Category Archives: Green Initiatives / Environment

Kodagu takes to recharge wells to harvest rainwater

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A typical recharge well

This summer was bitter for many homes in Kodagu. Their wells almost dried up before the monsoon broke. But 47-year-old Suraj Ajjikuttira in south Kodagu didn’t have to worry.

His recharge well, probably the first one in hilly Kodagu, ensured that his open well had ample water during the dry season.

Buoyed by his success, Ajjikuttira made it his mission to spread his knowledge of harvesting rain through videos, workshops and meetings. People can even phone and ask him. As a result, awareness is spreading and the recharge well is increasing in popularity. Kodagu now has at least 40 to 50 recharge wells. 

Ajjikuttira’s interest in rainwater harvesting began two decades ago, when his 50-foot well, dug in 1979, started going dry. By 2002 he thought he had no option but to dig a bore well for drinking water. Then, fortuitously, he participated in a seminar on rainwater harvesting in Mysore. He picked up the nuances of groundwater recharge very quickly.

Ajjikuttira went home determined to apply his newly acquired knowledge by recharging his bore well. He dug a 10-foot-deep mini well around it.  After filling up the mini well with aggregate matter, he diverted run-off from the nearby area into his bore well. The next year itself, the water level in his bore well rose considerably.

“That convinced me about the efficacy of groundwater recharge,” reminisces Ajjikuttira. He doubled his efforts and started a serious attempt to catch all the rainwater he could on his estate. He turned his attention to rainwater falling on his roof, on the vast frontage of his home and the adjoining coffee-drying yard or ‘kana’.

Earlier, all this water used to disappear into a drain. Ajjikuttira now ensured that all run-off got collected at one spot and then flowed out. A leaf separator was attached at the exit point to prevent leaves from clogging this stream of water.

The usual custom is to make a rain pit for such run-off to percolate. But, in this case, the water that was flowing was excessive. After racking his brains, Ajjikuttira dug a recharge well, five feet in diameter, to catch this water. He placed concrete rings along the inner walls of the well 12 feet deep, to prevent its walls from collapsing. The diameter was then reduced. Another six to eight feet were dug and filled with stones to firm up the second stage of the recharge well.

Suraj Ajjikuttira near a large tank which now collects rainwater

Consequently, rainwater collected from about 1,500 square feet of space goes straight into Ajjikuttira’s recharge well and is fully absorbed there. “At the most we get one inch of rain per day. I have designed the recharge well in such a way that even this one inch of water is captured,” he explains. The water that is percolating is estimated to be around two lakh litres.

Ajjikuttira’s well was 42 feet deep when his father got it dug in 1979. In 1994, when the well dried up, it was deepened by another eight feet and eight rings were fixed on its walls. After that the well never dried up. Even during the 2016 drought, Ajjikuttira’s well had eight feet of water. Last year, when wells dried up in Kodagu, Ajjikuttira’s well had 11 feet of water.

The recharge well is a new concept invented in Chennai in the 1990s. Later, the idea was embraced by residents of Bengaluru. The city now probably has around 50,000 recharge wells. The sole purpose of the recharge well is to recharge groundwater. The well can be very small in diameter, as low as three feet.

COFFEE AND RAIN

Kodagu district’s main crop is coffee. Coffee plants are rain-fed. The first showers or ‘blossom showers’, received in February and March, are very important for coffee farmers. If it doesn’t rain at this time, farmers have to pump up water from tanks and sprinkle or irrigate the plants.

After the blossom showers are over, coffee plants require a second spell of irrigation within 15 to 20 days. These showers are called ‘back-up’ showers. If the rains fail to arrive then farmers who still have water do a second round of sprinkling.

The water in Ajjikuttira’s tank was hardly sufficient for even one round of irrigation. About 200 metres away from his tank is a huge seven-acre tank called Katibetta Kere. This water body belongs to the revenue department. It has a catchment of around 500 acres. But the tank’s bund had breached in one area and it wasn’t retaining water. Ajjikuttira built a check dam with sand bags in the catchment area so that the tank would retain water and help his own tank absorb some water.

Katibetta Kere is at a higher elevation than Ajjikuttira’s irrigation tank. Subsequently, the department built a concrete check dam for Katibetta Kere. Recalls a happy Ajjikuttira, “Since then, this tank has enhanced water availability in my own tank. Now, even if we do three rounds of irrigation, the tank still has water.”

Rainfall figures differ across Kodagu district. Ajjikuttira’s place receives 54 inches — coffee planters still measure rain in inches — whereas not-so-distant Virajapet gets 70 inches. Wetlands here are dwindling and so is forest cover. Due to various reasons, water availability is worsening in the district. Unfortunately, awareness about rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge is abysmally low.

Once Ajjikuttira succeeded in augmenting water availability in his estate, he started spreading the idea of water harvesting. In the last 15 years, he has conducted more than 300 awareness sessions on rainwater harvesting in schools, government departments, workshops for citizens and so on.

“In most Kodagu estates, the house is located at a higher level. In the past, the yard for drying coffee beans and paddy used to be built near the paddy fields in a lower area. But due to security reasons the yard is now constructed close to the house. So the typical house would have a large area in front with a drying yard close to it. This entire stretch is either built with concrete or lined with interlocking tiles. So a huge amount of clean water flows on this surface,” says Ajjikuttira.

“We need a structure that can hold this run-off and make it percolate fast. I experimented with the recharge well. Although it is expensive, it does the job efficiently.”

Ajjikuttira is approached by people on the phone or in person for guidance in harvesting rainwater. “If we make arrangements to catch all the run-off from the front area and the drying yard, summer rains alone will ensure the well doesn’t dry up,” he says confidently. A recharge well costs approximately Rs 60,000-70,000. 

Ajjikuttira carries out a simple test to check whether the bore well can be artificially recharged. A few barrels of water are kept nearby and poured into the bore well one after another. If the bore well overflows, it indicates that it won’t absorb water and recharge. The idea is then abandoned.

SPREADING AWARENESS

Ajjikuttira has put together a three-part video to spread knowledge on rainwater harvesting in Kodagu. Uploaded on YouTube, it tells people how to use rainwater directly, how to recharge defunct and working bore wells and how to use a recharge well for groundwater recharge.

After taking advice from Ajjikuttira, Tej Thammaiah Ajjikuttira constructed a recharge well 10 feet in diameter and 22 feet deep last year. The well is a big one because Thammaiah’s bungalow, front yard and ‘kana’ spread to about a hectare. The well has cost him Rs 130,000.

Thammaiah’s open well, 60 feet deep, didn’t dry up completely. But by the end of summer it would have only four to five feet of water. Last summer it had 30 feet of water because he followed in Ajjikuttira’s footsteps.

Rakshith of Sulagodu is another estate owner who sought Ajjikuttira’s advice. He has an open well which is 100 feet deep. It used to dry up in summer and he found it difficult even to provide water to his labourers. He built a recharge well which cost him Rs 70,000. Two years later his water woes are over.

 “Now I have water up to 25 feet,” he says. “By the end of summer, water levels recede by seven to eight feet. I don’t have to worry about drinking water for many decades to come.”

Soil in Kodagu collapses very easily. Ajjikuttira has noticed that many people dig a recharge pit quite close to the well. “This is highly risky. Many wells have collapsed because pits were dug very close to them. It’s always better to locate the pits about 15 or 20 feet away,” he warns.

He points out that each estate is endowed with expansive areas from where water can be easily harvested. “The shifting of the drying yard from lower areas near paddy fields to the area adjoining the house in an elevated area has also caused water scarcity in open wells. This is because we cement all these areas and never permit water to percolate.” Planters who have realised this are taking corrective measures to allow for percolation.

Coffee estates require huge quantities of water for irrigation to induce flower blossoming. “There are several earthen tanks or keres in Kodagu. You can see these tanks on Google earth. But, unlike the old days, tanks are dug unscientifically. The selection of the site should be such that we can divert streams of water into it. Many new tanks don’t have this.”

Another important groundwater recharge structure in these estates is a legacy of British planters called ‘thottilu gundi’ or cradle pits, so called because of the shape. Thottilu gundis were systematically and periodically dug and cleaned amidst rows of coffee. They would convert surface run-off from the hills into sub-soil seepage that would reach the tank after many months. “Due to the high cost of labour and poor labour availability, many of us have bid goodbye to digging of this very useful system,” laments Ajjikuttira.

