Awareness on Plastics

One of the most important aspects in conservation is creating awareness about the risks of environmental degradation that is caused by modern lifestyles. There is excessive consumption of goods to satisfy our desires, which in turn is leading to depletion of scarce natural resources and enormous destruction of the environment. Use of plastics is just one of the outcomes of our consumptive lifestyle. 

Last week, I had a look at my niece Sarah's project on "Awareness on Plastics" for the Homi Bhabha exams. She won a silver medal for her efforts. Part of it is reproduced below:
We are all addicted to plastic, especially plastic bags! That's because they are convenient. However, we all too conveniently ignore their polluting effects.

Consequences of convenience Almost all plastics are made from petroleum based products, a non renewable natural resource.
Manufacturing and recyling plastics releases harmful toxins into the air. These cause air pollution and lead to green house effect.
Plastics are non-biodegradable , hence they pollute the soil.
Carried by the wind, plastic bags are seen everywhere; these bags are eaten by animals and cause manifold problems even leading to death. Plastic bags in lakes, rivers and oceans disturb marine ecosystems. Loose plastic bags can cause blocking of sewage drains.
Plastics containers used for water and food packing by the hotel industry have been shown to release chemicals over a period of time.

What can be done
Say NO to plastic bags, especially the thin, flimsy bags used by small retailers and vegetable vendors; carry your own jute or cloth bags.
Although stopping use of all plastic is not possible, you can REDUCE the use of plastics in all forms.
Use stainless steel, glass or metal food containers, even though it might be slightly heavier to carry.
Wherever possible, use glass or metal water bottles.
Use pots made of earth for your terrace garden.
On picnics and parties, avoid using plastic (or thermocol) cups, glasses and plates.
Stop improper disposal of garbage. Separate dry and wet garbage; do not throw plastic bags into the water bodies
Stop "throw-away" culture. Do not throw plastic bags from cars, buses and trains. Our highways and rail routes are already huge garbage bins.

Photograph location: Bhandup creek

Pied Avocet / Spot-billed duck

Purple-rumped Sunbird (female)

Lesser and Greater Flamingos

Short-toed Eagle

 

Be the change: Save our Earth; save ourselves

Pied Avocet

India has a large variety of water birds, that is, birds which inhabit lagoons, estuaries, creeks, mudflats, river or lake shores. Of the various species of plovers, curlews, terns and gulls, the most un-mistakable is surely the Pied Avocet.

They are predominantly white birds with dashes of black in their wings and a black head band over the head. A distinct feature is the avocet's unique, upturned bill. 

Sexes are alike.
 

These are quite uncommon and and seen only in parts of the country, in the creek beds and mudflats. Their long legs and slender bill are quite suited for picking up marine creatures along shallow wetlands. Very often, they can also be observed wading through deep water, like ducks.

On our last visit to the Bhandup creek, we witnessed large flocks of avocets along with gulls, lapwings and ducks, their habitats threatened with large amounts of garbage. This is something we see all over India, lots and and lots of thrash just dumped into our water bodies.

I suppose, the only way this can be reduced is when religious leaders instruct their followers to stop the practice of throwing pooja left-overs into rivers and waterways.

Save nature; lets reduce our carbon footprint

Loten's Sunbird

Small, active bird, with a slender curved bill, well adapted for collecting nectar from flowers.

It is differs from the more common Purple Sunbird, chiefly in size (slightly bigger) and the maroon chest parts. Its abdomen parts are dark brown, whereas the purple sunbird is purple-blue. Another differentiating feature is its bill, which is longer than that of the Purple Sunbird.

Females of both species are pale yellow below and dull brown above.

Location: Uran

Save electricity; switch off if you leave the room

Jacana

Uran is a small town located off the Mumbai-Pune highway. As you proceed along the Palm-beach road, notorious for its high number of accidents, you notice that large parts of its surroundings comprise of wetlands, marshes and creeks. The traffic encountered is mostly large container trucks on their way towards the Nhava-Sheva port or oil tankers carrying fuel from public-sector oil companies in Uran.

Off the main road, several small roads connect the interior region of Uran; many small industries and housing colonies can be seen in this region, quite a few of these lie abandoned. We were surprised to note that a railway line connects the port to the main land.  

As the winter approaches, migratory birds wing their way to these wetlands and several species can be easily spotted during this period. 

Indian Roller

Yellow-throated sparrow

Common Coot

Spot-billed Duck

 Bronze-winged Jacana 

Name	Bronze-winged Jacana
Alternate name(s)	Not known
Size	Common crow
Occurrence	Wetlands and ponds, singly or in pairs
Status	Uncommon
Distinct features	Black head and neck; bronze wings and body parts with black short tail. Extremely large toes, convenient for movement over thickly covered wetland
Sexes	Alike

Purple Moorhen

Open-billed Stork

Over the years, there has been much destruction of the bird habitat and human encroachment in the form of reclamation of marshes and small water bodies. Also, clearing of large tracts of mangroves and forest land for unauthorized construction has been overlooked by the local authorities. This problem is common throughout India, chiefly due to lack of proper records in the revenue department. Until land ownership details are computerized and easily available for inspection, it will be impossible for the government to trace such activities and prevent further destruction of the environment.

Save water, save life