India being the land of agriculture grows various types of crops. 65% of the land is agricultural land. Kala Namak Rice is one of the by-products for the same. The traditional Buddhist variety of rice is purely an Indian variety. It is organically farmed and outshines basmati rice in all aspects including its length.

Kala Namak Rice is one of the finest quality scented rice in India. It has been cultivated in India since 600 BC. It’s very popular in the Himalayan Tarai of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is also known as the scented black pearl of Uttar Pradesh. A Chinese monk wrote “When Gautam Budhha visited Kapilvastu for the first time after attaining enlightenment; he gifted Kala Namak to the local people as “Prasad”. He asked them to sow it in marshy land, it is due to this reason this rice is also called as “Buddha’s Gift”. This rice was also found in the kitchen store of a house in UP in one of the excavation.
With the flow of time, the production of this rice has declined an is nearly to be extinct. The world-famous rice for its aroma and taste was given a cold-shoulder because of its low yield and non-profitability.

The efforts of Ram Chet Chaudhary, a retired agricultural scientist and the founder of the Participatory Rural Development Foundation (PRDF) is the reason the crop started seeing a revival. PRDF had researched in 2013 that showed that the production of Kala Namak Rice fell from 50,000 hectares to 2,000 hectares of land. After all the efforts the production in 2018 went up to 35,000 hectares in 14 districts including Gorakhpur, Basti, Maharajganj, Deoria, Siddharth Nagar and others. High yielding varieties of Kala Namak Rice has been produced, not only 4 but 11 districts of Purvanchal have also got GI (Geographical Indication) tag.

Districts like Siddharthnagar, Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Barabanki, Gonda, Bahraich, Balrampur, Kushinagar, Basti and Deoria can both produce and sell Kala Namak rice. People from other districts can grow to eat but cannot do business in the name of black salt.

Chaudhary believes that the cultivation of Kala Namak Rice has contributed 3 times more income to farmers compared to other paddy varieties like Samba Massorie, Doongara, Koshihikari and hence more farmers are showing interest in it.
The farmers had pleaded to Chaudhary to revive this dying crop to trace its history to Buddha. “I collected over 250 samples from farmers to research the crop. After seven years of extensive research, I succeeded in developing Kala Namak variety KN3, which was released by the UP Government and notified by the government of India in 2010. It was rich in aroma and tasted like the original Kala Namak Rice but farmers complained that it had a low yield and that the outer covering with a pointed tip (awn) troubled them while separating rice from husk. Then I came up with an improvement, ‘Bauna Kala Namak 102’, which was without an awn and high-yielding. It was released and notified by the government of India in 2016. Now, we have come up with the latest variety called ‘Kala Namak Kiran’, which will soon be notified by the government. Now I wish to boost the marketing of Kala Namak so that farmers are encouraged to grow it and can sell it right from their doorstep.”

Chaudhary had started the research to mainly commercialise this ancient paddy. “We want to take the Kala Namak Rice to national and international markets again,” PK Srivastava of WetLand Glory Pvt Limited, who signed the agreement with farmers, said. “To ensure a fair price to farmers for their produce, we have entered into an agreement with 100% buy-back terms. To take this unique product of UP abroad, we will also start exporting it soon, besides promoting it through stalls at the coming Lucknow Mahotsav and even at Kumbh 2019. By the end of December, we will be able to market it,” he added.
Assistant Development officer Arvind Kumar Yadav said, “Among the three varieties developed by Dr Chaudhary, Bauna Kala Namak 102 has become very popular. It’s very similar to the original crop with a small stem and ripens in a comparatively shorter period of time. Also, compared to the original Kala Namak Rice, it gives a good income to farmers. In one hectare, 50 to 55 quintals of Kala Namak Rice can be grown against 20 to 25 quintals of original Kala Namak rice per hectare.”

However, at a time when the minimum support price (MSP) of ‘A’ grade paddy (Paddy) in the country was running at Rs 1835 per quintal, farmers got Rs 5500 for a quintal of the black salt rice. The fragrance of this rice has now reached to Buddhist countries like Bhutan, Japan, Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The Deputy Director of Agriculture, Siddharth Nagar, Lal Bahadur Yadav, told News18 Hindi that this rice is currently being sold at a rate of Rs 12,000 per quintal. It grows only in rainwater. Due to the introduction of new varieties of black salt rice, this time the area has increased to double or about 10 thousand hectare as compared to last year.

