Image of the day….” Omega Sunset ” !

December 13, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Omega sunsets happen in places where Earth’s land or ocean surface is covered by a layer of hot, low-density air.

Photo by by Josh Blash. Visit Josh on Facebook.

Josh Blash caught this omega stage of an inferior mirage sunset on November 27, 2015 at Venice Beach, California. Les Cowley at the website Atmospheric Optics explains omega sunsets this way:

As the sun descends a second sun rises from the water. Eventually the two join at a red hued vertically stretched ‘stem.’ Jules Verne likened this appearance to an Etruscan vase. The stem shortens and thickens until the two suns appear like a Greek letter omega …

The lower sun is not a reflection from the water. It is an ‘inferior mirage’, so named not from any poverty in appearance but because the miraged sun is below the ‘real’ one. The lower sun is an inverted image produced by refraction by a layer of warmer and less dense air close to the ocean surface. The discus shape is a combination of the upper limb of the erect sun and an inverted image of it beneath.

Source………www.earthsky.org

Natarajan

This “Must-Have” 2016 Calendar Will Inspire You Every Day of the Coming Year…!!!

December 13, 2015Natarajan2 Comments

The ‘I am Special’ calendar, , brought out by Swarga Foundation, Coimbatore, features people with neurological disorders, with the aim of spreading awareness about these disorders and sharing the stories of the special people who have overcome disabilities to live productive and fulfilling lives.

The front page of the special calendar by Swarga Foundation, Coimbatore, says it better than anything we can introduce this story with:

I am SPECIAL!
“I am not just special… I’m Limited EDITION.”

I hear my friends and my mom tell me I am special. I sometimes wonder “Is it my disability or my body?”
I know it is because of my mind, as life teaches me every minute.

The only disability in life is the absence of a positive attitude.

DISABILITY or DISEASE will not define my identity.

Swarga Foundation empathizes with special people and brings this calendar to you to create awareness about six neurological disorders: Spinal Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Retinal Detachment, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, and Intellectual Disability.

The models showcased here are affected with one of these neurological disorders. These bravehearts are special not because they are diseased or disabled, but because of their contribution to people around them.

January-February: Anand Selvaraj

Anand Selvaraj has paraplegia. Paraplegia is usually caused by an injury to the spine or it can be a congenital condition that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal. The person usually develops loss of movement, sensation and reflexes from below where the injury has occurred.

Anand is an avid tennis player who has represented Tamil Nadu in numerous tournaments across India. Anand studied public health in the US.

“You can adapt or you can go into a cave and give up,” says Anand, who believes in being independent.

March-April: Swarnalatha J

Swarnalatha J has multiple sclerosis. This disorder of the central nervous system affects the brain and spine, which in turn leads to multiple disabilities. The symptoms range from minor visual disability to total paralysis, making even the simplest everyday task a Herculean one.

However, the ever so talented and versatile Swarnalatha is a motivational speaker, a counsellor, a singer, a puppeteer, a green crusader, a story writer, and a photographer. She converts every adversity into an opportunity.

“I believe in ‘ME’”, says Swarnalatha, who ‘moves better with support than with sympathy.’

May-June: Sabari Venkat

Sabari Venkat is affected with Retinal Detachment. When the retina is separated from its attachments to the underlying tissue within the eye, it is known as retinal detachment. This invariably leads to loss of vision. Sabari has lived with this disability all her life.

Sabari is a motivational speaker who loves to sing. She is also an ardent follower of Swami Vivekananda and has won many awards and recognition for reciting his speeches. She hopes to join the Indian Administrative Services someday, with the intention of eradicating corruption and illiteracy in India.

“The eyes are useless when the mind is blind,” says the happy-go-lucky Sabari.

July-August: Ashwathi

Ashwathi has what was once known as mental retardation and is now called Intellectual disability. This is a generalized neuro-developmental disorder that is characterized by poor intellectual and adaptive functioning. The main causes for this disability are abnormal genes, complications in pregnancy, exposure to toxins, iodine deficiency, and malnutrition.

Six-year-old Ashwathi is still learning to walk. She has no choice but to be extremely dependent upon her mother for all her needs. Her parents and teachers are helping her learn to live in this world.

Ashwathi says, “I am also a child of God. Lead me, guide me and walk beside me.”

September-October: Nishant Sriram

Nishant has autism. Autism is a developmental disorder that usually affects children in their developmental years. Due to this disorder, the individual exhibits limited social interaction, poor communication skills and restricted and repetitive behaviour.

Nishant is a very active person who loves being with nature. Trekking, cycling and many other adventure activities interest him. He is the winner of many awards for cycling in his state, as well as at the National Level Special Olympics. Nishant, who cannot speak, communicates with his keyboard.

He says, “If you don’t understand my silence, how will you understand my words?”

November-December: Dinisha

Dinisha has cerebral palsy. Poor coordination, stiff and weak muscles and tremors are the major problems faced by people with this condition. This disorder is caused by abnormal development of or damage to the brain, which results in permanent movement disorders.

Dinisha, with her infectious smile, loves dressing up well and taking part in singing and dancing activities. She may be silent but she makes friends fast and enjoys being in the company of people.

The special calendar is the brainchild of Swarnalatha, who is also featured in the calendar. She and her husband, Guruprasad, came up with this unique idea sometime in April this year and have been working on it ever since. Their organization, Swarga foundation, works with disabled persons.

The purpose of this calendar is to generate respect for people with special needs, to increase awareness about these disorders, to appreciate the outlook towards life of these wonderful people, and to celebrate their lives with them.

The foundation intends using the proceeds from the sale of these calendars to help patients affected with neurological diseases.

The calendar could not have been possible without Albi No (from That Moment Photography), who came up with the idea of also making a video of the models presented in the calendar. Suraj Kumar helped Swarnalatha with the script for the calendar as well as video. They have both done the voice-over in the video too. Sagar Morankar has sung the background score while Prasanna has played the music for the video.

Incidentally, Sagar Morankar is visually impaired. He is a classical singer from Kolkata and teaches music at ITC Music School. An athlete in his school days, Sagar was affected with muscular dystrophy at the age of 16. The doctors gave him only three years to live at that time but he beat the odds and went on to lead a happy and successful life.

For more details on what the Foundation does, visit here. You can place an order for the calendar here.

Source………Aparna menon….www.the betterindia.com …..About the author: Aparna Menon is a freelance writer, writing for various newspapers for the past 10 years. Her main fields of interest are wildlife, heritage and history. A keen traveler, she loves to read and write and does a lot of art work too.

Natarajan

A German Lady Is Recreating the Chak De! India Dream Team with Kids in Rural Rajasthan….

December 13, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Andrea Thumshirn was a national level hockey player in Germany. She came to India in 2009 and since then has been training rural Rajasthan kids in hockey. She is also sponsoring their education and teaching them English. In fact, she took five of her students all the way to Germany to train!

Andrea Thumshirn, a German Premier League hockey player came to India as a tour operator. But the visit changed her life when she not only visited a remote village in Rajasthan but decided to stay there and teach hockey to rural kids.

Andrea had been playing the sport ever since she was six. When she suffered an injury she had to quit playing professional hockey. So she started coaching kids in the sport in Germany. She brought the same passion and love of the game to India when she took on the task of training kids in Garh Himmat Singh village in Rajasthan.

When you go to a remote village in Rajasthan, school-going girls and boys playing hockey like champions is the last thing you will expect to see. Andrea made it possible in spite of facing several challenges.

Andrea (centre) with the kids.

“I came here in 2009. My business partner belonged to this village and hence he organised the entire stay. I was so hooked that when I went back to Germany I kept thinking about the village,” she recalls.

Andrea returned in 2010 with a few hockey sticks and started training kids in hockey after school. “I thought they waste most of their time anyway, so it will be good to engage them in something productive,” she says.

It has been over four years and Andrea has never looked back. She shifted to Rajasthan permanently and started living with a local family. She also officially registered her foundation as Hockey Village India. It was all going well because she had good support from a local man who treated her like his own sister. He would introduce her to the villagers and help her get along with the locals.

