- Are we eating veggies that are cultivated in wastewater?

a new 53-city survey, including Bangalore and Chennai, conducted by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) indicates that most of those studied are using untreated or partially treated wastewater for agriculture. In over 70 per cent of the cities studied, more than half of urban agricultural land is irrigated with wastewater that is either raw or diluted in streams with wide ranging implications. Less said the better for the health hazards due to heavy metals, a wide spectrum of pathogens and organic compounds that are hazardous to the environment and human health.

“In areas where infectious diseases due to enteric pathogens are common, these pathogens are found in very high concentrations in the sewage water. When this water is used for irrigation without any treatment the pathogens are applied to the agricultural land. This is a potential health risk to people exposed to it, such as field workers and their families, consumers and handlers of wastewater-irrigated crops and people living in the neighborhood, passing the fields frequently” says this report.

I was in Jayanagar yesterday and saw this signboard, put up by Smt G Sharada Ramaswamy, a senior citizen:

I was very impressed that the lady cared enough about her city to have this sign up, exhorting her fellow-citizens to keep this city (”this is your own”) clean and green.

If each one of us could just follow this advice….what a benefit all of us would get in return!

Here’s Bannerghatta Road, at the Jayadeva flyover; four years ago, all the trees that had been planted on this road were cut down and the road widened, and the flyover built.

Can you see even a blade of grass in the picture?

What has the effect of the tree-felling, road-widening, and flyover-building been on traffic?

The traffic is as choked as ever, and all that has happened is that we have lost a lot of greenery and tree cover; the area has become much more polluted and noisy.

Can we stop further unnecessary felling of trees and widening of roads, which result in the same traffic congestion + lack of trees, just a few years down the line, and think of more long-term and people-friendly solutions to our traffic problems?

We often bemoan the apathy that rules our city. But sometimes, even when efforts are made to prevent some really bad practices, the determination of the average citizen to spoil his own environs defeats the initiative.

Here, near NIMHANS, is a picture of the symbols of various religions, with an unambiguous message. The hope is that no one would think of urinating over holy symbols:

But our Average Citizen..he wants to GO. Right now, right here. And he converts the message by hiding the “Do not”….

And what’s the rate at which we like to foul up our pavements? Here it is….!

When are our attitudes going to change? As long as we have no sense of pride in our city, don’t think of it as our own home, this will continue to happen….

Bangalore, obviously, must have several Blood Banks where volunteers can donate blood which will then be used during emergencies.

I know of the Blood Bank that the TTK group runs, it is ably managed by Lakshmi Ravichandran.

But I have been noticing this sign also, near my home:

What are the guidelines that govern the setting up of a Blood Bank in Bangalore? How do the administrators ensure that the blood is stored properly and does not lose its viablity? I will be going to this Blood Bank and asking a few questions, but meanwhile…if anyone has some info, that would be welcome!

A few days back the water purifier at home broke down. We called the service center & lodged a complaint but the service guy didn’t turn up until four days later. So in the meantime we had no option but to use the corporation water (drinking water supplied by BWSSB) directly. For someone who is so used to drinking purified water, this experience can be difficult. The tap on the ground floor was opened after a long time and immediately some indescribable sounds emanated out of it & only then the water began to flow. But the water flowed freely & with much force. Not someone who enjoys doing something like this I opened the tap completely. Within a minute or so the vessel was full. I observed the color of the water, it didn’t look clear. But we had to make do with that until the service guy showed up.
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Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology, in J P Nagar/ Jayanagar (the flyover is named after the Institute) is holding an Indo-American workshop, where pacemakers will be implanted, and angioplasty with stent procedures done, all without charge, for patients who cannot afford the usual fees.

Dr Govindaraju Subramani, a surgeon from the US, is sponsoring 10 pacemakers (which cost about Rs.1.25 lakhs each). He is also willing to provide 10 stents (about Rs.50,000 each.)

So if you are aware of anyone in your locality who might need surgery and cannot afford it, ask them to get in touch with the Institute. The patient should be registered before September 28 (which leaves only 1 day and seems to be difficult to me…).

For more details, the phone no. is 22977444.

Stem Cell Therapy is known to treat a lot of diseases and disorders (leukemia, spinal cord injuries etc) and scientists believe it has the potential to cure a lot of degenerative diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes etc.

In addition to adult stem cells (which are more rigid), storing the stem cells from umblical cord (after the child is born) is known to treat many disorders (including severe aneamia) in the child. There are many questions on the application of the stemcells stored as part of the placenta/umblical cord. A lot of us are under confusion as to whether we should invest that kind of money and what should be the questions we should be asking the vendors of stem cell banks.

A seminar on StemCell Research and it’s applications is being held in IISc next Saturday (11 Aug) 3pm to 6pm. The speakers are renowned people from the research field, practitioners (performing bone-marrow transplants, doing research on Cord blood cells) and legal experts (on government policies).

Do attend to know more on the therapy and feel free to forward the information to anyone who may be interested, especially expecting parents. Entry is free.

Where: IISc
When: August 11, 2007
Time: 3 pm to 6 pm

For registration and more information, please visit Vidyasanchar.

If you read ‘The Hindu’ this morning, it is very likely that this article, ‘ Adulterated milk may contain washing powder and chemicals‘ completely missed your attention. Isn’t this something of paramount importance to us, the regular citizens of the city? Don’t we deserve good milk, and if not, at least a good news report on this issue? I am quite surprised at such a half-baked news report from ‘The Hindu’.

This is a tiny little article placed right at the top of page 2, attracting very little attention, since the colorful ad just below it is given the most importance on this page. The article gives us no more information than what the title itself says.

Imagine having soap in your morning cup of tea. It may be shocking, but a recent story by a television channel showed how adulterated milk is being sold in our cities and towns and Bangalore may not be an exception.

Now, obviously, this is just a commentary after seeing a programme on TV. Neither is the channel nor the show mentioned! ‘may be shocking‘???!!

Experts say adulterated milk may contain urea, hydrogen peroxide, washing powder, shampoo and other chemicals. Detergents and washing powders are added to create foam while other chemicals are added for taste. “All kinds of materials are going into milk, including starch and paper pulp. Washing powders and chemicals used to make it more thick or foamy can definitely cause stomach upset. Consuming adulterated milk could be harmful for health in the long run,” says P.S.V. Rao, endocrinologist.

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Interestingly, while on my last City market visit came across a typical hardware store which has all iron utensils, a quick question came to my mind “in this era of modern cookware, why would anyone still cook the food in Iron cookware?”

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