/regions/kerala
Kerala
Heavy rainfall, floods and drought affect life, agriculture and economy of the country - News Roundup (8-15 December 2010)
Posted on 17 Dec, 2010 12:22 AMReports over the last week indicate heavy rains and loss of lives and property in the state of Tamil Nadu, which has faced the maximum brunt of the rains followed by Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and some parts of Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh. Reports also indicate that there have been massive losses to agricultural produce due to heavy rains in parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and because of droughts in the state of Orissa. At the same time, reports also indicate good news that there has been a rise in the water levels in the country and of attempts being made in different parts of the country to cope with floods and excessive rains in the future.
Rainfall
Tamil Nadu
- Tamil Nadu: The north-east monsoon, 50 per cent in excess in the State, claims over 200 lives and destroys crops and infrastructure
- After the deluge: Chennai has received 71 cm of rain during this year's northeast monsoon, leaving the roads in the Chennai Metropolitan Area in shambles
- The rain-hit north and south Chennai, Tamil Nadu get some respite even as several areas, including Velachery and Taramani, remained under a sheet of water, affecting hundreds of people
- Rain stops, but no end to woes for people from Chennai, Tamil Nadu
- Rain pours non-stop misery in Tamil Nadu
- 2,000 people rescued from low-lying areas along river Tamirabarani, in Kanyakumari district
- Torrential rain kills over 200 in Tamil Nadu
- 70 % excess rainfall in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu
People's initiative in water - Olavanna village in Kerala (India) - Reclaiming public lives - Transnational Institute
Posted on 10 Dec, 2010 06:12 PMThis chapter from the book 'Reclaiming Public Lives' by Transnational Institute describes the case of a small village in the state of Kerala, India, which faced an acute drinking water crisis and describes how people’s initiative, together with the involvement of the local panchayat and the support of the state government, could successfully address the issue of scarce drinking water in the village.
Evaluation of sanitation and wastewater treatment technologies: Case studies from India
Posted on 15 Nov, 2010 11:52 PMThe sanitation systems studied are spread across the country. The study goes to Pratapnagar in Bihar to evaluate the success of the septic tank to Asalthpur in Uttar Pradesh to study the Ecosan (UDDT) toilet. Other locations in India include Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala.
Coastal Regulation Zone notification (2010) - Critique by the Kerala Swathanthra Malsya Thozhilali Federation
Posted on 12 Nov, 2010 08:05 PM
The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has issued the draft CRZ Notification, 2010 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 on 15th September, 2010 inviting suggestions and objections from public within 60 days from date of its issue. The following are the new additions to the original 1991 notification:
Kerala state disaster management policy - Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (2009)
Posted on 11 Oct, 2010 04:28 PMThis document highlights the vulnerable status of the state in terms of natural disasters and highlights the urgent need for a disaster management strategy for the state.
The objectives of the Kerala state disaster management policy include:
- To develop and ensure policy, institutional and techno – legal frameworks for disaster management in the state
- To develop and maintain proactive governance and systems, and promote research and development for Disaster risk management strategies for disaster prevention and mitigation.
- To establish effective disaster crisis management through the organisation and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all aspects of emergencies with respect to response, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
- To strengthen the capacities and resilience of vulnerable communities with special emphasis on empowerment of women and establish community level systems for pre, during and post disaster interventions.
- To build capacities and promote positive changes in the administrative systems, procedures and personnel that would facilitate efficient and effective pre and post disaster activities.
- To institutionalise disaster management in government as envisaged in DM Act, 2005 and to mainstream disaster management in to developmental planning.
7th International Conference on ‘Reaching Out to People: Achieving Millennium Development Goals through Innovative Public Service Delivery', NAPSIPAG, Trivandrum
Posted on 11 Oct, 2010 11:59 AMInnovations in public service delivery systems to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015
The First Indian Biodiversity Congress (IBC) 2010, CISSA, Thiruvananthapuram
Posted on 01 Oct, 2010 02:04 PMIndian Biodiversity Congress (IBC) 2010
Theme: Biodiversity and Development: Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Policy-Making
Field experiences by Avinash Krishnamurthy, BIOME Solutions
Posted on 29 Sep, 2010 11:04 AMOne of the oldest "People's electricity" systems I have ever seen (Please read the notes for each of the videos). Of course this trip had even better high points - wine made from Gooseberry and Nutmeg - all locally brewed. So travelling in the midst of hills, sipping local wine, seeing some great work, (and providing perspectives for someone-else to write - is this work or what?
Appeal to save Ramsar site - Kol wetland, Kerala
Posted on 17 Aug, 2010 03:28 PMAmayam island in Kololambu, Edappal panchayath, Malappuram ditstrict, Kerala state which have rich in biodiversity and 40 acres of kol wet land is around the island is also rich in its rare biodiversity. This kol wet land is a part of vembanad backwaters (13,632 hectors) and declared as RAMSAR SITE (No. 1214) in 2002.
Investigation of the capability of Artificial Neural Network technique for estimating evapotranspiration from minimum weather data of Tavanur, Kerala – A research report by National Institute of Hydrology
Posted on 28 Jul, 2010 07:50 PMThe study attempted to estimate the actual crop evapotranspiration from minimum weather data of Tavanur, Kerala and resulted in an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model, which makes use of average temperature data to estimate the actual evapotranspiration. The effectiveness of this model was evaluated using various statistical indices. The results of this model were compared with various existing techniques. The analysis led to the conclusion that the ANN models were performing better than all existing techniques for computing the actual evapotranspiration. However, the study was based on a single season lysimeter data and more research work may be required to reinforce this conclusion.