Early intervention is what Andrea believes in.

But when Andrea found out that her ‘brother’ was misusing the funds of the foundation, she confronted him and they subsequently parted ways. Not ready to accept this humiliation, the man started spreading rumours about Andrea and turned the villagers against her — they stopped sending their kids to her for hockey training.

“I felt betrayed. It was such a shock and I wasn’t prepared for it. Especially when we shared a brother-sister bond. But I was determined to not give up and shifted to another village called Jatwada, which was just 9 kms away from Garh Himmat Singh,” she says.

This setback was not the only challenge that Andrea faced. Getting the kids to show up on the ground, keeping them motivated and teaching them the right techniques (as many had never even seen a hockey stick before) was a big task.

The kids are more confident now.

“I even got the kids to see the Indian movie Chak De India! Initially, it was difficult to communicate with them. Many parents would not send their daughters to play with boys. Also, the girls would wear salwars and dupattas, which made it difficult for them to play,” she recalls.

She also started a primary English medium school to provide better education to the kids. Gradually, by word of mouth, her efforts began to pay off. Kids started playing in several tournaments and even won a few trophies.

Thanks to Andrea’s efforts, about 50 boys and 25 girls regularly show up on her hockey ground in Rajasthan today. She also started an initiative in Goa, where she engages with 30 boys and 30 girls.

Though getting girls on board was difficult, Andrea managed to get five girls selected in the State Under-19 team.

“When things weren’t working out here in India my family asked me to come back. They asked me why I was chasing after kids who were not even interested. But I was not ready to give up. I knew I would succeed and I did. Today, the kids are amazing players,” she says.

The impact of her work is seen in the attitude of the kids. They are more confident and physically fit now. They have better communication skills and a positive attitude. When Andrea found out that some of the kids were so poor that they could not even afford a glass of milk, she bought a cow and now provides one glass of milk every day to all her students. She also provides uniforms, hockey sticks and shoes to them.

Some of the students have participated in various tournaments.

“One time, we went for a tournament and our team met a Manipuri team. They were talking in English as they could not understand Hindi. My kids communicated in fluent English with them. Even though they made grammatical mistakes, they were very good,” she says.

In 2014, she took five of her students to Germany. Here, the kids got to practise in professional playgrounds and meet other players. They also attended school there for two months. “This was huge exposure for them. Such a great opportunity to mingle with other players! I could see the happiness in their eyes,” she says.

Hockey Village India is now affiliated with the Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA), a central government-sponsored scheme for the development of sports in rural areas. Five of Andrea’s girls were even selected for the state team in the Under-16 category.

Andrea has managed to get 25 girls in rural Rajasthan to regularly practice hockey.

Andrea now wants to expand her work and get more girl players to come on board. She wants to start her own sports academy where she can train young girls and boys.

Due to Andrea’s efforts, amazing hockey players have emerged from among these rural kids who were once directionless. Currently running her foundation with the help of a few sponsors from Germany, Andrea is looking for monetary support to expand her efforts.

She is also looking for volunteers who can train kids in hockey and even teach them English and other subjects. To know more about her work, check out this website.

Source……..Shreya Pareek ….www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

செம்பரம்பாக்கம் ஏரியும் சென்னை வெள்ளமும்….

December 12, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

அடுத்தடுத்து விமர்சனங்கள்.. அடுக்கடுக்காய் கேள்விகள்..

செம்பரம்பாக்கம் ஏரியிலிருந்து எப்போது அதிக அளவில் உபரி நீரை வெளியேற்றுவது என்பதில் உரிய கவனம் செலுத்தப்படவில்லை என்றும், இதுவே சென்னையின் வெள்ளப் பாதிப்புகளை அதிகமாக்கி விட்டது என்றும் பரவலாக விமர்சனம் எழுந்துள்ளது.

குறிப்பாக டிசம்பர் 1-ம் தேதி இரவு வினாடிக்கு 29 ஆயிரம் கன அடி உபரி நீர் வெளியேற்றப்பட்ட நிலையில், அன்று காலை நிலவரப்படி வெறும் 900 கன அடி மட்டுமே வெளியேற்றப்பட்டது ஏன் என்ற கேள்வி பிரதானமாக எழுப்பப்படுகிறது.

நவம்பர் 30, டிசம்பர் 1-ம் தேதி வாக்கில் கனமழை பெய்யக் கூடும் என உள்நாட்டு வானிலை ஆய்வு மையங் களும், சர்வதேச வானிலை நிறுவனங் களும் எச்சரிக்கை செய்தன. எனினும் இந்த எச்சரிக்கையைப் பொருட்படுத்தாத காரணத்தால் செம்பரம்பாக்கம் அணையின் நீர் அளவை கையாள்வதில் போதிய கவனம் செலுத்தப்படவில்லை என்ற குற்றச்சாட்டு எழுந்துள்ளது.

அணை நீர்மட்ட நிலவரம்

செம்பரம்பாக்கம் ஏரியின் மொத்த நீர் கொள்ளளவு 3,645 மில்லியன் கன அடி. சென்னை குடிநீர் வடிகால் வாரிய புள்ளி விவரங்களின் அடிப்படையில் பார்த்தால் நவம்பர் 1-ம் தேதி நிலவரப்படி ஏரியின் நீர் இருப்பு வெறும் 228 மில்லியன் கன அடி மட்டுமே. அதன் பிறகு வடகிழக்கு பருவமழை தீவிரமானதால் அடுத்த பத்து நாட்களிலேயே மூன்று மடங்கு அதிகரித்து, நவம்பர் 10-ம் தேதி 791 மில்லியன் கன அடியாக நீர் இருப்பு உயர்ந்தது.

அதன் பிறகு பெய்த கனமழை காரணமாக ஏரிக்கு வரும் நீர்வரத்தும் அதிகரித்தது. குறிப்பாக நவம்பர் 16-ம் தேதி வினாடிக்கு 9 ஆயிரத்து 717 கனஅடி, மறுநாள் 17-ம் தேதி 12 ஆயிரத்து 31 கன அடி என்ற அளவுக்கு நீர் வரத்து அதிகரித்துக் கொண்டே சென்றது. இதனால் அணையின் நீர் இருப்பு கிடுகிடுவென உயர்ந்தது. நவம்பர் 1-ம் தேதி 228 மில்லியன் கன அடி மட்டுமே இருந்த நீர் இருப்பு 17-ம் தேதி 3 ஆயிரத்து 197 மில்லியன் கன அடி என்ற அளவுக்குத் தண்ணீர் பெருகியது.

இதன் காரணமாக முதல் நாள் வரை வினாடிக்கு வெறும் 64 கன அடி வரை மட்டுமே வெளியேற்றப்பட்ட உபரி நீர் 17-ம் தேதி திடீரென 18 ஆயிரம் கன அடியாக அதிகரிக்கப்பட்டது.

அதன் பிறகு அணையின் நீர் இருப்பை 3 ஆயிரம் மில்லியன் கன அடிக்கு மேல் இருக்குமாறு பொதுப் பணித் துறையினர் பராமரித்து வந்தனர். நவம்பர் 25-ம் தேதி வினாடிக்கு 5 ஆயிரத்து 629 கனஅடி நீர்வரத்து இருந்த போது 5 ஆயிரம் கன அடியும், நவம்பர் 28-ம் தேதி 610 கன அடி நீர் வந்தபோது, 500 கன அடியும் வெளியேற்றினர். அதாவது ஏரிக்கு வரும் நீரின் அளவுக்கு ஏற்ப வெளியேற்றும் நீரின் அளவையும் பராமரித்தனர்.

