Invasive Weeds Undermining Farm Productivity, Biodiversity

By: Rakesh Lohumi, Sr. Editor-ICN Group SHIMLA: The Himalayas are a treasure house of medicinal and aromatic plants.With no effective strategy to thwart the march of invasive alien species, which pose a major threat to the indigenous flora, more and more area is being usurped by weeds like lantana, ageratum, parthenium (Congress grass) and eupatorium. The appearance of large gregarious patches of these weeds from the Himalayan foothills in the north to the Tamil Nadu in the south is a matter of grave concern as they pose a serious threat to…

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SJVN & NEEPCO Joint hands to Explore Power Projects in India & Abroad

By: Vijay Kumar Verma, Editor-ICN Group SHIMLA: In line with the Government of India’s “Vision of India 2022”, SJVN Limited has signed a MoU with NEEPCO to join hands for exploring power projects in India and abroad. The MoU was signed by Nand Lal Sharma, Chairman & Managing Director, SJVN Limited and A.G.West Kharkongor, Chairman & Managing Director, NEEPCO at New Delhi. The MoU provides a flexible framework under which both the PSUs will collaborate and co-operate for development of Power Projects in India and abroad and an immediate focus of…

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Calcium 3.0

By: Dr. Ameya Tripathi, Associate Editor-ICN Hypocalcemia-Part 1 LUCKNOW: Low calcium level in our body can lead to different problems. As discussed earlier we know that calcium is very important for our day to day functions. But when its level fall below the optimum level its known as deficiency of calcium. This calcium deficiency is known as “Hypocalcemia”. Hypocalcaemia is a potentially life threatening biochemical abnormality that carries risks for serious errors in diagnosis and treatment. Hypocalcaemia is low calcium levels in the blood serum. The normal range is 2.1–2.6 mmol/L…

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HYDROPOWER PLANTS AND ROAD PROJECTS A BIG DRAIN ON FORESTS

By: Rakesh Lohumi ,Sr. Editor-ICN Group SHIMLA: Hydropower plants and road projects are taking a heavy toll of the ever depleting forest reserves in Himachal Pradesh which is having the lowest green cover among the Himalayan hill states. Being a renewable source of energy hydropower projects are largely considered to be environment friendly but they account for bulk of the forest land diverted for non-forestry use. In fact, hydropower plants and road projects have together gobbled up 80 percent of the 12005 hectare of forests diverted since the enforcement of Forest…

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Earth’s Magnetic Field Affecting The Navigation Of Ships

By: Tejeshwar Singh Rana, 2nd Officer, Shell shipping-London, UK & Associate Editor-ICN Scientists know the earth can undergo phenomenon known as “geomagnetic reversal”, where these magnetic pole literally switch sides. The planet’s magnetic field is up to mischief again and geologists are pretty dumbfounded. Earth’s magnetic poles can wander several kilometers every year, however, the north pole’s movement has become incresingly stranger in recent years. For reasons that are currently unclear, the magnetic north pole seems to be increasingly slipping away from Canada and towards Siberia at an erratic rate, according to…

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Earthquake Hazard In Himalayan States: Ignore Warnings And Perish

By: Rakesh Lohumi, Sr. Editor-ICN Group The modern reinforced cement concrete (RCC) buildings are vulnerable to damage during quakes as they lack flexibility and unsuitable climatically. SHIMLA: Moderate tremors, like the one which shook parts of northwest region last night, are a constant reminder for the Himalayan States and the people that they are sitting on a geological bomb that could explode any time. There has been an increase in frequency of such tremors in recent years but still no long term preventive measures are put in place to mitigate fall…

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Food Security: Irradiation Technology Essential To Minimise Post Harvest Losses

By: Rakesh Lohumi, Sr. Editor-ICN Group SHIMLA: Extensive use of irradiation technology to minimise post-harvest crop losses is imperative to ensure food security in a developing country like India with meagre land resources and a burgeoning population. Increasing production alone will not help given the unacceptably high levels of post-harvest losses which wipe out more than one-third of the total food and foodgrain production. While exact data for post-harvest crop losses is not available various independent studies and government reports estimate the losses from 35 to 55 percent. Globally the magnitude of…

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Ruthless Exploitation Of Rivers Undermining Mountain Ecosystems

By: Rakesh Lohumi, Sr. Editor-ICN Group  SHIMLA: The breathtaking sights and the thunder of the fast flowing Sutlej will be lost to the posterity if all the hydroelectric projects are commissioned over the next decade as planned. The river with the highest power potential in the state will virtually vanish like the mythological Saraswati. A dry river bed dotted with manmade reservoirs built to divert water for power generation will be left as the meandering river will flow only through long tunnels bored underneath the towering mountains as and when…

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Calcium 1.0

By: Dr. Amay Tripathi, Associate Editor-ICN LUCKNOW: Calcium is the most abundant metal and the fifth-most abundant element in the human body. As electrolytes, calcium ions play a vital role in the physiological and biochemical processes of organisms and cells. Calcium is a mineral that is necessary for life. In addition to building bones and keeping them healthy, calcium enables our blood to clot, our muscles to contract, and our heart to beat. About 99% of the calcium in our bodies is in our bones and teeth. Calcium is indispensable to…

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Calcium 1.0

By: Dr. Amay Tripathi, Associate Editor-ICN LUCKNOW: Symbolized by sign Ca calcium is a chemical element naturally found everywhere around us. Its atomic number is 20.it is 3rd most abundant metal in earth crust after iron and alumunium.it is very reactive in nature and found in abundance as calcium carbonate in lime stone. calcium is the most abundant metal and the fifth-most abundant element in the human body. As electrolytes, calcium ions play a vital role in the physiological and biochemical processes of organisms and cells. Calcium is a mineral…

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