South Asia

Nawalparasi leaves Rupandehi, Kapilvastu behind in sanitation

NAWALPARASI, March 1: A study conducted by Drinking Water and Sanitation Coordination Committee (DWSCC) has shown that Nawalparasi district is the most hygienic among the three districts of Lumbini

Publication Date:

02/03/2016

Source: Republica (Nepal)

Tags:

Sanitation, Nawalparasi, Nepal, Kapilvastu, Rupandehi, Toilets, South Asia

Habitat And Urbanisation

Leveraging urbanization in South Asia: managing spatial transformation for prosperity and livability

The number of people in South Asia's cities rose by 130 million between 2000 and 2011--more than the entire population of Japan. This was linked to an improvement in productivity and a reduction in the incidence of extreme poverty.

Publication Date:

01/03/2016

Author(s): Peter Ellis, Mark Roberts

Source: The World Bank

Tags:

Urbanisation, Urban Development, Governance, Urban Finance, South Asia, Economic Development, Climate Change, Global Warming, Natural Disasters

Health

Inflammatory bowel disease in Asia - A second chance at uncovering environmental factors

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has become common in the Western world, but its causes remain unclear. With the dramatic increase of cases in Asia in recent years—echoing the disease’s drastic rise in the West decades earlier—investigators have another shot at studying environmental contributors to IBD as it emerges in new populations.

Original Source

Publication Date:

01/03/2016

Author(s): Lindsey Konkel

Source: Environmental Health Perspectives

Vol:

124

Issue:

3

pp:

1-6

Tags:

Environmental Health, Asia, Hong Kong, Lifestyles, Micro Organisms, South Asia, Asthma, Child Health, Canada, Genetic Disorders

Wildlife

Habitat preferences and conservation threats to Black-necked Cranes wintering in Bhutan

Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) is a vulnerable Red list species whose populations are declining. However, little is known about Black-necked Cranes' habitat requirements or the causes of their population decline. We identified Black-necked Cranes' winter roost and foraging preferences of Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan during the winter of 2013-2014. Black-necked Cranes' roosts were recorded using Garmin GPSmap 60CSx, while foraging preferences and threats to the birds were identified based on a survey of household heads (n = 107) residing within a 3 km radius of roost sites.

Publication Date:

29/02/2016

Author(s): Rinchen Namgay, Sangay Wangchuk

Source: Springerplus

pp:

1-6

Tags:

Birds, Endangered Species, Bhutan, South Asia, Land Use, Agriculture, Wetlands

Agriculture

Genetically modified potato likely to be released this year

The government plans to release genetically modified (GM) potato, reportedly capable of resisting late blight disease, during the upcoming season.

Publication Date:

29/02/2016

Source: Dhaka Tribune (Dhaka)

Tags:

Agriculture, GM Crops, Genetic Engineering, Biosafety, Vegetables, Potato, Bangladesh, South Asia

Atmosphere And Ozone Layer

Saturday hottest February day in two decades: Met office

With the mercury topping 36.5 degrees Celsius on Saturday, Karachi witnessed it the hottest day of the month in over two decades, the Met office said on Sunday.

Publication Date:

29/02/2016

Source: Pakistan Today (Pakistan)

Tags:

Atmosphere And Ozone Layer, Atmosphere, Pakistan, Karachi, Sindh, South Asia

Transport