Maya Praharaj

8/10/2019 Maya Praharaj

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Contents

1 2012 7

1.1 November . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

World Habitat Day 2005 (2012-11-03 07:51) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bhubaneswar cultural iden ty (2012-11-03 07:58) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Green Buildings (2012-11-03 08:08) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Green Ci es (2012-11-03 08:17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Forest & Environment (2012-11-03 08:19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Ho est Ti lagarh (2012-11-03 08:35) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

City without Slums (2012-11-03 08:48) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Popula on & Environment (2012-11-03 08:59) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Tribal Architecture (2012-11-03 09:08) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Indigenous Knowledge (2012-11-03 09:17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Planning & Reali es (2012-11-03 09:24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Quake proof Buildings (2012-11-03 09:29) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Save Planet (2012-11-03 09:41) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Spa ally managed Ci es (2012-11-03 09:44) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Eco-ci es (2012-11-03 09:48) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Urban sprawl Bhubaneswar (2012-11-03 09:55) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Cyclone Management (2012-11-03 10:05) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Disaster Reduc on (2012-11-03 10:17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Ci es must create jobs (2012-11-03 10:21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.2 December . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Green Renewable Energy (2012-12-11 13:19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Traffic calming Measures (2012-12-11 13:23) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Traffic Travails (2012-12-11 13:27) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Barrier free Environment (2012-12-11 13:28) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Remember Persons with Disabili es (2012-12-11 13:29) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

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COP18 Doha : Womens Voices in Climate Change (2012-12-11 14:39) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Sustainable Energy for All (2012-12-11 14:49) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Migra on and Poverty (2012-12-18 14:08) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Migra on and Climate Change (2012-12-18 14:10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

2 2013 332.1 February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Indoor Air pollu on (2013-02-08 13:41) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Air pollu on cause of Cancer (2013-02-08 13:42) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

2.2 March . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Intelligent Buildings (2013-03-11 15:56) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Urban Heat Island Effects (2013-03-11 15:58) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Safety Ini a ves (2013-03-11 16:00) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Womans Safety (2013-03-11 16:04) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Pollu on problems (2013-03-26 10:16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Water Scarcity (2013-03-26 10:18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Weather Watch (2013-03-26 10:19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

2.3 April . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Au sm friendly environment (2013-04-04 20:02) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Crea ng right environment (2013-04-04 20:04) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Figh ng High Blood Pressure (2013-04-17 15:21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Health and Housing (2013-04-17 15:26) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Koenigsbergers Bhubaneswar Planning (2013-04-17 15:34) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Bhubaneswar Vision-2030 (2013-04-17 15:37) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

GREEN URBANISM (2013-04-24 06:36) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Urbanisa on adds to growing levels of greenhouse gas (2013-04-24 06:41) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Global ac on Plan: Malaria (2013-04-25 05:09) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Environmental health risk of slum-dwellers (2013-04-25 18:40) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Rescue of Child Ragpickers (2013-04-28 05:48) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

2.4 May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Wetland degrada on (2013-05-11 13:33) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Water birds in India (2013-05-11 13:37) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Biodiversity: Similipal (2013-05-22 00:22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Biodiversity: Bhitarkanika (2013-05-22 01:08) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Smoking between Poverty and Mortality (2013-05-31 04:27) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Tobacco-free ci es (2013-05-31 04:32) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

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2.5 June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Urban Agriculture (2013-06-05 05:03) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Heritage Conserva on: Odisha (2013-06-05 14:17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

End Child Labour (2013-06-12 07:11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Help Elders live happily (2013-06-15 03:48) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Age-friendly ci es (2013-06-15 03:53) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Sustainable Land Management against Deser ca on (2013-06-17 00:10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Drug against Sustainable Livelihood (2013-06-26 06:20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.6 July . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Sustainable Human Se lement Planning (2013-07-11 22:59) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.7 August . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

TRIBALS ROLE IN CONSERVING MEDICINAL PLANTS NEEDS GREATER RECOGNITION(2013-08-10 06:18) 84

2.8 September . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

PROTECT OZONE LAYER (2013-09-16 20:08) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

INDIAN PERSPECTIVE FOR PROTECTION OF OZONE LAYER (2013-09-21 22:21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

TIME FOR ECO TOURISM PLANNING,ANSUPA (2013-09-27 08:36) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.9 October . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

NEEDED: MORE PUBLIC TRANSPORT THAN PERSONAL VEHICLES (2013-10-07 06:17) . . . . . . . . . 90

BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL DEPENDS ON WOMENS EDUCATION (2013-10-11 14:24) . . . . . . . . . . 93

RURAL-URBAN GROWTH LINKAGES IMPORTANT FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION (2013-10-17 08:34) . . 95

NEEDED:Use of Disaster risk info on Land use Planning (2013-10-29 13:47) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

2.10 November . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

ODISHA TOWN PLANNING DAY TO REMEMBER KOENIGSBERGER (2013-11-08 07:02) . . . . . . . . . 96

Traffic Demand Management Strategy (2013-11-19 10:50) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Urban transport governance reform in India (2013-11-21 13:25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.11 December . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Barrier free Design (2013-12-03 14:30) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Regional Planning to reduce Rural-Urban migra on (2013-12-18 10:19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Safe Public Space Design for Women (2013-12-23 10:08) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

3 2014 105

3.1 February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Astronomical Architecture (2014-02-28 09:40) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

3.2 March . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Community safety for Women (2014-03-10 13:49) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

City urban forests and Climate change (2014-03-21 09:15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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Role of Youth to ght climate change (2014-03-23 11:19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

3.3 April . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Friendly houses for Au s cs (2014-04-03 12:40) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Vector-borne diseases in Slums (2014-04-07 10:10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Bhubaneswar to become World Heritage City (2014-04-15 11:49) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Konark temple conserva on demands urgent a en on (2014-04-20 10:32) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Green Vision for City Planning (2014-04-23 09:29) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Odisha tops Malaria states in India (2014-04-25 09:20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Bio- Medical Waste Management in Bhubaneswar (2014-04-28 10:01) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

3.4 May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

ECOTOURISM IN CHILIKA (2014-05-12 09:38) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

LIVING INSTITUTIONS THAT BOND VISITORS WITH CULTURES (2014-05-19 09:27) . . . . . . . . . . . 130

WORLDS FINEST CULTURAL HERITAGES (2014-05-21 10:05) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT MEASURES IN BHUBANESWAR (2014-05-28 10:17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

TOBACCO-FREE COLLEGE CAMPUSES (2014-05-31 16:12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

3.5 June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

BHUBANESWAR ENVIRONMENT DEGRADED BY HUMAN ACTIVITIES (2014-06-05 15:33) . . . . . . . 139

Odishas coastal ecosystems under increasing threat (2014-06-08 05:57) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Poverty Ellevia on and Child Labour (2014-06-13 23:05) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

3.6 July . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Role of Family against Elder Abuse (2014-07-03 15:27) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Effec ve Drug Rehabilita on Centre (2014-07-03 15:38) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Growing Popula on and Sustainable Housing (2014-07-11 09:44) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

3.7 August . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Vernacular Architecture and Indigenous Technology (2014-08-11 09:55) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Architectural Photography of Monuments (2014-08-19 09:41) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

3.8 September . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Urban Flooding in capital city Bhubaneswar (2014-09-06 06:23) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Ozone Layer Protec on (2014-09-16 09:44) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Odisha Nature Tourism (2014-09-29 16:22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

3.9 October . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Gandhian concept of Rural-Urban Interdependence (2014-10-03 09:55) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Right of Slum Popula ons in the City (2014-10-06 06:02) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Family Farming to prevent Hunger and Poverty (2014-10-16 06:56) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

