In India and expectedly in many developing nations, the politicians, policy makers, implementing agencies and people alike are utterly in disregard to turning of life sustaining rivers, canals and lakes into sewage drains. While the policy makers sit at the top and executing everything on paper, the ever short sighted politicians and powerless and corrupt officials are the true menace in preventing waterbodies turning into sewage points.
Consider a typical example that occurs every where in India: All along the banks of rivers, canals and other such huge water bodies, encroachments in the form of hutments are a common sight. Being public land, and knowing well that politicians and local strong men are solidly behind them, few people initiate the encroachment process.
This is the stage when the local officials turn a blind eye to such encroachments and let the process go on till the encroachments gain critical or enormous mass. Then the officials enact the drama of issuing notices to the hutdwellers to vacate immediately or face consequences!the hutdwellers by now a big enough group and too costly to be ignored by the politicians! So the local saviour of encroachments, the politicians swing into action and assure the encroachers that the dwellers have all the rights on the encroached land and blast the officials for harassing poor people! The local MLA and the concerned minister assure that the encroachments will be awarded legally for the benefit of the dwelling poor!
And now the canal and river banks which earlier had huts, slowly get converted to concrete buildings and the sewage and wastes from innumerable dwellings along the banks are let into the easily accessible water body. The legalised encroachers who earlier used to depend on the same water body for their daily water usage, now after destroying the water body and turning it into a drain now cry and make agitations for lack of availability of pure water! And they get tapped water for drinking as well as for all other uses!
Now that all the dwellings receive tapped water, who has the use of water in the river or canal? So the river or canal gets officially declared as a drain!
For thousands of years man has respected the water bodies and used to dwell considerably away from these bodies, even while carrying water for his daily usage. This has changed in the last 100 years with the menace of encroachments resulted by lack of consciousness, corrupt nexus, toothless law and aimless policies!
In India no water body is being spared from such encroachment and pollution and yet every one wants pure water!
Then what is the solution?
The solution lies in converting the banks of already laid canals and existing unencroached water bodies into green belts of specified width say 5 meters. Plan the road towards the outer side of this green belt and beyond the road, let the houseless people be given legal tenure along with piped water supply.
Ravikumar Uppaluri hails from Kaikalur, Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh State in India.The famous Kolleru bird sancturay, a fresh water lake that attracts birds from as far as siberia, is located near Kaikalur. Having spent the childhhod close to such nature rich areas, a deep interest and love for nature were inculcated right from child hood.Having done masters in agricultural science, This emotional bonding took a scientific and logical enquiry making scientifically and emotionally in sync with the cause of nature.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8102
Monday, 8 February 2016
Ecopatches - New Concept for Ecological Conservation
Expanding urban areas, urbanization of rural areas, human pressure on forests are the challenges in ecological conservation, posing threat of extinction of several species of flora and fauna.The threat is already looming large, in that while the rate of extinction increases year after year, conservation efforts are at a meagre minimum.
Though, the scientific community has documented a majority of species there are several other species which have not been studied or missed the attention. More than the species study and their individual ecologies, the complex ecological relations among the flora and fauna can never be completely understood and we did precious little in this regard. The broad based food chains or webs, do not give an answer as to the roles played by a mix of flora and fauna.
In this scenario, we cannot afford to loose the yet unknown species! This is more so in view of the tremendous opportunities for regions of diversity with the onset of biotechnology. Who knows, if an already extinct species of plant or animal was a source of some thing wonderful that can prevent AIDS? Who knows what new diseases are going to affect us? Doubtless we can say that the present day scientific achievement is it can extract reasons after something happens, but cannot predict an entirely new thing.But we can use our limited achievements, atleast in conservation of nature wherever possible.
It is in this context, that the concept of ecopatches came to my mind.This ecopatch concept if implemented will preserve several native flora and fauna and the interrelationships among these.
