AISWARYA R NAIR

We all know Kerala as the ' God's Own Country .' But, many parts of the state are like sinking ships. If you ever got a chance to visit the Munroe Islands in the Kollam district, you would know exactly what I'm speaking. The islands or Thuruthu (in the local language) are actually sinking.  The place is located at the confluence of Ashtamudi Lake and the Kallada river. The base of the Munroe islands is built from the soil and silt accumulated from the floodwaters of the Kallada river, thus, making the soil fertile and attracting farmers from across the state to settle there. Also, because of the fertile soil, mangroves grew abundantly, hence preventing the chances of soil erosion.  However, everything turned into a nightmare after the 2004 tsunami, which destroyed half of the mangroves on the Munroe islands. The force of nature also washed away all the slit and the sand off the shore.  Other than that, the force of the tidal waves from the deep sea has washed away seve...

Protests are taking place massively in Lakshadweep, but do you know the main cause behind it? Before going through that, let's share some basic information with you! Lakshadweep is a union territory with 36 islands where you need to have special permission to visit. Being a union territory, Lakshadweep is administered by an Administrator who the President himself appoints.  When it comes to Administrator, Praful Khoda Patel is currently in position, and before him, Dineshwar Sharma, the former Intelligence Bureau Chief, held that seat. So, after Dineshwar died of lung complications, the current Indian Government appointed Praful Patel as the Administrator.  So, since the COVID-19 pandemic hit India, Lakshadweep had not reported a single case last year. However, things went chaotic as the first case was reported in January 2021. To date, the tropical archipelago registered around 4,986 cases and 14 deaths. The main cause for that is, Patel altered the Standard Operating Proced...

We all know what deserts are, but do you know their importance for our natural habitat? Deserts are ecologically vital because several animals live in it, and it is a significant source of sand. Also, oil, which you know is the most profitable industry worldwide, is mainly found under deserts. However, nowadays, deserts are not naturally found. They are mostly human-made. Now you may think how! Well, it is the aftereffect of the worst type of land degradation - Desertification . So what is desertification? Desertification is one of the most significant environmental challenges we are facing currently and climate change. It is mainly caused due to human activities and climate variations, and aggressive agricultural activities are mostly drained beyond the capacity. In 1994, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was established and stated that “desertification means land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, includin...

People all over the world are dealing with some unforeseen challenges which the COVID-19 pandemic has caused. The second wave of the coronavirus has hit several countries, including India, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, and Israel.  Over the past year, millions of people have died worldwide, forcing countries to go under severe lockdown. Work from home has become the new normal for people. Several have been facing mental and health issues due to these stringent lockdown rules. But that was about people, what about the environment? Are they benefitting due to these shutdowns? Many say that the worldwide lockdown, there has been a positive effect on the environment.  The Gain One of the main benefits of the lockdown worldwide was less human travel. Due to this, air pollution levels have dropped drastically. As per reports, levels of pollutants like carbon monoxide [CO], sulfur dioxide [ SO 2 ], and PM 2.5 [Particle Pollution] have plunged. As per NASA scientists, they have seen an ap...