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Doon’s ground water takes a dip
Pumpkin — The wonder ball |
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INA founder was forest institute employee
ONGC scholarship for SC students
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Doon’s ground water takes a dip
Dehradun, August 17 Eighty per cent of the drinking water supply in Dehradun is dependent on ground water. The valley has over 150 tubewells. The Jal Sansthan owns most of them while a few are of the irrigation and other departments.
While there is no denial that the city has a huge potential for ground water but the scale of boring done both at private and government levels has reached a point of caution. The borings being done in Dehradun range from a depth of 20m to 150m, depending on the location. The speedy rate of withdrawal of ground water from the main Dehradun aquifer is fast turning to be a major cause of concern. With most of the rainwater running off to the plain areas and leading to a lack of recharge has further added to the declining ground water levels in the region. The rampant construction activity in the city has certainly led to blocking of recharge areas which again leaves little chance for rainwater to percolate down the earth and thus forces it to flow away. The coming up of settlements along side seasonal rivers is another big problem. These river-side clusters of houses have also substantially reduced the potential surface area for recharge. The surface areas of seasonal rivers and nullahs that criss cross the valley have reduced by a large extent the possibility of ground water recharge in the valley. But while there are visible signs over the reduction of ground water levels in Dehradun, the lack of monitoring is left both the Centre and state officials groping in the dark. While Central Ground Water Board has certainly made efforts in the direction by sending a proposal to the Union Ground Water Ministry, the lack of a Ground Water Department in Uttarakhand is acting as a big hindrance in getting the true picture of the ground water scenario in the state. In addition to the Ground Water Department, many states have come up with district-levels offices, but Uttarakhand has not even taken the first steps. While the CGWB awaits the green signal from the ministry, it has also decided to do away with the dependency over traditional wells to monitor the ground water table. Now, it has proposed to undertake boring and installing water-level recorder to get accurate readings. “We have submitted a proposal to the Central Ground Water Ministry to ensure a comprehensive monitoring of the ground water in Uttarakhand,” AK Bhatia, Regional Director, CGWB said. “While there has been a depletion of ground water levels in Dehradun, lack of adequate monitoring is acting as a hindrance in revealing the true scenario,” Bhatia said. He said that the department also proposed to undertake training and awareness programmes for the people in the state shortly. This will not only sensitise them towards the importance of ground water and also encourage them to go for water harvesting and other water-conservation measures. There are only a few curbs on the conduct of ground water-boring activities in Dehradun. The curbs to check the rampant usage of ground water are restricted to industrial units in the state. An industrial unit has to obtain a no-objection certificate from the CGWB before undertaking any boring activity. To strengthen its grip on these industries, the CGWB for the first time is also entering into an understanding with the Uttarkhand Pollution Control Board. The move will ensure monitoring of both usage and also any possible case of contamination of ground water on part of these industries. The assessment to get the correct picture of ground water is under progress and any drastic fall of water levels could lead to even notifying the area under water regulation and conservation norms. This could lead to a ban on boring for any new tubewell. Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Government recently constituted a six-member core group meeting headed by Secretary, Drinking Water. The group has Regional Director, CGWB, Uttarakhand Chief Conservator of Forests and CGM, Jal Sansthan, as its prominent members. The core group is to take up the ground-water scenario in the state in a larger perspective. To find the solution to the challenge of reducing recharge area, the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkie, has also been approached by the CGWB for developing ground water recharge areas. Rainwater harvesting has also been taken up by the CGWB in a big way. The department is already working with the Forest Research Institute, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration and other prominent departments.
