaire draining the Congo shield (1.4) or the Tapajos draining the Amazon shield (1.33) in the tropics.

Recently osmium concentrations and isotopic compositions in groundwater samples from the Bengal plain have been reported. Groundwaters have Os concentrations (16.9–191.5 pg/kg), about 5–10 times higher than those published for most rivers or seawater. 187Os/188Os varies widely (from 0.96 to 2.79) and is related to the isotopic signatures of the sediments constituting local aquifers.

Table-1 Osmium in Ganga River and its tributaries (in ppt).

Bhagirathi- 32.8
Alaknanda- 21.1
Yamuna- 64.3
Chambal-33.8
Gandak-55.7
Ganga- 37.7 to 51.7

Reference:

Chakrapani, G.J. et.al 2002. Osmium isotopic compositions in Ganga river sediments. Current science, Vol.83, no. 10.