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1. 2012

1.1 November

World Habitat Day 2005 (2012-11-03 07:51)

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Bhubaneswar cultural iden ty (2012-11-03 07:58)

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Green Ci es (2012-11-03 08:17)

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Forest & Environment (2012-11-03 08:19)

Ho est Ti lagarh (2012-11-03 08:35)

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City without Slums (2012-11-03 08:48)

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Popula on & Environment (2012-11-03 08:59)

[1]h p://dailypioneer.com/state-edi ons/bhubaneswar/79583-rising-popula on-fast-degrading-environment.html

1. http://dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/79583-rising-population-fast-degrading-environment.html

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Tribal Architecture (2012-11-03 09:08)

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Indigenous Knowledge (2012-11-03 09:17)

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Planning & Reali es (2012-11-03 09:24)

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Quake proof Buildings (2012-11-03 09:29)

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Save Planet (2012-11-03 09:41)

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Spa ally managed Ci es (2012-11-03 09:44)

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Eco-ci es (2012-11-03 09:48)

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Urban sprawl Bhubaneswar (2012-11-03 09:55)

Cyclone Management (2012-11-03 10:05)

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Disaster Reduc on (2012-11-03 10:17)

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Ci es must create jobs (2012-11-03 10:21)

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1.2 December

Green Renewable Energy (2012-12-11 13:19)

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Traffic calming Measures (2012-12-11 13:23)

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Traffic Travails (2012-12-11 13:27)

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Barrier free Environment (2012-12-11 13:28)

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Remember Persons with Disabili es (2012-12-11 13:29)

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COP18 Doha : Womens Voices in Climate Change (2012-12-11 14:39)

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Migra on and Poverty (2012-12-18 14:08)

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Migra on and Climate Change (2012-12-18 14:10)

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2. 2013

2.1 February

Indoor Air pollu on (2013-02-08 13:41)

[1] h p://www.orissapost.com/world-cancer-day-2013-indoor-air-pollu on

1. http://www.orissapost.com/world-cancer-day-2013-indoor-air-pollution

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Air pollu on cause of Cancer (2013-02-08 13:42)

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2.2 March

Intelligent Buildings (2013-03-11 15:56)

[1] h p://www.orissapost.com/na onal-science-day-intelligent-buildings

1. http://www.orissapost.com/national-science-day-intelligent-buildings

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Urban Heat Island Effects (2013-03-11 15:58)

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Safety Ini a ves (2013-03-11 16:00)

[1]h p://www.orissapost.com/interna onal-womens-day-safety-ini a ves

1. http://www.orissapost.com/international-womens-day-safety-initiatives

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Womans Safety (2013-03-11 16:04)

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Pollu on problems (2013-03-26 10:16)

[1]h p://www.orissapost.com/world-water-da y-pollu on-problems

1. http://www.orissapost.com/world-water-day-pollution-problems

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Water Scarcity (2013-03-26 10:18)

[1]h p://www.dailypioneer.com/state-edi ons/bhubaneswar/how-to-meet-sev ere-scarcity-of-water-in-near-future.html

HOW TO MEET SEVERE SCARCITY OF WATER IN NEAR FUTURE

World Water Day is held annually on March 22 as a means of focusing a en on on the importance of freshwater andadvoca ng for sustainable management of freshwater resources. An interna onal day to celebrate freshwater wasrecommended at the 1992 United Na ons Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The UN GeneralAssembly responded by designa ng March 22, 1993 as the rst World Water Day (WWD). Each year, WWD highlightsa specic aspect of freshwater. In 2013, in reec on of the Interna onal Year of Water Coopera on, the WWD isdedicated to the theme Water Coopera on.

The major task, which the interna onal community is facing today in the eld of water resources, is the transfer ofcommi ed obliga ons into concrete ac ons that need to be implemented on the ground for the benet of people,ecosystems and the biosphere as a whole. Nurturing the opportuni es for coopera on in water management amongall stakeholders and improving the comprehension of the challenges and benets of water coopera on can buildmutual respect, understanding and trust among countries and promote peace, security and sustainable economicgrowth.

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As per the UN Water for Life Report, around 700 million people in 43 countries suffer from water scarcity. By 2025,1.8 billion people would be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity and two-thirds of the worldpopula on could be living under water-stressed condi on. With the exis ng climate change scenario, almost half theworld popula on would be living in areas of high water stress by 2030. It is clear that the world is suffering from waterscarcity. The increasing demand for water with a rapidly growing rate of popula on, inadequate rainfall, uncontrolleduse of water and climate change are some of the reasons behind it.

About 70 per cent of the earth surface is covered with water, which amounts to 1,400 million cubic kilometers (mkm3). However, 97.5 per cent of this water being

seawater, it is salty. Freshwater availability is only 35 m km3 and only 40 per cent of this can be used by human beings.Out of the total fresh water, 68.7 percent is frozen in ice caps, 30 percent stored underground and the rest is availableon the surface of the earth. Out of the surface water, 87 per cent is stored in lakes, 11 per cent in swamp and 2 percent in rivers.

Long before, when the popula on was less and lifestyle was simple, water was available in plenty and was consideredas a free resource. However, with the growing demand for water and deple on of the available water, assured sup-ply of good quality water is becoming a growing concern. Major consump on of water is for agriculture, industrialproduc on and domes c purposes, besides being used for shery, hydropower

genera on and maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance. With the urbanisa on and industrial development,water usage is likely to increase in the coming years.

India is blessed with good rainfall well-distributed over ve to six months in a year. It receives most of its water fromsouth-west monsoon which is the most important feature controlling the Indian climate. The rainfall distribu on overthe country shows large varia ons in the amount of rainfall received by different loca ons, e.g., the average

rainfall is less than 13 cm over the western Rajasthan while at some parts of Meghalaya it is as much as 1141 cm. Asper the Metrological Department, Indias annual rainfall is around 1182.8 mm.

The countrys total available sweet water is 4,000 billion m3 per annum. Out of this, over 1,047 billion m3 water islost due to evapora on, transpira on. Presently, water consumed in India is 829 billion m3 which is likely to increaseto 1,093 billion m3 in 2025 and 1,047 billion m3 in 2050, as officially es mated. The growing popula on is a seriousconcern as it will create further burden on the per capita water availability in future and India is bound to face severescarcity of water in the near future.

In spite of adequate average rainfall in India, there is a large area under the less water condi ons/drought prone.There are a lot of places where the quality of groundwater is not good. Some major reasons behind water scarcityare popula on growth and agriculture, increasing construc on ac vi es, massive urbanisa on and industrializa on,clima c change, deple ng of natural resources due to changing climate condi ons, deforesta on and lack of imple-menta on of effec ve water management systems.

The foremost result of the increasing popula on is the growing demand for more food-grains, especially high-yieldingcrop varie es. Another area of concern is the water-intensive industries and thermal power plants. That is why thereis an urgent need to address the issue of water scarcity in India to make be er policy decisions which would affect itsavailability in future.

There are many habita ons in Odisha that do not meet the norm of 40 liters per capita per day (lpcd). In a number ofareas, tube-wells stop yielding water during summer and some mes even before this. The problem occurs when thewater-table falls below the level to which the tube-well has been dug.

Because of popula on growth and economic development, water resources in many parts of the world are pushedto their natural limits. In turn, the ability of ci es and countries to grow, a ract investment, meet the fundamentalneeds of popula ons and ensure environmental protec on would be increasingly threatened if water resources arenot managed.

Water scarcity is both a natural and a human-made phenomenon. There is enough freshwater on the planet, but it isdistributed unevenly and too much of it is wasted, polluted and unsustainably managed.

