Sunday, September 05, 2010

Distribution of Arsenic in coals with special to Jharkhand State of India. Coal is a result of the accumulation and slow decay of plant remains in sedimentary strata. It undergoes in situ compaction under water with time, accompanied by biochemical processes such as decomposition due to bacterial action, dehydration, loss of volatile compounds (e.g. methane, higher hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and nitrogen) and densification to form various ranks of coal depending on environmental conditions. In absence of atmospheric oxygen, the plant matter is further degraded by the action of anaerobic bacteria, which extract and utilize oxygen from organic molecules containing oxygen like lignin.  More..

Radioactive wastes enters village in Jharkhand State of India Owing to the record 338.1 mm rainfall on June 17 in Jharkhand State of India, maximum in the past six decades, radioactive wastes from the tailing pond of Turamdih uranium mines on the outskirts of the Jamshedpur city has reportedly spilled over into the village ponds, wells and fields.  More..

Jharkhand has a special school to promote bio-diversity ): To generate public awareness about the significance of conserving the environment, the Forest Department of Jharkhand has opened a school within the Betla National Park under the Palamau Tiger Project in States Palamu district. The school is part of an endeavor to promote awareness about forests and wildlife so that the young students could spread this knowledge in society.  More..

Jatropha harmful for kids, soil and aquatic life: scientist The jatropha plant, a rich source of bio-fuel that is being grown on a large scale in Chhattisgarh, can harm the soil and aquatic life, cause skin cancer and even affect the brain of children if accidentally consumed, claims a scientist.  More..

Global warming may result in low-lying coastal areas, including the Sunderbans, getting submerged eventually. But at another level, a natural source like sunlight is changing the life of millions of people in the islands, finds Ranjita Biswas Like the two faces of Janus, the Sunderbans projects two sides- something negative, something positive. The deltaic region straddling India’s West Bengal and Bangladesh where the great rivers of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna converge, has been much in the news lately for showcasing the disastrous consequences of global warming as two islands, Suparibhanga and Lohacharra, were submerged by rising sea water.   More..

India is a soft target for dumping hazardous industrial waste, feel environmentalists citing the example of Alang in Gujarat, the world's largest shipbreaking yard. Fatima Chowdhury reports Picture yourself in a grey shipyard scattered with twisted steel and rusted scraps as the musty air reeks with a pungent smell of decay and burning metals. A ghostly gloom pervades all around with large aging vessels anchored in silence and all you can see are tired faces covered in dust and dirt rummaging through tonnes of discarded toxic waste.   More..

Dance your blues away Dance as an expression of body movement is as old as man’s social history. But today it is also being used as a therapy to beat stress and depression, reports Ritusmita Biswas   More..