WORLD WATER DAY

In 2009, the theme for World Water Day was "Shared Water - Shared Opportunities". Special focus was placed on transboundary waters. Nurturing the opportunities for cooperation in transboundary water management can help build mutual respect, understanding and trust among countries and promote peace, security and sustainable economic growth. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) lead the activities of the day with the support of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/downloads/ WWD2010_advocacy_guide_print.pdf

International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of fresh water and advocating for the sustainable management of fresh water resources. Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. The World Water Day 2010 and its campaign is envisaged to:

• Raise awareness about sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being through addressing the increasing water quality challenges in water management.
  
  
• Raise the profile of water quality by encouraging governments, organisations, communities, and individuals around the world to actively engage in proactively addressing water quality e.g. in pollution prevention, clean up and restoration.

The deteriorating state of water

Worldwide water quality is declining mainly due to human activities. Increasing population growth, rapid urbanisation, discharge of new pathogens and new chemicals from industries and invasive species are key factors that contribute to the deterioration of water quality.

How does water quality affect human health?

Sufficient quality of water is critical to ensure a healthy environment and human health. The basic requirement per person per day is 20 to 40 litres of water free from harmful contaminants and pathogens for the purposes of drinking and sanitation, rising to 50 litres when bathing and kitchen needs are considered.

In many countries, however, the amount of water required daily for drinking and sanitation is not provided in the required quality. Developing countries undergoing rapid urbanisation suffer from lack of sewage treatment facilities which results in the contamination of drinking water, thus it becomes a major cause of illness (which impacts poverty and education) and death.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 4 billion cases of diarrhoea each year in addition to millions of other cases of illness are associated with lack of access to water that is safe for human consumption. Per year 2,2 million people die as a result of diarrhoea most of them are children under the age of five. Human health is severely impacted by water-related diseases (waterborne, water-washed, water-based, and water-related vector-borne infections) as well as by chemical pollution despite progressive improvement in the provision of sanitation since 1990, providing safe water and sanitation to large parts of the human population remains a challenge. Today, 1.1 billion people around the world still lack access to improved water supply and more than 2.6 billion people lack access to improved sanitation.

Keeping water clean: A shared responsibility

Protecting water sources from pollution is everyone’s responsibility. It can not be left to public authorities alone. All sectors, public and private, must take appropriate and adequate action to prevent pollution. It demands the open engagement of all - from individuals and local communities to international organisations, non-governmental organisations and civil society.

There is an urgent need to step up research, monitoring and assessment of water quality at global, regional, and local levels; taking an integrated approach using the basin as a management unit. Scientific findings from research should inform sound policy formation and implementation. Furthermore, sufficiently funded and manned regulatory functions are required to ensure compliance with and enforcement of rules and regulations.

Clean water is life. We already have the know-how and skills to address it. Let us now have the will. Human life and prosperity rest on our actions today to be the stewards, not polluters, of this most precious resource – our clean water.

Water quality impacts every one of us, and our lifestyles impact the quality of our water. And On World Water Day, let's reaffirm that clean water is life, and our lives depend on how we protect the quality of our water.

Bananas

Go Bananas

Check and take your decision.

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of bananas on the brain.

Read on:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!! This is interesting.

After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia..

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey.. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system..

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight : Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips.. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness.. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking & Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance.. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!?

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe it's time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time!

I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth.

Amazing fruit!!!

Celebrate Republic Day without fear

Ours is the biggest democracy in the world and on this day of 26th January, 1950, we the Indian people accepted our Constitution which formally and officially declared India as a democratic country. Therefore, January 26 is a sacred day for all of us. Republic Day reminds the people of their fundamental rights and responsibilities and their duties too. No doubt democracy has certain merits and demerits as well, but the merits certainly have been working meaningfully and successfully to make India a country regarded highly throughout the world. We enjoy our rights to establish our views and ideology and our stand also and we have the right to criticise our government whatever its political colour. So this is a day of national festival for us. But in Assam, for the last few decades, Republic Day has been celebrated under the threat of insurgent groups like Ulfa and various others. They have deprived the people of Assam from attending and celebrating this important national festival. The majority of the people of Assam have stayed away from Republic Day functions against their will. They did not have the right to salute their national flag. We hope the situation will change in the near future. This time we have seen that most of the leaders of Ulfa now are in custody and it is also expected that the leaders will certainly be concerned about the desire of the people of Assam and come forward to have formal talks with the government to resolve the three-decade-long problem. But Paresh Barua, the chief of the military wing of Ulfa, has asked the people not to participate or celebrate Republic Day. He has even threatened stern action against those who go against this diktat. In these circumstances, the question for the people is whether they can still participate in tomorrow’s Republic Day functions. But I feel that though the few Ulfa cadres scattered in the state can create not only nuisance but also havoc in some places, the people will come forward and celebrate Republic Day. I personally feel that there is no greater force than the united stand of the general people. And moreover, the stand of the Ulfa commander-in-chief is not one that is heartily supported by a majority of Ulfa leaders. And the government as well as the administration should be extra vigilant so that Ulfa cadres cannot create a big problem by playing with the lives and property of the peace loving people of Assam.

