The
famous flamingos of Lake Nakuru in Africa are dying and flying
off as their home is shrinking rapidly. The lake was home to
nearly 1 million flamingos just six years ago, and now there are
around 30,000 left. The bird symbolises Africa to many people as
much as the lions and rhinos. Many birds may have relocated to other
Rift Valley lakes but, like Nakuru, they are also shrinking. The
departure also means a drop in tourism, which is the lifeline of
the area.
Capital figures
India’s
capital Delhi is growing. Not in its land area, but in its
economic position. According to the Economic Survey of Delhi
2005-06, Delhi’s per capita income is 2.5 times the national
average. There was a 26 per cent jump in tax collection over the
previous year. And a fiscal surplus of Rs 245 crore, which is
significant as almost all other states were
facing problems in controlling their fiscal deficit. So why is
Delhi’s track record in managing its natural resources still so
poor? C’mon Delhiites, get richer... naturally.
Magnetite
magnitude
Magnetite, a common rust-like
mineral, may help remove hazardous levels of arsenic from
drinking water. This can reduce the risk of cancer from exposure
to high levels of arsenic. The research is another investigation
into the environmental uses of nanotechnology.
Researchers at Rice University in Houston, US, found that at 12
nanometers width, magnetite particles could bind up to 100 times
more arsenic than the larger iron particles currently used in
filters. The mineral can be extracted with inexpensive magnets.
Dirty shade
If
the sun warms the Earth too dangerously, guess what would be the
shade? An umbrella of pollution intentionally discharged into
the atmosphere to help cool the planet! Substances such as
sulphur dioxide, a common air pollutant, reflect solar radiation
helping cool the planet. A huge dissemination of pollutants
would be needed every year or two, as the sulphates precipitate
from the atmosphere in acid rain. The proposal came from
prominent scientists, including
Nobel laureate Paul J Crutzen at the recent annual UN
conference on climate change. Quite a desperate measure!
Shit souvenirs
Have you ever bought souvenirs made of dung? You may now. A zoo
in the Thai city of Chiang Mai has discovered a way to utilise
dung from a couple of pandas to make paper for souvenirs. It has
applied a 2000-year-old method of making paper from Mulberry
trees to the large amounts bamboo pulp that the pandas cannot
digest. The pandas, who are fed chopped bamboo, excrete about
23 kg of the pulp everyday. The zoo had earned 300,000 baht or
US$8,200 a year from selling fans, greeting cards, key chains,
book marks made from panda faeces and excrement paper.
Chasing Turkey
India will soon overtake Turkey in
production of organic cotton. Turkey is currently the global
leader in the production of organic or clean cotton with a 32.76 per cent
share. India, right behind with 31.71 per
cent, may overtake it during the 2006-07 cotton season. In
2004-05, India produced 6,320 tonnes, way below Turkey with 10,460 tonnes. But, in 2005-06 India has accounted for production
of 9,835 tonnes of organic cotton compared to Turkey's 10,160
tonnes. So just 325 tonnes more to win!
The
famous flamingos of Lake Nakuru in Africa are dying and flying
off as their home is shrinking rapidly. The lake was home to
nearly 1 million flamingos just six years ago, and now there are
around 30,000 left. The bird symbolises Africa to many people as
much as the lions and rhinos. Many birds may have relocated to other
Rift Valley lakes but, like Nakuru, they are also shrinking. The
departure also means a drop in tourism, which is the lifeline of
the area.
India’s
capital Delhi is growing. Not in its land area, but in its
economic position. According to the Economic Survey of Delhi
2005-06, Delhi’s per capita income is 2.5 times the national
average. There was a 26 per cent jump in tax collection over the
previous year. And a fiscal surplus of Rs 245 crore, which is
significant as almost all other states were
If
the sun warms the Earth too dangerously, guess what would be the
shade? An umbrella of pollution intentionally discharged into
the atmosphere to help cool the planet! Substances such as
sulphur dioxide, a common air pollutant, reflect solar radiation
helping cool the planet. A huge dissemination of pollutants
would be needed every year or two, as the sulphates precipitate
from the atmosphere in acid rain. The proposal came from
prominent scientists, including