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Pumpkin — The wonder ball
Mussoorie, August 17 The pumpkin is a finger-licking delight among adults but most children often raise eyebrows and make faces on hearing its name ‘kaddu’. They don’t realise what a ‘wonder ball’ the pumpkin actually is. The pumpkin grows on a creeper plant with brittle spiky stem, large fleshy leaves and bright yellow and fleshy flowers. It gives way to a tender green pulpy fruit which is ready to be brought to the kitchen when it attains the size of a volley ball. However, some pumpkins have been reported to have grown to the size of a bath tub. In most Indian kitchens, the pumpkin is cooked delicately - stirred and tossed, fried with fenugreek seeds, garam masala and a dash of fresh tamarind pulp. The fragile preparation is garnished with crispy fried red chillies to be served with steamy rice or soft tawa chapatti. The deliciously juicy and aromatically hot kaddu sabzi thus cooked can give an edge to any pizza, pasta or burger. In the mountains, the tender flower buds, stems and leaves of the pumpkin are also cooked as a scrumptious ‘saag’ that incorporates local spices and methods and forms one of the exclusive culinary goodies of the hills. The pumpkin is acknowledged as sacred in the mountains and is considered a vital feast during rituals and festivities. Pumpkin flesh is a rich source of vitamin E and contains raw fibre which eases down constipation and urinal disorders. The elders in the mountains have been giving whole unpeeled seeds of the pumpkin to children to combat intestinal worms. The seeds are ready when the pumpkin rips and turns yellow and hard. The hollow hard cover of the dried pumpkin, cleared of seeds, serves as an excellent cask for fermenting vegetable and fruit-homemade wines of the hills. The same hollow ball is also used as a vessel for storing pulses and grains and for making local folk instruments. The pumpkin grows easily with its seed on a well-drained land. It grows in abundance in the mountains here and there where ever the seed gets carried away.
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INA founder was forest institute employee
Dehradun, August 17 The freedom fighter took a 37-day leave from the Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute in to order carry out the 1912 Bomb Attack on Viceroy of India Lord Hardinge in Delhi. The Forest Research Institute (FRI) had some time back was able to locate the personal file of Rash Bihari Bose identified with number 73. Bose served as a head clerk during that period. In 1912, British authorities decided to shift the imperial capital from Calcutta to Delhi. To mark the arrival of Lord Hardinge in the new capital a procession was taken out. As the Viceroy and his wife were passing through Chandni Chowk, the attackers threw a bomb which injured Hardinge and killed his Mahawat. His leave record indicates that Bose took leave from November 25 to December 31, 1912 in order to further December 23 bomb conspiracy. After successfully locating the file, the FRI now plans to put up some pictures of Rash Bihari Bose at its Rangers College Gallery at Parade Ground. Born on May 25, 1886, in Palara-Bighati village in Hoogly, Rash Behari Bose was a government employee at the Forest Research Institute. While he joined the Institute on September 7, 1906, he was terminated for long absenteeism on May 14, 1914. Rash Behari formed the Indian National Army (INA) with Captain Mohan Singh and Sardar Pritam Singh on September 1, 1942. Bose was elected president and later gave Supreme Command of the INA to Subash Chandra Bose in 1943.
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ONGC scholarship for SC students
Dehradun, August 17
The CMD congratulated his colleagues for conceiving the programme and inviting bright minds from different parts of the country to be with ONGC on its Foundation Day. He said “The significance of calling all students and their parents to tell them that the ONGC is doing this event, not merely as part of our corporate social responsibility, but we are also doing this more than anything else to recognise the calibre of the students.” The parents must be feeling very proud to be here with the ONGC, which is the largest PSU and the largest profit making company in India,” he added. “The scholarships, when you are a student, carries a lot of value; I myself as a student felt so. But more than anything else, it is the gesture on the part of the ONGC management for calling all students from all parts of the country. We feel proud to do such a work and wish to convey how much we value the activities pursued by the students,” he said. He told the students that they would remain the ONGC’s ambassador in their lives. Dr Balyan, HR director, ONGC, welcomed the bright and meritorious students. Dr Balyan said, “The ONGC is a knowledge industry. We are in the field of oil and gas exploration production and the related areas. And this sector’s upstream is known as a knowledge sector and therefore we can promote the many ways of enhancing knowledge,” he said. He said the scholarship scheme for talented young minds was started with 25 students initially in the fields of engineering and geo-science and also management. “Over a period of time, we have enhanced the number and now we provide 100 scholarships every year. We are happy that bright minds are a part of our scheme and have come in contact with the most valuable company of the country,” he added. He also said the scholarships continued for the period of entire study and the amount of scholarship varied from first year to the last year.
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the Central Ground Water Board
(CGWB) is contemplating regular monitoring of ground water and if need be, it could even go for notifying the Dehradun area under water regulation and conservation norms.
Now who is not familiar with the humble and dumb pumpkin, or ‘sitafal’ and ‘kaddu’ as it is commonly known, when it can easily mark its presence owing to its size in the fields and in the vegetable vends quietly.
The pumpkin is a finger-licking delight among adults but most children often raise eyebrows and make faces on hearing its name ‘kaddu’.
In 1912, Bose took leave to attack Viceroy’s procession
