Invasive mussels in Ennore Creek can be converted into biofertilizers: TN govt
CHENNAI: Researchers at Dr MGR Fisheries College, Ponneri, have confirmed the potential of invasive Charru mussels in the Ennore Creek could be converted into biofertilizers and mineral mixes.
Lab trials on the mussel's meat, shell and byssus thread have demonstrated their value in agriculture and aquaculture, according to a report submitted to the
Tamil Nadu
State Wetland Authority before the
National Green Tribunal
(NGT).
Heavy metal testing, machinery procurement and a commercialisation plan involving local fisherfolk are now under way.
You Can Also Check:
Chennai AQI
|
Weather in Chennai
|
Bank Holidays in Chennai
|
Public Holidays in Chennai
This update is part of a larger ecological intervention in the Ennore Creek, where more than 2.6 lakh cubic metre of mussel-fly ash sludge has been dredged from a 1,050-metre stretch.
The water resources department plans to complete dredging the remaining 650 metre by August, with funds sought from TNPCB and Tangedco for the Rs 20.85crore proposal.
Meanwhile, mapping and control studies continue. The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management has completed sampling at 148 locations to identify infestation hotspots. Preliminary reports suggest native species are returning in dredged plots, offering hope for ecosystem recovery.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn
IC Markets
Đăng ký
Undo
The invasive mussels, believed to have arrived via ballast water discharged from ships, were first reported in 2023 and they got embedded in fly ash discharged from Tangedco's thermal plant. The NGT had ordered cleanup and recovery of costs from Tangedco. Their proliferation threatens native prawn populations and disrupts the delicate ecological balance of the wetlands.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
Tagore's 'heart' fetches Rs 1 cr & letters Rs 5.9 cr
'The Heart', the only known sculptural piece attributed to Rabindranath Tagore , was sold for Rs 1.04 crore at a Kolkata auction on Friday. Its estimated price was between Rs 55 lakh and Rs 70 lakh. According to auction house AstaGuru's "Collectors' Choice", the sculpture is believed to have been dedicated to Kadambari Devi, wife of Tagore's brother Jyotirindranath. At the same auction, a set of 35 handwritten letters and 14 envelopes sent by Tagore to sociologist Dhurjati Prasad Mukerji between 1927 and 1936, fetched Rs 5.9 crore. The estimated bidding price of the set was between Rs 5 crore and Rs 7 crore. Tagore was only 22 when he sculpted 'The Heart' in 1883 during a contemplative retreat in the coastal town of Karwar in Karnataka in the company of his brother Satyendranath and sister-in-law Jnanadanandini Devi. On it, he engraved in Bengali - "Having cut my heart of stone, I have engraved (the words) with my own hand. Will it be ever effaced by the flow of tears?" "Any piece by Tagore, be it a sculpture or a letter, is priceless. It does't surprise me that they fetched a high value. Though it is the prerogative of the owner to decide where they want to keep it, I would personally love to see them in museums. People should be able to read letters by Tagore or see a piece sculpted by him. Though I belong to the family, I believe Tagore belongs to humanity," said Sumanto Chattopadhyay, great-great-grandson of Satyendranath.
