ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE AND CLIMATE CHANGES IN KERALA
Even though the habit of protest against any developmental activity prevalent in Kerala is abhorrent to me, two recent articles in The Hindu of December 23, 2007 (www.thehindu.in) prompted me to write this note.
The wanton ecological destruction seen every where in Kerala is a matter of great concern. Hills are cut out and transported over distances to fill paddy fields for building houses. Ever increasing demand for private houses thus leads to double-destruction of the topology of the land. The frequent traffic jams and innumerable fatal road-accidents created by the incessant flow of trucks laden with earth is another matter of concern. Another consequence of this booming house construction is the creation of sand mafias who plunder river beds for sand mining, thus destroying the rivers in Kerala.
One of the articles in the Hindu, ‘Stubborn assault’ by Akbar Ayub deals with the planned construction of the seventh dam along the Chalakudy River. Kerala Government and the State Electricity Board is planning to construct a 23 meter high dam to produce about 163 MW of electricity at the Athirampilly hydroelectric project. This will add only about 3% to the power production in the state. The water reservoir will submerge about 140 hectares of prime forest land, imperil agricultural operations in nearly 20,000 hectares of land downstream, affect a large number of drinking water schemes, adversely affect the fish diversity of the river which is home for over 104 species of fish, damage two waterfalls downstream and dent tourism in the region. This dam along with the six dams already existing along the river will ring the death knell to Chalakudy River. It must be noted that four of the dams in this river divert water to Tamil Nadu. The on-going Mullaperiyar dam controversy with the state of Tamil Nadu is well known to everybody. All the existing water sharing schemes with Tamil Nadu entered into with the wrong assumption that Kerala has surplus water, are causing severe drinking water scarcity in many parts of Kerala. The major rivers of Kerala, like The Periyar, The Chalakudy and the Bharatapuzha, are getting dried up. Anybody who enters Kerala through Palakkad cannot miss the sad state of dryness in the famous Nila or Bharatapuzha which flows parallel to the railway track for several kilometers.
Now let us look at the consequences of this ecological damage. Scientists have been cautioning the world about the imminent dangers of global warming, melting of the polar ice and consequent rise in sea level leading to flooding of low lying areas of the world. All of these predictions seem to be coming true. Global warming is a well established reality. The second article in the Hindu, ‘Impact of climate change imminent in Kerala’ by R. Ramachandran Pillai describes the climate changes observed in Kerala in recent times. Dry spells during the monsoon season and heavy rain in summer has become quite common in Kerala. In 2007, there were heavy rains during June to September, causing floods. Severe summer draughts were experienced in 1983 and 2004 leading to drying up of wells and rivers, hydrological draught and severe crop losses. A recent study at the Kerala Agricultural University found that the amount of monsoon rainfall has decreased and average temperature increased during the past decade. Mean annual temperature increased by 0.2 to 0.8 degree Celsius between 1961 and 2003. Maximum temperature shot up to 40 degrees, 1 to 3 degrees above normal, at Palakkad in February/March 2004.
The forest cover in Kerala declined from 70 % to 24 % over a period of 150 years, a rate much higher than the national rate. Wetlands or paddy fields are rich water sources during summer and they act as sink during rainy season. Wetlands are decreasing fast in Kerala, from 7.53 lakhs hectares in 1961-62 to 2.76 lakhs hectares in 2005-06. These decreases in forest cover and wetlands are suspected to be the reason behind the frequent floods and draughts now common in Kerala. Ground water is getting depleted faster than that at which it is recharged due to decline in rainfall, over-use of water for irrigation, deforestation, river bed sand mining, decline in wetland area and disappearance of lakes and once ubiquitous ponds. Wells dry up and prolonged silting decreases the water storage capacity of reservoirs.
Whatever climate changes we are witnessing today is only the tip of the iceberg. Unless we take immediate steps to curb ecological destruction, we are in for all the horrible consequences predicted by scientists at a not too distant future.
TKG Namboodhiri
December 26, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Shenanigams of All Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association
Friends,
How many Keralites know that in Kerala the price and availability of drugs, including life saving ones, are controlled by a now-infamous drug stores cartel called All Kerala Chemists & Druggists Association? Yesterday's local newspapers reported that the State Drugs Control Board and Drugs Intelligence Squad raided the Head Office of this organization and located hoards of life-saving drugs and evidence of illegal forceful collection of crores of rupees from drug companies. This organization illegally collects Rs. 2000/per month for each drug a company distributes in the state to issue a "trade margin "certificate without which no shop in the state will sell that drug. The confiscated records show that this organization is collecting more than Rs. 30 lakhs per month from drug companies. Not only this, this cartel issues warnings to shop owners to not to cell drugs, sometimes life-saving ones, that are not cleared by them. They also hoard medicines to create artificial scarcity and profit from panic-buying. The state authorities raided their head-quarters in response to complaints filed by several state-run fair-price medical stores to the effect that the cartel is preventing essential drugs to be distributed to them.