இதற்கிடையே நவம்பர் 29, 30, டிசம்பர் 1 ஆகிய தேதிகளில் மிகக் கனத்த மழை பெய்யக் கூடும் என்ற வானிலை எச்சரிக்கை அறிவிப்புகள் வந்து கொண்டே இருந்தன. இந்த நேரத்தில் காஞ்சிபுரம் மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள நூற்றுக்கணக்கான சிறிய, பெரிய ஏரிகள் முழுவதும் நிரம்பி இருந்தன. வானிலை ஆய்வு மைய எச்சரிக்கையைப் போலவே மழை பொழிந்தால் அந்த ஏரிகளில் இருந்து வினாடிக்குப் பல்லாயிரக்கணக்கான கனஅடி வீதத்தில் உபரி நீர் வெளியேறும் என்பதும், அவை யாவும் சென்னைக்குள்தான் புகும் என்பதும் எதார்த்தம். ஆகவே, அதே நேரத்தில் செம்பரம்பாக்கம் ஏரியிலிருந்தும் பெரிய அளவில் உபரி நீர் வெளியேற்றப்பட்டால் பெரும் வெள்ளமாகப் பெருக்கெடுக்கும் என்பதும் நிச்சயம்.

ஆனால் இந்த ஆபத்தைச் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட துறைகளின் அதிகாரிகள் கணிக்கத் தவறிவிட்டனர் என்பதே இப்போது பிரதான விமர்சனமாகக் கூறப்படுகிறது. குடிநீர் வடிகால் வாரிய இணையதளத் தகவல்களின்படி, நவம்பர் 29-ம் தேதி வினாடிக்கு 570 கன அடி, நவம்பர் 30-ம் தேதி வினாடிக்கு 600 கன அடி என்ற அளவிலேயே நீர் வெளியேற்றம் இருந்துள்ளது.

பெரும் மழை பெய்த டிசம்பர் 1-ம் தேதி கூட முதலில் வினாடிக்கு 900 கன அடி என்ற அளவில் மட்டுமே நீர் வெளியேற்றப்பட்டுள்ளது. ஆனால் ஏரிக்கான நீர் வரத்து அதிகரிக்கவே, அதன் பிறகு வெளியேற்றும் நீரின் அளவையும் அதிகரித்ததாகக் கூறப்படுகிறது. டிசம்பர் 1-ம் தேதி அதிகபட்சமாக 29 ஆயிரம் கன அடி வரை நீர் வெளியேற்றப்பட்டுள்ளது.

காரணம் என்ன?

நவம்பர் 30-ம் தேதியே மழை தொடங்கிவிட்ட போதிலும் செம்பரம் பாக்கம் அணையிலிருந்து அதிக அளவு உபரி நீரை வெளியேற்றாததன் காரணம் என்ன என்பதுதான் இப்போது விவாதத்துக்குரிய கேள்வியாக எழுந்துள்ளது. இது குறித்துப் பொதுப் பணித் துறையின் ஓய்வுபெற்ற அதிகாரி ஒருவரிடம் கேட்ட போது அவர் கூறியதாவது:

ஓர் அணையிலிருந்து எந்த நேரத்தில் எவ்வளவு நீரை வெளியேற்ற வேண்டும் அல்லது எவ்வளவு வரை நீரை தேக்கி வைத்திருக்கலாம் என்பதைத் துறைத் தலைவர்களாக இருக்கக் கூடிய ஐஏஎஸ் அதிகாரிகளால் கணிக்க இயலாது. பல ஆண்டு காலம் தொடர்ந்து அந்தந்தப் பகுதியிலேயே பணியாற்றி வரும் பொதுப்பணித் துறையின் பொறியாளர்கள் மற்றும் களப்பணியாளர்களால்தான் அதனைத் தீர்மானிக்க முடியும். அந்தந்தப் பகுதியில் பெய்யும் மழையின் அளவு, அணைக்கு வரும் நீர்வரத்து, அன்றைய நீர்மட்டம் ஆகியவற்றின் அடிப்படையில் எந்த அளவுக்கு நீரை அணையில் வைத்திருக்கலாம் மற்றும் எவ்வளவு உபரி நீரை வெளியேற்றலாம் என்பதை அவர்களால் தெளிவாகக் கணிக்க முடியும். இவ்வாறு அவர்களே முடிவெடுத்துச் செயல்படுத்தும் நடைமுறை ஆங்கிலேய ஆட்சிக் காலத்தில் இருந்து தொடர்கிறது.

ஆனால் அண்மைக் காலங்களில் இந்தப்போக்கு மாறியுள்ளது. சிறிய அணைகளில் கூட எவ்வளவு நீர் வெளியேற்ற வேண்டும் என்பதை உயர் அதிகாரிகளின் உத்தரவைப் பெற்றுச் செயல்படுத்த வேண்டிய நிலைமை ஏற்பட்டுள்ளதாகத் தெரிகிறது.

மக்களுக்கு அதிகப் பாதிப்புகளை ஏற்படுத்தாத வகையில் செம்பரம்பாக்கம் அணையிலிருந்து எந்த நேரத்தில் எவ்வளவு உபரி நீரைத் திறக்க வேண்டும் என்பது அணையைத் தொடர்ந்து கண்காணித்து வரும் பொறியாளர்களுக்கும், அங்குள்ள களப்பணியாளர்களுக்கும் நிச்சயம் தெரிந்திருக்கும். ஆனால் அவர்களே முடிவெடுத்துச் செயல்படுத்த முடியாத சூழல் ஏற்பட்டதாகவும், உயர் அதிகாரிகளின் உத்தரவுகளுக்காக அவர்கள் காத்திருக்க நேர்ந்ததாலேயே முன்னதாகவே அதிக அளவில் உபரி நீரைத் திறக்காமல், திடீரெனப் பெருமளவு உபரி நீர் திறக்கப்பட்டதாகவும் கூறப்படுகிறது. அவ்வாறு கூறப்படுவது உண்மையாக இருப்பின், சென்னையின் வெள்ளப் பாதிப்புகளுக்கு இவைதான் முக்கிய காரணம். இவ்வாறு அந்த அதிகாரி கூறினார்.

குடிநீருக்காக தேக்கப்பட்டதா?.

சென்னையில் கடந்த ஜூன், ஜூலை தொடங்கி, நவம்பர் முதல் வாரம் வரை கடுமையான குடிநீர் தட்டுப்பாடு நிலவியது. டிசம்பர் 1-ம் தேதி 3 ஆயிரம் மில்லியன் கன அடிக்கும் மேல் இருந்த செம்பரம்பாக்கம் ஏரியில் சரியாக ஒரு மாதத்துக்கு முன்னர் நவம்பர் 1-ம் தேதி வெறும் 228 மில்லியன் கன அடி மட்டுமே நீர் இருந்தது. இதிலிருந்தே நவம்பர் முதல் வாரம் வரை எந்த அளவுக்குக் குடிநீர் தட்டுப்பாடு இருந்தது என்பதை உணர்ந்து கொள்ளலாம். சென்னைக்குக் குடிநீர் விநியோகம் செய்யச் சென்னை குடிநீர் வாரிய அதிகாரிகள் மிகவும் கஷ்டப்பட்டனர். ஒருகட்டத்தில் மழை வேண்டிப் பல கோயில்களில் வருணப் பகவானுக்குப் பூஜைகள் கூடச் செய்தனர்.

இந்தச் சூழலில் செம்பரம்பாக்கம் உள்ளிட்ட குடிநீர் தரும் ஏரிகளில் இருந்து அதிக அளவுக்கு உபரி நீரை வெளியேற்ற வேண்டாம் என்று குடிநீர் வாரிய அதிகாரிகள் தரப்பிலிருந்து அழுத்தம் தரப்பட்டதாகவும் கூறப்படு கிறது. ஒருவேளை வானிலை ஆய்வு மையம் எச்சரித்தது போலக் கனமழை பெய்யாமல் போய்விட்டால், குடிநீருக் காகத் தேக்கி வைத்திருக்கும் பெருமளவு தண்ணீரை வீணாக்கி விடக் கூடாதே என்ற அச்சத்துடன் இந்த அழுத்தம் கொடுக்கப்பட்டதாகக் கூறப்படுகிறது.