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Presently, despite good rainfall distribu on, the country is unable to make good use of rainwater because of lack ofawareness and poor infrastructure to construct dams, reservoirs and proper water harves ng system.

The water supply in India is going to be a serious challenge due to various reasons. Overexploita on of groundwateris another concern. Ac vi es such as percola on tanks, water reservoirs and construc on of small and medium-sizedams and rivers can retain more surface water, while increasing the ground water recharge.

Development of watershed is an importantprogramme to make best useof rainwater for agriculturalproduc on whileimproving soil conserva on and biodiversity. It is, therefore, necessary to prevent this crisis by making best use ofthe available technologies and resources to conserve the exis ng water resources and make efficient use of water for

agriculture, industrial produc on and human consump on. Imposing regulatory measures to prevent the misuse ofwater would be helpful in conserving water. Finally, awareness and orienta on of all the water users to change theirlifestyles to conserve water can help de over the water crisis in the future. The challenge is manageable providedwe have favourable policies and mechanisms to persuade our people to change their lifestyles.

Water resourcesmanagement issues mustbe addressedat the local, na onaland interna onal levels. Allstakeholders,including those in government, interna onal organisa ons, private sector and civil society, should be engaged, payingspecial a en on to work towards water coopera on.

Water is a key to sustainable development; it has value from social, economic and environmental perspec ves andneeds to be managed within sound, integrated socioeconomic and environmental frameworks. It is impossible tomaintain the integrity of a balanced ecosystem without an overall strategy on water resources management. We allhave a shared responsibility for protec ng the environment surrounding rivers and their associated watersheds.

1. http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/how-to-meet-severe-scarcity-of-water-in-near-futur

e.html

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Weather Watch (2013-03-26 10:19)

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2.3 April

Au sm friendly environment (2013-04-04 20:02)

[1]h p://www.dailypioneer.com/state-edi ons/bhubaneswar/lets-ensure-aut ism-friendly-environment.html

LETS ENSURE AUTISM-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT

The sixth annual World Au sm Awareness Day (WAAD) is on April 2, 2013. Every year, au sm organisa ons aroundthe world celebrate the day with awareness-raising events.

The World Au sm Day was agreed by the United Na ons in 2007 to focus global a en on on au sm by encouragingmember states to take measures to raise awareness about au sm and encourage early diagnosis and early inter-ven on and the right to life and the right to health for au s c people. It further expresses deep concern over theprevalence and high rate of au sm in children in all regions of the world and the consequent developmental chal-lenges. Addi onally, the WAAD celebrates the unique talents and skills of persons with au sm and is a day whenindividuals with au sm are warmly welcomed and embraced in community events.

One in every 150 people in the world is au s c. This number is a very rough es mate as au sm is a disease witha wide spectrum of symptoms and disorders, ranging from a fully func onal adult with slight au s c tendencies orminor learning disorders. India is home to about 10 million people with au sm, and the disability has shown anincrease over the last few years.

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Those with au sm can nd the world strange and confusing. Au sm is a pervasive developmental disability with awide range of symptoms that affect a childs language, social, cogni ve, and sensory development. S ll, some au s cchildren are very bright. Although there is no cure for au sm, early interven on and structured teaching enablestudents to maximise their skills and learning poten al. Further, the built environment plays a signicant role in anoverall success of educa on and care for them.

The environment in which a person with au sm lives can have a major impact on their wellbeing. The sensory diffi-

cul es faced by people with au sm mean that there are a number of modica ons that should be taken into accountto make environment and architectural design of buildings au sm-friendly. Architecture can best be described asthe art or prac ce of designing buildings for human use. It takes account of form, func on, construc on, beauty,convenience and freedom.

Le Corbusier (1887 1965) was an architect, designer, writer known for being a pioneer in modernist architecture.His career spanned ve decades with buildings constructed throughout the world. He prepared the Master Plan forChandigarh in 1950 and designed some government buildings which are unusual in India. It is an impressive legacy ofurban design, landscape and architecture that the architect has given us a unique city and remarkable architecturalheritage of humanity. Few books in the twen eth century drew as much a en on as Le Corbusiers Vers une architec-ture (1923) published in English as Towards a New Architecture (1927). Le Corbusier has wri en, You employ stone,wood and concrete, and with these materials you build houses and palaces; that is construc on. Ingenuity is at work.But suddenly you touch my heart, you do me good, I am happy and I say, this is beau ful, that is architecture.

These concepts can have benecial effects for people with au sm. Architecture has been dened in many waysthroughout history, but its focus, its aim is built environment. In an architects work, there is an underlying no on,which may be evident to a greater or lesser extent, that the built environment is a space to be lived in, inhabited,for it to be considered architecture. Likewise, architecture has taken into account the existence of people with dif-ferent types and degrees of disabili es, mainly visual, hearing, and the architect has designed, either in accordancewith their convic ons with design guidelines. This is a ma er of enabling disabled people to access buildings andspaces. However, there are other disabili es that are not so visible, and that are obviated in making a built envi-ronment accessible. Nonetheless, for people with certain cogni ve and sensory deciencies, etc., which are lessvisible including people suffering from au sm. Despite its overwhelming incidence, au sm is by and large ignoredby architects.

The common characteris cs in the au s c children are inability to relate to other people, at least in a normal way,extreme au s c solitude whichapparentlyisolatesthe child fromthe outside world. Besides medicine and psychology,pedagogy or even philosophy, it is necessary to know what peculiari es au s c people show in order to determinewhat the characteris cs are that a built environment has to have to make it easier for them to grasp and achieve otherobjec ves that go beyond, but to a certain point depend on, the architecture itself, such as encouraging learning,making it easier to socialise, ensuring independence or even preserving the dignity of the person with au sm.

Despite this high incidence of au sm, design guidelines are yet to be developed to cater specically to the scope ofau s c needs. The United Na ons mandate on the Global Programme on Disability covers many issues, including em-ployment, recrea on, religion, educa on and accessibility to public services, but has not specied design guidelinesfor au s c people.

For people with au sm the effects of complexity are much greater; they are unable to dis nguish separate noises,shapes, etc., easily. If a building or set of buildings are planned in a simple clear manner, the user will require li leeffort to use and enjoy the building. A clear layout and organisa on of spaces can help a person use a building withoutconfusion as to the loca on of rooms. To provide a calm backdrop for people with au sm can assist in reducing someelements of stress which is helpful for their wellbeing. Complexity in the detail of a building can cause visual distrac-ons. The design of facili es for au s c people should emphasise sustainable design indoor air quality, acous cs,so er interior design, ligh ng, storage space to reduce clu er and for security. A design strategy to deal with thesevarying challenges may be ini ated which would facilitate the genera on of broad design standards and guidelinesand policies for au s c people.

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To have a be er understanding of this disorder, many deni ons and theories have been set forth in the past regard-ing the mechanisms of au sm. Au sm-related research is going on at some ins tu ons. u lising the knowledge ofyears of experience in working with children with profound au sm, Architects have the task of incorpora ng specicfeatures within the design of the building such as specic colours, noise reduc on fabrics, specic oor coverings,specic bedroom design, circula on space and design of courtyard.

It is proven that the exis ng scien c literature regarding built environment in rela on to au s c people is scarce,despite signicant research ac vity rela ng to au sm in recent years. The design of built space and environment forau s cchildren requires careful a en on. The architect must use a different pale e for the aesthe c design and builtenvironment for au s c people. There is a need to include design guidelines for au s c children and people whichwould help them lead a be er life in au sm-friendly built environment in future.