It may also not be common knowledge that drug companies routinely charge 5 to 10 times the actual cost of production from the public. More than 50 % of the price of a drug is paid as commission to whole sale/retail stores. All the extra expenses incurred by them is conveniently passed on to the customers as increased MRP. In most cases we may have to pay local taxes on this amount. So the net result of all the shenanigans of drug stores cartel etc is an added price burden on the consumer. Today's papers report that the Central Government is considering legislation to curtail the margin to 20 to 30 % from the current levels to the drug retailers. It will be a welcome move for the common man. It is high time that consumers get organized and demand protective measures from the Government against unwanted/unjustified price increases of the drugs they have to buy.
How many Keralites know that in Kerala the price and availability of drugs, including life saving ones, are controlled by a now-infamous drug stores cartel called All Kerala Chemists & Druggists Association? Yesterday's local newspapers reported that the State Drugs Control Board and Drugs Intelligence Squad raided the Head Office of this organization and located hoards of life-saving drugs and evidence of illegal forceful collection of crores of rupees from drug companies. This organization illegally collects Rs. 2000/per month for each drug a company distributes in the state to issue a "trade margin "certificate without which no shop in the state will sell that drug. The confiscated records show that this organization is collecting more than Rs. 30 lakhs per month from drug companies. Not only this, this cartel issues warnings to shop owners to not to cell drugs, sometimes life-saving ones, that are not cleared by them. They also hoard medicines to create artificial scarcity and profit from panic-buying. The state authorities raided their head-quarters in response to complaints filed by several state-run fair-price medical stores to the effect that the cartel is preventing essential drugs to be distributed to them.
It may also not be common knowledge that drug companies routinely charge 5 to 10 times the actual cost of production from the public. More than 50 % of the price of a drug is paid as commission to whole sale/retail stores. All the extra expenses incurred by them is conveniently passed on to the customers as increased MRP. In most cases we may have to pay local taxes on this amount. So the net result of all the shenanigans of drug stores cartel etc is an added price burden on the consumer. Today's papers report that the Central Government is considering legislation to curtail the margin to 20 to 30 % from the current levels to the drug retailers. It will be a welcome move for the common man. It is high time that consumers get organized and demand protective measures from the Government against unwanted/unjustified price increases of the drugs they have to buy.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
DOES KERALA WANT INDUSTRIES?
Friends,
I wish everyone a Happy Diwali.
My Diwali day was spoiled by a report in Malayalam channels that a Govt body(ground water authority or something) has reported excessive ground water usage by the Pepsi-Cola factory in Palakkad. Within few days this news will snowball into strikes, agitations, dharna and whatnot against Pepsi-cola, which may eventually drive out this MNC from Kerala. Every one may remember that only few months back similar agitations led to the closure of the Coca-cola factory at Plachimada village. Now these multinationals are operating without any problem in other states of India as well as all over the world. Nobody has any complaints against them in these places. Then why this phenomenon in Kerala?
The root reason seems to me to be the dislike of Keralites to any industry in their state. They are happy to work for these same industries outside Kerala, but not in Kerala. The strange work-culture of Keralites- willing to work very hard outside Kerala, but real laziness within their state- is bewildering to me. Ground water depletion!-in a state where maximum rainfall occurs in India- and pollution seem to me lame excuses in the present case.
It is a pity that while all other states in India are eagerly trying to bring maximum amount of investment into their states, Kerala behaves in this strange,self-defeating fashion. May God give good sense to people of "God's own country"
I wish everyone a Happy Diwali.
My Diwali day was spoiled by a report in Malayalam channels that a Govt body(ground water authority or something) has reported excessive ground water usage by the Pepsi-Cola factory in Palakkad. Within few days this news will snowball into strikes, agitations, dharna and whatnot against Pepsi-cola, which may eventually drive out this MNC from Kerala. Every one may remember that only few months back similar agitations led to the closure of the Coca-cola factory at Plachimada village. Now these multinationals are operating without any problem in other states of India as well as all over the world. Nobody has any complaints against them in these places. Then why this phenomenon in Kerala?