Contact Suraj Ajjikuttira at 9901012970

source: http://www.civilsocietyonline.com / Civil Society / Home> Environment / by Shree Padre, Kodagu / August 29th, 2019 (updated December 03rd, 2020)

Project for scientific disposal of legacy waste launched in Kodagu

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, , , , , , , ,

A ₹12-crore project for the scientific disposal of legacy waste in Madikeri, Kushalnagar, and Virajpet in Kodagu district was launched on Friday.

An official statement here noted that MLA for Madikeri Mantar Gowda and MP for Mysuru Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar launched the project taken up under the Swachch Bharat Abhiyan scheme at Subramanyanagar on the outskirts of Madikeri.

Mr. Gowda said that approximately 1.52 lakh tonnes of legacy waste, including around 76,636 tonnes from Madikeri, have been taken up for bioremediation under the project at Madikeri, Kushalnagar, and Virajpet.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yaduveer said the Central funding for the disposal of solid waste under the Swachch Bharat Abhiyan scheme amounts to 50% of the project cost.

Madikeri Urban Development Authority chairman Rajesh Yellappa, city municipal council member Appanna, former president of Madikeri city municipal corporation Anitha Poovaiah, commissioner of the city municipal corporation H.R. Ramesh, and others were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by The Hindu Bureau / April 12th, 2025

Meet Black Baza, winner of the Speciality Coffee Association Sustainability Award

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Green Initiatives / Environment, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Arshiya Bose, the founder of this Bengaluru-based “activist company”, traces its genesis, journey and what this award could mean for the smallholder coffee farmers in the country.

Coffee being dried in a remote hamlet | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Arshiya Bose feels that a conversation she had in Coorg, back in 2011, when she was pursuing her PhD at Cambridge, was a “pivotal moment” in her journey towards creating Black Baza Coffee. During her fieldwork to understand the impact of global sustainability certifications on farmers, she met the mother of a local grower from India’s coffee cup. “She asked me if I was going to do anything useful after my PhD,” recalls Arshiya, who soon recognised that while it was wonderful to be so deeply immersed in an academic project, “it can be selfish if that was where it stayed.”

This comment made her realise that much could be done to make coffee cultivation more sustainable — something that is increasingly becoming an important aspect of the industry’s long-term viability, considering both the environmental impact of conventional coffee farming and the fact that the bean is particularly vulnerable to climate change. In 2014, after completing her PhD, she returned to India, going on to start Black Baza two years later, naming the brand after a small, migratory raptor with “its own kind of cult following amongst birders, because it displays such interesting behaviours”.

The beginnings were small: 100 kilograms of coffee bought from four different farms. “Now, of course, that number has grown multifold, and we now work with around 650 farms (mainly in Palani, Wayanad and BR Hills),” says Arshiya of the Bengaluru-headquartered “activist company,” which has just won the Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) 2025 Sustainability Awards in the ‘For Profit’ category. This annual award, by the world’s largest global coffee trade association, recognises “excellence in product innovation, design, and sustainability across the industry” with the winners (Fairtrade International won the ‘Nonprofit’ category) being formally recognised for their achievement at Speciality Coffee Expo in Houston in April.

A selection of Black Baza’s coffees | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Standards for sustainability

Admittedly, the word ’sustainable’ is a multifaceted, somewhat indefinable concept, with every organisation, brand, company, Government or country understanding the much-used term differently. “Therefore, we had to almost set our own standards for how we wanted to do things,” says Arshiya.

Black Baza only works with smallholder farmers who have already been growing organic coffee and are committed to maintaining and improving the native forest cover on their farms. “The average landholding on where we work is half-to-one-acre parcels of land in very remote parts of the country, with many belonging to tribal communities… people who’ve been historically marginalised and are vulnerable,” says Arshiya, who has a background in community-led conservation. She adds that Black Baza also helps farmers with the post-harvest process, working very closely on building capacity to produce better quality, speciality coffee, both arabica and robusta.

