The Hindu : Kerala News : Ecological data on the web

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 19, 2007
ePaper

Kerala

Kerala

Ecological data on the web

A student looking for data on the natural resources of Kerala, an entrepreneur seeking information on the environmental clearance required to set up an industry, or a forest official trying to highlight the threats to the state’s biodiversity — they all require the latest information on the environment.

Despite several efforts by the scientific establishment to keep a close tab on the environment and identify risk factors, the absence of a platform to present and disseminate the data had been sorely felt. The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) has now come up with a cyber solution to the problem.

Now, all it takes is a click to access a comprehensive databank on the status of the environment.

The ENVIS (Environmental Information System) Centre under the Council has launched a website (http://kerenvis.nic.in) targeted at decision makers, policy planners, scientists and engineers, research scholars and the general public.

The Envis Centre, Kerala is part of a national network set up by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to integrate national efforts to compile, store and disseminate information on key areas such as pollution control, toxic chemicals, central and offshore ecology, environmentally sound and appropriate technology, bio-degradation of wastes and environment management.

The site features an exclusive report on water-related and vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya, leptospirosis, dengue fever, malaria and chicken pox that have ravaged Kerala in the recent past. The report is part of a State-wide campaign that has already covered 2,000 schools in the State. Highlighting the poor system for vector control and solid waste disposal measures, it warns that the situation could lead to an upsurge in epidemics.

The Envis website is loaded with a comprehensive database on the environment, including geographical features, climate, infrastructure, health and demography, crop diversity, livestock population and land, soil, forest and water resources. It covers information on land use pattern, types of soil, forests, surface water resources and groundwater potential. The section on biodiversity and ecology includes basic information on the different plant and animal species found in Kerala.

The website also features a link to the Kerala Disaster Management Programme, along with information on environment-related legislations enacted by Parliament and the State legislature, Supreme Court rulings and notifications. It also contains information on various clearances to be issued by the Departments of Forests and Environment, the GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee) notification governing the rules for manufacture, use and storage of hazardous micro organisms, genetically-engineered organisms or cells.

The site also has a link to the State Environment Policy.Another link features news collected from various sources including mass media.

Along with the cyber initiative, KSCSTE has also launched a quarterly newsletter titled Envis Kerala. The first issue that was published in August features a message from the Chief Minister and an editorial highlighting the need for sanitation and prevention of epidemics.

T. Nandakumar

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala