Water - Please Conserve

WATER - THE PRECIOUS LIQUID. Please Conserve.

March 22, 2017 - Today is World Water Day

Water, as we know, is an important chemical compound.

I am fascinated towards water as an Environmental Scientist.

If water resources are depleted or water management is not properly done, it will affect individuals, countries and even the whole Globe.

Amazing hydrological cycle keeps recycling water and give us this wonderful required compound (Water) to survive.

Higher percentage of the human body is water. We all know we need water to survive.

But how have we treated this water - we took it for granted. Now, literally we are paying for it.

We are conducting wars for water.

We are interrupting hydrological cycle by

- affecting rain patterns

- deforestation

- depleting aquifers

- pollution

 Cutting trees, over usage of ground water with replenishing, industrial effluents, sewage waste, medicinal waste, agricultural run off, golf course run off, leaking under ground storage tanks, leaching from industrial run off, landfill leaching and runoff (to name some) are affecting water bodies and quality of the water. Even though new type of contaminants enter the water, water treatment has not changed accordingly in  most places.  

Water treatment must be tailored according to the situation rather than following the same methods everywhere.Simple substances such as banana peel, burned coconut shells and neem leaves can be used in treating water especially in poor areas where they could not afford high quality treatments.

Water Treatment

 Precious liquid water must be conserved and protected or else future generations will be affected.
Was very happy to see a scientist who is conserving water.

I am fascinated towards Lakes, Rivers, Waterfalls, Ponds, Streams and Oceans.

These are some of  the reasons that took me to enter the world of Water Research.

                                           

I taught Water related courses in India and in United States.

I was lucky to conduct water research on Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Chesapeake Bay always amazed me.

 Beautiful Chesapeake Area

I have been part in deflecting a serious threat to our oceans by sending letters to Administration officials

 to protect our oceans all over the World.

I have been involved in collaborating scientists to do water research and promote the value of water and water bodies.

We have taken steps to conserve water at EA FARMS.

Water Recharging Pit @ EA FARMS

I request you to please Conserve water.

Save Farmers

I never thought I would write a blog article with a title Save Farmers. Every human at least for now depend on Food for survival. The way it is going, one day we would be living just on Pills. Until then we should respect and support farmers who work in the dirt to produce our food. Every health article talks about fruits, vegetables and grains. These food items does not come magically. It is the hard work that is being put in by the farmers with the help of the nature. Yes they need natures's help such as rainfall. When the rain Gods ditch them they undergo severe hardships that they could not withstand. Some of them in Tamil Nadu commit suicide, which gives us heavy heartache.  Now they are protesting in Delhi. As always I support them. I kindly request the government to work on this immediately and provide support as soon as possible.
Those who are protesting and fasting are not Rich,

They are the farmers who give us Food on the table by working hard. Because of their work we eat wonderful Rice, tasty and healthy vegetables, greens, grains and fruits. They work hard in Sun without proper covering, clothing in the dirt and uncovered feet in wet paddy fields among snakes and other animals. It is not easy. Comparing to sitting and typing in a AC room with a state of art computer (what I am doing right now) it is very very tough to do farming activities.. 

We understood this when we tried traditional farm work at EA FARMS:
However I am glad that I support them, pray for them and write for them.. They are not asking government's help to become rich. Even if they receive support they are not going buy lavish things, they are going to invest in their agriculture land to produce more food. For living healthy we need good Food along with other elements.
If they receive normal monsoon rains, they would not even come to this state. That's the reason I always pray for normal Rain all over the Globe. But as nature's rule, droughts cannot be avoided. But we need to take necessary steps to counter the drought. We should curtain air pollution that contributes to climate change. We need to use renewable resources.
Water management is very important. When there is heavy rain, it needs to be conserved. There are ideas to merge Rivers. Rain water harvesting should be done everywhere. Swales need to be created in the farm to recharge ground water.

A Swale at EA FARMS

Water should be used as if we are in drought even when there is ample water. We have to conserve soil, rivers, mountains and forests (whole environment). Future technologies such as Graphene Sieves should be embarrassed soon to provide water in severe drought conditions.
Farmers including poor farmers should jump into Sustainable Natural Integrated Farming.

Growing cattle for Dairy Products and manure

They should do multi layer crops instead of single crop.

There are wonderful gurus who guide us on best agricultural practices.

Families need to buy produce from them. Youngsters and every citizen should support them.Then they will not face this situation.
Government, politicians and officials should support farmers and farming activities.

With Farmers at EA FARMS

They should stop activities and projects that affect agriculture.

Our Deiva Pulavar Thiruvalluvar said this long back and it is for a reason;

உழுதுண்டு வாழ்வாரே வாழ்வார்மற் றெல்லாம் 

தொழுதுண்டு பின்செல் பவர்

Simple explanation - Farmers life is the best and others follow them for the food.

So it is very important to save the life of a farmer. We need to support every farmer in the Globe, because they give us the ingredients of tasty food on our table. Praying to God to Save Farmers.

Renewable Energy

Recently visited MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry).

At this recent bad times of Environmental Protection and Projects, the presentation there gave some positives.

Most of the countries want to phase out non renewable energy sources including Nuclear Energy,

They want to focus on Renewable Energy sources:

Renewable sources such as Bio, Wind and Solar (Good News on Solar):

Several countries want to tap into and develop renewable energy:

These renewable resources should be obtained sustainably, pollution free and efficiently:

Every household should utilize renewable energy:

As an Environmental scientist these were the positives.

At EA FARMS we already are utilizing the renewable resources (Bio & Solar):

Our area is also having biggest solar farm and utilizing wind energy:

It is  better  to focus on renewable energy rather than non renewable energy which will benefit humankind and the environment.

I am Pi

3/14 -

Pi -  is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter and it remains the same for any size. (Planet Jupiter size circle or penny sized circle). Pi is special.

A Poem on Pi

written by my daughter who is a 7th grader 

I AM Pi

3.1415926535……

For years I have been lurking, elusive

Pursued by the brightest of minds, mathematicians

In the ancient times I have been studied relentlessly

By the Egyptians, Chinese, Indians by candlelight

Never ceased to be truly lost until one day

Archimedes thought of how to say

Numerically the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter

...89793238462…

Fast forward to the modern times

Believed to have been mastered by computers

Better yet, the human brain

Calculated to digits you cannot perceive

That’s the beauty of me

Left alone, I serve you well

Needed for all the calculations, the area, the circumference

Students toil over me

Trying to grasp my vastness, my complexity

I will never be contained… I am irrational

One of a kind, a juggernaut

You can’t stop me… Literally

...64338327950...

So what am I?

Sure, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter

But also a symbol, iconic to the essence of math

Used in trigonometry, geometry

Not just math, but also science

Prominent in astrophysics, thermodynamics, mechanics

I’ve been thought of 22/7

But that’s inaccurate, heed my warning

Don’t try to rationalize me

I am used to make sense of circles, spheres, ellipses

You think I was formulated just for mathematics?

If you didn’t know, for centuries, I’ve been a Greek letter

Surprised? Think of where I’ve come from

...28841971693…

Well, I’m so special

I’ve got my own holiday, March 14

You think other math terms have celebrations?

Didn’t think so

Students bake pies, decorate them with me

Frantically try to memorize my digits

It’s a day to commemorate

The abundance and benefits of math

But also to remember the struggles, the history

I was rooted in deep

Until you got me

Make the best of it, I will always change

From the ancient times to the contemporary

I am a juggernaut, irrational

Don’t try to approximate me...

Her poem about Bird's spot while on 4th grade.

Her article  on everglades alligator importance