Even groundwater in the area is polluted: residents

Even groundwater in the area is polluted, say residents

With the water from Mettur dam hardly reaching River Cauvery in Namakkal district, the effluents discharged from the unauthorised dyeing units in Pallipalayam and Komarapalayam into the river has become its only source of water. “Anyone crossing the bridge that connects Erode and Pallipalayam can easily see the extent of pollution caused to the river”, says environmental activist R.K. Madeshwaran.

Toilets are yet to be considered an integral part of houses in rural areas of Namakkal

Superstitious beliefs, religious sentiments and vasthu shastra are making construction of toilets in rural areas of Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu an uphill task. P. Aruna (32) and her husband Periyasamy (45), a truck driver of Parali panchayat, stopped constructing a toilet and filled up the leach pit with debris. “An astrologer came to our house and told us that we should not dig any pit or else our five-year-old boy will have a bad time,” the couple said.

Farmers in Namakkal district will get the entire drought relief fund of Rs. 56.11 crore.

“The package will benefit a total of 1,17,458 farmers who suffered crop or yield loss of more than 50 per cent on an area of 1,80,981 acres, as on January 2013”, Collector D. Jagannathan told The Hindu on Friday. An initial survey on the impact of the drought was conducted in January. A detailed report was submitted to the State Government and to a high level committee headed by Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam and five other Ministers.

“The project to ‘Alleviate Poverty and Malnutrition in Agro Biodiversity Hot Spots’ in Kolli Hills that is jointly implemented by the University of Alberta (UA), Canada, and M.S.

Tests conducted on soil samples to determine level of macro and micro nutrients

Study on the availability of micro and macro nutrients in soil samples collected from Valapurnadu Panchayat atop Kolli Hills reveals that it lacked three of the four main macro ingredients – organic carbon, nitrogen and potash. “On the other hand availability of zinc (micro nutrient) is also below average,” M. Janakiraman, a Soil Pedologist and Consultant said.

As part of the steps taken by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) to alleviate malnutrition among the tribal community living at Valappur atop Kolli Hills, the foundation has initiated rearing of carp fish in the private and community ponds in a people participatory mode, on Saturday.

“Nutrition deficiency diseases such as goitre, anaemia and calcium deficiency are visible among tribals on that hill and it could be brought down by adding fish as part of their diet,” Principal Investigator of the IDRC Alleviation of Poverty and Malnutrition Project of the MSSRF Mr. Siddick Abubacker told The Hindu .

“Food security and environment sustainability are the major challenges faced across the globe and collaborative efforts between countries alone will solve these problems,” says John J. Kennelly, Dean Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta (UA), Canada.

He was speaking to The Hindu after visiting tribal villages in Valappur Panchayat atop Kolli Hills in Namakkal district on Wednesday, where the university and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, India, is jointly implementing the ‘Alleviating Poverty and Malnutrition in Agro Biodiversity Hot Spots.'

Municipality plans to improve garbage collection

Residents attribute poor garbage mechanism of the local bodies as the primary causative of increase in the stray dog menace in Namakkal.
Last year 17,848 persons have been administered with anti rabies vaccine in this district due to increase in the stray dog menace.

Volunteers dispense naturally-prepared medicines

Namakkal: Volunteers trained under the AYUSH-Isha Organic Health System, a pilot project launched by Isha Outreach in collaboration with the department of AYUSH under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, have been treating villagers in Kolli Hills for common diseases, using naturally-prepared medicines.