New mining rules trigger outrage
Experts, greens criticise dilution of ecological norms for quarries The revised mining rules issued by the Industries Department last week have triggered widespread concern among the public and drawn
T. Nandakumar
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Study to locate oil resources in Kerala-Konkan basin
Project to be supported by Union Ministry of Earth Sciences Efforts to locate oil in the Kerala-Konkan offshore basin may have failed so far, but the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) appears not about to give up. The Maharatna firm has entered into a collaboration with the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) here for fluid inclusion studies that would help locate and tap the immense hydrocarbon reserves in the South Ratnagiri and Kerala-Konkan offshore basins.
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New earthworm species discovered in Port Blair
Pointing to the rich biodiversity of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, a team of researchers from the city has identified a new species of earthworm. Jaya Manazhy and Aja Manazhy, senior research scholars in the Department of Zoology, Mar Ivanios College, under the guidance of K. Vijayakumaran Nair, identified the species from samples collected from Port Blair by CSIR Emeritus scientist Oommen V. Oommen and Assistant Professor K. Ramachandran.
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New species of wild ginger found on Western Ghats
A team of researchers from the University of Calicut has discovered a new species of wild ginger endemic to the Silent Valley National Park on the Western Ghats, one of the biodiversity hotspots in India. The discovery, reported by M. Sabu, V.P. Thomas, and K.M. Prabhu Kumar of the Department of Botany, has been published in a recent issue of Phytokeys , a journal on biodiversity research. The new species, named Amomum nilgiricum , is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) consisting of 53 genera and over 1,200 species, many of which are widely used as spices, in medical formulations, or simply for decoration.
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Study finds KMML effluents polluting water and land
Effluents from KMML (Kerala Metals and Minerals Ltd), a public sector unit based at Chavara in Kollam, are polluting water sources, degrading the environment, and posing a public health hazard, a study
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Call for studies on reservoir-induced seismicity in Idukki
‘Sequence and timing of tremors a pointer' Even as the government is going all out to pacify the people affected by the tremors experienced in parts of Idukki district last Friday, a section of earth scientists feel that the increased seismic activity in the area can be attributed to the reservoir of the Idukki arch dam.
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Use IPCC models to combat climate change, says expert
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala needs a long-term intervention strategy based on predictive modelling to deal with the impact of climate change, agriculture scientist Kadambot H.M.
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A universe of problems
A demand to reintroduce a universal Public Distribution System (PDS) in the country appears every now and then. Its proponents argue that universal access is necessary for ensuring food security, for better control on prices and for eliminating (at least partially) the evils of exclusion errors in the targeted PDS.