Climate change - causes, consequences and control measures

 

World meteorological organisation of UNO, the other day informed through a press release that the period 2023 to 2027 is going to be the hottest period in the annals of history. The main reasons for this high temperature as per the report is  green - house gases and El nino. effect in Pacific ocean.  The  other day  a very senior citizen from a remote village remarked that the temperature is shooting up and is becoming unbearable. Discussions are going on various levels at the national international levels the seriousness of the problem and the steps to be taken to mitigate the sufferings.

Climate is the long term weather pattern in a region over a period of thirty years. Weather can change from hour to hour, day to day, month to month or even year to year. Weather is the state of atmosphere at a  particular place, at a  particular time wit respect to heat, wind, rain,  sunshine etc.

Climate change refers to long- shifts in temperature and  weather pattern. The change may be natural ; but since 1800 it has been observed that human activities have a very important role in this  aspect.

The causes for climate change are:

Green hose gases-

          Carbon dioxide

          Nitrous oxide

          Methane

          Chlorofluorocarbon

          Water vapor

The green house gases are emitted due to human activities like burning of fossil fuels - coal, oil, gas; cutting of trees etc. Green house gases are transparent to  incoming (short wave) radiation from the sun but bloc infrared (long wave ) radiation from leaving the earth’s surface. The green house gases act as a cover and traps radiation from the sun and heats the earth’s surface.

The main effects of climate change are:

Rise in temperature

Rise in sea level

Severe storms

Increased droughts

According to a study conducted by scientists in Odissa (India) the sea level of Odissa coast rose by 0.19 cm each year. The study also revealed that if  sea level rose by 1 m in future , it could submerge 29% of the district Kendrapara in Odissa. It has also found that the sea level rises over the whole world due to global warming. The warming melts the ice and the thermal expansion of ocean water increases the volume of water leading to rise in sea level.

It is high time that the society as a whole and also the governments at the national and international levels have to take necessary steps to reduce the effects of climate change.

Control measures

To have a livable climate, the  average emissions per person per year will have to drop to about 2 to 2.5 tons of CO2 by 2030.

The suggest actions to tackle the climate crisis are:

          Save energy at home

          Switch to electric vehicle

          Use  more public transport

          Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle 

          Switch over to wind, solar energy

Inter- government panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a UN body to assess the science related to climate change. It  provides information for various government agencies so that they can  formulate the polices with respect to climate change.

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Expectations - the need to have limitations

 

                                      key words- expectations,  dejected, reasonable limits

Every body in this world have their own expectations. But quite often it so happens that , your expectations may get shattered. You may feel disheartened, dejected and sometimes angry. 

What is the solution? 

Follow this dictum: " Please do not have over expectations but try to keep your expectations with in reasonable limits and  do not always expect others to behave the way you want. Try to remain calm and cool even in odd circumstances "

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Calicut (Kozhikode) - the starting point of foreign rule in India

 

Calicut(Kozhikode)-The starting point of Foreign rule in India

Calicut(Kozhikode)-The starting point of Foreign rule in India

Almost 511 years back, precisely speaking on 20 May 1498 Vasco Da Gama, a sailor cum trader from Lisbon in Portugal landed at Kappad, a sleepy village near Kozhikode in Kerala. It was for the first time a sea route to India from Europe was established. Gradually it paved the way for others like the Dutch , the French and the British to seek their fortunes through their trade with India. Gama was accompanied by 170 men in four ships. It took 8 months and 12 days for them to reach Kozhikode after a strenuous and tiresome journey through sea. Gama was heading a trade delegation. At that time, trade was mainly with the Chinese and the Arabs. The spices and hand woven silk were the main components of trade. Samoothiri (Zamorin) was ruling this part at that time. Gama signed a trade treaty with Samoothiri and  this literally pushed the Chinese and the Arabs out of trading scenario. He returned to Portugal on August 29, 1498. He carried with him , ship loads of pepper, silk and other spices. In the return trip to Portugal, Gamma had to face a major tragedy- 50% of his team members fell sick and died.

Almost after a gap of 4 years, Gama ventured upon his second trip  to India. This time he brought with him twenty ships. He reached Calicut on 12 February 1502.He wanted to expand his trading activities but Samoothiri did not accede to it. Gama was compelled to move out of Kozhikode to Cochin.