A coffee training programme being conducted | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

According to her, considerable care was taken to bring in a system of fair, transparent pricing, placing a premium on the coffee’s quality and the farming practices followed, including the attention paid to preserving the local biodiversity. Making coffee farms friendly to local flora and fauna, she says, is an especially crucial mandate of Black Baza since most coffee-growing areas are in places that are also rich in biodiversity. “That is true across South and Central America, parts of Kenya, Uganda, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and the Indian Western Ghats too,” she says.

Keeping with this focus on biodiversity, the names of all of Black Baza’s coffees, which are sold in compostable and degradable packaging, are inspired by various indicator species: organisms whose presence or absence offer insights into overall ecosystem health. Think potter wasps, lion-tailed macaques, otters, Indian moon moths, or the Malabar whistling thrush, “species symbolic of the kind of farming practices we like,” she says.

One of Black Baza’s partners with her produce | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The coffee conundrum

The popular belief is that coffee came to India in the 17th Century surreptitiously, smuggled from Yemen by the Sufi saint Baba Budan. “It is a sweet story, but that is not really how coffee became a full-fledged plantation industry. It was a colonial project,” says Arshiya, who, as part of her PhD work, spent a lot of her time in the British Library looking at archives to understand how coffee spread in India. “We know that it was the British East India Company that set up an experimental plot in Thalassery, Kerala, and expanded coffee across India from there.”

This expansion, however, came at a considerable ecological cost, with the British clearing vast hills to grow this coffee, later replanting the land with exotic species like silver oak, once they realised that coffee grew better in shade. “And when they left, they handed over their plantations to their favourite people. And that is where this land inequality came about,” she says. While coffee continues to be grown in large plantations, many coffee farmers cultivate coffee on very small tracts of land, making them especially vulnerable to the vagaries of Nature, including climate change, since coffee is especially susceptible to rising temperatures and rainfall pattern fluctuations. “Smallholder farmers are always more vulnerable in the face of any kind of natural disaster, and that is true of coffee as well,” she says.

Arshiya Bose | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Working with more farmers, therefore, is high on the list of Black Baza’s priorities, and Arshiya hopes that the recent SCA recognition can help them achieve this goal. “One of the ways we think of doing this is to develop a green coffee programme, and I think something like SCA enables us to now try to look for partners overseas,” she says, adding that getting into coffee exports would allow them to work with even more farmers. “We have also started expanding beyond coffee into other products that our farmers grow, including cardamom and pepper, and hope to open a couple of cafés soon, as well.”

To know more, log into https://blackbazacoffee.com/

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Preeti Zachariah / April 16th, 2025

Raja Seat in Madikeri to host flower show from today

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Deputy Commissioner, Kodagu, Venkataraja addressing a press conference in Madikeri on Thursday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Raja Seat, one of the main tourist attractions for visitors in Madikeri, is hosting a flower show from Friday. The annual flower show, on the occasion of the Republic Day, will conclude on January 27. Besides the flower show, an exhibition has also been organised at Gandhi Maidan.

Deputy Commissioner Venkataraja told reporters here on Thursday that the four-day flower show will attract visitors as a variety of attractions created in flowers will be in store. Keeping the interests of children in view, some creations have been done in flowers, and the entry for children wearing uniforms will be free. The entry fee for adults is ₹20.

Mr. Venkataraja said the expo is open from 8 am to 8:30 pm. This year, a sum of ₹35 lakh was being spent on the flower show. The honey produced by the Horticulture Department will be marketed under the brand name “Jhenkara”. The Jhenkara brand and Coorg Honey brand will be created in flowers, he added.

Efforts are on to repair the toy train as a report has been sought from the railway engineers from Mysuru.

He said an expert team from New Delhi visited to look into the snag in the musical fountain. The musical fountain will be set right soon, the DC said.

The main attraction of the flower show is the model of Sri Omkareshwara temple.

A total of five lakh flowers were used to create the model. The models of honey bees were also being created besides the models of vintage cars.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by The Hindu Bureau / January 23rd, 2025

Andhra Pradesh elephant handlers train in Dubare

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Travel, Tourism & Homestays (wef. Oct 03rd, 2021)

Training sparks debate over elephant transfers to Andhra Pradesh; local Mahouts, Kavadis unhappy

A team of 21 elephant handlers, including 17 Mahouts and four Kavadis from Andhra Pradesh, is undergoing specialised training in handling Kumki elephants at Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu. 