1. http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/lets-ensure-autism-friendly-environment.html

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Crea ng right environment (2013-04-04 20:04)

[1]h p://www.orissapost.com/world-au sm-a wareness-day-crea ng-right-environment

1. http://www.orissapost.com/world-autism-awareness-day-creating-right-environment

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Figh ng High Blood Pressure (2013-04-17 15:21)

[1]h p://www.orissapost.com/gh ng-hbp/

1. http://www.orissapost.com/fighting-hbp/

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Health and Housing (2013-04-17 15:26)

Koenigsbergers Bhubaneswar Planning (2013-04-17 15:34)

[1]h p://www.dailypioneer.com/state-edi ons/bhubaneswar/koenigsbergers- guidelines-not-followed-in-todays-planning.html

Today the State capital city of Bhubaneswar celebrates its 65th Founda on Day.

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It was on April 13, 1948 that rst Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had laid the founda on-stone of the city.Bhubaneswar, as one of the rst planned ci es of modern India, was designed on a linear plan by German architectand urban planner Dr O o H Koenigsberger. More than sixty years since its making, the city remains a celebratedmodel of modern architecture and city planning.

The original plan envisaged horizontal development rather than ver cal growth for a popula on of 40,000 with admin-istra on as the primary func on. Accordingly, six units were developed with Unit-V as loca on of the administra ve

complex and the other units planned on neighbourhood principles. The town centre consisted of the market building,weeklymarket, daily market and bus-sta on with a central vista leading up to RajBhavan and a commercial zone alongJanpath and Bapuji Nagar up to the railway sta on. Koenigsbergers planning zone provided the func on of microcli-mate control and offers salubrious climate throughout the year. This par cular area designed by Dr Koenigsbergerremains as the best green cover with open space and a well-organised transporta on system in the city.

Architect Julius Lazras Vaz played an important role in shaping the skyline of Bhubaneswar. He designed most of thegovernment buildings. Vaz adopted the Hindu style of architecture with some modica ons to take advantage ofmodern methods of construc on and to meet new social needs of the people. However, Koenigsberger specied afew guiding principles and clima c design features essen al for the city building design. According to his guidelines,most government buildings were designed with impressive corridors intended to protect the walls of office roomsfrom direct sunrays.

Neighbourhood units were designed with the best ameni es of urban life, with units placed at short distances to givepeople easy access to school, hospital and other facili es. In a neighbourhood unit, every child had to live within one-quarter or one-third of a mile from school. Every housewife had to live within half a mile from the civic centre, whereshe could do her shopping and also visit medical facili es. Home and workplace distance that could be convenientlycovered was by using a bicycle or a cycle-rickshaw.

Koenigsberger suggested seven types of roads footpaths, parkways, cycle paths, minor housing streets, major hous-ing streets, main roads and main arteries for seven groups of users for seven different func ons. The overall widthsof land earmarked for roads and streets were not determined by traffic alone but also by requirements for stormwater drainage services like overhead electric lines, telephone, water and the need of adequate light and air to theadjoining houses. The overall width of land allo ed for road purposes was, therefore, dependent on the height ofhouses on both sides.

An important considera on was space for avenue trees, and necessary provisions were made early in the land allot-ment scheme and in the es mates. For requirements other than traffic, the allotment of land even for the smallesthousing street had been xed at a minimum of 30 feet. Only about nine feet of these 30 was traffic, the rest for stormwater drainage, avenue trees and services and to allow sufficient gap between two rows of houses for a fair share ofthe cooling breeze to every house.

The guidelines suggested by Koenigsberger have not been followed in the present-day planning. Today, the city facesurbanisa on with a high popula on growth. The overall width of the road in many areas does not have any rela onwith the height of the building. Avenue trees, storm water drainage, services and footpaths have not been givenimportance. Redevelopment in the par cular area has not followed the Koenigsbergers design principles. Sincethe designed area is in the heart of the city and due to the increasing pressure on land, there are demands for re-

densica on of the residen al area by increasing the oor area ra o (FAR).To meet the changing needs, the city requires more land. Konigsberger had also pointed out in his report to supple-ment the Master Plan for the New Capital by a regional development plan. He emphasised a good master plan for anew town must provide for unlimited expansion but at the same me organise the town in such a way that it formsan organic and healthy structure at each stage of its development.

Bhubaneswar is currently witnessing several modern buildings and high-rise apartments to accommodate its grow-ing popula on. Today, the citys growth is so fast that it is spreading towards Khurda and Jatani. The developmentac vi es in the city have led to large-scale deforesta on, an increasing volume of traffic, pollu on and temperaturerise. The citys expansion and lots of concrete structures are also the reason for microclima c change over the years.

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Bhubaneswar recorded 42C temperature on April 6 this year, which is highest in the State. The same day Ti lagarhin Balangir district, the place considered the ho est in Odisha, recorded 40.7C.

To formulate a meaningful physical development plan, to regulate and guide the urban growth in Bhubaneswar by2030 in a planned and healthy manner, a Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for Bhubaneswar DevelopmentPlanned Area (BDPA) was prepared by IIT, Kharagpur in 2006. To manage and organise the planning, developmentand control func ons, development strategies for both new areas and the exis ng ones have been integrated. As perthe CDP, the maximum density in Bhubaneswar would be 50-60 dwelling units (DUs) per acre.

The Bhubaneswar New Town Zone designed by Koenigsberger would have intensive development with administra vefunc on, capital func on, ins tu ons, commercial complex, housing of all kinds, urban parkway system, sports com-plex, art and cultural ac vi es, etc. In this zone, the exis ng density of 24 DU/acre is assumed to go up to 50 DU/acre.Adequate a en on should be paid to transporta on network and parking facility while increasing the density in theexis ng developed area.

A need for high-density living in the 21st century is inevitable. However, planning guidance on the methods of calcu-la ng and assessing the sustainable density is the need of the day. In many high density urban areas, greenery suchas city parks, tradi onal streetscape, trees and planters have been reduced.

The urban greenery should be developed in high-density areas for cleaner air and safer environment. The problemworsens when the popula on con nues to grow and the density of the area increases but new green spaces are notbeing created at an equal pace.

There should be a proper development control in all aspects of planning and design. Care needs to be taken forphysical, infrastructure, city transport planning and environmental considera ons of the whole region to preventhaphazard growth and squa er se lements. The open spaces, parks, recrea onal areas, greenbelts and planta onshould be properly organised in the region to provide environmental func ons such as control of microclimate andpollu on and beau ca on of the region. This would help making the city a comfortable, safe and enjoyable place tolive in.

Koenigsbergers planning principles applied in Bhubaneswar have inspired many architects and planners in India andabroad. Today, the architects and planners from all over the world learn his design principles applied in Bhubaneswar.The central area of Bhubaneswar designed by Koenigsberger is a special urban heritage site of the city with outstand-ing planning features and has a public value. The buildings designed in this area by architect Vaz are the importantlandmarks of the city and a ract people from all corners of the city to this area. These buildings with special ar-chitectural interest along with the site should be listed under considera on of the planning system and protectedfrom altera ons by regulatory techniques. To retain its planned character, the area should be declared as urban her-itage having groups of buildings, neighbourhoods and public spaces including landscapes and natural features whichprovide character and dis nc ve iden ty to a city.

The listed urban heritage should be emphasised in the CDP and, if understood and managed properly, the urbanheritage could effec vely contribute to the overall quality of urban areas and serve as a vital asset and a ractor forfuture urban development. This would iden fy the visual, spa al and cultural character of the city.

Besides, the citys role as an important centre of administra on, tourism, commerce and industry calls for planningenvironment-friendly and sustainable development which would provide high quality of life and support health andwellbeing of people who live and work in the city.

