Communication technologies aid fisherfolk in Kerala to remain safe during the monsoons
Artisanal fishers in Kerala face a number of challenges while fishing during the monsoon season and safety measures such as localised forecasts and communication facilities are limited for fisherfolk who brave the high wind and waves in small boats, canoes and rafts. Low visibility at night, overcast evenings and sea mist and spray make the harbour almost invisible.
Fishers have been demanding localised wind and wave forecasts to fish safely and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services provides timely high wave alerts and localised wave and swell information along with model-based local wind forecasts.
Fishing bans are often based on advisories derived from frequency and intensity of waves and wind speeds, which can be unpredictable and can create issues for fishers. Incorrect advisories often lead to loss of fishing days for the fisherfolk who depend on fishing for their livelihoods. Fisherfolk are often skeptical about these forecasts and have to depend on loudspeaker announcements made by village panchayats and places of worship, which too serve to be inadequate.
With mounting risks, especially over the past five years, fishers are now increasingly using information and communications technology (ICTs) to stay safe. While global positioning systems (GPS) are helping them to fish safely, catch more and earn better, wireless sets are the next most useful tool followed by mobile phones that are cost-effective. Fishers are also now using echosounders to spot fish. They also carry wireless, walkie-talkies and phones in their fishing boats (Mongabay, India).
Maharashtra village sets an example in conservation, grows ten aromatic varieties of rice
Murkute village located near the foothills of the Sahyadris in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra is setting an example in conservation by propagating heirloom rice varieties and preventing them from becoming extinct in the age of high-yielding hybrid rice.
The village is situated near the 16th-century basalt and laterite Bhudargad fort and is surrounded by forests. It has been growing not one or two, but 16 varieties of rice and 10 happen to be fragrant ones. Besides cultivating rice during the monsoon months, farmers grow pulses on the edges of the paddy fields. Once the crop is harvested, they grow sugarcane, foxtail millets and groundnuts.
The village has about 400 acres of agricultural land, with each farmer owning between 0.40 and 4 acres. Most paddy varieties grown here are highly aromatic and take 120-135 days to mature, unlike the high-yielding and hybrid ones that are harvested much earlier.
The varieties include slender-grained ghansal, round jondhla jirga, black rice and ambemohar to the sticky indrayani and hawla, which is preferred for infants and also to make puffed rice. Farmers also grow high-yielding rice varieties such as jaya, tamda budka, karjat, ratnagiri, shubhangi, YSR and tripti which also sell well. Endemic varieties like jondhla jirga and kala jirga have been cultivated here for generations. These varieties have medicinal properties and are considered good for infants.
The farmers get a produce of 25 and 30 quintals of rice per acre. The aromatic varieties attract a price of Rs 6,000 a quintal while the slender and high-yielding ones fetch Rs 3,000 a quintal. Depending on the landholding and the number of crops one grows, a farmer can earn between Rs 50,000 and a few lakh of rupees annually, growing wheat, lentils and vegetables following the harvest of paddy.
During the paddy-growing season, villagers who have migrated to cities like Kolhapur, Pune and Mumbai return to take up paddy cultivation. Harvesting begins around October and farmers sell their produce to traders or to farmer producer companies. They also set up stalls during festivals organised by temples and at other events in Kolhapur (Village Square).
Bhujal, a first of its kind app gets approval from the Ministry of Agriculture
Borewells remain a major source of groundwater for all purposes in India. However, they are concealed and it is difficult to know how much water they are holding. In the absence of this knowledge, water is being abstracted relentlessly with continuous pumping until the borewells go dry. Lack of groundwater knowledge has resulted in inefficient management of borewells and inefficient use of available water.
Waterlabs Solution has created a simple android-based application - ‘Bhujal’ to empower and educate individuals to know water availability in borewells. The Bhujal Borewell Monitoring App (Bhujal) is the first of its kind and provides a simple solution for tracking water levels in borewells.
The Bhujal App has been tested and validated by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM - Kozhikode), jointly tested with Central Ground Water Board, Government of India, IIT Mumbai, ACWADAM (Pune), State ground agencies of Maharashtra and Karnataka and various other organisations in India for its accuracy (The Hans India).
Improved WASH helps lower antibiotic resistance: Study
A recent study published in the journal Lancet found that the highest burden of antibiotic resistance was found in low-resource settings and was a factor behind antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) causing deaths. The abundance of ARGs was highest in (sub-Saharan) Africa, followed by South-East Asia and South and Central America.
The researchers also found that low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) had the highest burden of antibiotic-resistant infections. Some of the most concerning ARGs were found to be found in LMICs.
Inadequate WASH infrastructure and access was found to be associated with the spread of resistance. Clean drinking water and flush toilets are nearly universal in most high-income countries (HICs), but availability is variable to non-existent in many LMIC settings thus making them vulnerable to antibiotic resistant genes.
The study concluded that water and sanitation interventions are needed to block the transmission of ARGs, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the dissemination of antibiotic residues between humans, animals, the environment, and the food-supply chain (DownToEarth).
Scientists develop prototype to use seawater for green hydrogen production
A team of researchers from the Department of Physics at IIT-Madras has developed a technology prototype to produce green hydrogen (GH2) from seawater in a simple and cost-effective manner without putting pressure on freshwater, a scarce natural resource.
India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission aims to boost India’s green hydrogen production and ecosystem, has set a target to build capabilities for producing at least five Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) GH2 per annum by 2030. However, the government has also recognised its impact on freshwater and has been pushing to maximise industrial and municipal wastewater use for hydrogen production wherever feasible.
Green hydrogen is produced from pure water through electrolysis, which uses an electric current from renewable energy to split water into its component molecules, hydrogen and oxygen, using a device called an electrolyser.
Thus, green hydrogen is “clean” as it has low carbon emissions and is expected to play a prominent role in decarbonising heavy industries, including oil refineries, steel mills and fertiliser plants. The traditional electrolysers, however, are designed to work with pure water, and scaling up the GH2 process could exacerbate global freshwater shortages. The new technology and research from IIT Madras aims to tap into the abundantly available seawater directly to make GH2, which may reduce the sole demand on freshwater (Mongabay, India)
This is a roundup of important news updates from July 1 - July 15, 2023.
/articles/technology-aids-safety-kerala-fisherfolk-during-monsoons