The writer is a former president of Asam Sahitya Sabha

India's Position in the World

Key Statistics	Unit	Rank in the World (2004)
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Total Area	1000 Ha	Russian Federation (1,707, 540)	Canada (997,061)	USA (962,909)	China (959,805)	Brazil (851,488)	Australia (7741,22)	India (328 ,726)
Agricultural Area	1000 Ha	China (553,957)	Australia (447,000)	USA (411,863)	Brazil (263,580)	Russian Federation (216, 580)	Kazakhstan (206,769)	India (181,177)
Arable Land	1000 Ha	USA (176,018)	India (161,715)	China (142,621)	Russian Federation (123,465)	Brazil (58,980)	Australia (48,300)	Argentina (33,700)
Cattle Stocks (Head)	Mn	Brazil (192,000,000)	India (185,500,000)	China (106,530,500)	Argentina (50,768,000)	Australia (26,420,000)	Ethiopia (35,500,000)	Bangladesh (24,500,000)
Buffalo Stocks (Head)	Mn	India (97,700,00)	Pakistan (25,500,000)	China (22,808,750)	---	----	----	----
Sheep Stocks (Head)	Mn	China (157,330,415)	Australia (94,500,000)	India (62,500,000)	Iran, Islamic Rep of (54,000,000)	New Zealand (40,065,000)	Brazil (14,182,000)	---
Goat Stocks (Head)	Mn	China (183,362,773)	India (120,000,000)	Pakistan (54,700,000)	Bangladesh (34,500,000)	Brazil (9,087,000)	Russian Federation (2,343, 900)	---
Hen Egg	Mt	China (24,341,400)	USA (5,252,300)	Japan (2,505,000)	Russia (1,970,000)	Mexico (1,920,000)	India (1,890,000)	Brazil (1,560,000)
Cow Milk Whole, Fresh	Mt	India (37,800,000)	Germany (28,000,000)	France (24,200,000)	Brazil (23,320,000)	China (18,850,000)	New Zealand (14,780,000)	Australia (10,377,000)
Wheat Production	Mt	China (91,330,265)	India (72,060,000)	USA (58,881,368)	Russian Federation (42,200,000)	Canada (24,462,300)	Australia (22,500,000)	---
Rice (Paddy) Prduction	Mt	China (186,730,000)	India (124,400,000)	Bangladesh (37,910,000)	Vietnam (35,500,000)	Thailand (25,200,000)	USA (10,227,960)	---
Mangoes Production	Mt	India (10,800,000)	China (3,622,000)	Thailand (1,750,000)	Mexico (1,503,010)	Pakistan (1,072,000)	Brazil (845,000)	Bangladesh (243,000)
Cereals Production	Mt	China (422,599,164)	USA (387,397,546)	India (226,330,000)	Russian Federation (74,465,000)	Brazil (64,268,845)	Canada (50,155,200)	Argentina (32,457,000)
Coarse Grain Production	Mt	USA (318,288,218)	China (144,538,900)	Brazil (44,877,045)	Russian Federation (31,785,000)	India (29,870,000)	Canada (25,692,900)	---
Tea Prodn	Mt	India (845,000)	China (821,000)	Sri Lanka (303,000 )	Kenya (290,000)	Indonesia (158,843)	Turkey (131,000)	---
Sugar Cane Production	Mt	Brazil (411,009,984)	India (244,800,000)	China (93,200,000)	Thailand (63,707,272)	Colombia (37,100,000 )	Australia (36,892,000)	Cuba (24,000,000)
Cashew Nuts Production	Mt	Vietnam (640,000)	India (460,000)	Brazil (223,941)	Nigeria (186,000)	---	---	---
Groundnut (in shell) Prodn	Mt	China (14,075,000)	India (7,500,000)	Nigeria (2,700,000)	USA (1,905,700)	Indonesia (1,450,000)	Sudan (1,200,000)	Argentina (414,285)
Coconuts Production	Mt	Indonesia (15,650,000)	Philippines (13,700,000)	India (9,700,000)	Brazil (2,959,880)	Sri Lanka (1,900,000)	Thailand (1,450,000)	China (289,000)
Coir Prodn	Mt	India (450,000)	Sri Lanka (133,000)	Malaysia (28,000)	Thailand (20,000 )	Bangladesh (11,390)	---	---
Jute Prodn	Mt	India (1,789,000)	Bangladesh (800,000)	China (68,000)	Myamar (50,000)	Uzbekistan (20,000)	Nepal (17,000)	---
Lentils Prodn	Mt	India (1,100,000)	Canada (938,000)	Tuekey (560,000)	Australia (220,000)	Nepal (160,000)	USA (154,000)	China (150,000)
Millet Prodn	Mt	India (8,000,000)	Nigeria (6,100,000)	China (2,200,800)	Burkina Faso (1,250,000)	Russian Federation (1,050,000)	---	---
Natural Rubber Prodn	Mt	Thailand (3,030,000)	Indonesia (1,792,000)	Malaysia (1,000,000)	India (694,000)	China (550,000)	Brazil (96,000)	---
Onions, Dry Prodn	Mt	China (18,035,000)	India (5,500,000)	USA (3,162,750)	Pakistan (1,657,900)	Russian Federation (1,625,000)	Iran (1,500,000)	Brazil (1,133,240)
Potatoes Prodn	Mt	China (75,048,000)	Russian Federation (37,000,000)	India (25,000,000)	USA (20,419,280 )	Ukraine (19,450,000)	Poland (15,000,000 )	Germany (12,991,076)
Sesame Seed Prodn	Mt	India (800,000)	China (650,620)	Myanmar (380,000)	Sudan (325,000)	Uganda (110,000)	Bangladesh (50,000)	---
Soyabeans Prodn	Mt	USA (85,740,952)	Brazil (49,205,268)	Argentina (32,000,000)	China (17,750,340)	India (7,000,000)	Paraguay (3,800,000)	Canada (2,919,600