The root reason seems to me to be the dislike of Keralites to any industry in their state. They are happy to work for these same industries outside Kerala, but not in Kerala. The strange work-culture of Keralites- willing to work very hard outside Kerala, but real laziness within their state- is bewildering to me. Ground water depletion!-in a state where maximum rainfall occurs in India- and pollution seem to me lame excuses in the present case.
It is a pity that while all other states in India are eagerly trying to bring maximum amount of investment into their states, Kerala behaves in this strange,self-defeating fashion. May God give good sense to people of "God's own country"
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
SOME MISERABLE ROADS IN KERALA
In my last blog I mentioned about the miserable condition of roads in Kerala. Then a friend sent me some pictures. I am giving some of these pictures here. 4 pictures on the right show the condition of our roads. Now let us compare these with some pictures of roads in other countries.( 4 pictures on the left).
Now why are our roads in such poor condition? The state government does not want foreign companies to come and build world class roads in Kerala. So the roads have to be constructed/repaired by our state PWD. Lacking infrastructure and probably, expertise, they build roads only as shown in the first figures. Sometime back there was a proposal for the construction of a super highway from north to south. As soon as the proposal was mooted, all sorts of people started crying that the road will divide Kerala into two. Many newspaper articles and editorials later the proposal was discarded. Then every one was hap
py. So I think that we deserve the kind of roads we have.
Now why are our roads in such poor condition? The state government does not want foreign companies to come and build world class roads in Kerala. So the roads have to be constructed/repaired by our state PWD. Lacking infrastructure and probably, expertise, they build roads only as shown in the first figures. Sometime back there was a proposal for the construction of a super highway from north to south. As soon as the proposal was mooted, all sorts of people started crying that the road will divide Kerala into two. Many newspaper articles and editorials later the proposal was discarded. Then every one was hap
py. So I think that we deserve the kind of roads we have.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
GOD HELP GOD'S OWN COUNTRY!
Hello Keralites
After a long time I am back with another lamentation on the pitiable conditions in my own Kerala.
Kerala is a land of STRIKES/BANDHS/HARTALS. Almost every day one group or the other organises a Bandh and the common man suffers. People are prevented from moving out, travelling and all shops and means of transport close down. Next day Newspapers display photos of deserted streets and closed shops and declare the strike to be a success. Success for whom? and for what? This is in spite of the fact that High courts and the supreme court have declared these strikes illegal. Many a times the ruling party or the government itself is the instigator of the strike. While this situation is not limited to Kerala alone, I feel that the Keralites have a penchant for strikes. These abberations generally cause huge losses to the country by the loss of production/sales/man-hours. The poor daily workers go hungry when a strike prevents them from their earnings. The state loses its name and become the least favoured place for any outside entrpreneur to set up his venture. So who benefits? None. Actually everybody loses.
Another point I want to make is about the miserable condition of our roads. Nearly all the roads in the state, including highways are pock marked and treachorous. Everyday several fatal accidents occur on these roads because of their miserable condition. Government puts out sttistics of crores of rupees spent on road repair. But it is a mute question as to how much of these sums are spent actually on the roads.
Are there any solutions to these problems?
After a long time I am back with another lamentation on the pitiable conditions in my own Kerala.
Kerala is a land of STRIKES/BANDHS/HARTALS. Almost every day one group or the other organises a Bandh and the common man suffers. People are prevented from moving out, travelling and all shops and means of transport close down. Next day Newspapers display photos of deserted streets and closed shops and declare the strike to be a success. Success for whom? and for what? This is in spite of the fact that High courts and the supreme court have declared these strikes illegal. Many a times the ruling party or the government itself is the instigator of the strike. While this situation is not limited to Kerala alone, I feel that the Keralites have a penchant for strikes. These abberations generally cause huge losses to the country by the loss of production/sales/man-hours. The poor daily workers go hungry when a strike prevents them from their earnings. The state loses its name and become the least favoured place for any outside entrpreneur to set up his venture. So who benefits? None. Actually everybody loses.
Another point I want to make is about the miserable condition of our roads. Nearly all the roads in the state, including highways are pock marked and treachorous. Everyday several fatal accidents occur on these roads because of their miserable condition. Government puts out sttistics of crores of rupees spent on road repair. But it is a mute question as to how much of these sums are spent actually on the roads.
Are there any solutions to these problems?
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