WADHWANA BIRD SANCTUARY: A RAMSAR SITE NEAR VADODARA

 This irrigation reservoir and wetland located 10 kms from Dabhoi & 20 kms from the Jambughoda village, is the water source for 25 nearby villages, and a popular birdwatching site for species including stork, tern, ibis, and spoonbill. To get here you will have to rent a vehicle from Dabhoi, taking the Nanderi Gate road.

Apart from being a wetland, it also has an eco tourism campsite. The best time to visit the wetland is from October to March cause that is the main migratory seasons for birds which migrate here from all over the world.

(Me at Wadhwana in 2018)

Wadhwana is a century old tank, constructed by erstwhile King Gaikwad in 1909-10. This tank has a catchment area of 860 sqkm , deriving its water from Orsang river. This tank provides irrigation to 25 villages. The lake is an important wetland inviting migratory birds from far off places like Siberia and Europe. The place is a good tourist destination for birds lovers from all over the world who come here and enjoy the birds, watching and studying their behavior. There are watchtowers placed at 1 km intervals on the periphery of the lake. Forest dept. has deputed personnel with good knowledge about the local flora & fauna. They have a good quality spotting scope for the bird lovers. For the enthusiastic birdwatcher, it is a delight to visit any time of the year!

Some of the birds seen around the lake: Coots, Ruddy Shelduck from ladakh , Little Grebes, Ferruguginous Pochards, Common Pochards, Greylag Geese from Northern Europe. All three varieties of Ibis- black, glossy & white. Kingfishers- Common, Pied and White throated, common sandpiper, Openbill Storks, Little cormorants, Darters, as well as Pond Herons, Small and medium Egrets, Black Winged Stilts, and the noisy Red Wattled Lapwings are seen. Large numbers of Wire Tailed Swallows fly around the lake. Hoopoes, Paddy field Pipits, Rufous tailed larks and the migrants- common Stonechat as well as white and yellow Wagtails are all present. Black Kites and Marsh Harrier too.

(At the enterance, an entire different ecosystem)

Duration: Full / Half Day Trip

Location : 40 Kms from Vadodara, Gujarat, INDIA

Best Time to Visit: Oct - Feb.

Bringing back Life "Miyawaki Way"

 

The Miyawaki Method

Akira Miyawaki (1958, Japan) learned about the emergent concept of PNV (potential natural vegetation) in phyto-sociology. He visited Shinto sites and observing their chinju no mori, or “sacred shrine forests.” Miyawaki determined that these were time capsules, showing how indigenous forest was layered together from four categories of native plantings: main tree species, sub-species, shrubs, and ground-covering herbs. Akira Miyawaki designed his own system for planting forests.

(Courtesy: AFFORESTT)

It works like this: the soil of a future forest site is analyzed and then improved, using locally available sustainable amendments, for example, rice husks from a nearby mill. About 50 to 100 local plant species from the above four categories are selected and planted as seedlings in a random mix like you would find growing naturally in the wild. The seedlings are planted very densely 20,000 to 30,000 per hectares as opposed to 1,000 per hectare in commercial forestry. For a period of two to three years, the site is monitored, watered, and weeded, to give the nascent forest every chance to establish itself.

During this early period, the plantings compete with each other for space and access to light and water—a battle that encourages much faster growth. In conventional afforestation techniques, 1 meter of growth per year is considered the norm. In the Miyawaki method, trees grow about 10 times faster. Once stabilized, the forest is left to flourish, forevermore, on its own without further interference.

The Sharma Algorithm

An engineer with a native zeal for quantifying systems, Shubhendu Sharma turned Miyawaki’s method into a set of assembly line instructions. Using an algorithm similar to Toyota’s assembly line that produces several different types of cars, each with its own requirements, he derived his own formula to make a multi-layered forest with plantings that also have different time, space, and other needs. Although his company offers consultation, training, and the actual building of forests, anyone can email Afforestt and receive access to Sharma’s graphs and instructions for planting a forest, start to finish. “Dr. Miyawaki invented this process, and whatever I understood of the methodology I wrote it as a standard operating procedure, so it could be replicated,” says Sharma.

From that manual, a would-be forester learns how to determine soil type using the “ribbon test;” how to collaborate with a local nursery to find truly native species; how to prepare the planting site; and how to arrange saplings, three to four per square meter, into a grid. (When planting his backyard forest, Sharma accidentally introduced two non-native species—neither he nor his source knew any better at the time—so he includes detailed instructions to help others avoid this mistake.) Now that Sharma has computerized the process, he’s back-working it to turn it into an analog, paper-based system that those without computer access can use.

(A "MUST READ" BOOK)

 

(Courtesy: Afforestt & JSTOR Daily)

ANIMAL - HUMAN !!