The training, which began in mid-November, is set to conclude on Dec. 10, after which the team will return to Andhra Pradesh. Kumki elephants are trained to tackle wild elephants, safeguard human settlements and support wildlife conservation, including forest patrols and crop protection. 

This training is part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Vijayawada between the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and Karnataka in September 2024. The agreement seeks mutual cooperation in addressing wildlife challenges and it was formalised in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Dy.CM Pawan Kalyan and Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar B. Khandre.

However, reports suggest that Karnataka may be planning to transfer four to six trained elephants to Andhra Pradesh under the guise of this training programme. 

Andhra Pradesh has an urgent need for Kumki elephants, with only two elephants — Jayanth (67) and Vinayak (54) — stationed at the Naniyala forest camp in Chittoor district and are reaching retirement age. This shortage has hampered efforts to protect wildlife, prevent the theft of sandalwood and red sanders trees, conserve forests and mitigate man-animal conflicts.

Sources informed Star of Mysore that the training might be a cover for relocating elephants to Andhra Pradesh. Mahouts and Kavadis in Dubare are unhappy with the move, citing Karnataka’s own shortage of trained elephants.

“It takes four to five years to tame and train an elephant to follow commands. We build a deep, familial bond with these animals through immense sacrifice and effort. Transferring them would not only sever this bond but also leave us jobless,” said one mahout.

Forest officials, however, denied any finalised plans, stating they have not received Government orders to shift the elephants. Some mahouts countered, claiming that a proposal was discussed months ago and that Karnataka is quietly laying the groundwork for the transfer. 

Reports indicate that many elephants in Dubare have already been introduced to Andhra Pradesh handlers, who are being trained to manage them. The plan reportedly involves sending a specific number of elephants to support wildlife operations in Andhra Pradesh, with fears they might not return after their assignments and will be kept there for that State’s services.

Meticulous training on all elephant aspects

The training programme for elephant handlers from Andhra Pradesh at Dubare Elephant Camp focuses on understanding elephant behaviour and mastering specific cues to control and direct them effectively. Under the guidance of lead trainer J.K. Dobi, the training employs a range of techniques, including the use of specialised tools, handling chains and creating loud noises to ward off wild animals. 

The handlers are trained with elephants Dhananjaya, Kanjan, Vidyashree, Vijaya and Rama in foundational skills such as touching, bathing and interpreting signals. They are taught commands in specific languages, methods for balancing atop elephants and techniques like tapping the elephant’s ear with their foot or patting its head for direction.

Additionally, they learn about elephant dietary requirements, including the cooking process, ingredients and feeding schedules.

To provide a comprehensive understanding, the team has been taken to other elephant camps across Kodagu and Mysuru districts, including Harangi, Mathigodu, Balle, and Veeranahosahalli. Here, they are familiarised with the unique conditions and challenges specific to each camp, ensuring their preparedness for diverse environments.

Karnataka must prioritise its elephant needs

According to Forest Department officials, Karnataka plans to send four trained elephants to Andhra Pradesh to assist in wild elephant capture and training operations only. Since 2013, Karnataka has handed over 59 trained elephants to various States. The Forest Department must be transparent and avoid concealing facts.

Andhra Pradesh initially requested 22 elephants, but the number was scaled down to eight after Karnataka refused. Even now, sending elephants to Andhra Pradesh is not the right move. We need elephants for Dasara, other tasks and as a tourist attraction at elephant camps. Our resources are already stretched with limited elephants in the State. To capture and tame an elephant it costs Rs. 14 lakh and to fit a radio collar, it requires Rs. 22 lakh. —Joseph Hoover, Conservationist & Wildlife Activist

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by Joseph Hoover, Conservationist & Wildlife Activist / December 09th, 2024

Karnataka: ‘Scotland of India’ Kodagu grapples with excessive heat; Records 35 degrees Celsius!

Green Initiatives / Environment

Kodagu district, known as the “Scotland of India,” faces an unprecedented heatwave with temperatures soaring to 35°C. The usual cool climate and abundant rainfall have given way to severe drought, leaving landscapes parched. Residents combat the heat by consuming watermelon and refreshing beverages. Concerns rise as the absence of rain depletes water sources and raises fears of even hotter summer months ahead.

