Y. Mallikarjun

HYDERABAD: The hard corals of Porites species, found in abundance in the blue-water lagoons of the picturesque Lakshadweep islands, are facing a threat to their existence.

Global warming caused by high CO2 levels has retarded the growth of these corals, leading to fears that they might eventually disappear.

But not as much as was thought, says a study SOIL erosion worldwide is threatening our agricultural base. Our farmers are suffering. The maximum amount of soil that an area can lose without affecting its ability to sustain plant growth is the soil loss tolerance value or the T value. Previously the T value for India was set at a uniform 11.2 tonnes of soil per hectare per year. Debashis Mandal

Regrowing affected population made easy Researchers of the National Institute of Oceanography (nio) in Goa have artificially repopulated corals in the Lakshadweep islands. Three years ago, the scientists started experimenting to develop a cost effective method to re-grow corals. About 60 per cent of them had died in 1998 in the islands. After trying different substrates

Home to one of the wettest regions in the world, Meghalaya is facing shortage of rainfall this monsoon, along with Gujarat and southern parts of the country.
Though southwest monsoon had covered the entire country by July 10, five days ahead of the average date, southern peninsula, several states in Northeastern India, Gujarat and central Maharashtra have witnessed scanty rainfall. Regions facing scanty rainfall also include North Karnataka, Telengana in Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Lakshadweep.

Syed Akbar INDIAN MARINE scientists and oceanographers have artifically repopulated corals near the 10 islands of Lakshadweep. "Coral reefs in India have been under stress for some time. The Lakshadweep reefs bore the brunt of coral mining, souvenir collection, ground water pollution and mechanical damage owing to activities like dredging," Dr M.V. Moideen Wafar told this newspaper. Dr Wafar and his team created a dive centre in Lakshadweep, acquired diving kits, trained a broad spectrum of stakeholders ranging from officers, wardens, scientific staff to unemployed local youth.

Lakshadweep Islands' coconut industry tops in productivity and output of copra and coconut oil. However, growth of the industry has been stunted by the lack of allied manufacturing units and effective market delivery system. Coconut is the lifeline of Lakshadweep, the Indian archipelago comprising of 11 inhabited and 25 uninhabited islands, with highest copra and coconut oil production in the world, according to a top official of the Coconut Development Board.