Subsequently in 1604, the Dutch came to Kozhikode and entered into a trade treaty with Samoothiri.

The neighbouring  state of Mysore was ruled by Hyder Ali. He wanted to expand his kingdom. In 1766,   Tippu Sultan attacked Samoothiri and after a fierce battle defeated him. The rule of Tippu Sultan continued till 1792 when the British attacked Tippu, defeated him and established their rule in Malabar. British named Kozhikode as Calicut. Malabar was then part of Madras presidency. British rule continued till August 15, 1947.

In 1956 when states were reorganised on linguistic basis,. Malabar was amalgamated with Travancore - Cochin and Kerala state was formed on November 1. Subsequently on January 1,1957 Malabar was split into three districts- Kannur, Kozhikod and Palghat. Further division took place and now there are six districts in erstwhile Malabar-Kasarkod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palghat.

Tremendous changes have taken place since then  in the overall scenario of Kozhikode. Multi story residential buildings, shopping complexes , coupled with the increased population and  traffic congestion have mutilated the  tranquility of the city. Some parts of the city still keep its original flavour to a certain extent. These are S M Street, Mananchira and Beach. Manachira is still the heart of the city. Old institutions like Town Hal, District  Library and Common Wealth Trust Office are still there in their original positions. Sweet Meat Street which was once famous for its halwa and other sweet stalls haven given way to other types of shops. Kozhikode beach is nice for enjoying sunset and nice cool breeze.

Kozhikode has emerged as the third largest city of Kerala, the other two being Trivandrum and Kochin. According to 2001  census, the population of Calicut City is 4.37 lakhs which is 16.5% of population of Kozhikode District. Kozhikode is well connected by air, rail and sea. There are  direct flights from here to all important towns in India ,Middle East and Ceylon. The major educational institutions are Calicut Medical College(CMC), National Institute of Technology(NIT), and Indian Institute of Management(IIM). Lot of people from this area have gone to the Middle East for employment and business and the subsequent inflow of foreign money has changed the economy and way of living of the people.

If Vasco  Da Gama takes a rebirth and visits Calicut, no doubt he will be wonder struck with the vast changes that have taken place in the city and its surroundings.

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Sunday, October 28, 2012

Wayanad (Kerala) a scintillating tourist spot

 

Wayanad is a beautiful tourist spot of northern Kerala. Wayanad is part of forest reserve

 and is famous for wild life and plantations. It is located on the borders of Tamilnadu and

 Karnataka states. The district was formed in 1980. Kalppetta is the head - quarters of 

Wayanad.

Main tourist places of Wayanad

Kuruva island, Edakkad caves, Chembra peak, Tholpetty wild sanctuary,

Chain tree, Neelima view point, Meenmutty water falls, Banasura sagar dam,

Soothipara falls, Jain temple, Phantom rock, Pazassi tomb, Houtage museum,

Varambetta mosque, Bamboo factory

How  to reach Wayanad

Nearest airport: Kozhikode

Nearest railway station : Kozhikode

By road: Kozhikode to Wayanad; Distance : 86 kms

Accommodation: Good number of hotels, resorts and homestays are available

Facility for trekking and boating in lake exists

Approximate time required to visit the tourist  spots: Two days

Best months to visit: October to April

Main tourist spots

Pookode lake

The beautiful fresh water lake is nestled between western ghats and evergreen forests.

 The lake is spread over 13 acre and 40 m deep. Boating

facility is available in the lake. There is shopping centre, children’s park and fresh water

 aquarium in the vicinity.

Banasura sagar dam

The largest earthen dam in India and the second largest in Asia. It is built across river

Karamana thodu, a tributary of river Kabini.

Kuruva island

It  is a protected river delta. It  lies on the banks of tributary of river Kabini. It comprises three uninhabited islands.

Edakkad caves
These are two natural caves at  Edakkal 25 km from Kalpetta. The stone age carvings here are rare.

Varambetta mosque

It is one of the oldest mosques of Kerala. The mosque is about 300 years old.

Pazassiraja tomb

It is a monument to Pazassi Raja. He was a warrior prince and head of the kingdom of Kottayam (Cotiote) from 1774 to 1805. He engaged in a guerilla warfare against the

Britishers.

 

Phantom rock

It resembles a human skull  and is a natural metamorphic formation. It is near Ambalavayal in Wayanad district.

