Civil Services' Surgicals

    FEATURE Tourism Dr. K. Parameswaran * The International Ecotourism Society has defined Ecotourism as the "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people". The Australian Commission on National Ecotourism Strategy defines ecotourism as "nature-based tourism that involves education and interpretation of the natural environment and is managed to be ecologically sustainable". In modern times, eco tourism has been expected to help in achieving the following also: involve travel to natural destinations, minimize impact on natural resources, build up environmental awareness, provide impetus and financial support for conservation, financially benefit and empower local people and inculcate respect for local culture. A travel enthusiast from Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu and an avid practitioner of eco tourism guidelines,  R N Kesavaperumal  says that "ecotourism, to be worthy of i...

Eram toilets A new kind of  portable toilet  has been created by Eram Scientific Solutions Ltd based in Thiruvananthapuram.  It is already in use in Kerala, and could serve as a model for such toilets all over the country.  What are its features? Built with stainless steel/fibre to withstand corrosion, it can be programmed to accept either Re 1, Rs 2 or Rs 5 denominations. After payment, the door of the unit unlocks and the light and exhaust fan are switched on automatically. After the user enters it, the closet is doused with 100 ml of water. In case it isn’t flushed after use, the system automatically does the cleaning. This is an intelligent toilet too. If the usage is for less than three minutes, the system flushes with 1.5 litres of water. If used for more, it flushes four litres. “There are plans to reduce this to less than three litres,” says Varghese. Normal toilets consume seven litres for a single flush. The water tank can store up to 500 litres o...

  FEATURE MSME                                                                                  Jacob Abraham*             All over the world hard wood becomes a scarce commodity.  The furniture manufacturers are vigorously searching for an ecofriendly alternative to wood.  The National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) at Thiruvananthapuram, a constituent laboratory of CSIR has developed the technology to make wood substitute from natural fibre polymer comp...

Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has launched its Bio-digester, christened as bio-toilets from Dhamara (Odisha) near the Wheeler Island test facility from where it used to test launch long-range missiles like Agni and AAD interceptors. The Bio-digester , named as ELOO (eco-friendly loo) is said to be the perfect alternative to the current ‘Flush and forget’ toilets. It is expected that bio-toilets can save billions of dollars for any government in waste management and to ensure good health for all.   It degrades and converts the human waste into usable water and gasses in an eco-friendly manner. The generated gas can be utilized for energy/cooking and water for irrigation purposes. The process involves the bacteria, which feed upon the faecal matter inside the tank, through anaerobic process which finally degrades the matter and releases methane gas that can be used for cooking, along with the treated water.

    FEATURE Env . & Forests                                                                                            The country level tiger population, estimated once in every four years using the refined methodology, has shown an increasing trend with a population estimate of 1706, lower and upper limits being 1520 and 1909 respectively in the recent all India estimation (2010), as compared to the last country level estimation of 2006, with an estimate of 1411, lower and upper limits being 1165 and 16...

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today gave the nod for more than doubling the amount for construction of individual household latrines from the existing Rs.4600 to nearly 10,000 rupees and also scrapped the distinction of BPL/APL families to achieve the total sanitation target in the country in the next 10 years. The Total Sanitation Campaign will now be known as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan. Briefing the media about the CCEA decision here, Union Rural Development Minister and the Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Jairam Ramesh said, Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab have demanded fair allocation for achieving the sanitation goals. At present out of Rs.3400 allocated for individual toilets, Centre gives Rs. 2100, State’s share is Rs.1000 and Rs. 300 comes from the beneficiaries, while Rs.1200 is leveraged through MGNREGA works as was approved last year. But now after the Cabinet approval, Centre has to dole ou...

Following is the address by Hon’ble Minister of State (I/C) for Environment & Forests, Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan on World Environment Day Celebration today. The Minister alongwith Delhi Chief Minister Smt. Sheila Dikshit flagged off Science Express – Biodiversity Special train at Safdarjang Railway Station in New Delhi “This is indeed a very important day to celebrate in recognition of the value of the environment around us and its significance for our lives.               The World Environment Day is celebrated every year, to not only create awareness but also to reaffirm our commitment to protect and safeguard the environment for us and our future generations. It’s a call for a positive environmental action to save our planet from further degradation. As so rightly said:  "Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Ear...