1. http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/koenigsbergers-guidelines-not-followed-in-todays-p

lanning.html

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Bhubaneswar Vision-2030 (2013-04-17 15:37)

[1]h p://www.orissapost.com/founda on-day-of-bhubaneswar-vision-2030/

1. http://www.orissapost.com/foundation-day-of-bhubaneswar-vision-2030/

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GREEN URBANISM (2013-04-24 06:36)

[1]h p://www.orissapost.com/interna onal-mother-earth-day-green-urbanis m/

1. http://www.orissapost.com/international-mother-earth-day-green-urbanism/

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Urbanisa on adds to growing levels of greenhouse gas (2013-04-24 06:41)

[1]h p://www.dailypioneer.com/state-edi ons/bhubaneswar/urbanisa on-ad ds-to-growing-levels-of-greenhouse-gas.html

URBANISATION ADDS TO GROWING LEVELS OF GREENHOUSE GAS

Earth Day is observed on April 22 to mi gate climate change, promote adapta on and improve public health.

The rst Earth Day was held in 1970 with an aim to promote the thoughts of ecology, reverence for existence on earthand highligh ng growing concern over pollu on of the soil, air and water. The April 22 date was also designated asInterna onal Mother Earth Day by a resolu on adopted by the United Na ons in 2009.

Mother Earth is a common expression for the planet Earth in a number of countries and regions, which reects theinterdependence among human beings and other living species and the planet. This years Earth Day theme is chosenas The Face of Climate Change by the Earth Day Network.

With more than half the worlds popula on now living in urban areas, there are concerns that urbanisa on is a keydriver of unsustainable resource demands. Urbanisa on also appears to contribute to the ever-growing levels ofgreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change. Climate change presents unique challenges for urban areas andtheir growing popula ons. Where urban areas grow rapidly without regard to current and future resource demandsand climate change, large numbers of people and their assets can nd themselves vulnerable to a range of disrup veand damaging risks.

Urbanism is a way of life and the outcome of urbanisa on. It is the characteris c way of interac on of inhabitantsof towns and ci es with the built environment or, in other words, the character of urban life, organisa on, problems,etc., as well as the study of that character or of the physical needs of urban socie es or city planning.

Urbanism is a complex system of par al public and private realms that exist between buildings. Therefore, largeci es are not the only examples of urbanism. It can exist in the smallest town too. First, it is in our homes andneighbourhoods that we generate the demand for the worlds resources. Here, we eat most of our food, do muchof our transporta on, buy, use and dispose of most of the worlds end products. Here, we use much of the worldsenergy for hea ng and cooling, ligh ng and opera ng appliances. Next to our buildings, including homes, shops andoffices, we consume roughly half of the resources that contribute to climate change, in the ac vi es like hea ng andcooling and running lights and appliances that are likely to trigger release of greenhouse gases somewhere else.

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So, the shape of buildings, their efficiency of layout, their exposure to heat, their tendency to gain heat energy andtheir ability to accommodate our various habitsof consump on, all have a signicant effect on energy use and carbonemissions. So, clearly, the built environment has a major role in genera ng the causes of climate change and otherunsustainable prac ces. Urban form is a cri cal aspect of the challenge of sustainability. Sustainable developmentis development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future genera ons to meettheir own needs, dened by the Brundtland Commission (formally known as the World Commission on Environmentand Development), a panel convened by the United Na ons in 1983. It contains the concept of needs, in par cularthe essen al needs of the worlds poor and the idea of limita ons imposed by the state of technology and socialorganisa on on the environments ability to meet present and future needs. This means that when designing forsustainability, we must move beyond the scale of the building and design for sustainable urbanism. This is becauseurbanisa on produces a warmer city centre compared to the neighbouring surroundings. The temperature in urbanarea could be 5-10oC warmer compared to rural areas. The effect is known as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) and is seenalmost at all the big ci es.

In an urban area, tall buildings, bridges and yovers retard the free ow of air; so, suspended pollutants are noteffec vely removed. Lack of open ground leads to less inltra on of rainwater in the ground as the tar roads andcement pavements are impervious to the percola on of rainwater. This increased runoff which leads greater risks ofoods/waterlogging. The urban development very o en takes place in a manner in which buildings and roads occupy

the ood plains of the rivers and streams. This causes high runoffs/stagna on of water which cannot nd its naturalexit due to blocking.

Human ac vi es produce greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and they tend to trap heat in the Earths atmo-sphere. Among the gases are carbon dioxide, methane and various other hydrocarbon compounds. However, thereare a number of important things that can be done at thebuilding scale, par cularly when it comes to hea ng, coolingand ligh ng, which account for a large por on of energy consumed by the built environment. Building energy systemsmust be as efficient as possible while remaining reliable over me and with changing condi ons. The efficiency ofcharacteris c building types is closely connected to the efficiency of urban pa ern. Again, the size, shape and orien-ta on of an individual building are closely related to the size, shape and orienta on of the neighbourhood itself. Thecharacteris c buildings that are likely to be built in a neighbourhood are in turn related to the neighbourhoods con-nec vity, density, characteris c appeal and other factors. The building characteris cs include, a ached types, which

tend to save heat from common walls; building orienta on to take maximum advantage of passive solar exposures;buildings that are well-sheltered from the nega ve effects of sun and wind; buildings that line the street and supportan a rac ve streetscape, conducive to pedestrian ac vity. Urban macro-effects are effects that are created by theurban pa ern itself. They include Albedo effect, which is the tendency of buildings and paved surfaces to convertsolar energy to heat energy and increases the greenhouse effect. This adds to the hea ng of ci es. Heat island effecthas the tendency of air to become trapped between buildings, especially tall ones, and heated above ambient levels.Again, this increases the hea ng of ci es and can exacerbate heat wave effects. There are also some nega ve effectsof tall buildings. These include wind effects, shadowing, and canyon effect. So, the more we live in a neighbour-hood with op mally distributed services, the more we are likely to use a more efficient combina on of large and smallfacili es. We can live in a more efficient lifestyle, in a more efficient urban pa ern over many years.

Therefore, urban form is a cri cal aspect of the challenge of sustainability. This means that while designing for sustain-ability, we must move beyond the scale of the building, and design for sustainable urbanism. For urban centres, thisrequires that they meet their residents needs (being healthy, enjoyable, resilient places to live and work for all theirinhabitants). Communi es should be designed for the pedestrian and public transport. Ci es should be shaped byphysically-dened and universally-accessible public spaces and community ins tu ons. Urban developments shouldbe characterised by homes with front porches, sidewalks, retail development in close proximity to residen al devel-opment, green public spaces and green corridors. Green corridors provide a rich habitat for a diversity of ora andfauna. A number of ci es are developing this idea of green corridor as a tool both for protec on of biodiversity andto provide a sense of con nuity between town and country which can reduce climate-related risks.

Most urban buildings and infrastructure designed and built now would have to cope with climate change in future.

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As a result, it would be much easier to make provisions now for likely future climate-related risks in infrastructureexpansion, new buildings and new urban developments than to have to retrot buildings and readjust se lementlayouts in the future. Built environment professionals must have a major role in making these reforms. The designersmust take into account the factors at the scale of the building and factors at the scale of the neighbourhood andregion for sustainable urbanism which would mi gate the climate change risks, promote adapta on and improvepublic health in future.

