Harnessing heights
Rajnish Jain 54 Founder and CEO of Avani Bio Energy, Uttarakhand Pine push In the foothills of the mountains in Uttarakhand's Kumaon region, Rajnish Jain has found an innovative way to generate electricity.
Rajnish Jain 54 Founder and CEO of Avani Bio Energy, Uttarakhand Pine push In the foothills of the mountains in Uttarakhand's Kumaon region, Rajnish Jain has found an innovative way to generate electricity.
Jim Corbett is held in great esteem in India as a compassionate man who had exceptional environmental awareness. A closer look however shows that this image is misleading and that he was in fact a fully paid-up imperialist. The continuance of the Corbett myth is indicative of our failure to read his skilfully written books critically.
Water resources regime in Kumaon Himalaya is a product of its specific environmental conditions. Major river systems, lakes along with a plethora of streams and springs are the main sources of water in this region. In pre-colonial Kumaon, communities took pride in their water systems and the local communities had the right of ownership over the use of local natural resources.
Climate change threatens mankind
The survey revealed complete destruction of bryo-vegetation from ground to the height of 15-17' at Kausani due to forest fire which erupted in 2002 in the areas which were completely gutted in fire. The fire period was intense and long and most of the thalli growing over there were burnt completely. The remnant marks of burnt thalli of Marchantia sp. and Plagiochasma sp.
From both the economic and the enviromental angle, bio-gas is the ideal solution for rural households: cheap with no recurring maintenance costs and zero impact on the environment. Why hasn't it been adopted more widely? The benefits of this appropriate technology are numerous and some appear self-evident. For one, there is no emission of greenhouse gases that cause climate change, unlike in the burning of fossil fuels.
Water quality of two natural springs viz., Raj Naula and Badi Naula located in the Kosi river catchment area of Almora city in Kumaun Himalaya (Uttarakhand) has been investigated. (2007)
Book>> Environmentality: Technologies of Government and the making of Subjects
Water quality monitoring of a central Himalayan river, river Kosi was done for a period of one year. The study was done to ascertain the suitability of its water for potable supplies and to generate benchmark data for the management of the river ecosystem, as the river has a great bearing on the socio-agricultural life of the region.
Rise in population, urbanization, tourist activity and expansion of the Kumaon region has resulted in the considerable increase of vehicular traffic. This problem particularly manifests itself around the petrol pump and bus station.
A health camp conducted in Sama, 60 km north of Bageshwar in Uttaranchal in November, revealed that anaemia, chronic infections, gout, tuberculosis and rheumatoid arthritis are the common ailments