மேலும், அடுத்த நான்கைந்து மாதங்களில் வரப்போகும் சட்டப் பேரவை தேர்தல் நேரத்தில் குடிநீர் தட்டுப்பாடு ஏற்படக் கூடாது எனக் கருதி, அதிக அளவு உபரி நீரைத் தக்க சமயத்தில் வெளியேற்ற அதிகாரிகள் தயங்கினார்களா என்ற கேள்வியும் உள்ளது.

ஆக, காரணங்கள் எதுவாயினும் செம்பரம்பாக்கம் ஏரியிலிருந்து ஒரே நேரத்தில் 29 ஆயிரம் கன அடி அளவுக்கு உபரி நீர் திறக்கப்பட்டது சென்னையின் வெள்ளப் பாதிப்புகளுக்கு ஒரு காரணமாகி விட்டது.

நவம்பர் 17-ம் தேதி செம்பரம்பாக்கத் திலிருந்து வினாடிக்கு 18 ஆயிரம் கன அடி உபரி நீர் திறக்கப்பட்டபோது அடையாற்றில் பெரிய அளவில் வெள்ளப் பாதிப்பு ஏற்படவில்லை. எனினும் டிசம்பர் 1-ம் தேதி இரவில் காஞ்சிபுரம் மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள பிற ஏரிகளில் இருந்து அடையாற்றுக்கு சுமார் 40 ஆயிரம் கன அடிக்கு மேல் உபரி நீர் வந்து கொண்டிருந்த நேரத்தில், செம்பரம்பாக்கம் ஏரியிலிருந்து திறந்து விடப்பட்ட 29 ஆயிரம் கன அடி உபரி நீரும் அதனுடன் சேர்ந்து கொண்டதால் பாதிப்புகள் அதிகமாயின.

ஆகவே, இனியாவது துல்லியமான நீர் மேலாண்மை என்பதற்கு முக்கியத்துவம் தரப்பட வேண்டும். இதுவே எதிர்காலத்தில் இதுபோன்ற இயற்கை பேரிடர் காலங்களில் பாதிப்புகளைக் குறைக்க உதவியாக இருக்கும் என்பதே சமூக ஆர்வலர்களின் கருத்தாக உள்ளது.

Source…..வி.தேவதாசன் ….www.tamil.thehindu.com

Natarajan

“This Looks Like A Petri Dish Full Of Microorganisms, But It’s So Much Cooler”..

December 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

People often categorize others by describing them as being “left-brained” or “right-brained.” People who are more logical, strategic, and rational are placed in the former category, and those who are more creative, intuitive, and artistic are placed in the latter.

While it’s obvious that most people embody different combinations of the two, it’s fair to say that plenty of us fall further to one side than the other. One creator who appears to fall somewhere in the middle is Anglo-Irish artist Rogan Brown. His creations are aesthetically stunning, and they’re inspired by the building blocks of scientific study.

His latest collection is called Magic Circle Variations, and it’s designed to straddle the fence between what’s real and what’s imagined.

Rogan Brown

In the artist’s words, “Reality is transformed and estranged through the creative process, which paradoxically makes the finished work more real and unique.”

Rogan Brown

He makes hundreds of these intricate paper cuttings for every single piece.

Rogan Brown

Some of Brown’s earlier work was exclusively hand cut, but this collection combines hand-cut designs with others that were created with lasers.

Rogan Brown

When coming up with the concept and direction of each piece, he studied the imagery of bacteria, coral, pathogens, and diatoms. Beyond that, the compositions are fictive, imagined, and totally original.

Rogan Brown

(via My Modern Met)

Although he cites model-making and scientific drawing as inspirations for this collection, “everything has to be refracted through the prism of the imagination.” It’s not often that an artist is able to steer vastly different worlds into such an incredible collision.

To see more of Rogan Brown’s work, be sure to check out his online portfolio and follow him on Facebook.

Source….Madeline Distasio in.www.viralnova.com

Natarajan

How two IAF pilots saved the day….

December 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

In a precarious mission, Wing Commander Charles Simon and Squadron Leader S Venkatramanan and crew rescued a woman in the final stage of pregnancy from atop a water tank in Chennai. She delivered twins the next day!

Archana Masih/Rediff.com spoke to the pilots about that dramatic day.

IMAGE: Wing Commander Charles Simon and Squadron Leader S Venkatramanan rescued the pregnant lady from atop a water tank in flood-ravaged Chennai.

When Wing Commander Charles Simon and Squadron Leader S Venkatramanan launched their Cheetah helicopter from the Tambaram Air Force base on December 3, they had no idea what lay ahead that day.

Chennai had received its worst rainfall in 100 years on December 1-2 and the two Indian Air Force pilots along with several other helicopter pilots had been flying rescue missions from sunrise to sunset since December 1.

In the five days of the Chennai deluge, WinCo Simon and Sqn Ldr Venkat flew 30 sorties and did 36 rescues — but what they did on day 3 was not only unusual and praiseworthy but humanly touching.

With all communication lines broken down, the pilots received instructions from their operational control centre to rescue a young woman in the final stage of pregnancy. She was marooned on the roof of her home.

Armed only with approximate GPS coordinates, the pilots flew out in search of the pregnant woman. But what they encountered was a sea of houses with 10 to 12 people atop each roof.

It was the proverbial needle in a haystack kind of situation.

IMAGE: The pilots with Corporal Arun Singh, left, and Corporal Rahul Kumar, right, who were part of the rescue team.

“We literally flew roof-to-roof in search of her. Since the sound of the chopper drowns all other sounds, we had to communicate in sign language with people on the roofs,” says Wing Commander Simon, a Category-A flying instructor at the IAF’s Flying Instructors School.

The very best of pilots make it to Category-A; they are entrusted with the task of training future instructors.

“There were around 1,000 people on different terraces and it was hard to spot her. We were circling for 10, 15 minutes and it seemed there was no hope of finding her,” adds co-pilot Squadron Leader Venkatramanan, a Chennai native who will complete ten years in the IAF next week.

“I was on the left side of the chopper and looking at every woman if she had a bump,” he says with good humour on the phone from Chennai.

Just then they spotted Deepthi Velchamy, the lady they had set out to rescue. Since her pregnancy would not permit her to be winched up, the pilots indicated that she be brought to the top of the water tank on the terrace.

Some personnel wearing orange overalls, indicative of the National Disaster Relief Force, were also on the terrace. They put Deepthi in a chair and positioned her on the tank.

The pilots, accompanied by Corporals Arun Singh and Rahul Kumar, meanwhile, circled around and made the approach. As WinCo Simon maouvered the chopper, Sqn Ldr Venkat seated on the side of the water tank, provided vital verbal navigation.

“Left… Left… Lower… Steady… Stop… Stop…” Sqn Ldr Venkat’s instructions must have sounded somewhat like this.

The chopper hovered low, its left skid (the Cheetah has sleigh-like landing gear) gently touched the water tank; its right skid was in the air. Deepthi was helped into the aircraft; tears were running down her face.

Sqn Ldr Venkat gestured to her that all would be okay and ten minutes later, they brought her to the Tambaram Air Base, where an Air Force lady gynaecologist awaited her. According to the rules, rescued civilians are flown to the air base and handed over to the civil administration.

It was here that Deepthi revealed that she was due for delivery that day itself and hers was a complicated case. Her medical papers were not with her and she needed to be urgently admitted to the Ramachandran Hospital that was aware of her medical history.

Since the roads were blocked and water-logged, the pilots were given clearance to airlift her to the hospital. At the medical college hospital, WinCo Simon was lucky to find a basketball court to land the chopper.

Deepthi delivered twin girls the following day. With all communication lines down, her request for rescue was conveyed to the authorities by her concerned sister in America.

Overwhelmed by the circumstances, her husband Karthik told the Press Trust of India, ‘I salute these brave men.’

But the two pilots say they are trained for situations like this.

IMAGE: Stranded people waiting to be transported to safer places from the Tambaram Air Base.

