CLIMATE CARE - NORTHEAST INDIA

MONOJ GOGOI  S cientific studies from various parts of the world have already proven that electromagnetic radiation is one of the major drivers in drastic decline of bird population. Some species are more prone to electromagnetic radiation their populations are rapidly disappearing from the earth. Once there was no wireless connectivity except some radio and television towers, but now almost no area is spared mobile phone connectivity which resulted in massive electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation is not visible to our eyes but its presence is everywhere. Most commonly found bird species – either local or migratory, are not available as earlier.  https://youtu.be/Tt_NpgkTIW0  In an article published earlier in 2012 “Experts and studies find mobile phone towers are causes behind drastic decline of house sparrow population”( https://gmonoj.blogspot.com/2013/04/experts-and-studies-find-mobile-phone.html ) attempted to raise the issue of

MONOJ GOGOI HARISH PEGU                                                              Part (I) The Jiadhal river, flowing through the Dhemaji district of Assam, India, is one of the most treacherous north bank tributaries of the Brahmaputra. This river emerges from the hilly terrains of Arunachal Pradesh and entered the plains of Assam in Dhemaji district at Jiadhalmukh. The river comes out with a huge force meandering through the hills and carries immense debris and silts to the downstream. Up to 6-7km from Jiadhalmukh, the force of the river water itself digs its own course; therefore the gradients in both banks are higher. But in the downstream, the river deposits silts and debris in its own course, carried by the river itself which resulted in elevating the river bed. The riverbed becomes wider up to 2- 3km in some parts and then the river starts to flow in shallow braided channels. In the upstream, this river creates immense erosion and destroyed a khair (Senegalia Catechu)

   MONOJ GOGOI      The sudden death of 11 vultures on April 23, 2013 in Bagicha gaon near the Sub-Division Office (SDO) of Dhakukhana under Lakhimpur district created a huge sensation among the nature lovers across the state. According to sources, the 11 vultures comprised of white-backed vultures (gyps africanus) and slender-billed vultures (gyps tenuirostris) died in the morning due consumption of goat carcass on which furadan, a kind of pesticide was applied. Sources added that the goat died due to the bites of stray dogs and in vengeance, to kill the dogs, the owner of the got applied furadan on the carcass and left it in an open field. After consuming the carcass of the goat the vultures started to die. First the local people of Bagicha village witnessed the carcusses of the vultures and informed Mega Mix, a Dhakuakhana-based NGO for conservation of nature.      Devajit Phukan, the secretary of Mega Mix told, " Immediately after we got information from the villagers we reach

 MONOJ GOGOI  To focus attention on the global freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources, the whole world will celebrate the United Nations (UN) World Water Day tomorrow. As the theme of the Day changes every year, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2013 as the Unite d Nations International Year of Water Cooperation (Resolution A/RES/65/154) in December 2010. On the eve of the World Water Day several experts on the flood issue opined that to minimize the flood hazards in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts of Assam interstate cooperation between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, was much more essential than the international cooperation. Dr Partha J Das, an environmentalist and a river researcher, who heads the Aaranyak's Water, Climate and Hazard (WATCH) Programme told that most of the conventional flood management methods almost failed in these two districts. Most of the rivers causing flood hazards in these two districts were interstate

  Dr Ranjita Bania & Monoj Gogoi  Assam is endowed with rich inland water resources in the form of ponds, beels, streams, lakes, reservoirs, natural wetlands and gurgling rivers. No doubt, river provides food and habitat for a diversity of life, ranging from a tiny freshwater fishes to the giant human beings. Specially in Assam, river becomes the lifeline for the communities residing on the bank particularly for the fisher. At the same time it brings gloom for human life too. Flood damages not only the property but also the agricultural crops of the victims. Historically, riverine flooding was considered to be a nuisance. Flooding was thought to negatively impact flora and fauna, and be potentially hazardous to humans. Recent studies, however, have demonstrated that flood is a specific characteristic of a riverine ecosystem Further, a regular annual flood is of particular advantage to aquatic systems along large floodplain rivers. Aquatic fauna, in general, are adapted to this annu

 (This article was published earlier in Aug 2017 in this blog) The valley of the river Brahmaputra with its innumerable fresh water lakes (locally called beel), or ox-bow lakes (era suti), marshy tracts and seasonally flooded plains and hundreds of riverine sand_bars and islands was, till recently, an ideal wetland eco-system which contained specialised wetland animals like the fresh water dolphin, dugong and the great Indian one-horned rhino and reptiles like the crocodile, the winter monitor lizard and few species of turtles. All these creatures are either extinct or highly endangered at present. With the progressive destruction of the Brahmaputra valley wetlands since the advent of the British, along with these animals and others, we have lost yet another spectacular natural beauty - the hundreds of thousands of water birds all along the 800 km. of the river running through the plains of Assam.     The destruction of the Brahmaputra valley wetland system started with the arriv