1. http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/urbanisation-adds-to-growing-levels-of-greenhouse-gas.html

Global ac on Plan: Malaria (2013-04-25 05:09)

[1]h p://www.orissapost.com/world-malaria-day-global-ac on-plan/

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1. http://www.orissapost.com/world-malaria-day-global-action-plan/

Environmental health risk of slum-dwellers (2013-04-25 18:40)

[1]h p://www.dailypioneer.com/state-edi ons/bhubaneswar/its-basically-a n-environmental-health-risk-of-slum-dwellers.html

Various environment-related problems and diseases are associated with exposure of hazardousunsanitary condi onsin the slum areas. The most prevalent disease is malaria fever, typhoid fever and diarrhea. Malaria par cularly is aninfec ous disease transmi ed by mosquitoes that kill more than one million people each year. Globally, 3.3 billionpeople in 106 countries are at risk of malaria. To control malaria, World Malaria Day is commemorated every year onApril 25 and recognises global efforts.

The World Malaria Day was ins tuted by the World Health Organisa on (WHO) Member States during the 2007 WorldHealth Assembly. It is an occasion to highlight the need for con nued investment and sustained poli cal commitmentfor malaria preven on and control. It is also an opportunity for new donors to join the global malaria partnership,and for research and academic ins tu ons to showcase their scien c work. The global campaign theme for 2013 isInvest in the future. Defeat malaria.

Many countriesthroughout theworldcon nueto reporthigh prevalence ofmalaria infec on. Even though thedisease

can be prevented or treated, it remains a major cause of mortality in many parts of the world. It is one of the majorcommunicable diseases affec ng mankind, caused by plasmodium parasite, transmi ed by the bite of infec ve femaleanopheles mosquito. It is most prevalent in slums and squa er se lements of urban areas.

Many areas in the developing world are urbanising very fast and, along with this, the slum popula on in these coun-tries is also steadily increasing. Slum areas have the highest concentra ons of poor people with inadequate accessto safe water, inferior sanita on and other infrastructure, poor quality of housing, overcrowding and unprotectedresiden al status.

More than 1 billion people around the world live in slums. By 2030, the worlds slum popula on could rise to 2 billion.For the poor, urban areas have always provided a means of improving quality of life as well as being in close proximity

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to be er jobs and incomes. Slum crea on has been the result of a recent upsurge in rural-urban migra on, limitedsupply of land, and regulatory frameworks that are not addressing the needs of the urban poor.

Inadequate quan es and quality of drinking water, lack of sanita on facili es, and poor hygiene cause millions of theworlds poorest people to suffer from various diseases including malaria. The disease is closely associated with theavailability of water as the larval stage of mosquitoes develops in different kinds of stagnant water bodies. In urbanslums, water storage and poor drainage increase mosquito breeding, the main cause of malaria.

Therefore, malaria control must be based on disease epidemiology with emphasis on improvement of knowledge andprac ce of appropriate preven ve measures in slum and squa er se lements. So, socioeconomic status, housing,water storage, sanita on, waste disposal facili es should be improved. The people should cooperate with municipalhealth workers. Mosquito nets/repellents may be provided to the poor free of cost.

Providing adequate shelter in ci es of developing countries has been a fundamental problem for na onal and munic-ipal governments. World leaders, governments and interna onal agencies are trying to take direct ac on to improvethe living condi ons of slum-dwellers and offer adequate solu ons for tomorrow. Adequate housing is one of theeffec ve means to alleviate poverty because shelter is usually the most expensive item for households. It is also aprerequisite for be er health, providing a great amount of saving when one is not sick.

The urban poor should play a key role in the improvement of their living condi ons. Their par cipa on in all stages

of a social development agenda is a fundamental human right. Urban human se lements require a more inclusiveapproach to planning and land management to sustain all the people who live in them. Slums can be upgraded mosteffec vely when citywide approaches are adopted. These approaches should include consulta on with a broad rangeof stakeholders and use of par cipatory planning methods.

Absence of planned development of the slum se lements is a major reason for absence of waste disposal facili es(both liquid and solid waste). Malaria is a preventable and treatable mosquito-borne disease. Appropriate countriesand communi es are being encouraged to reduce mosquito breeding sites by lling in and draining water bodies andimplemen ng other environmental management schemes.

Malaria elimina on is a worthwhile goal. In this context, innova ve nancing would play an important role. Invest-ments in malaria preven on and control have been among the best investments in global health facility, resul ng in adrama c decrease in malaria deaths and illness. The strategic approaches to malaria control come within two majordomains preven on and case management. The goals of malaria control are to protect individual people againstinfec ve malaria mosquito bites and to reduce the intensity of local malaria transmission at community level.

Par cipatory slum upgrading and preven on programme strengthens capacity of local, central and regional ins tu-ons and key stakeholders in se lement and slum improvement through the use of good governance and manage-ment approaches. Generally, the programme aims to respond to the dynamic development of ci es and slum upgrad-ing ac vi es. These require a deep understanding of the local context, interac on of urban stakeholders, ins tu onalframeworks and nancial mechanisms.

The most powerful and most broadly-applied interven ons such as long-las ng insec cidal nets (LLINs) and indoorresidual spraying (IRS) can help prevent malaria in slum areas. The incidence of malaria can also be reduced whenmosquito breeding areas caused by insufficient drainage are eliminated. These interven ons work by reducing the

lifespan of adult female anopheles mosquitoes so that they do not survive long enough to transmit the parasite.Working with families and communi es to improve their knowledge on preven on, recogni on and appropriate treat-ment of malaria is the key to success of any malaria control programme. Besides, high-level poli cal commitment,mobilisa on of resources is required to apply the effec ve tools, medicines and control strategies already available.

The effects of subop mal service delivery are felt in low-income neighbourhoods and slums. Basic services like watersupply and sanita on are primarily the responsibility of Urban Local Bodies. However, in many local authori es indeveloping countries suffer from lack of nancial, technical and human resources and are therefore not capable orwilling to deliver and maintain basic urban services. Funding plays a fundamental role in implementa on of anyslum management strategy. Total clearance of the slum in an urban area may not be feasible because of the poor

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land management and cost elements, but an urban basic service (UBS) may be introduced. This essen ally includesprovision of immediate facili es in the slum so that residents could appreciate the importance of livable environment.These measures would not only reduce the environmental risks of slum-dwellers but also give birth to a func onaland aesthe c environment for slum-dwellers.

There is a need to develop a funding scheme to improve the socioeconomic condi on of slum-dwellers.

It is impera ve to educate slum-dwellers about mosquito-borne diseases and their preven ve measures. Finally, thepeople need proper enlightenment on the importance and benets of a healthy environment.

This would prevent many diseases in slums and squa er se lements and lead to a healthy life for slum-dwellers.

1. http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/its-basically-an-environmental-health-risk-of-slum

-dwellers.html

Rescue of Child Ragpickers (2013-04-28 05:48)

[1]h p://www.dailypioneer.com/state-edi ons/bhubaneswar/its- me-to-com e-to-rescue-of-child-ragpickers.html

ITS TIME TO COME TO RESCUE OF CHILD RAGPICKERS

Today, throughout the world, around 215 million children work as per the Interna onal Labour Organisa on (ILO).They dont go to school and have li le or no me to play. Many do not receive proper nutri on or care. More thanhalf of them are exposed to the worst forms of child labour. Out of the 2.34 million occupa onal fatali es every year,only 321,000 are due to accidents. The remaining 2.02 million deaths are caused by various types of work-relateddiseases, which correspond to a daily average of over 5,500.

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is a UN interna onal day observed on April 28. The days theme in

2013 is Preven on of occupa onal diseases. Occupa onal diseases con nue as the leading cause of work-relateddeaths. They are caused by chemical, physical and biological agents to respiratory and skin diseases, musculoskeletaldisorders and occupa onal cancer. This also affects child labourers health.