“Hovering with a skid on a rooftop and with limited reference is challenging,” says WinCo Simon who was part of the team that rebuilt the Car Nicobar Air Force base after the 2004 tsunami.

“It was team work of pilots and crew. We are trained for such ops and the IAF is always geared up for any mission as the situation demands.”

The IAF operated 13 helicopters in torrential rain and marginal weather, flying 195 sorties, airlifting 450 stranded people, including women, infants and senior citizens. They rescued some other pregnant women too. Transport aircraft airlifted 30 National Disaster Relief Force teams, five Indian Army columns and also evacuated 770 stranded civilians.

“Personally, it was a very satisfying task, while professionally every helicopter pilot is trained to accomplish these kind of tasks,” says Sqn Ldr Venkat, who has flown rescue ops in Kashmir in the winter snowfall of 2008-2009.

IMAGE: WinCo Simon, left, has been involved in rescue and relief ops after the 2004 tsunami in Car Nicobar. Sqn Ldr Venkat, right, flew rescue missions in the Kashmir snowfall of 2008-2009.

“Once you are in the cockpit and start flying, you need all your skills and follow the rules. That is what we keep in mind while flying without getting too emotional about what we achieve,” he adds.

Both the pilots have done stints with the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Congo and are the first ones in their families to join the armed forces. They are quite surprised with the interest their mission has elicited, and attribute it to a video that one onlooker shot and uploaded on YouTube.

“My parents were quite thrilled because I am the only one in the family to make to the TV news,” laughs Sqn Ldr Venkat.

After the IAF wound down its ops in Chennai, the two pilots visited the hospital to meet the new mother and twin girls. They carried two bouquets on behalf of Air Chief Marshal Arup Kumar Raha. Since the babies were in the ICU, they could not see them, but were inundated with thank yous from the family.

“Saving somebody’s life is unparalleled,” says Wing Commander Simon, “It is something that will last a lifetime.”

Archana Masih / Rediff.com

Source……www.rediff.com

Natarajan

This 77-Year-Old Retired Engineer Made Thousands of Bengalureans Think of the Environment This Year…

December 10, 2015December 10, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Unfortunately, festivities and filth go hand in hand these days. But N.S. Ramakanth is on a mission to ensure that people celebrate festivals more responsibly and do not contaminate their environment in the process. He has been fighting for a cleaner Bengaluru for several years and recently executed a successful cleanliness drive after the Ganesha festival.

N.S. Ramakanth left his job as chief engineer with a German company and came back to Bengaluru in 1989 when his mother fell sick. On returning to his birthplace, he was appalled to see the polluted and filthy environment in the city. He decided not to take up another job but to devote his time to raising awareness about the poor waste management in the metropolis.

Now 77 years old and still going strong, Ramakanth can be seen chasing municipal corporation officials of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to clean up the filthy lakes in the city.

NS Ramakanth has successful given shape to a cleanup drive after Ganesha festival.

He also hounds bureaucrats to solve garbage problems, encourages citizens to get involved with civic issues, and motivates volunteers when they conduct cleanliness drives.

Quite recently, Ramakanth was seen running a successful campaign to minimise the waste generated during the Ganesha festival at Sankey Tank, a man-made lake in western Bengaluru.

“After the festival, tonnes of garbage can be found around the water bodies. We need to come up with solutions to stop this kind of mess from happening again and again. We also need to carry out effective operations to clean the area after festivals. But the first step is to spread awareness among people to minimise the waste,” he says.

In keeping with this line of thinking, Ramakanth first prepared a small 10-minute skit to engage city residents. Along with a few volunteers, he performed the play in different places to raise awareness about how people generate huge amounts of waste during the festival.

The skit had an interesting script. Lord Ganesha sends Narada to the earth to check on the celebrations of the Ganesha festival. When Narada comes to earth he sees drunk people dancing, noisy crackers being burnt, and broken Ganesha idols lying around after the festivities. Narada reports this to Ganesha who is so hurt by people’s behaviour that he decides not to give any phal to them,” says Ramakanth.

Apart from the skit, Ramakanth also organised eco-friendly Ganesha idol making workshops for the public. He also brought local artisans from the outskirts of the city to different localities within Bengaluru.

Thanks to his efforts, a larger number of people opted for clay Ganesha idols this year.

“People were saying that local artisans work too far away and it is not feasible to go there to get mud idols. So I brought the artisans close to their residential areas to get them to avoid using plaster of Paris (PoP) and plastic idols,” he says.

Many people also said they wanted bigger idols and mud idols were not available in large sizes. Ramakanth had a solution to this as well. He helped the citizens get customised mud idols, which were five to six feet tall. “I thought it important to provide them with solutions. This is how they will welcome change,” he says.

He also talked to them about the harmful effects of PoP idols and how animals and water creatures die due to the immersion of such idols in water bodies. Ramakanth’s regular interventions and awareness sessions were a huge success and many people in his locality opted for eco-friendly Ganesha idols.

He also advised people to immerse the Ganesha idols in small drums in their own homes and then feed the water to plants rather than going to public water bodies for immersion.

“I don’t understand why people travel so far to dispose the idols. It creates so much noise and pollution. They should celebrate the festival in a neat and healthy way,” says Ramakanth.

After spreading awareness about celebrating the festival more responsibly, it was now time to take up a cleanliness drive.

Kalyani, a small step-well near Sankey Tank, is the site of idol immersions every year and collects a large quantity of filth. Ramakanth had the well cleaned within a week and collected truckloads of the dumped idols to put on display for the citizens to see.

He then pumped out the highly polluted, thick, black remains in the Kalyani to a nearby drain. About 12-15 BBMP workers manually bucketed out the sludge. “All the sewage is supposed to be routed to an STP. But even then, it won’t treat mercury and lead. And that’s something we have no solution for right now,” says Ramakanth.

He sent all the flowers and leaf rejects for composting to eliminate the stink from the well.

“We made sure that segregation of all the biodegradable waste took place at the spot and sent it for composting immediately,” he adds.

As the senior most member of the Solid Waste Management Round Table, he worked for hours instructing civic officials to keep the work going to minimise pollution in the tank water.

Ramakanth tracked the number of idols immersed over the period of 11 days. A total of 1,28,620 idols went into the Kalyani this year. Of these, 61,620 were made of clay and the rest (67,000) were PoP idols.

“I just wanted to see if the awareness campaigns had made any impact on the people. I was impressed. The progress was not bad at all. Almost 50 percent of them were clay idols this year and this was a big achievement,” says Ramakanth.

Ramakanth’s journey does not end here. He is persuading BBMP to completely ban PoP idols from hereon. He has also asked the Pollution Control Board to put up the names of potters who make larger clay Ganesha idols on its website so that people can make use of them.

While changing mindsets and habits may seem like an overwhelming task, Ramakanth is not to be deterred. He has high hopes of making his beloved city pollution and filth free in the future.

All pics: savitahiremath.com

Source………Shreya Pareek in http://www.thee better india.com

Natarajan

Rice could be the answer to China’s pollution problem…..

December 9, 2015December 9, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

China has long had an issue with pollution. It is claimed to contain the greatest amount of pollution, with that over 1 million deaths in 2010 as a result.

Beijing is widely reported to be one of the most polluted cities in the world. With China’s industrial economy, this is perhaps not so surprising.

However, a large amount of pollution comes from an area which one might not expect: agriculture. The use of nitrogen-based fertilizers has had dramatic effects on air, water, and soil quality in China.

“With only 7% of the world’s farmland, China uses 35% of all the world’s nitrogen fertilisers. This is beginning to have severe environmental consequences.”

Rice: Nitrogen Related Pollution

Excess nitrogen can have a number of negative effects on the environment. It can kill fish and other marine life, reduce crop productivity, and poison the water supply.

A major consequence of nitrogen fertilisers has been air pollution. When nitrogen oxides react in the air, they interact with industrial pollution to form a dense fog known as smog. Not only can smog cause health problems such as asthma, its presence in the air promotes global warming.