                 FEATURE Environment   M. V. S. Prasad * Celebrated annually on 5 June,  World Environment Day  aims at creating worldwide awareness and encourages political attention and action on environmental issues.   World Environment Day thematic celebrations have in the past included caring for the earth and water,  ozone layer, climate change, desertification and sustainable development, etc. World Environment Day was founded by the UN in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. 2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Environment Programme and also of World Environment Day (WED), and 20 years since the first UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit) in  Brazil . Why Celebrate World Environment Day? When we see or experience the negative effects of climate change and environ...

     Ministry of Earth Sciences has landmark achievements to its credit in last one year. Following are a few of them.      Desalination Technology-Seawater into Potable Water:  A totally indigenous and environmental friendly technology, for conversion of seawater into potable drinking water has been developed, demonstrated and commissioned at select island territories and coastal power plants. During the year 2011, two more desalination plants of 1 lakh litre capacity were established one each in Minicoy and Agatti, in March, 2011 and August 2011, respectively. These plants have been contributing significantly to the drinking water needs of the local population of these islands.

India  is recognised as one of the megadiverse countries, rich in biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge. With just 2.4% of the land area,  India  accounts for nearly 7% of the recorded species even while supporting almost 18% of human population.  India  has a long history of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and is a party to many international environmental conventions including UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The current decade (2011-2020) has been declared as the  United Nations Decade on Biodiversity  and United Nations Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification .

     FEATURE  Environment   A. N. Khan* This year the World Environment Day theme is " Green Economy ". The Green Economy is defined as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities (UNEP). A green economy is one whose growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Japanese mountaineer   Became the oldest woman to climb Mount Everest at the age of 73 years.

What is “Roshni” ? A green innovative concept with a vision to turn all urban habitats eco-friendly and sustainable. Concept evolved at the behest of the President of India, which encompasses environment management and empowerment of local communities to create eco-friendly sustainable urban habitats via participation of stakeholders and union of partnership programmes. Started on July 25, 2008, the programme aims to make the President’s Estate a model in green, energy efficient and zero waste model township for all other habitats across India. Objectives :

(Note : Solutions are subject to review. Please use the comments section below for your inputs and discussions) 1. With reference to National Rural Health Mission, which of the following are the jobs of 'ASHA', a trained community health worker? 1. Accompanying women to the health facility for antenatal care checkup 2. Using pregnancy test kits for early detection of pregnancy 3. Providing information on nutrition and immunization 4. Conducting the delivery of baby Select the correct answer using the codes given below: (a) 1, 2 and 3 Only (b) 2 and 4 Only (c) 1 and 3 Only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4 Answer: (A)

A National Workshop is held at New Delhi on India’s National communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), organized by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on May 9, 2012; India’s Second National Communication to the UNFCCC was released. India’s Second National Communication to the UNFCCC has been prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India towards fulfillment of the reporting obligation under the Convention. Unveiling the Natcom II the Minister of state (I/C) for Environment & Forests Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan said that India is fully committed to its responsibilities towards global community. She said that India has voluntarily reduced carbon emission. She congratulated the scientists for commendable work.  The secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forest Shri T. Chatterjee said that National Communication II reiterates India’s commitment to global concerns on climate change. He said local and regional ...

ACCOBAMS Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area  . ACCOBAMS is a cooperative agreement for the  conservation of marine biodiversity  in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution It is an environmental agreement signed in 2002 between all ASEAN nations to reduce haze pollution in Southeast Asia. As of June 2007, eight countries Viz. Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam , Myanmar , Viet Nam , Thailand , Lao PDR , Cambodia have ratified the agreement. Aarhus Convention: Aarhus Convention, was signed on June 25, 1998 in the Danish city of Aarhus. As of July 2009, it had been signed by 40 (primarily European and Central Asian) countries and the European Community and ratified by 41 countries. Bali Communiqué On 30 November 2007, the business leaders of 150 global companies published a communiqué at Bali Indonesia to world leaders calling ...