Residents of Kodagu district, often dubbed as the “Scotland of India” for its lush greenery and cool climate, are currently grappling with an unusual heatwave as temperatures soar to 35 degrees Celsius. Once known for its abundant rainfall and fog-covered hills, the district is now experiencing a severe drought, leaving its scenic landscapes parched and its residents sweltering under the scorching sun.

Traditionally, Kodagu district, also known as Coorg, enjoyed moderate temperatures ranging from 15 to 20 degrees Celsius, thanks to ample rainfall that kept the region cool and foggy throughout the year. However, this year’s acute water shortage has transformed the district into a hot and arid terrain, devoid of its usual cloud cover and mist.

The absence of rainfall has led to the depletion of reservoirs, rivers, and streams, leaving the land dry and barren. With daily temperatures consistently reaching 34 to 35 degrees Celsius, residents find it challenging to venture outdoors, fearing the intense heat. Even simple tasks like buying groceries or commuting to work have become daunting endeavours, prompting many to stay indoors or seek refuge under umbrellas when stepping outside.

To combat the oppressive heat, residents have turned to consuming watermelon and other fruits with high water content, as well as indulging in fresh water and ice creams in large quantities. The demand for refreshing beverages has surged, with local vendors reporting a significant increase in sales.

Traders and residents alike express astonishment at the intensity of the heatwave, noting that such extreme weather conditions are unprecedented in their experience. Typically, monsoon rains would have arrived by March, providing relief from the heat. However, as the first week of April passes without a drop of rain, concerns mount about the impending summer months and the likelihood of temperatures rising even further.

source: http://www.newsable.asianetnews.com / Newsable Asianet / Home> English News> Karnataka / by Vinaykumar Patil / April 08th, 2024

Rapid mapping of landslides

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, ,

An open source tool that can substitute traditional, labour-intensive methods

A manual map of landslide extent (left) and the extent as shown by ML-CASCADE (right). Credit: Nirdesh Kumar Sharma, Manabendra Saharia

__________________________________________________________________

Scientists have developed a machine learning and cloud computing-based tool that can map landslide clusters in five minutes and simple events in just two, crucial for improving post-disaster risk and damage assessment1.

Understanding and mitigating landslides is challenging owing to the lack of spatial and temporal data. In a recent study, scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi demonstrated how ML-CASCADE can be used to rapidly measure landslides using satellite data.

The semi-automatic method combines satellite data, terrain data, vegetation indices (measures of plant health), and machine learning. It uses pre- and post-event images from the Earth observation Sentinel-2 satellites, along with terrain factors, to classify areas as landslide or non-landslide. The application runs on Google Earth Engine’s cloud computing platform, allowing users to generate landslide maps instantly.

The tool’s effectiveness was demonstrated using two case studies — the Kodagu landslide in Karnataka’s Western Ghats and the Kotrupi landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Himalayas. For Kodagu, ML- CASCADE produced a precise landslide map in five minutes, which closely matched expert assessments. Similarly, the tool accurately captured the Kotrupi landslide’s extent in under a minute, matching existing manual and semi-automated methods.

ML-CASCADE’s advantages include speed, accessibility, and adaptability to varied terrain, making it suitable for low-resource settings. Its disadvantages are that, it may overestimate areas near riverbanks, and it relies on user-supplied training samples which introduces some subjectivity.

Future work could involve refining the tool’s accuracy in different terrains and integrating it with other disaster management systems.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d44151-024-00178-5

[This research highlight was partially generated using artificial intelligence and edited by a staff member of Nature India.]

References

  1. Sharma, N. & Saharia, M. Landslides (2024).

source: http://www.nature.com / Nature India / Home> Nature> Nature India> Research Highlights> Article / Ocotober 29th, 2024

Avid Birder’s Wildlife Message Cards-2024

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Mysuru: 

Dr. S.V. Narasimhan, a family physician based at Virajpet in Kodagu district, is an avid birder, nature lover, adept at computers, Karnatak music and astronomy.