Every city, town and village how much ever developed in the last 200 years, will have some area left over representing the native vegetation and soil.Such places can range from very small to large areas. If the area is large enough, a measured area of the place needs to be conserved by supplementing the apparently missing species of plants and animals recorded previously in ecological studies. (Of course it's not possible to bring in large animals, which are already accommodated in reserve forests and national parks).If the areaa is too small, then the vegetation, soil etc be collected from such scattered places and have to be regenerated in a new designated area with in / vicinity of city or town or village.For example, if the city is like a concrete jungle, one has to search for places near drains, or unused public places, private lands where the native vegetation with plants, grasses etc can be found surviving.Such vegetation, normally supports the fauna like earthworms, insects, microorganisms, algae etc.Vegetaion along with soil from such places has to be collected for developing a larger area , that represents the lost ecology of that particular area.Finding the lost tree species of that particular area will not be difficult, as these have been recorded already and are popularly known to the local people.Seeds from the existing trees can be sourced for planting or in extreme cases where the earstwhile native tree is not found in that area, seeds or saplings of such trees can be easily sourced from the forest nurseries or near by areas.
This sums up the concept of ecopatch.Implementing this ecopatch requires inputs of local scientific community, support from administration and active community participation.
Ravikumar Uppaluri hails from Kaikalur, Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh State in India.The famous Kolleru bird sancturay, a fresh water lake that attracts birds from as far as Siberia, is located near Kaikalur. Kolleru lake once vast , beautiful and sheltering scores of birds and other animals is on the verge of extinction.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8515
Though, the scientific community has documented a majority of species there are several other species which have not been studied or missed the attention. More than the species study and their individual ecologies, the complex ecological relations among the flora and fauna can never be completely understood and we did precious little in this regard. The broad based food chains or webs, do not give an answer as to the roles played by a mix of flora and fauna.
In this scenario, we cannot afford to loose the yet unknown species! This is more so in view of the tremendous opportunities for regions of diversity with the onset of biotechnology. Who knows, if an already extinct species of plant or animal was a source of some thing wonderful that can prevent AIDS? Who knows what new diseases are going to affect us? Doubtless we can say that the present day scientific achievement is it can extract reasons after something happens, but cannot predict an entirely new thing.But we can use our limited achievements, atleast in conservation of nature wherever possible.
It is in this context, that the concept of ecopatches came to my mind.This ecopatch concept if implemented will preserve several native flora and fauna and the interrelationships among these.
Every city, town and village how much ever developed in the last 200 years, will have some area left over representing the native vegetation and soil.Such places can range from very small to large areas. If the area is large enough, a measured area of the place needs to be conserved by supplementing the apparently missing species of plants and animals recorded previously in ecological studies. (Of course it's not possible to bring in large animals, which are already accommodated in reserve forests and national parks).If the areaa is too small, then the vegetation, soil etc be collected from such scattered places and have to be regenerated in a new designated area with in / vicinity of city or town or village.For example, if the city is like a concrete jungle, one has to search for places near drains, or unused public places, private lands where the native vegetation with plants, grasses etc can be found surviving.Such vegetation, normally supports the fauna like earthworms, insects, microorganisms, algae etc.Vegetaion along with soil from such places has to be collected for developing a larger area , that represents the lost ecology of that particular area.Finding the lost tree species of that particular area will not be difficult, as these have been recorded already and are popularly known to the local people.Seeds from the existing trees can be sourced for planting or in extreme cases where the earstwhile native tree is not found in that area, seeds or saplings of such trees can be easily sourced from the forest nurseries or near by areas.
This sums up the concept of ecopatch.Implementing this ecopatch requires inputs of local scientific community, support from administration and active community participation.
Ravikumar Uppaluri hails from Kaikalur, Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh State in India.The famous Kolleru bird sancturay, a fresh water lake that attracts birds from as far as Siberia, is located near Kaikalur. Kolleru lake once vast , beautiful and sheltering scores of birds and other animals is on the verge of extinction.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8515
How To Avoid Scam Artist When Donating To Tsunami Relief Efforts
Millions of people have shown their true character by making cash donations to charitable groups providing relief to those devastated by the Tsunami. While your actions are a shining example of the best traits of people, a few unsavory groups are trying to make a profit off of the tragedy.