Rice is a staple of the Chinese diet. It needs nitrogen-based fertilisers in order to grow effectively. However, this may soon be about to change.

Traditionally, a great deal of Chinese rice is grown in the northern provinces. The genetic make-up of the rice grown in northern China means that it cannot easily absorb nitrogen-based substances from the soil. Because of this, Nitrogen-based fertilisers are used to provide these vital nutrients.

However, with genetic modification, this could no longer be the case. Scientists have proposed cloning a gene from indica rice, and placing it into the native species. The gene is known as a ‘nitric booster’, and it improves the ability for plants to absorb nitrogen-based nutrients from the soil. As a result, much lower levels of fertilizer need to be used.

“Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that when genetically modified, the rice species could achieve the same yield with only half as much fertiliser. Thus, reducing related pollution by half.”

This scientific breakthrough could have a significant effect on pollution. By reducing fertiliser usage, nitrogen pollution will decrease. This will contribute towards a reduction in smog, reducing the incidence of pollution-related health complications.

Also, China’s contribution to global pollution will decrease, and marine life will be less at risk. Although this is only the beginning, developments like this may help promote a shift towards a greater desire to tackle pollution in China.

Though it has yet to be implemented, it shows steps in the right direction. With a rapidly aging population, even small pollution prevention suggestions are better than nothing.

Read the original article on BRIC+. For more news, views and insights into culture and commerce from the emerging world, BRIC+. BRIC+ is also available on Facebook. Copyright 2015. Follow BRIC+ on Twitter.

Source……www. businessinsider.com

Natarajan

சென்னை வெள்ளத்துக்கு காரணம் என்ன?….

December 9, 2015December 9, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

சென்னையில் ஏற்பட்டுள்ள பெரும் வெள்ளப் பெருக்கு, திட்டமிடப்படாத வகையில் நடந்துள்ள நகரமயமாக்கலின் விளைவே என்று இந்தியாவின் அறிவியல் மற்றும் சுற்றுச்சுழலுக்கான மையம் கூறியுள்ளது.

விளை நிலங்களில் வீடுகளை கட்டியதால் பலர் வெள்ளத்தில் சிக்கினர்

கடந்த நூறாண்டுகளில் இல்லாத அளவுக்கு பெய்துள்ள மழை நகரை முழுமையாகப் நிலைகுலையச் செய்துள்ளது என செண்டர் ஃபார் சயன்ஸ் அண்ட் என்விரோன்மெண்ட் அமைப்பின் தலைமை இயக்குநர் சுனிதா நரெயின் வெளியிட்டுள்ள அறிக்கையில் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

இயற்கையான நீர்நிலைகளை பராமரிப்பது தொடர்பில் உரிய கவனம் செலுத்தப்படாதது, தற்போது சென்னையில் ஏற்பட்டுள்ள நெருக்கடிக்கு முக்கியமான காரணம் என்று அவர் தனது அறிக்கையில் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

சிறிய சாலைகள் கூட வெள்ள நீரில் மூழ்கியுள்ளன

சென்னை மட்டுமல்லாமல் டில்லி,கொல்கத்தா, மும்பை, ஸ்ரீநகர் ஆகிய நகரங்களும் இத்தகைய நெருக்கடியை எதிர்கொள்ளும் அபாயம் உள்ளதாகவும் அவர் கூறுகிறார்.

இயற்கை நீர்நிலைகளும், வடிகால்களும் முறையாக பராமரிக்கப்பட்டிந்ருதால், சென்னை இப்படியான வரலாறு காணாத நெருக்கடியைத் தவிர்த்திருக்கலாம் என அந்த மையத்தின் அறிக்கை சுட்டிக்காட்டுகிறது.

வெள்ள நீர் எந்த அளவுக்கு தேங்கியிருந்தது என்பதற்கு இந்தப் படம் ஒரு உதாரணம்

சென்னை,மும்பை போன்ற பெரு நகரங்களில் போதுமான வகையில் அடிப்படை கட்டமைப்பு வசதிகள் மேம்படுத்தப்படாமல், திட்டமிடாத வகையில் நகரம் வளர்ந்து கட்டிடங்கள் கட்டப்படுவதால், வெள்ளம் ஏற்பட்டதும் தாக்குப்பிடிக்க முடியாமல் திணறுகிறது என சுனிதா நரெயன் கூறுகிறார்.

இப்படியான அதிவேக நகரமயமாக்கல்கள், இயற்கை வடிகால்களை அழித்துள்ளன என்றும், சென்னை போன்ற நகரங்கள் இதன் தாக்கத்தை இப்போது உணர்ந்துள்ளன எனவும் அந்த அமைப்பு தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

.Image copyrightbbctamil

Image caption…வடிகால்கள் சரியாக பராமரிக்கப்படாததால் அடையாறில் வெள்ளம் ஏற்பட்டது

சென்னை தனது இயற்கை வடிகால் வசதிகளை பராமரிக்கத் தவறியுள்ளது எனவும் சி எஸ் இ அமைப்பின் அறிக்கை கூறுகிறது.

கடந்த 1980களில் சென்னையில் 600 நீர் நிலைகள் இருந்தன, ஆனால் இப்போது அதில் மிகச் சொற்பமானவையே எஞ்சியுள்ளன என்றும் சுனிதா நரெயின் தனது அறிக்கையில் கூறியுள்ளார்.

முன்னர் ஏரிகள் இருந்த இடங்களில் வீடுகளை கட்டியவர்களின் நிலை இதுதான்

நீர்நிலைகள் மற்றும் வடிகால் அமைப்புகளை பேணிப் பராமரிக்காத நிலையில் பருவநிலை மாற்றத்தால் அசாதாரணமான அளவுக்கு மழை பெய்யும்போது, நிலைமை கட்டுக்கடங்காமல் போகிறது எனவும் அந்த அறிக்கை கோடிட்டுக் காட்டுகிறது.

பாரிஸில் பருவநிலை மாற்றம் குறித்த உச்சிமாநாடு நடைபெற்று வரும் வேளையில், இப்படியான விஷயங்கள் உடனடியாக கவனிக்கப்பட வேண்டியது மிகவும் அவசியமாகிறது என அந்த அறிக்கையில் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

சென்னையிலுள்ள பல சுரங்கப் பாதைகளில் நீரின் அளவு குறையவில்லை

நீர்நிலைகள் எப்படி சீரழிந்து போயுள்ளன என்பதற்கு போரூர் ஏரி ஒரு உதாரணம் எனக் கூறும் அந்த அறிக்கை, அப்படியான நீர்நிலைகள், நிலத்தடி நீர் மீண்டும் ஊறுவதற்கும், வெள்ளம் ஏற்படும் போது அதை சமாளிப்பதற்கும் பெரும் உதவியாக இருந்திருக்கும் எனவும் மேலும் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

ஈரநிலப்பகுயில் எப்படி கட்டுமானங்களுக்கு அனுமதி அளிக்கப்படுகின்றன எனும் கேள்விக்கு ஒருநாளும் பதில் கிடைத்தது இல்லை எனக் கூறும் அந்த அறிக்கை, அப்படியான நிலங்கள் நகர நிலச் சட்டங்களின் கீழ் மிகவும் அரிதாகவே பதியப்படுகின்றன எனவும், அதன் காரணமாக பலருக்கு அது தெரியவருவதில்லை எனவும் சுனிதா நரெயின் தமது அறிக்கையில் கூறியுள்ளார்.

நீர்நிலைகளின் கரையோரங்களில் இருந்தவர்களின் நிலை மிகவும் மோசமானது.

அனுமதி கோரி மனுக்கள் வரும்போது மேலோட்டமாக நிலங்களை மட்டுமே அதிகாரிகள் பார்க்கிறார்கள், அதிலுள்ள நீராதாரங்களைப் பார்ப்பதில்லை, எனவே பேராசை பிடித்த கட்டுமான நிறுவனங்கள் அதை தமக்கு சாதகமாக்கிக் கொள்கின்றன எனவும் சி எஸ் இயின் அறிக்கை தெரிவிக்கிறது.