Thailand Government Releases New Postage Stamps on Hindu Deities.

Government of Thailand released remarkable new edition of stamps depicting the Hindu Deities, which will definitely delight the hearts of Hindu’s in Asia and other parts of the world. Thailand has a remarkable affinity to the Hindu Religion and Thai People are obviously proud of their Indian (Hindu) connection with the rich and colorful Thai culture and tradition.



The newly published stamps and the first day covers are embossed and printed with four (4) idol images of Hindu gods, namely Lord Ganesha, Lord Brahma, Lord Narayana (Phra Narai) and Lord Shiva (Phra Issuan) has indeed created a wonderful feelings and has brought great honour to the minds of the Hindu fraternity in Thailand and every parts in this globe. The inclusion of the Aum sign and the Trimurthi (Brhama, Vishnu and Mahesh) in the first day cover enhanced the significance of Hindu Dharma into the mind of every Hindu admirers without any doubt.

Renewables

India has a very active programme to promote the use of renewable energy. Some salient features of the current renewables situation are given source-wise.

Solar

Photovoltaic systems based on solar energy have been put to a variety of uses in rural electrification, railway signalling, microwave repeaters, power to border outposts and TV transmission and reception.
Grid-connected PV power plants with an aggregate capacity of 1900 kWp have been set up for demand-side management or tail-end voltage support.
A 140 MW integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) plant is being set up based on solar thermal technology and liquified natural gas.
Solar lanterns, home- and street-lighting systems, stand-alone power plants, and pumping systems are being promoted. So far, 9,20,000 SPV systems with an aggregate capacity of 82 MWp have been installed in the country.

Wind energy

India is among the five leading nations in wind power generation
The installed capacity is 1507 MW, and generators of capacity 250-600 kW are manufactured here.
95% of installed wind power capacity is in the private sector. State-of-the-art wind power systems are also being manufactured in the country. In fact, wind turbine equipment is also being exported to other developing and developed countries.