Child Labour exists in both developing and developed countries. Its prevalence is more in the developing countriesbecause the families, to which the children belong, are in an urgent need of income of children for their subsistence.India is sadly the home to the largest number of child labourers. There are 35 million Indian child labourers accordingto a Unicef report.

Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of their childhood, interfereswith their ability to a end regular school and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful.

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Legisla ons across the world prohibit child labour. However in developing countries, with high poverty, child labouris s ll prevalent.

As street children, between ve and 18 years of age, they earn their livelihood by polishing shoes, washing cars,ragpicking, selling newspapers, etc. They also work as coolies and helpers in automobile repair shops, construc onsites and hotels. A ragpicker is one who picks out recyclable elements from dumped mixed wastes. According to the3Unicef, ragpicking is one of the worst forms of child labour. Ragpickerss life is very hard as they search through everydirty garbage heap. This ac vity requires no skills and they get a maximum 20 to 50 rupees from scrap dealers fortheir collec ons. But the children face various physical hazards such as cuts on their body and are also suscep bleto infec ons and diseases. They are vic ms of poverty and illiteracy. Some of these children are involved in drugs,alcohol, smoking and gambling. Some mes, they indulge in an social ac vi es.

The inadequate preven on of occupa onal diseases has profound nega ve effects on the child labourers. Becausewaste materials may include biological pathogens such as parasitesand bacteria, this can be passed from hands to themouth. Hospital waste o en cons tutes part of the wastes. This can be hazardous in terms of biological and chemicalcontamina on including exposure to used syringes, dressings,discarded medicines. Industrialwaste mayinclude toxicmaterials such as heavy metals and their associated health effects. Sharp objects can cause cuts which, in turn, maylead to tetanus or other infec ons. Waste pickers are in direct compe on with dogs for the waste materials; thissome mes leads to dog bites and the associated threat of rabies. Carrying heavy loads of wastes over long distancesmay be associated with muscular/skeletal problems.

Ragpicking is probably one of the most dangerous and dehumanising ac vi es in India. Children should be protectedfrom such work. Educa on is of primary importance for children for their present and future wellbeing.

The inadequate preven on of occupa onal diseases has profound nega ve effects on child workers and their families.It is necessary to take effec ve economic and social measures to eliminate the roots of child ragpickers. There is anurgent need to look into the lives of these children and design some ini a ves so that they can live a healthy life.

1. http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/its-time-to-come-to-rescue-of-child-ragpickers.html

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2.4 May

Wetland degrada on (2013-05-11 13:33)

[1]h p://www.dailypioneer.com/state-edi ons/bhubaneswar/wetland-degrada on-bird-popula ons-dwindle-

in-chilika.html

WETLAND DEGRADATION: BIRD POPULATIONS DWINDLE IN CHILIKA

The World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) was ini ated in 2006 and is an awareness-raising campaign highligh ng theneed for protec on of migratory birds and their habitats. In the second weekend each May, people around the worldtake ac on and organise public events such as bird fes vals, educa on programmes and bird watching excursions tocelebrate the WMBD.

This year, the day will be celebrated on May 11-12 with the theme Networking for migratory birds. The WMBDis expected to connect the world and bring together organisa ons, governments and dedicated people to protectmigratory birds for future genera ons. The day works as a network to increase public knowledge about migratory

birds and their importance and also connects groups of people to share, celebrate with and learn from each other.This years theme also highlights the need to cooperate and network amongst organisa ons and people to conservemigratory birds. Since the migra on routes o en cross many na ons and even en re con nents and oceans, aneffec ve management strategy requires joint ac on in the form of interna onal coopera on. Collec ve conserva onac ons by nature conserva on organisa ons, scien sts, governments and the general public are needed to ensuresurvival of the migratory birds.

The survival of migratory birds depends on the availability of well-connected habitat networks along their migra onroutes. This years theme aims to emphasise both ecological networks and the networks between organisa ons andindividuals and their mutual importance for long-term conserva on of migratory birds.

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Suitable habitats are vital for migratory birds as they provide the areas necessary for feeding, res ng and breeding.Thesebirds travel huge distances, some mescomprising thousands of kilometers. However, human ac vi es,directlyor indirectly, damage these sites through habitat fragmenta on and degrada on, thereby posing a threat to the birdspecies. Many sites that birds depend on are under threat from human ac vi es, posing a grave risk to their species.Directhuman ac vi es such as land reclama on anddeforesta on as well as indirecthuman inuences such as climatechange damage these sites through habitat fragmenta on and degrada on. Large numbers of important sites havealready been damaged, or lost en rely. Consequently, conserva on of the remaining important sites is crucial forprotec on of the migratory avian species.

In many parts of the world, wetlands are under threat of degrada on or disappearance. Vast water body and biodi-versity is a major factor for visit of thousands of birds from different regions of the world. Along with this, climatechange is emerging as the greatest threat to natural communi es in most parts of the worlds ecosystems in comingdecades. Bird species are great indicators of climate change. It is affec ng birds behaviour, distribu on and popu-la on dynamics and is implicated in a complete breeding failure in some popula ons. The problems faced by birdpopula ons worldwide, especially by migratory birds that may be travelling up to tens of thousands of miles, meanthat dras c changes in any single world region could push a wide variety of the species out of existence.

Migratory birds visit most part of India and are not conned to a few areas. With a view to escaping severe coldin winter and also in search of food, the birds travel from the remote lands like Siberia, Mongolia, Caspian Lake,

Baikal Lake, Ladakh and the Himalayas foothills to visit the wetlands in India. In comparison to other Indian wetlands,maximum numbers of migratory birds are seen in the Chilika lagoon in Odisha. The Chilika Lake is the largest lagoonin Asia spread over three coastal districts of Puri, Khurda and Ganjam. It is connected to the Bay of Bengal. The waterspread area of the lagoon varies between 1,165 sqkm in monsoon and about 906 sqkm in the pre-monsoon period.

Ornithologists feel that early snowfall and scarce food might have led the birds to migrate to the Chilika. Experts thisme felt that the abundance of food and favourable weather a racted birds to the Chilika as the lagoons loca on onthe coast in the tropical zone spares it from extreme temperatures. The Chilika catchment enjoys a typically tropicalclimate with an averageannualmaximum temperature of 39.9C and a minimum temperature of 14.0C. It is boundedby hills and hillocks. The Chilika is recognised as one of the most important wetlands in the world because it is hometo a phenomenal variety of birds. It has always been poten ally able to provide excellent hospitality to the birds withfavourable weather, food and shelter. There are many island sanctuaries in the Chilika with the island of Nalabana asa major a rac on. Nalabana is a lowlying marshy island of about 35 km2, covered with low vegeta on. Designatedas a bird sanctuary, it forms the core of all tourist a rac ons in the Chilka region due to the presence of variegatedora and fauna.

The lagoon hosts over 160 species of birds in the peak migra on season, the winter. The birds travel possibly up to12,000 km to reach the lake. The lagoon is at present facing the problems of an overall loss of biodiversity.

The ecological character of the lake is inuenced by hydrological regimes and is vulnerable to changes due to anthro-pogenic as well as natural factors. The lake has gone through tremendous ecological changes since last decade. It hadbeen facing problems like silta on, shrinkage of area and choking of the inlet channel, which led to decrease in thesalinity gradient, prolifera on of freshwater weeds, followed by a decrease in sh produc vity and an overall loss ofbiodiversity.

The growth of chemicals-based industries in the catchment areas, agriculural intensica on in the Chilika basin andthe spread of prawn-culture ponds have increased pollu on and eutrophica on of the lake. The presence of toxic-heavy metals including mercury, lead, copper, chromium and nickel in the lake has been reported. In addi on toits impact on shing, the growth of weeds has contributed to dras c reduc ons in the bird popula ons, par cularlynoted near Nalabana. Deforesta on in the Chilika basin and hun ng are also contribu ng to this decline.

