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Industry and Water Use By Dr Arvind Kumar Rapid pace of industrialization in fast emerging economies, including India, is likely to put additional pressure on already depleting water resources. The industrial sector is expected to replace agriculture sector, which has traditionally been the biggest user of water. According to recent World Bank estimates, water requirement for industrial use will quadruple from the current 30 billion cubic metres to 120 billion cubic metres by 2025. The UNDP’s World Water Development Report of 2003 had estimated that in 2003, industry accounted for 22% of global freshwater consumption and by 2025 that percentage was expected to double. Further, most of the increase in industrial water use is likely to happen in fast-developing countries like India. And as manufacturing industries migrate to developing countries, the pressure on the water sources of those countries will only intensify. According to Arjun Thapan, special senior adviser on water a...

Happy Janmashtami by Dr Arvind Kumar Krishna Janmashtami is the birth (Janma) anniversary of Lord Krishna. According to the legend of the birth of Krishna, Vishnu incarnated himself as Krishna to destroy the evil Kansa who was harassing mankind. During Janmashtami, The main celebrations are held at the Dwarkadhish temple, Mathura in the form of Jhulanotsava and the Ghatas during the entire month of Shravan. The ghatas are a unique feature of the month long celebrations. The temples and the Lord Krishna`s statue are decorated in the same colour as the colour of the ghatas. The twin cities of Mathura and Vrindavan wear a festive look and spirit of devotion runs high among the people. There are about 400 temples dedicated to Lord Krishna in this sacred city and the major festivities are held at the Banke Bihari, Rangaji, Shri Krishna Balram temple and Gopinath temple. The Raslila of Braj is thematically the basis of many performing arts. Professional drama troupes or even young chil...

Renewable Energy By Dr. Arvind Kumar According to the United Nations' latest renewable energy report entitled REN21 Renewables 2011 Global Status Report, in 2010 renewable energy accounted for 16 percent of global final energy consumption and close to 20 percent of global electricity production. Despite ongoing global economic doldrums, all this cuts in incentives and low prices for natural gas. Besides, 2010 witnessed strong growth in renewable energy. An estimated 30 gigawatts (GW) of hydrowater generating capacity was added, and solar water- and space-heating capacity grew by an estimated 16 percent or 25 gigawatts-thermal. Last year, 50 percent of added power-generating capacity came from renewable energy sources, and renewable energy now provides about 25 percent of the world's power-generating capacity. Wind power accounted for the greatest portion of added renewable-energy capacity, leading hydropower and solar photovoltaic (PV) power. Highlighting the continui...

Oil Spills By Dr Arvind Kumar Frequent media reports of oil spills, both off-shore and on-shore, in the seas is a cause of serious concern fraught with grave implications for marine life and the people inhabiting coastal areas. There have been many releases of oil over the years. They are caused by many variables. Those caused by human error or unexpected accident can only be partially prevented by better design. Those that are the result of predicable design or mechanical failure can be prevented. Offshore oil spill prevention and response is not just design and predictions. Important aspects of prevention include technological assessment of equipment and procedures, and protocols for training, inspection, and contingency plans for the avoidance, control, and shutdown of offshore operations. Response includes technological assessment of equipment and procedures for cleaning up oil spills, and protocols for the detection, monitoring, containment, and removal of oil spills, an...

Tropical Forests By Dr Arvind Kumar According to a new study report, publishede recently in Science Daily , it is revealed that as climate change enhances tree growth in tropical forests, the resulting increase in litterfall could stimulate soil micro-organisms leading to a release of stored soil carbon. The research was led by scientists from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the University of Cambridge, UK. The scientists used results from a six-year experiment in a rainforest at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, Central America, to study how increases in litterfall -- dead plant material such as leaves, bark and twigs which fall to the ground -- might affect carbon storage in the soil. Their results show that extra litterfall triggers an effect called 'priming' where fresh carbon from plant litter provides much-needed energy to micro-organisms, which then stimulates the decomposition of carbon stored in the soil. According to l...

