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Vol no. 12 Issue No. 72

Inside this issue

The Changing Climate

Fresh Water Turtles of the Ganga

By: Sandeep Behera

Water in the right quantity and quality is critical to the survival of aquatic biodiversity. Multiple threats take their toll, but uncontrolled and commercial exploitation by man has been the single-most damaging factor to species such as freshwater turtles of the Ganga. As an indicator species, freshwater turtle can provide invaluable information on the health of river Ganga’s ecosystem. Thus conservation efforts urgently need to be stepped up.

Nitrate Pollution in Groundwater

By: Deepanjan Majumdar

Anthropogenic activities are primarily responsible for high groundwater nitrate which, beyond certain concentrations, can pose significant health problems. Judicious fertiliser, manure application and waste management could minimise groundwater nitrate pollution problems.

Inland Waterways-The Ecofriendly Network

By: Ravi Kant

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was established in 1986 for development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation. The Authority primarily undertakes projects for development and maintenance of Inland Water Transport (IWT) infrastructure on national waterways with the support of the Ministry of Shipping.

A Green Home

By: Surekha Kadapa-Bose

Modern lifestyles have introduced machines that assist easy living, albeit at a cost. It is perhaps time to seek environment friendly solutions that can help sustain the ecological balance rather than disrupt it.

India's Outdoors

Chhattisgarh's Past Revealed

By: Staff Reporter

The Kotumsar caves are well known for its stalactite and stalagmite formations and hold the key to climate change studies as also many precious cavernicole species that are in urgent need of conservation.

Rediscovered-A vulnerable Spiderwort

By: Staff Reporter

An endemic species of spiderwort thought to be lost from the forested realms of Western Ghats has again been found in the wild. All efforts are being made to conserve this rare plant that holds great medicinal values.

Pristine Debrigarh

By: Sumit Chakraborty

The mesmerising environs of the Sanctuary is a paradise for nature lovers. Abounding in grasslands and water bodies Debrigarh is a little known destination with astounding birding possibilities.

The water world

In brief

Editor's Note

Dear readers India needs to pursue ‘green growth’ without compromising on the developmental challenges. But that is not easy at all. as a resource constrained nation reducing India’s energy intensity and optimising existing resources seems utopian. Urbanisation–unplanned and unchartered, wa

Vol no. 12 Issue No. 72

Articles...

THE WATER WORLD

Fresh Water Turtles of the Ganga

Water in the right quantity and quality is critical to the survival of aquatic biodiversity. Multiple threats take their toll, but uncontrolled and commercial exploitation by man has been the single-m

By: Sandeep Behera

THE WATER WORLD

Nitrate Pollution in Groundwater

Anthropogenic activities are primarily responsible for high groundwater nitrate which, beyond certain concentrations, can pose significant health problems. Judicious fertiliser, manure application and

By: Deepanjan Majumdar

THE WATER WORLD

Inland Waterways-The Ecofriendly Network

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was established in 1986 for development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation. The Authority primarily undertakes projects for d

By: Ravi Kant

CLIMATE CHANGE

A Green Home

Modern lifestyles have introduced machines that assist easy living, albeit at a cost. It is perhaps time to seek environment friendly solutions that can help sustain the ecological balance rather than

By: Surekha Kadapa-Bose

THE WATER WORLD

Opencast Mining River Catchment and the Plight of Odisha

Despite being rich in natural resources Odisha is home to the poorest people of India. The government promises growth through development, opening up this region to rampant mining. The impact of this

By: Himansu Sekhar Patra

Term Power

What is ...

An hypothetical shape of the earth, coinciding with mean sea level and its imagined extension under (or over) land areas.

A process by which lakes and ponds become enriched with dissolved nutrients, either from natural sources or human activities. Nutrient enrichment increases the growth of algae and other microscopic plants which in turn decreases dissolved oxygen levels, ultimately leading to the death of aquatic flora and fauna.

The Greek term ‘cryos’ meaning ‘ice’, cryosphere collectively is that part of the earth’s crust and atmosphere subject to temperatures below 00C for at least part of each year.

A layer of loose, heterogeneous material covering solid rock which includes dust, soil, broken rock, and other related materials. It is present on Earth, Moon, some asteroids, and other celestial bodies.

A large community of plants and animals including soil organisms that occupies a distinct region. They are characterised by abiotic and biotic factors spread over a large area.

An organism that derives its energy from non-living organic matter and hence is heterotrophic in nature. They use dead organisms and non-living organic compounds as their food source.

An instrument used for measuring the moisture content in the atmosphere.

A sandbar that connects an island to the mainland or to another island and is usually formed by the interaction of waves refracting from opposite directions.

A type of Protozoa that proliferates in warm marine environment and whose sedimentation leads eventually to the formation of chalk.

Black earth or soil containing a high percentage of humus and high percentage of phosphoric acid, phosphorus and ammonia. This soil type is often found in continental interiors with a temperate vegetation. Chernozem is very fertile and produces a high agricultural yield.

Secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. They affect the behaviour or physiology of the organisms. Plants, insects and some vertebrates communicate by using pheromones.

Mammals best adapted to aquatic life such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises. The body of a cetacean is fusiform (spindle-shaped) with forelimbs modified into flippers and tiny hind limbs.

Characterically refers to extremely low nutrient concentrations resulting in low sustainability. The term ‘oligotrophic’ may be used to refer to environments that offer little to sustain life, organisms that survive in such environments, or the adaptations that support survival.

A phenomenon of the atmosphere where a composite front is formed when colder air surrounds a mass of warm air. It is the coming together of the cold sector of air in a depression as the warm sector is lifted from the surface altogether.

A leached soil type found in cold, humid climatic areas in high latitudes. Podsols are usually formed in areas where precipitation rates exceed evaporation.