Due to the degrada on of wetland habitats, the popula ons of various bird species are dwindling in the Chilika. In2010 and 2011, the number of birds visi ng the lake were 9, 24,578 and 8,83,072, respec vely. In 2012, birds num-bering 8,77,322 ocked to the lake which is less by 5,750 compared to the previous year, as per the latest bird census.This may be due to the rise in temperature. Another reason may be that the depth of the lake has decreased. If

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this trend con nues, the numbers of birds will reduce in the coming years. This decline, in turn, has resulted in asubstan al decrease in interna onal tourists and ecotourism, which used to contribute greatly to the local economy.

In the Chilika, bird conserva on requires a con nuous adapta on based on the review of changes in various compo-nents of ecological character of the wetland. There is a need for ecosystem conserva on and sustainable resourcedevelopment and livelihood improvement supported by ins tu onal development, communica on, educa on andpublic awareness. Ecosystem conserva on would comprise catchment conserva on, water management and bio-diversity conserva on. Silta on is the major problem of the lake. There is a need to reduce this load by suitableplanta on and watershed development programme in the catchment areas.

The State Wildlife Organisa on in collabora on with the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) has taken several stepsfor protec on and conserva on of the local and migratory birds. Besides, awareness and coopera on of the localpeople are highly essen al. Public awareness and concern are crucial components of migratory bird conserva on.Ci zens who are enthusias c about birds, informed about threats and empowered to become involved in addressing

those threats, can make tremendous contribu ons for migratory bird conserva on of the Chilika Lake.

1. http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/wetland-degradation-bird-populations-dwindle-in-ch

ilika.html

Water birds in India (2013-05-11 13:37)

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Biodiversity: Similipal (2013-05-22 00:22)

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The current decline in biodiversity represents a serious threat to human development. Biological resources cons tutea capital asset with great poten al for yielding sustainable benets. Protected areas that are created to preservebiodiversity are in cri cal condi on due to excessive anthropogenic pressure.

Urgent and decisive ac on is needed to conserve and maintain genes, species and ecosystems for sustainable man-

agement and use of biological resources.The United Na ons has proclaimed May 22 as the Interna onal Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase under-standing and awareness of biodiversity issues. Water is essen al for life. No living being on planet Earth can survivewithout it.

It is a prerequisite for human health and wellbeing as well as for preserva on of the environment. Water and Bio-diversity is the theme for Interna onal Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) in 2013. The theme has been chosen tocoincide with the United Na ons designa on of 2013 as the Interna onal Year of Water Coopera on.

Designa on of IDB 2013 on the theme of water provides par es to the Conven on on Biological Diversity (CBD) andto raise awareness about this vital issue and to increase posi ve ac on.

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Biodiversity is the degree of varia on of life forms within a given species and the ecosystem. The greater the varietyof species, the healthier becomes the biosphere.

Human ac vi es have altered the worlds terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems throughout history. Over thelast 50 years, there has been a substan al and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on Earth. The number ofspecies at risk of ex nc on is 16,306 species of plants and animals listed as threatened globally. This clearly reectedthe loss of biodiversity.

The biodiversity of an area inuences every aspect of the lives of people who inhabit it. Their living space and theirlivelihoods depend on the type of ecosystem.

The quality of water we drink and use, the air we breathe, the soil on which our food grows are all inuenced by awide variety of living organisms, both plants and animals, and the ecosystem of which each species is linked withinnature.

Biodiversity conserva on and management are a worldwide concern. In India, there is increasing interest and concernfor biodiversity conserva on in biosphere reserves.

These biosphere reserves have been set up by expanding and merging the isolated, preexis ng na onal park andsanctuaries under the control of Forest and Wildlife Departments to meet the objec ves of biodiversity conserva onand management.

These biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems promo ng solu ons to reconcile the con-serva on of biodiversity with its sustainable use. The idea of Biosphere Reserves was ini ated by the UNESCO in1973-74 under its Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme. Biosphere reserves cons tute the main goal of the wholeprogramme.

The Indian Na onal Man and Biosphere Commi ee iden es and recommends poten al sites for designa on as Bio-sphere Reserves, following the UNESCOs guidelines and criteria. The Biosphere Reserves are different from wildlifesanctuaries and Na onal Parksas the emphasis is on overall biodiversity and landscape rather than on specic species.

In a biosphere, there are three different zones: core area, buffer zones and transi on zones. The core areas are themost heavily protectedsites where the ecosystemsremainrela vely untouched. They are theareasdesignated mainlyfor conserva on, and the only human role in these areas is for observa on and nondestruc ve research. The bufferzones surround the core area and are open to people to visit. However, people cannot inhabit these areas.

They are mainly used for recrea on and ecotourism. Transi on zones are the areas in the biosphere where townswould be located if there were any. The people living in these towns are usually management agencies, scien sts,cultural groups na ve to the area and farms and sheries (biosphere). The people who live in the towns are usuallyresponsible for managing, sustaining, and developing the biosphere.

The State of Odisha is quite rich in natural resources and has several biodiversity hotspot areas. It has varied andwidespread forests harbouring dry deciduous, moist deciduous forests as well as mangroves with several unique,endemic, rare and endangered oral and faunal species.

Odisha ranks fourth amongst State/Union Territories of the country in terms of area under forest cover. The totalforest area of the State is 58, 135 sqkm, which is 37.34 per cent of the States geographical area and about 7.66 percent of the countrys forests.

Similipal located in Odishas Mayurbhanj district, with its dense green forests, hilly terrain, broad open valleys,plateaus, grasslands and rich biodiversity, has the unique dis nc on of being a Tiger Reserve, a Na onal Park, aWildlife Sanctuary, an Elephant Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve. Semi-evergreen to dry deciduous forest types(1,076 species of plants including 94 varie es of orchids) provide suitable home for a variety of fauna. Important andrare wildlife include gers, elephants, leopards, Sambars, spo ed deer, peacocks, pythons, cobras, lizards, etc. It isthe richest watershed in Odisha, giving rise to many perennial rivers. Gorgeous Barehipani and Joranda waterfallsare of great a rac ons. The Barehipani waterfall is located at the centre of the Na onal Park. It is one of the tallestwaterfalls in the country, at a height of 399 m. The falls are the most beau ful sites at the Na onal Park. The rich

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biodiversity, the physical and topographical features of Simlipal cons tute a unique and deligh ul des na on forscien sts, nature-lovers and tourists.

The Biosphere Reserve is an interna onal designa on by the UNESCO for representa ve parts of natural and culturallandscapes extending over large areas of terrestrial or coastal ecosystems or a combina on thereof.

The Government of India ini ated a Centrally-sponsored scheme on Biosphere Reserve in 1986. The goals for bio-sphere reserve management are to facilitate conserva on of representa ve landscapes and their immense biologicaldiversity and cultural heritage.

These are the most appropriate means of protec ng the landscape with its total biodiversity. So far, 15 BiosphereReserves have been established all over the country across different bio-geographical regions. Similipal was no edas the eighth Biosphere Reserve in 1994.

This biosphere reserve is unique in terms of its varied topography, geologic forma on and rich biological diversity.

The forest ecosystems of the Similipal Biosphere Reserve are experiencing disturbances of various magnitudes.

People affect biodiversity in both direct and indirect ways. Agriculture and animal husbandry alter the biologicaldiversity by destroying or modifying the na ve biota. Ac vi es of these peoplemay generate th

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