                       

(courtesy Google Images)

         
   Today (05.06.2020) World Environment Day, is being celebrated worldwide and in India too. This is one day when all show concern towards deteriorating physical environment around us. Some of us show concern for our children's future. A handful of us take initiative in restoring the surrounding or neighbourhood. But, do we really have concern ? How many of us do activities pertaining to restoration of environment?
              This Environment Day was slightly different. It saw an ignition of media debate regarding deterioration of our internal environment up to such extent that some of us may be ashamed of being labelled as "Human". The wild elephant 'Vinaiki' came to limelight just to expose the darkness all around. She strayed into a village near Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad District (Kerala) last month where some locals have fed her with pineapple stuffed with fire crackers. It exploded in her mouth damaging her oral cavity and oesophagus. The 'Animal' walked for days, in agony before settling into Periyar river and died standing on May 27. Adding to the pain, she was pregnant and about to deliver in 3-4 days.

After much he and cry in media and political galleries, the local administration arrested a local villager (rubber tapper) who is the main culprit, investigation is in progress for the identification of others.

                        This is not the first instance, nor will be the last. It has been reported that the villagers in this region frequently use firecrackers or explosives stuffed in food, fruit or animal fat, to protect their fields from wild animals. This horrific practice has been widely condemned for long, but no strict measures have been taken so far. This is only an addition to the past horrific history of the area. These kind of instances are not endemic but occur on pan-India basis. We see such horrors every now and then. Close to Holi & Diwali the availability of toxic chemical colours and fire crackers add to these mischief. It's high time to take strict measures and save endangered "Humanity" first. Rest everything will be restored automatically. May God give us wisdom to follow human behaviour...
            

Today.... the Sky is Blue again !

(Himalaya seen from Jalandhar)

Amidst Corona Pandemism, a ray of hope to mankind.... “The sky is blue again” though for short, but for sure!

With all unnecessary movement of humans and traffic restricted for over a month, a slowdown in construction activities due to the lockdown and the onset of spring, the quality of air has improved.

Rainfall, western disturbances, local temperature and surface wind speed are contributing factors in the air quality. Now, lockdown has emerged as the strongest among them all in quick and drastic change towards positive. PM 2.5 levels in Delhi halved in 12 hours of the “Janata Curfew” on March 22 and Bengaluru, Kolkata, Lucknow witnessed AQI in double digits.

 Not just in India, satellite images have shown marked fall in global nitrous oxides produced from car engines and power plants in countries like China, Italy, South Korea and UK.

(Air Quality Weather Map)

Certainly, the lockdown and curfews are going to have a gradual impact on the economy. The coronavirus has already caused mayhem in the stocks markets, but the lockdown has sparked creativity in people and social isolation has gradually increased productivity. Companies that always denied work from home, are now mandated to do so, in effect saving time, energy and money of employees spent in commuting. Nature is taking its place back......though for short, but for sure.

Social distancing helped to  build a social community. We are all together in isolation. Quarantine has allowed people to spend quality time with family too. Spending time alone has allowed people to engage in community service and charity activities with people arranging for meals for the needy and encouraging their domestic help to stay home and take paid leaves. Many people even spent their festivals without attending public gatherings.

We know, as the lockdown will be withdrawn, everything will revert back to “NORMAL” but we are fortunate enough to show our future generation, the original colour of sky and flowing water in rivers. Only God and time will testify, if someone from the young bloods has taken some oath to take science to such heights, where mankind would be fortunate enough to see these changes in a permanent manner. A hope.......I hope, will be fulfilled in recent future.

COVID-19: "Wuhan Wala Virus"

"COVID -19"

CHRONOLOGY

1.     FIRST  OFFICIAL REGISTRY BY WHO: As the world planned to welcome New Year on 31st December 2019, the WHO China Country Office was informed of a pneumonia of unknown cause, detected in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, China. According to the authorities, some patients were operating dealers or vendors in the Huanan Seafood market. It was called novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)–infected pneumonia (NCIP).

2.     FIRST SAMPLING BY CHINA: Among the first 425 patients with confirmed NCIP, the median age was 59 years and 56% were male. The majority of cases (55%) with onset before January 1, 2020, were linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, as compared with 8.6% of the subsequent cases. The mean incubation period was 5.2 days. In its early stages, the basic reproductive number was estimated to be 2.2. On the basis of this information, there is evidence that human-to-human transmission has occurred among close contacts since the middle of December 2019. 

3.     FIRST GUIDELINES FROM WHO: On 10th January 2020, WHO issued its first guideline on novel CoronaVirus, Developed with reference to other coronaviruses, such as SARS and MERS, WHO issued a tool for countries to check their ability to detect and respond to a novel coronavirus. It was too late, a response.

4.     GENOME SEQUENSING BY CHINA: Whole genome sequences for the novel Coronavirus ( now named 2019-nCoV) from the Chinese authorities were shared with WHO and have also been submitted by Chinese authorities to the GISAID platform so that they can be accessed by public health authorities, laboratories and researchers.

5.     FIRST CASE OUTSIDE CHINA: Officials of Ministry of Health, Thailand, confirmed a case of the novel coronavirus in Thailand. It was not unexpected that cases of the novel coronavirus would emerge outside of China and reinforces why WHO calls for active monitoring and preparedness in other countries.