Although, if now the hybrid of the Kala Namak Rice will be sold it wouldn’t have the essence, fragrance, taste or significance of the organic Kala Namak rice that was given by Lord Buddha. The organic rice also loses its fragrance and colour if chemical fertilizers are used hence the government must provide the farmers with the right amount of organic fertilizers to keep the Kala Namak rice alive. To preserve this heritage it is essential to provide the farmers with what they need to grow this crop right.

The attempt of exporting this ancient paddy around the global could act as a great means of income to the farmers and also help in letting the world know about this unique grain. It would also mean to inform the world about Gautam Budhha’s great gift but only if it, in fact, is organic.

Image Credits:- Loksatta

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by Madeeha Khan

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has stopped the world from functioning. The only good thing that came out of this pandemic was the nature healing itself. Flocks of flamingos returned to Mumbai, the residents in Jalandhar spotted a Himalayan range with the naked eyes for the first time years, the quality of the Ganga river improved and lastly the foam in the Yamuna river which in 2019 had left people in distress, this lockdown had proved effective in even getting rid of it.

But as the restrictions on the lockdown ease, nature is returning to its old self. The toxic foam in Delhi’s Yamuna river has returned, signalling the return of pollution. In this lockdown period, it was noticed that this toxic foam had disappeared and several Indian migratory birds like stokes, ibis and heron had returned. As the lockdown had shut the industries and commercial activities in this region making it the primary reason for the clean water in the Yamuna river.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee said that compared to the pre-lockdown days, the river was cleaner by around 33 per cent. The Vice-Chairman of the Delhi Jal Board, Raghav Chadha had credited the lockdown for the improvement in water quality of the Yamuna river as the toxic wastes were not being discharged into it.
“Many industries and offices are closed due to the lockdown these days and therefore the Yamuna is looking cleaner. The stoppage of industrial pollutants and industrial waste has had a positive effect on water quality. We will conduct testing of the water to ascertain the percentage of improvement in the quality,” he said.

Cleaning the Yamuna was an important thing that the government and some organizations were trying to get done for a long period of time by spending crores of rupees which resulted in nothing but a failure. But nature did it on its own. A fisherman on Friday noticed that this foam has started building again in river Yamuna near Okhla Barrage. This foam is formed as a result of high pollution level which can prove to be hazardous for the people living near it.

“If the pollution level has increased then we have to make a plan to clean the Yamuna. If any responsibility is given to MCD, we will be happy to work to clean the Yamuna. We have to also see that industry operations should also be not disturbed”, Jai Prakash, the Mayor of North Delhi Municipal Corporation said.

Last year, during the Chattha Puja devotees, were seen standing in this toxic foam that was up till their knees. Later it was found that the water quality of the river improved downstream near Mathura.

The mayor of the East Delhi Municipal corporation in an interview said, “It is the responsibility of the Delhi government to clean the Yamuna river, but if they want and assign us some role for cleaning of the Yamuna river, we will welcome them.”

However, the environmentalists had warned that all this happiness can turn around if the government does not take active measures in maintaining this change and stopping industries from dumping their waste in the Yamuna river.

Nature knows how to heal itself from the damage done by humans without their help, only if we restrict ourselves from hurting it and not repeating the same mistakes again.

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Cloud watchers have recently been given record-breaking glimpses of the rarest clouds in the skies. Stunning rippled blue clouds have been forming in the highest reaches of the atmosphere over Europe and the United States. These clouds are normally only seen around the poles. They have already been seen at the lowest latitudes ever recorded.

A tenuous cloud-like phenomenon, which consists of ice crystal majorly known as “night-shining” clouds. These clouds used to be a rare sight for humans of the past to observe. It was first recorded only after the 1883 Eruption of Krakatao that emitted an unconvincing amount of dust into the atmosphere. Since then they have become a more common sight.

Every year from May to August in the Northern Hemisphere, and from November to February in the Southern Hemisphere, people residing at high latitudes report seeing noctilucent clouds. “These beautiful clouds have now subsided to their lowest latitude of the 2020 season so far,” said SpaceWeather.com.

The water in these clouds is either transported up into the mesosphere from the lower atmosphere or forms when the methane in the mesosphere breaks down by absorbing the sun rays. However, other particles are needed for the formation of a cloud, so that the water can get condense on to.