தமிழக அரசின் ஆவணங்களின்படி கடந்த 1980களில் 19 பெரிய ஏரிகளின் பரப்பளவு 1,130ஹெக்டேர்களாக இருந்தது, 2000ஆம் ஆண்டுகளின் முற்பகுதியில் 645 ஹெக்டேர்களாக சுருங்கியுள்ளன, அதன் காரணமாக அந்த ஏரிகளின் கொள்ளளவு குறைந்து போயின என்பதையும் சுட்டிக்காட்டியுள்ளது.

பல வீடுகளின் கீழ் தளங்கள் முழுவதும் நீர் புகுந்து பயன்படுத்த முடியாத சூழல் ஏற்பட்டது.

சென்னையின் பல இடங்களில் மழைநீர் கால்வாய்களில் குப்பைக் கூளங்களால் அடைப்புகள் ஏற்பட்டுள்ளன, அவை உடனடியாக தூர்வாரி சரிசெய்யப்பட வேண்டும் எனவும் அந்த அமைப்பு கோரியுள்ளது.

சென்னை மாநகரில் 2,847 கிமீ நீளத்துக்கு சாலைகள் உள்ள நிலையில், மழைநீர் கால்வாய்கள் 855கிமீ மட்டுமே உள்ளன என்றும், இதுவே பெருமழையின் போது, சாலைகளில் நீர் ஓடுவதற்கும் தேங்கி நிற்பதற்கும் காரணமாகின்றன எனவும் அந்த அறிக்கை கூறியுள்ளது.

சாலைகளில் ஓடும் நீர் முற்றாக வடிய பல நாட்களாகலாம் எனக் கருதப்படுகிறது

மனிதர்களால் உருவாக்கப்படும் வடிகால் அமைப்புகள், ஒருநாளும் இயற்கை வடிகால் அமைப்புகளுக்கு மாற்றாக இருக்க முடியாது எனவும் அந்த அறிக்கை வலியுறுத்தியுள்ளது.

சென்னையில் கூவம், அடையாறு போன்ற நதிகளை இணைக்கும் இயற்கை கால்வாய்களும், வடிகால்களும் இருப்பதை தமது ஆய்வுகள் காட்டுகின்றன என்றும் அந்த அறிக்கை கூறுகிறது.

ஏரிகள் முன்னறிவிப்பின்றி திறந்துவிடப்பட்டதால் பல முக்கியச் சாலைகள் நீரில் மூழ்கின.

உதாரணமாக, நகரின் 75 குளங்களில் நீரின் அளவு உயர்ந்து கொள்ளளவைக் கடக்கும்போது, அந்த நீர் கூவத்தில் கலக்கவும், அதேபோல் 450 குளங்களில் உள்ள உபரி நீரும், செம்பரம்பாக்கம் ஏரியின் அளவு உயரும்போது அதிலுள்ள உபரி நீரும் அடையாற்றில் கலப்பதற்கு வசதிகள் இருந்தன என்று அந்த அறிக்கையில் விளக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

புறநகர் பகுதிகளில் வீடுகளைக் கட்டும்போது நில ஆவணங்கள் கவனமாகப் பார்க்கப்படுவதில்லை எனக் குற்றச்சாட்டுகளும் எழுந்துள்ளன

கடந்த நூறாண்டுகளில் இல்லாத வகையில் சென்னையில் இந்த ஆண்டு நவம்பர் மாதம் மட்டும் 1,218 மிமீ மழை பெய்துள்ளது.

இது சராசரியாக ஆண்டொன்றுக்கு கிடைக்கும் மழையின் அளவைவிட மூன்று மடங்கானது.

Source….www.bbc.com.tamil Photos Credit …bbc tamil

Natarajan

Top 31 Amazing Innovations from Young Indians….

December 9, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The National Innovation Foundation India (NIF), Ahmedabad shared the ideas that shined at the IGNITE 2015.

Every year, the National Innovation Foundation India (NIF), Ahmedabad invites students from across schools in the country to share their innovative ideas on how to build a better world.

The competition is organised by NIF in association with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Society for Research and Initiatives in Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI), various State Education Boards and other partners.

Students in (up to class 12) or out of the school (up to the age of 17 years) can participate in the IGNITE competition by sending their original technological ideas to solve any problem in day to day life or real life technological innovations demonstrating innovative ways of solving problems/ reducing drudgery/generating efficiency/ conserving resources etc.

More than 28,000 entries were received this year of which 31 best ideas made the cut.

This year the ‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Awards 2015’ were given by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in the presence of state chief minister Anandiben Patel.

President Pranab Mukherjee interacts with a young innovator at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Awards 2015

1. Innovation: Water filter/purifier at source

Names: Soring Lepcha, Class 4, and Subash Prodhan, Class 5, Lingzya Junior High School

Place: North Sikkim, Sikkim

Inspiration behind the idea: Most people today prefer to use a water filter/purifier at their home.

Both the children have given idea to have filter/purifier at the source of water so that everyone has access to clean water without having to make an investment in purchasing a filter/purifier.

Soring’s idea is to have a centralised purification system at the point of distribution like water tank while Subash’s idea is to have such purifiers attached to public taps.

2. Hand rest for fractured hand

Name: Adi Kumar, Class 5, Deens Academy

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Inspiration behind the idea: Generally shoulder arm slings are used to provide support to a fractured hand.

Using this for a long time sometimes give discomfort to the neck/ shoulder region.

Adi’s idea is to have a waist worn appendage, which can provide support to a fractured hand instead of the sling. The fractured arm would be rested comfortably on the appendage and kept in position by straps.

3. Umbrella for more than five persons

Name: Tarna Joy Tripura, class 6, Kabi Guro Rabindra Nath Smiti

Location: Dhalai, Tripura

Inspiration behind the idea: Many times, it becomes difficult for more than one person to share an umbrella during rains. Young Tunnab has given an idea of an umbrella, which could be held by two children from two sides under which other children can stand and thus go to school together without getting wet.

4. Alerting system for bus drivers

Names: Pradyumna Kumar Pal, class 7, Saraswati Sishu Vidya Mandir, Unit-3, Khordha, Orissa; and Rahul Kumar, class 9, Rajkiya Balak Uchh Vidyalaya, Patna, Bihar

Sometimes accidents occur when a passenger puts his body part outside the bus window. Pradyumna and Rahul have independently conceived an idea of an alerting system for the bus driver, which enables them to know which passenger has put his hand or head outside the bus window.

5. Reversible benches at public places

Name: Simran Chadha, Class 8, BCM Arya Public School

Location: Ludhiana, Punjab

Simran’s idea is to have reversible benches at public places so that if they become wet (due to rains) or dirty, they can be rotated using a handle so that the other side, which comes up can be used.

6. Solar seeder

Name: Subash Chandra Bose, Class 8, St Sebasthiyar Matriculation School

Location: Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu

Subash has developed a solar powered seed drill, which can undertake plantation for different size of seeds at variable depth and space between two seeds.

7. Looms for physically challenged

Name: R Elakkiya, Class 6 and R Pavithra, Class 9, SRC Memorial Matriculation

Location: Erode, Tamil Nadu

The two sisters have come up with loom for lower limbed physically challenged. In their loom they have replaced the pedal operated system with a motor and a gearbox attached to a pulley mechanism.

8. A device to collect Mahua flowers from ground

Name: Lipsa Pradhan, Class 9, Government High School, Kamagaon

Location: Bargarh, Orissa

Mahua flowers have many medicinal properties and are also used to make pickles, jams, and now ice creams as well. Lipsa has suggested a manual device like a lawn mover, which can collect Mahua flowers, which are otherwise picked up by hands, which is a time consuming and tiring process.