You can avoid these scam artists by taking a few simple steps. Charitable organizations rely on tax- deductible contributions as their primary funding source. Before an organization can offer the benefit of a tax deduction for donations, it must be classified as such by the Internal Revenue Service. The process is arduous and effectively acts
as an informal investigation of the legitimacy of the charitable organization in question. Fortunately, the IRS makes this information available to the public.
You can check the legitimacy of a charitable organization by either contacting the IRS or accessing the agency list of charitable organizations on the Internet as follows:
IRS Customer Service: 1-800-829-1040
http://apps.irs.gov/app/pub78
The above link to the IRS takes you to a page where you can conduct a publication 78 search. Publication 78 is a list of all charitable organizations that have qualified for tax-exempt status with the IRS. Scam artist and unsavory characters are not going to be listed with the IRS. If the organization you are considering does not appear in
Publication 78, you may wish to consider another organization that is on the list.
E-mail Scams
You should be cautious if you receive an e-mail requesting money for the relief effort. The e-mail may not be from a legitimate organization. Fraudulent e-mail campaigns are at an unbelievable level. If you are determined to make a contribution because of an e-mail you received, make sure that you check out the organization with the IRS as
indicated above.
Unfortunately, there is a second problem with responding to an e-mail solicitation for monetary donations. Assume that you regularly make donations to a large charity organization and you receive a request for a donation from that organization to help with the tragedy in Asia. You can safely click the link in the email and make a donation, correct? Maybe not. There is still a risk that the email is a scam. Many online businesses have ongoing problems with scam artists copying their sites, logos, headings, etc., and sending e-mail solicitations to scam individuals. There is no reason to believe that charitable organizations would be any less of a target, so be careful.
A third and final problem exists with email solicitations for donations. Most people incorrectly assume that when they see a familiar domain name in the body of an email, it means the email is legitimate. Domain names can easily be faked through a domain name masking program. It gets a bit technical, but just keep in mind that domain name in the
body of an email means little.
If you still compelled to respond to an email solicitation with a donation, you should use a search engine to search for the organization listed in the email. Once you click on to the site, you can make your donation in confidence.
You donations make a world of difference for so many people in need. By following the above recommendations, you can make sure that your donation is made to a legitimate charitable organization.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8563
You can avoid these scam artists by taking a few simple steps. Charitable organizations rely on tax- deductible contributions as their primary funding source. Before an organization can offer the benefit of a tax deduction for donations, it must be classified as such by the Internal Revenue Service. The process is arduous and effectively acts
as an informal investigation of the legitimacy of the charitable organization in question. Fortunately, the IRS makes this information available to the public.
You can check the legitimacy of a charitable organization by either contacting the IRS or accessing the agency list of charitable organizations on the Internet as follows:
IRS Customer Service: 1-800-829-1040
http://apps.irs.gov/app/pub78
The above link to the IRS takes you to a page where you can conduct a publication 78 search. Publication 78 is a list of all charitable organizations that have qualified for tax-exempt status with the IRS. Scam artist and unsavory characters are not going to be listed with the IRS. If the organization you are considering does not appear in
Publication 78, you may wish to consider another organization that is on the list.
E-mail Scams
You should be cautious if you receive an e-mail requesting money for the relief effort. The e-mail may not be from a legitimate organization. Fraudulent e-mail campaigns are at an unbelievable level. If you are determined to make a contribution because of an e-mail you received, make sure that you check out the organization with the IRS as
indicated above.
Unfortunately, there is a second problem with responding to an e-mail solicitation for monetary donations. Assume that you regularly make donations to a large charity organization and you receive a request for a donation from that organization to help with the tragedy in Asia. You can safely click the link in the email and make a donation, correct? Maybe not. There is still a risk that the email is a scam. Many online businesses have ongoing problems with scam artists copying their sites, logos, headings, etc., and sending e-mail solicitations to scam individuals. There is no reason to believe that charitable organizations would be any less of a target, so be careful.