Author of Feathered Jewels of Coorg, a field-guide to 310 species of birds found in Coorg, Dr. Narasimhan is the pioneer in spreading wildlife conservation messages through his unique hand-painted Wildlife Message Cards that are sent free to individuals throughout the world to mark the Wildlife Week.

Total number of hand-painted cards made by him this year is 2,180; in 40 years, 81,595 cards. Total recipients this year including Star of Mysore – 1,236; in 40 years – 16,220 persons.

The Special Wildlife Messenger of this year is Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus). A resident bird of the Himalayan foothills of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland States of India, these birds belong to the most beautiful family of pheasants. Males about 70 cms, have a rich mix of colours on their feathers. They are found in the tropical forests of sub-Himalayan States of Assam, Nagaland and Meghalaya. They are found near human settlements and have been domesticated since 7,400 years, forming the primary species of all the domesticated chicken all over the world. Omnivorous, they feed on fallen fruits, seeds, roots and tubers along with arthropods, larvae and earthworms, lizards and insects foraged with its toes.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 13th, 2024

Theerthodbhava at Talacauvery in Kodagu district on Oct. 17

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Madikeri:

The Annual Theerthodbhava at Talacauvery will occur on Oct. 17 (Thursday) at 7.40 am in the auspicious Tula Lagna as per the Hindu almanac on Tula Sankramana Day.

On this day, it is believed that Goddess Cauvery comes in the form of a fountain-head where water gushes up from Brahmakundike in front of the Kalyani at the predetermined time.

The authorities of Sri Bhagandeshwara-Talacauvery Temple have announced the date of this year’s Theerthodbhava. The temple authorities are gearing up for this important occasion.

On the occasion of Theerthodbhava, rituals such as rice being poured to ‘Pathaya’ (Tula Lagna) of Sri Bhagandeshwara Swamy Temple at Bhagamandala will be held as per tradition on Sept. 26 at 8.35 am.

Oct. 4 (10.21 am): ‘Ajna Muhurtha’ will be held at ‘Vruschika Lagna’; Oct.14 (1.35 am): Placing of ‘Akshaya Patra’ (Dhanur Lagna); 04.15 pm, offering boxes will be placed (Kumbha Lagna).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / September 15th, 2024

‘Permanent solution needed to prevent elephant-human conflicts’

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Travel, Tourism & Homestays (wef. Oct 03rd, 2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Madikeri:

“There is an urgent need to find a permanent solution to prevent wild elephant-human conflicts,” stated Meriyanda Sanketh Poovaiah, Member of the State Board  of Wildlife (SBWL).

Speaking at the ‘World Elephant Day‘ celebration organised by the Madikeri Wildlife Division of the Kodagu Circle at Harangi Elephant Camp, Poovaiah highlighted the critical role of community involvement.

“Rescuing wild elephants is not solely the responsibility of the Forest Department and the Government. There is an immediate need for the participation of border residents, organisations and the public in this effort,” he emphasised.

Poovaiah also mentioned that, to address the rising human-wild elephant conflicts in Kodagu district, a consultation meeting was held with Forest Ministers and officials from the neighbouring States of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A decision on this matter will be taken by the Chief Minister’s Legal Advisor and Virajpet MLA A.S. Ponnanna.

During the event, Dubare Elephant Camp Veterinarian Dr. Chittiappa educated students about elephants and their habitats, answering their questions. Madikeri Regional Division Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Bhaskar underscored the significance of World Elephant Day.

The elephants at the Dubare camp, including Lakshmana, Eshwara, Ekadanta, Vikrama, Rama and Karna, were bathed, anointed with castor oil, adorned and honoured with a puja. Mahouts Putta, Manju, Vishwanath, Nagaraja, Sanju and Manja guided the elephants in raising their trunks to greet the guests.

Notable attendees included Kodagu Elephant Task Force DCF P. Anusha, Virajpet Subdivision Conservator of Forests N.H. Jagannath, Forest Mobile Squad DCF Syed Ahmed Sha Hussain, Madikeri Wildlife Division DCF K.A. Nehru, ACF Srinivas, along with Forest Officials N.C. Shaman, Mariswamy, Range Forest Officers (RFOs) Rathan Kumar, Kotresh, Aravind & Ravindra and Deputy Range Forest Officers (DRFOs).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / September 02nd, 2024