9. Pebble indicating system for cooking vessel

Name: Mohd. Tawseef Thoker, Class 9, Government Higher Secondary School, Nihama

Location: Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir

It happens many a times that while cleaning food grains for cooking, some impurities remain, which get cooked with the food. Tawseef suggests having a vessel with sensors, which can indicate the presence of pebbles or other similar impurities in rice or other food grains being cooked.

10. Gas lighter with gas leak alarm

Name: Nilesh Ras, Class 9, DAV Inter High School

Location: Patna, Bihar

A lot of mishaps occur when cooking gas regulator has been left on accidentally or due to a gas leak. Nilesh’s idea is to have a gas lighter, which can sense and indicate gas leakage before it is lighted thereby preventing accidents.

11. Innovative dustbin

Name: Prem Ranjan Singh, Shivani Singh, Ankush Pal, Class 9, Divya Jyoti English High School

Location: Daman, Daman & Diu

Concerned with the sight of overflowing garbage bins, the three friends have come with an idea of a dustbin with separate slots for bio-degradable and non bio-degradable waste with a message sending facility to the municipality once dustbin is filled up to a preset level.

12. Lac extraction machine

Name: Saurabh Dey, Class 10, Govt. High School, Barajamda

Location: West Singhbhum, Jharkhand

For lac extraction generally the lac coated branches of host trees are cut, crushed and sieved to remove impurities.

Saurabh has made a machine, which can remove lac from the branches without breaking them. As a result, the amount of impurities is lesser in lac and it takes lesser effort to clean it.

13. Pay as you weigh!

Name: Rishab Mallick, Class 10, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Fort William

Location: Howrah, West Bengal

An idea of an automatic ticketing system where fare is calculated as per the weight of the passenger and his luggage

14. Passcode based locking system in gas stove

Name: Nim Lepcha, Class 10, Gor Secondary School

Location: North Sikkim, Sikkim

An idea to have a manual or digital pass code system for gas stoves to avoid accidents involving children.

15. Spectacle microscope

Name: Hadasha Ruangmi, Class 10, Lorna’s School

Dimapur, Nagaland

An idea to have wearable microscope like a spectacle so that it becomes easy to store, carry and use.

16. Seed container that indicates growth of germs

Name: Deepti Manjari Dakua, Class 10, Bahadjhole Girls High School

Location: Nayagrah, Orissa

An idea to have a seed container, which can detect the growth of organism by detecting increase in temperature of the container and alert

17. Colour coded thermometer

Names: Jaspreet Kaur, Class 10, Police DAV Public School, Jalandhar, Punjab; and Janmejay Rathore, Class 12, CMR PU College, Bangalore, Karnataka

An idea to have a colour coding scheme in thermometers to indicate fever level.

It shows red for emergency, orange for intermediate temperature and green for normal.

It also gives out precautionary measures and even dials an ambulance in case of an emergency!

18. Machine to pluck Tendu leaves

Name: Bharat, Class 11, Shashkiya Uchhtar Madhyamik Vidyalaya, Bacheli

Location: Dakshin Bastar, Chhattisgarh

Collecting Tendu leaves is one of the important sources of income in the tribal regions.

The leaves are plucked manually, which is a tedious process. Bharat’s idea is to have a machine to pluck Tendu leaves from the tree.

It would have blades for cutting the leaves, a container to store leaves and a sensor based sorter to segregate leaves according to their size.

19. Watch with medicine delivery system

Names: Navjot Kaur, Class 11, Senior Secondary Model School, Chandigarh; and Vaishnavi Patra, Class 9, Odisha Demonstrated Multipurpose Public School, Khorda, Orissa

An idea of a watch, which can store and timely deliver appropriate dose of medicine to the person.

20. Printed paper reclaiming machine

Name: Arvind Gopalkrishnan, Class 11, Smt. Narbada Devi J. Agarwal Vivekananda Vidyalaya Jr College

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

An idea of printer like device, which can erase all data on a printed page fed to it making it plain and hence reusable.

21. Smart Walking Stick

Name: Siddhant Khanna, Class 11, Sanskriti School

Location: New Delhi

A walking stick for the elderly and the visually challenged with many features like counting of steps, medicine reminder, locator, emergency alarm, fall detector and automatic torch, etc.

22. Drawbridge door for trains

Names: Ram Akash, Class 11, Excel Central School, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu; and Nimisha Katyayan, Class 12, DAV Kapil Dev Public School, Ranchi, Jharkhand

An idea to have a drawbridge door for trains, which when opened at the railway platforms, acts like a ramp, making it easy for people to carry their luggage inside the train bogie.

23. Solar pulse thresher

Name: Dipankar Das, Class 12, Govt. Senior Secondary School, Diglipur

Location: North Andaman, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

A device for efficient threshing of matured pulses (grains, green gram, black gram, arhar, horse gram) without using electricity or fossil fuels, thereby reducing the harvesting cost.

24. Differentiating artificially and naturally ripened fruits

Name: Neha, Class 12, Govt. Model Sr. Secondary School, PAP campus

Location: Jalandhar, Punjab

Neha suggests having paper like litmus paper, which can change its colour depending upon the level of naturally occurring sugar in a fruit thereby helping distinguish between artificially and naturally ripened fruits.

25. Stress monitoring mechanism in animals

Name: Diva Sharma, Class 12, GD Goenka Public School

Location: New Delhi

An app, which records the respiratory rate, temperature, pulse rate, heart beat rate of animals, through sensors attached to their bodies.

The program also performs an analysis of the co-dependency of these parameters to each other and prompts for a stressful condition, if parameters vary beyond a range.

26. Foot operated door opening mechanism

Name: Jayprakash B Rathwa, Class 12, Shree Gram Shala Grambharti, Gandhinagar, Gujarat; and Tanmay Takale, Class 12, Shri Mhalsakant Vidyalya

Location: Pune, Maharashtra

An idea to have a system using which a door can be opened by activating a sensor using a leg.

This may be useful for the physically disabled or someone carrying load in both hands. It can also be used in public toilets.

27. Punching machine with hole reinforcement feature

Name: Tanmay Takale, Class 12, Shri Mhalsakant Vidyalya

Location: Pune, Maharashtra

An idea to have a punching machine with a hole reinforcement mechanism so that the punched holes last longer and do not tear off from inside.

28. Body suit

Name: Ayush Gupta and Arnov Sharma, Class 12, Delhi Public School

Location: Haridwar, Uttrakhand

An mechanical exoskeleton or suit, which can support a physically disabled person, and aid orthopedic patients.

29. Low cost grass and leaf cutting machine

Name: Sapir Debbarma and Klishan Debbarma, Class 12, Bharat Sardar H. S. School

Location: Khowai, Tripura

A hand held cutting machine for cutting grass and leaves.

30. Portable latch for restrooms

Name: PS Senthur Balaji, Class 12, Maharishi International Residential School, Kanchipuram

Location: Erode, Tamil Nadu

An idea of a latch useful for people travelling frequently or in rural areas, which can be used for locking a door temporarily. This can be used in public restrooms or other places that lack latches.

31. Soundproof hammer

Name: Prithwish Dutta, Class 12, Don Bosco High & Technical School

Location: Howrah, West Bengal

An idea of a soundproof hammer, which would not make any sound when struck against any object. The impact energy would be absorbed in the hammer itself, which will be covered with a foam like substance.

So, which of these innovations did you like the most? Tell us! Share your views in the messageboard below!

All Photographs: Courtesy National Innovation Foundation India

Source…..www.rediff.com

Natarajan

Take off with Natarajan

Airport Natarajan's Digital home

Engineering

This 77-Year-Old Retired Engineer Made Thousands of Bengalureans Think of the Environment This Year…

Now 77 years old and still going strong, Ramakanth can be seen chasing municipal corporation officials of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to clean up the filthy lakes in the city.

Apart from the skit, Ramakanth also organised eco-friendly Ganesha idol making workshops for the public. He also brought local artisans from the outskirts of the city to different localities within Bengaluru.

He sent all the flowers and leaf rejects for composting to eliminate the stink from the well.

All pics: savitahiremath.com