A third and final problem exists with email solicitations for donations. Most people incorrectly assume that when they see a familiar domain name in the body of an email, it means the email is legitimate. Domain names can easily be faked through a domain name masking program. It gets a bit technical, but just keep in mind that domain name in the
body of an email means little.
If you still compelled to respond to an email solicitation with a donation, you should use a search engine to search for the organization listed in the email. Once you click on to the site, you can make your donation in confidence.
You donations make a world of difference for so many people in need. By following the above recommendations, you can make sure that your donation is made to a legitimate charitable organization.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8563
Monday, 4 January 2016
ASNB common dividend 10.6 cents for 2016
It fell from 6:45 cents per unit in 2014.
PNB chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said the income distribution will involve a total payment of RM106.72 million to 1.25 million unit holders who have a total of 1.75 billion units of ASN.
"ASN has a gross income of 126.27 million ringgit. Revenue from the sale of shares contributed profit of 79.91 million ringgit or the equivalent of 63.3 percent of total gross income.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Sarji said dividend distribution was lower due to the challenging economic environment and a lackluster stock market.
"From the period between December 31, 2014 until December 23, 2015 the FTSE Bursa Malaysia has recorded a decrease of 5.5 per cent draws 1,761.25 to 1,663.51 points.
He added that at present, most commodity prices suffered a prolonged decline.
In addition, China's weak economic performance also expressed continuing concern to investors.
However, according to President and Chief Eksutif PNB, Tan Sri Hamad Che Othman said ASN dividend distribution in the next year is projected to be better.
"We expect next year to be better. In terms of broker estimates reflect the performance in front of some of the better."
He said the capacity payment for 2015 is 10.5 cents more per unit, but due to current market conditions ASNB reflection decided charged at 6.10 en unit.
He was speaking at the announcement of the income distribution of ASN in the capital on Monday.
The income distribution will be reinvested into additional units of ASN and is automatically credited into the unit holders' accounts based on the net value as at 31 December 2015.
Unitholders can update their ASN accounts starting January 4, 2016 at any ASNB offices or agents throughout the country.
Monday, 28 December 2015
Saturday, 26 December 2015
Fashion Week to pagoh pleaded Najib, Muhyiddin kind
Consolidate UMNO president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has become a key issue in the debate on the President's policy speech today.
However, verse poem Melaka UMNO Representatives, Mustafa Musa stole the delegates.
"From the exhibition to the Gulf Cempedak,
Stop at pagoh Tan Sri awaits,
Bertalak not divorce you,
Like hair knotted off "
"Make peace, make peace with the spirit of UMNO and the Malays. Be at peace. I beg mercy (will) can be realized," said Mustafa as he was applauded by delegates at the Dewan Merdeka, Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here today.
Obviously, through the poem, the delegates wanted the relationship between the President and Deputy President needed to be strengthened in the continuing survival of the party.
In fact, in the debate as well, Mustafa see collaboration between senior party leaders to set an example of leadership at the grassroots level.
Therefore, he hoped that after this, between Najib and Muhyiddin no longer exists any conflict and provocations that will tarnish the image of UMNO as a party that fights Malay.
In addition to Mustafa, several other delegates debating the President's Policy Address has also debated the issue of the relationship between Najib and Muhyiddin.
Momo Latif actress died
KUALA LUMPUR: The classic French film artist, Momo Latif died this afternoon at the age of 92 years at his residence in Woodlands Ring Road, Singapore, reported the News Media Corp.
The late real name MARFUAH Makarim breathed his last at around 5.50 pm after being in a coma as a result of high blood day and night.
Citing the report, Momo is a French singer and film actress age 30s to 70s who often appeared in films directed by the late P. Ramlee, Mat Sentol and Jamil Sulong.
Between film acting quite popular is the film 'Single Swordsman movie', where Momo plays the wife of Martial Mustard.
In addition, the late well-known for singing songs like lovebirds, since Split, cooker hoods and Do not Play Mata.
Momo also received a medal of honor Johan Bintang Sarawak Governor of Sarawak in 2007.
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