Feature Article

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between outdoor ambient air PM2.5 zinc levels and urgent health care utilization for children living in an urban area.

The study reveals that materialism is on the rise in rural Punjab as most farmers have adopted new housing patterns coupled with all the facilities previously found in urban areas only. The availability of more durable goods with majority of the farmers indicates a clear shift towards material possession.

In semi arid areas such as the Sahelian zone of Africa, many oils have become severely degraded. One extreme form is the bare and crusted soil, which is virtually productively "dead". In Burkina Faso, farmers have responded by applying mulch to attract termites that then help to rehabilitate the soil. A research project shows the importance of termites in breaking up hardened soil and increasing water infiltration. The land became productive enough to farm within months.

Night-soil (human waste) has been considered a valuable agricultural resource since ancient times. When handled safely, its use can contribute to reducing soil degradation and water scarcity in the areas like the Lahaul valley. Despite such known benefits its use is now decreasing with modernisation. Recognising this, the G.B. Pant Institute in India has been taking steps to promote the use of night-soil as one of the organic farming practices promoted in the region.

Karnataka is bestowed with good wind energy potential in the country. An assessment by the Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET), Chennai shows that Karnataka has encouraging wind profile for harnessing of wind power. Further, C-WET had established 49 wind monitoring stations in Karnataka.

The current spike in food prices needs prompt reaction through various forms of social protection to avert poverty and hunger. Prices are soon likely to fall somewhat, but not to their previous levels.

Sukinda Valley, Orissa is known for its chromite ore deposits. The open cast mining for chromium is being carried out since 1950. The extraction of chromite has mostly been carried out by open cast and at few places by under ground mining methods.

With increasing prices of fossil fuels across the globe, harnessing of renewable energy resources has assumed significance like never before. The Electricity Act, 2003 has several enabling provisions for promotion of renewable energy resources. However, renewable energy sources such as wind, small hydel, biomass etc are site specific resources, and the policies for promotion have been essentially driven by State specific requirements.

Storing energy from wind is an enormous challenge. Given the intermittent nature of wind, if wind power can be harnessed and stored during wind periods in on site batteries, it can ensure a constant supply to the power grid. This in turn will help to improve the penetration of the grid by wind energy.

This paper presents a methodology for estimating the burden of diseases in monetary terms instead of a demographic indicator. The purpose was to ascertain the financial burden arising out of various categories of morbidity in the community.