In the lower atmosphere, these are normally aerosol particles from dust, sand, and salt. However, in the mesosphere, the main source of the particles is meteors. As these lumps of space lumber burn up in the higher layers of the atmosphere, they can leave behind a chain of meteor dust. At lower temperatures, the water in the mesosphere gets condensed on this dust and grow into clouds.

As for these noctilucent clouds, they are visible from Earth and space as well. European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts, Astronaut Luca Parmitano and Astronaut Tim Peake also took pictures of the clouds during their missions onboard the International Space Station.

The lowest latitude, at which noctilucent clouds are seen each year, is moving slowly towards the south ever since 2002. In June 2019, the record for the lowest point we have ever seen these clouds were broken when they appeared not far from Los Angeles. This was because the mesosphere was strangely wet, containing much more water than it usually does. “This could be because an enormous planetary wave was transporting cold air and moisture into the North Pole,” states Jon Perrett in his article on TheConversation who is a PhD Candidate in Atmospheric Dynamics, University of Bath.

Lately, we are also in a deep solar minimum, the period of the sun’s 11-year cycle when it is least active. That means the ultraviolet radiation from the sun that sometimes destroys the water modules that form these clouds is a smaller amount intense, so more of them can form. 

Human emissions could also be a factor. Over the past 130 years, we have released abundant methane into the atmosphere, which means more water modules will form in the mesosphere.

So next time you’re out after dark, look up. You might just see the rarest clouds in the sky.

Image Credits:- SciTech Daily

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By Khushi Mehra

Lonar Lake, also known as Lonar crater, is 52,000 years old give or take 6,000 years and is a proclaimed National Geo-heritage site, located in Buldhana district, Maharashtra, India. This Lake was formed due to asteroid collision with earth during the Pleistocene Epoch. Wherefore it’s a well-known tourist hub and also attracts many scientists from all over the world. This comes under one of the four known, hyper-velocity, impact craters in basaltic rock far and wide on earth.

According to the experts this Lake is highly alkaline, which has led pH level to rise. Also, the high concentration of carbonate salt and saline supports the growth of a family bacteria studied as Halobacteriaceae. This is not the first time that the color change has happened, but this time it is more striking. The same phenomenon was noted at Urmia Lake, Iran. Scientists here studies that it happened because of salinity getting increased; salinity and warm water results in Dunaliella algae.

Dr Madan Suryavanshi, head of the geography department of Aurangabad’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, said looking at the scale of this color change, “This can’t be a human intervention.”

Arun Gulabrao Mapari, an activist fighting to save Lonar said, “The reason of its unique color is still not fully understood by scientists, though most suspect it has to do something with the presence of Dunaliella salina microalgae. Dunaliella produces carotenoids, a pigment found in carrots as well. But presence of halophilic bacteria in the salt crusts could be another explanation. A reaction between the salt and sodium bicarbonate found in the water may cause it as well.”

During this period there are many changes happening in our environment. Some changes are even unrealistic like Lonar Lake. The reasons for all these changes is that our environment is healing since there’s no disturbance during the lockdown. The large-scale and small-scale place are shut for time being which is helping ecosystem.

Image Credits: cnn.com

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By Khushi Mehra

We are all going through crisis that is COVID-19. We all learned and grew a lot from this. From making small moments count to planning big, we changed and so did our environment. Pollution resulted in us losing our corals and increased carbon-dioxide emissions. But, due to lockdown, nature has started healing. It’s like wildlife, ecosystem, ozone layer, and everything that has nature’s privilege has had a makeover.

Besides all of the problems that we think we are facing, the environment is giving us the chance to redo our duty as its protector. Nature has its own mysterious ways to heal. All we have to do is sit back and observe. The ecosystem is healing itself without any interruption from human life, let practice the same even after the lockdown is lifted and things are back to normal.

Our reverent rivers Yamuna and Ganga are getting cleaned without any Water Wheel Aerator. The clarity of the water has improved without any human interruption. After the arrival of dolphins in river Ganga, Flamingos are spotted in Mumbai after two years. The Great Himalayas are visible from miles now, in lockdown from Jalandhar, Punjab. The skylines are visible again in the capital and the pollution levels have reached satisfactory levels.

We are changing even if we don’t want to and so is our environment. The industries have shut down. The construction has stopped. There’s almost no traffic on roads. And humans have started to appreciate what Mother Earth has to offer.

Every situation has two sides, a positive and a negative, what matters is which side we are looking at. Changes might not always be in our favour. It’s important to learn to be okay with what is happening, to be okay to endure some losses and learn through our errors. Economically, yes! We are facing huge breakdown or but environment is seeing a massive rebuilt.

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Vizag saw a gas leak on morning of May7, 2020 at LG Polymers Industry.

11 people have died and thousands reported sick after the leak of Styrene gas from the chemical plants in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

They have been admitted to government hospital and King George Hospital in Gopalapatnam.

This takes you back to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984. Methyl isocyanate (MIC) was leaked from the pesticide plant resulting in a long-term tragedy. The side-effects from that gas leak are still borne by people, who were exposed to it and who continued to live in the area affected.

With the pandemic, COVID-19, on an all time high, this came as another blow for India on a whole. Doctors are doing their best to fight this disaster with the help of NDRF teams. It was reported that 2,000 residents have been affected by the leakage and around 5,000 people have been evacuated to safer places.

Image Credits: The Indian Express

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By: Talat Mohsin

India is home to a large number of spectacular marine life which have a habitat in its tropical oceans along with the usual hill stations and various wildlife sanctuaries. With the ever-increasing popularity of beaches as a tourist destination in India, the marine life is now under a threat.

Due to the high demand of tourists in the coastal areas, many changes are being done to them to accommodate more and more people. Many of these activities have adverse effects on our ecosystems. While it generates income that often makes it possible to help improve our environment, the negative impacts are more than positive. Some of these are listed below:

• Increase in water and energy consumption
• Increase in pollution (air, water, and noise)
• Litter, erosion, and fires
• Disturbance in the ecosystem
• Spoliation of flora and fauna
• Increase in wastage
• Disruption of the aesthetic appeal of the location

An example of this is the coast of Sindhudurg. In recent times, Sindhudurg has emerged as a very popular tourist destination. But the popularity has resulted in the endangerment of its marine life. Thankfully, it’s mainstreaming project has taken initiatives to increase awareness among the people and promoting biodiversity sensitive practices. Young and trained scuba divers are also taking initiatives to serve as agents of change. They perform rescue and release of animals and also get rid of the major solid pollutants in the water. They even educate people on marine conservation and it’s importance. Often, consumers don’t realize the threats looming on our marine life because of our incessant travels. But as the need for environmental sustainability is growing, more and more public and authoritarian figures are shifting their stance as well. The ecosystem is ours, therefore the responsibility of protecting it falls on our shoulders too.

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Every day we see millions of people surviving on plastic in any season of a year. The waste generated from plastics comes with zillion side-effects to the humans and the environment that they live in.

Recently, Akshar school in the state of Assam have replaced school fee with used plastic. For them, plastic is their means to procure free education. The rule is to bring 20 used plastic gathered from their home and local area to school every year.

Parmita Sarma an Assamese started this project with her New Yorker husband Mazin Mukhtar. She said “The use of plastic is rampant across Assam. In order to stop the widespread burning of plastic in these villages, we decided to educate the community on the health hazards of burning plastics”

“In addition, the parents have to make a “pledge” not to burn plastics,” said Sarma. According to local non-government organization Environ, Dispur alone which is home to just under a million people produces 37 tonnes of waste rubbish daily.

“Earlier, we used to burn the plastics and we had no idea that the gas emitted from that was harmful tour health and environment. We also threw these away in the neighborhood. But that would never happen again,” Said Menu Bora, the mother of one pupil.

The school after accumulating the waste plastic recycles it to make “eco-bricks” which can then be used to construct new school buildings, toilets or pathways. The students also receive a basic remuneration for doing this task.

“The parents of most of our school students cannot afford to send them to school. It was tough but we have motivated them back to school.” Says Mukhtar Co-founder of Akshar school.

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By: Amrita Singh

“ONLY WHEN THE LAST TREE HAS BEEN CUT DOWN, THE LAST FISH BEEN CAUGHT AND THE LAST STREAM POISONED , WE WILL REALISE WE CANNOT EAT MONEY.”

Environmental change is real and that’s evident. It’s high time that we realise the need for our actions and take steps to combat the environmental changes.

Repercussions of environmental change is widespread. Recently a starving polar bear has strayed hundreds of kilometres from its natural Arctic habitat into the Russia city of Norlisk in Siberia. It is the first polar bear seen in the city in more than 40 years.