Tholpetty wild sanctuary

The sanctuary is rich in a wide variety of flora and fauna. Inside the sanctuary there is 

elephant herd, sambar deer, bear, squirrel, panther etc.

Jain temple

This was constructed in the 13th century by jains migrated from Tamil nadu.

Meenmutty water fall

It  is a three tier waterfall with a height of 300 m. It is located 29 km from Kalpetta.

Chain tree

It is an old fig tree with a  chain around it. The tree is also a place of worship. There is a small temple adjacent to the tree,( Karinthandan temple).

Bamboo craft factory

Using bamboo products like lamp shades, trays  , pens, baskets etc are manufactured here.

Neelima view point

This is an enthralling trekking destination. It offers a full view of the cascading Meenmutty water falls.

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Land slides - causes, effects and remedial measures

 

Landslide is the movement  of a mass of rock or soil along a slope. Landslide occur   when gravitational and other types of forces within a slope exceed the strength  of the mass of the materials inside the slope. The forces with in the slope can  be of various types like natural erosion, excavation, torrential rain or earthquakes.

Types of landslides

Land slides are classified depending on the type of material and the type of movement of the material.

Type of movement - slides, flows, spreads, topples

Type of material- rock, debris, soil

There are rock slides and mud slides. If the overlying material moves as a single mass, it is called block slide. A type of landslide in which the  particles move similar to that of a viscous fluid it is called a flow. The most common fluid is water. A spread is the lateral movement of the coherent soil resting on a weaker substrata. Spreads occur as the result of liquefaction caused by water saturation or earthquake. Topple failures involve the forward rotation and movement of a mass of rock earth or debris out of a slope.

Causes of land slides

Heavy rain

Earth quake

Deforestation

Construction activities in mountainous regions

Effects of landslides

Loss of life and property

Shifting of general public

Loss of fertile land

Damage of railway track and highways

Diversion of river water causing floods

Environmental problems

Remedial measures

Installation of early warning systems

Identify probable locations of landslide

Afforestation

Draw  specific codes for construction of buildings in the concerned areas

Insurance policies for the affected people

Terrace farming in the hilly areas

Improving drainage

Reduce the angle of the slope

Protective wall at the bottom of the slope

Deployment of rescue personnel in case of emergency

Zones of vulnerability

India is divided into four zones of vulnerability.

Very high: Himalayas, Andaman and Nicobar islands, NE region, Western Ghats

High:    Areas of very high vulnerability except plains of Assam

Low:     Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Aravalli mountains, Deccan plateau

Other areas: Remaining parts of India

 Some major landslides

India

Kedarnath (June 2013) 4000 people died

Dehradun (May 2016) 10 people died

Manipur (June 2022)  58 people died

Kerala (September 2021) 39 people died

Maharashtra (July 2021) 36 people died

Abroad

California, USA (September 2022) 20 people died

Durban, South Africa (April 2022) 443 people died,40000 displaced

https://youtu.be/fb1dSUFugYs

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Air pollution - causes, effects and remedial measures

 

Tags- air pollution, diseases, global warming, acid rain

Our ancestors were able to lead a healthy and happy life devoid of breathing polluted air, drinking dirty and unclean water and eating food articles raised from polluted soil. What are the reasons for this catastrophic state at present? The polluted air from major industries, large number of vehicles using petrol and diesel vehicles on the road, polluted water in the rivers and water streams and crops and vegetables raised from polluted fields have caused  a  havoc in the environment and its habitants- man, animals , birds and, monuments.

As per a US research team’s study, Delhi is the most polluted city in the world. 

Their study shows that  the life span of  Indians have reduced by few years due to the particulate air pollution.

Causes

 Large scale industrialization

 More  number of vehicles on the road.

Burning of stubble  in northern India especially in Punjab, Haryana and part of UP.

Effects

Global warming

Acid rain

Ozone layer depletion

Human health : Sun burn, skin cancer, cataract, aging of the skin

weakening of  body’s immune system

Food production: Reduced nutrient content of the soil and growth of plants

Effect on materials: Increased UV radiation damages paints on buildings and other structures

Control measures

Use  of CNG fuelled vehicles

Planting of trees

Height of chimneys should be increased  to  reduce pollution at the ground level

Public should be encouraged to share their vehicles so that number of vehicles on the road are reduced

Industries should be located far away from the heart of the city.

Create awareness in the society about the bad effects of pollution

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-61793884

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