(Lungs of Infected person in CT Scan)

6.     WHO’S FIELD VISIT TO WUHAN: On 21^st January 2020, a WHO delegation visited Wuhan as field visit. At the end of the visit, the Chinese Government released the primers and probes used in the test kit for the novel coronavirus to help other countries detect it. Chinese experts also shared a range of protocols that will be used in developing international guidelines, including case definitions, clinical management protocols and infection control.

7.     FIRST MEETING OF EMERGENCY COMMITTEE, WHO: On 22-23 February, the WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, convened the Emergency Committee to consider the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China, with cases also reported in the Republic of Korea, Japan, Thailand and Singapore. Several Committee members considered it still too early to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), given its restrictive and binary nature. On 30^th January 2020, after second meeting of emergency committee of WHO, it was declared as Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

8.     OFFICIAL NAME: On 11 February 2020, novel coronavirus disease was officially named as COVID-19 (corona virus disease -2019).

9.     PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES:  on 12^th Feb. 2020, WHO launches CMT. The Crisis Management Team (CMT) mechanism brings together WHO,  OCHA,  IMO,  UNICEF,  ICAO, WFP, FAO, the World Bank and several UN Secretariat departments. Follow up guidelines were issued by WHO and supplied protective kits to African and American countries. By 22^nd Feb. 2020, around 11,000 African Health Workers were trained on COVID-19.

10.  COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION HAVOC: By early March, ignoring the cautions and guidelines of WHO, ITALY, IRAN, USA and SPAIN entered into devastating third stage of Community Transmission to become the Epicentre of Disease. Shortage of personal protective equipments, endangered the health workers worldwide. Death toll crept up due to shortage of Ventilators and N-95 masks.

(PANDAMIC SECNARIO as on 30.03.2020)

11.  “Be Ready” CAMPAIGN:  WHO launches a new social media campaign called Be Ready for COVID-19, which urges people to be safe, smart and kind. Be Safe by remembering tried & tested public health measures, like regular hand washing & staying at least 1 metre (3 feet) from anyone coughing or sneezing. These ordinary measures are extraordinarily effective at fighting COVID-19. Be Smart about COVID-19 by rejecting rumours & taking care to only share information from trusted sources. Everyone should keep informed about what is happening in their area and follow the recommendations of local authorities. Be Kind through addressing stigma and looking out for one another - especially the most vulnerable and those in isolation. Compassion can combat #COVID19.

12.  DECLARED “PANDEMIC”:  On 11^th March 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 as Pandemic Disease.

13.  # SAFE HAND CHALLANGE: On 13^th March 2020, WHO launched Safe Hand Challenge to encourage people to wash their hands with soap or alcohol based hand rubs.

14.  SOUTH EAST ASIA: The World Health Organization today called on Member states in South-East Asia Region to urgently scale-up aggressive measures to combat COVID-19, as confirmed cases cross 480, and the disease claims eight lives.

INDIA IN THE SCENE:

1.     “INDEX” CASE IN INDIA: On 30^th January 2020, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 (Viral Strain named SARS CoV-2) was documented from Thrissur (Kerala).

2.     On 22 March 2020, India observed a 14-hour voluntary public curfew at the insistence of the prime minister Shri Narendra Modi.

(JANTA CURFEW)

3.     On 23^rd March 2020, the government followed it up with lockdowns in 75 districts where COVID cases had occurred as well as all major cities. Further, on 24 March, the prime minister ordered a nationwide “lockdown” for 21 days, in concern for the safety of  the entire 1.3 billion population of India.

                                (Some pics. from 21 Day Lock down)

4.     As of 31 March 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have confirmed a total of 1,251 cases, 101 recoveries, 1 migration and 32 deaths in the country. Experts suggest the number of infections could be a substantial underestimate, as India's testing rates are among the lowest in the world. The infection rate of COVID-19 in India is reported to be 1.7, significantly lower than in the worst affected countries.

5.     Some thinkers, social workers and economists, worried about the economic devastation caused by the lockdown, which has huge effects on migrant labourers, informal workers, micro and small enterprises, farmers and the self-employed, who are left with no livelihood in the absence of transportation and access to markets. For that along with Government machinery (role appraisal of Indian Police) individuals and communities are coming forward to contribute services and food for the needy.

6.     PM CARES Fund is been set up and donations from all corners are being given to support the nations cause. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has clarified that the company’s contribution to PM CARES fund over and above the minimum prescribed Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spends can be offset against their CSR Obligations of subsequent years.

(Courtesy Google image)

7.     India’s First testing kit: Ms Minal Dakhave Bhosale from Mylab discovery solutions private limited Pune, who headed the team that designed the coronavirus testing kit called Patho Detect, said it was done "in record time" - six weeks instead of three or four months. This kit gives result in two and a half hour as compared to six-seven hours by imported kits.

(Ms Minal Dakhave Bhosale)

The fight is going on. The only rule is “Never let Go” attitude. We will come out of this.
"Aarogya Setu app" launched by GOI to fight against COVID-19. Please download and share this app.
For Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nic.goi.aarogyasetu
For iOS: itms-apps://itunes.apple.com/app/is1505825357

For authentic information and latest updates on COVID-19, clicl (HERE)

Theory Put Forward by Some International Secret Services:

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