Over the past few years it has been observed that Arctic has been reportedly turning brown. This, reportedly, has been credited to the extreme temperatures the region faces.

When you think of snow the first thing that comes to the mind is a thick white sheet of snow covering the area. However it was reported that this winter due to the pollution in Siberia the snowfall wasn’t white it was black making it toxic.

7 environmental change facts you should know :-

• Sea levels are rising at their fastest rate in 2000 years.

• More greenhouse gases are in our atmosphere than any time in the human history.
• Climate change will lead to a refugee crisis.
• Two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef has been damaged due to climate change.

• Earth could warm by 6 degrees this century.
• The PH of ocean surface water has decreased by 0.1, which makes them 26 percent more acidic now.
• The Arctic region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040.

Well, talking only about the problems is of no use, what is needed is quick action.

This year, The Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier in Florida drew 633 divers. The Scuba divers gathered trash from the ocean floor and, in doing so, set a Guinness World Record for the largest underwater cleanup.

For the first time ever, UK uses more reusable energy than fossil fuels.

The school strike for climate (also known variously as Fridays for Future, Youth for Climate and Youth Strike 4 Climate) is an international movement of school students who are deciding not to attend classes and instead take part in demonstrations to demand action to prevent further global warming and climate change.

This shows that people are making efforts to combat environmental changes but more awareness and actions are needed. The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.
So realise the wrong we are doing to the planet before it’s too late !

Friendly reminder:-
EARTH IS THE ONLY HOME WE HAVE !

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Eons of merely talk-talk sustainability in the homes of many fashion industry, we have brands that unhypocritically talks and puts words into action. Sustainable high-street fashion brands have taken a foot further into recycled and innovative environment-friendly fabrics.

#1

ALTERNATE APPAREL

Their garments come straight from organic and recycled fabrics which are crafted with sustainable materials. The use of low-impact dyes, bio-degradable fabric softeners, and water conserving washes makes it an eco-friendly brand. They use 60 percent of the organic cotton used annually in place of conventional cotton. The brands also take up the responsibility to conserve 2,100 trees, 400 cubic yards of landfill, 860k gallons of water and 120 tons of CO2 annually. Their apparel reaches out to men, women, Unisex, children, and youth.

#2

AMOUR VERT

‘Green Love’ is what AMOUR VERT stands for, for its healthier, versatile fashion and a fast-growing fashion. It believes in conserving the planet for generations to come.

AMOUR believes in creating a sustainable environment by eliminating the waste from their clothing and to reach the highest production standard. 97 percent of their products are made in California. They have many gender biased factories set up in San Francisco and Oakland. Their fabrics are unique in softness, design, and durability with sustainability in mind. ‘Harvested Beechwood is their signature modal fabric which is harvested free of harmful pesticides, biodegradable, and luxuriously soft fabrics.

#3

CONSCIOUS COLLECTION

H & M believes in the vision of recycling used garments in order to renew its brand new. On March 28, 2019 – it celebrates its Conscious Exclusive collection with a launch party in Los Angeles. The Conscious Collection believes in the healing power of nature while also embracing innovation for their up-styled consumers. They introduced three sustainable clothing on their Conscious Collection.

Pinatex- a natural leather alternative made from cellulose fibers extracted from pineapple leaves; BLOOM Foam, a plant-based flexible foam using algae biomass; and Orange Fibre, sustain silk-like fabrics made citrus juice by-products. The collection is inspired by natural beauty and natures importance in surrounding us.

#4

REFORMATION

A brand that believes in recycling at least 100,000 garments through things like Ref Vintage sourcing, thredUP and Rent the Runaway partnerships,  and RefRecycling. Their tie-up with Osometex helps them to reduce and recycle the fibers into new yarns and fabrics. This is done in order to reduce the use of virgin materials, also eliminating the use of water content through a mechanical process.

#5

PEOPLE TREE

Technological innovation has never stopped ‘People Tree’ into believing in traditional skills combined with innovative technologies. They use skills such as hand knitting or hand embroidery in order to generate employment in rural areas where work is often scarce. The clothes are produced using low impact dyes and are free from harmful azo chemicals which are used in clothing manufacture. There environment-friendly organic cotton brushed velvet, TENCEL Lyocell silky party wear is few from their new fabric collection.

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