Our Independence Day 15th August marks the completion of 64 years of emergence of India as an independent sovereign nation. It is both an occasion of celebrations as well as that of introspection to ascertain as to where we have missed the train. Undoubtedly, much progress has been registered in many fields, but our failures outweigh our achivements. We celebrate our independence day with the usual exuberance that has seemigly lost much of its meaning and the rhetoric which has also lost much of its sheen. Admittedly, it is an occasion that makes every Indian proud of being free from the servility of the imperial power that ruled us for about three centuries. However, there are several unanswered questions that make us uneasy and squirm as we happily move on mouthing platitudes of having attained independence. On the eve of India's first Independence Day, Mahatma Gandhi had refused to attend the celebrations at Red Fort and instead engaged himself in a lonely tre...

International Youth Day By Dr Arvind Kumar 12th August is celebrated as International Youth Day each year to recognize efforts of the world’s youth in enhancing global society. It also aims to promote ways to engage them in becoming more actively involved in making positive contributions to their communities. It was o n 17 December 1999 that the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 54/120 endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August be declared International Youth Day. This year's International Youth Day (IYD) will represent the culmination of the International Year of Youth - designated by the United Nations to comprise the 12 month period between IYD 2010 and IYD 2011 - and the 25th Anniversary of the first International Year of Youth. As such, “Change Our World” has been chosen as the theme for IYD 2011 as it not only expresses the level of impact that young people s...

Nuclear Risks By Dr Arvind Kumar 9th August marks the anniversary of US atomic bombing of Nagasaki in Japan in 1945. In fact, it was on 6 August 1945 that US first dropped its first atomic bomb on Hiroshima in Japan. Since then the nuclear weapons have continued to haunt the human kind with their gigantic destructive potential. The recent Fukushima tragedy has added new dimension to this year’s atomic bombing anniversaries in the form of the risk of radiation exposure from nuclear power plants. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings killed an estimated 140,000 people and 74,000 people, respectively, by the end of 1945. In the past, people speaking out against nuclear power generation were hardly heard among those people involved in the cause against anti-nuclear weapons. Perhaps one reason is that both the victims of the atomic bombings and the anti-nuclear weapons activists placed hope in the idea of using nuclear fission solely for peaceful purposes. However, Chernobyl ...

Energy Security in Himalayan Nations By Dr Arvind Kumar Known as the "roof of the world", the Himalayas face numerous challenges in addition to climate change. As mountain glaciers melt, wildlife poachers are running rampant, and forests are being cut down for timber or agriculture expansion. 
 As many communities depend on the region's natural resources to maintain their livelihoods and traditions, conservation is an important part of their lives. 
 But climate change is causing many Himalayan glaciers to retreat at a rapid pace, which could contribute to water shortages and have a major impact on freshwater flows. These changes would have a devastating impact on regional food security, the availability of energy resources and biodiversity. Accordingly, during the last week of July this year experts from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal gathered in Kathmandu, Nepal for discussions on long-term energy security in the Himalayas, concluding a series of plann...

Reviving Surajkund’s Glory By Dr Arvind Kumar S urajkund, located near the Surajkund village, between the villages of Baharpur and Lakkarpur in Faridabad district of Haryana, is an ancient water reservoir built in the 10th century. It is about 2 kms away to the south west from a more ancient dam of the 8th century called the Anagpur Dam . It i s an artificial Kund built in the backdrop of the Aravalli hills with an amphitheatre shaped embankment constructed in semicircular form. It is said to have been built by the Tomar king Suraj Pal of Tomar dynasty in the 10th century. Surajkund’s lake drainage basin is part of the Aravalli hill ranges, fed from the north western side by a local nallah that initially feeds the Anagpur dam on the upstream. The storage in the lake h as been seriously affected since the catchment area contributing flows into the lake from adjoining villages has been used for extensive mining and for large habitations, which has disturbe...