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Artist who made live portrait of Prez, conceptualised Preamble Park design
Nagpur: At 82, his hands and head tremble involuntarily, but renowned oil painter Pramodbabu Ramteke's spirit remains steady, much like his vision of art that now defines the iconic entrance gate of the country's first Constitution Preamble Park at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar School of Law off Amravati Road in Nagpur. The park and a full-length statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar were inaugurated by CJI Bhushan Gavai on Saturday. "The finely sculpted piece has profuse iconography of the Constitution which one must attempt to absorb while looking at it," said Ramteke. A seasoned sculptor and former faculty member at JJ School of Art in Mumbai, Ramteke led the team of artists who brought the deeply symbolic and intricately designed Preamble Gate — a tribute to the philosophy enshrined in India's Constitution — to life. The beautiful golden gate is inspired by India's oldest stone sculpture, Sanchi Stupa, said Gondwana University registrar Anil Hirekhan, who first proposed the Park as Nagpur University (NU) deputy registrar in 2015. Ramteke and other key contributors were felicitated during the inauguration of the park on Saturday. Among them were mural experts Prajna Murti, artists Sanjay More and Ashok Sonkusare, park collaborator Sandeep Kamble, and entrance gate designer Mahesh Gadewar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Profit Trick - Read More vividtrendlab Click Here Undo NU management council member, Ajay Chavan, too gave valuable support for the project. The idea was conceived on Nov 23, 2015, during the tenure of NU vice-chancellor SP Kane and registrar Puran Meshram. Hirekhan prepared a detailed proposal and ensured its execution. Meshram said Ramteke was entrusted with supervision and finalising the aesthetics of the park. "Kamble prepared the master plan of the entire park, More designed the murals and sculpture on them, Sonkusare crafted them in Wani town. State PWD appointed Gadewar for designing the gate," he said. Ramteke initially rejected the initial designs and recommended a new team, including More and Sonkusare, to develop the park. Meshram said the design finalised by Ramteke was then approved by the park committee after a few suggestions. "This was not just about making a gate," Ramteke said, "it was about translating the values of the Constitution into form and feeling." Ramteke's dedication to art goes back to his childhood, a passion that only grew stronger with age. In 1999, Ramteke was selected to make a portrait of then President KR Narayanan. For four hours, Narayanan sat for the portrait, which still holds a place of honour at the London School of Arts. Ramteke also created a portrait of Ramkrishna Gavai, father of CJI Bhushan Gavai. The CJI himself visited an art exhibition to view the painting and appreciated it personally in 2015. "I will continue working till my last breath," Ramteke said. The Constitution Preamble Park gate stands as one of Ramteke's most profound contributions to public art. BOX ABOUT THE PARK At the heart of the Constitution Preamble Park stands a statue of Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar holding the Constitution. The park features murals depicting ten core values of the Indian Constitution as outlined in the Preamble: Indian Constitution, We the People, Socialism, Secularism, Democracy, Republic, Justice, Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. The park also includes 3D replicas of key pillars of democracy — Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, the Supreme Court — and the Ashoka Pillar. Spread over two acres, the park features a grand and aesthetically designed entrance gate.
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Writing class among slew of government initiatives to improve class 10 results in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Starting July, class 10 students of govt and govt-aided schools across the state will stay back an extra hour daily to attend a class focused on improving writing skills. The move comes after education department officials found that many students struggled to form even simple sentences in exams, despite knowing the right keywords related to the answer. To tackle this, the department of school education and literacy is launching a one-hour writing class. This is one of the 45 initiatives the department is rolling out to improve the dismal class 10 results in the state. Last year, the pass percentage in SSLC-1 was 62.3% — one of the lowest in the country. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru "One of the points noted by evaluators is the poor writing skills of students. Though a few keywords were present in the answers, students could not come up with sentences to express the answers. Henceforth, students will have a one-hour class after school to just practise writing," said a senior official. The department will release a standard operating procedure for how that one hour should be used — ranging from copying one paragraph from the textbook to writing homework, surprise tests, or just writing a paragraph randomly on any topic from each subject. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo A midterm holiday intervention is also planned for those students who require remedial and continuous support in exams. Parent outreach The department also plans to strengthen parent outreach programmes this year. A one-on-one parent-teacher meeting will be held every two months to sensitise guardians on the initiatives and progress of the child. Counselling will also be done for parents so there's appropriate and adequate home support for students. A half-day workshop will be held for parents by the headmaster and teachers in Sept to provide information on exam dates, subject paper details, and ensuring a stress-free approach from students to annual exams. Tracking attendance The department has also asked schools to track the attendance of SSLC students. In case a student misses more than seven classes continuously or in a month, there will be a mandatory house visit by the headmaster or subject teacher and two SDMC (school development and monitoring committee) members. The student and the parents will be counselled, and appropriate measures will be taken to get the child back to the classroom. The department will also involve the women and child welfare and RDPR departments, including the gram panchayat and urban local bodies for higher-level interventions, if need be. Wake-up calls While wake-up calls — teachers calling up students in the morning to wake them up — have been a practice in many govt schools, the department plans to roll it out from Sept in all schools. The department will also write to the health and family welfare department for health check-up of class 10 students by July. The department also plans to get everyone on the field, henceforth. All department officials will be given clusters of schools and PU colleges. Every Friday, they will have to spend time, without disrupting the school schedule, to understand the effect of various govt interventions, the teaching-learning process at school, and meet SDMCs to assess activities. In case there's a shortfall of officials, district-level and taluk-level officials from other departments will be roped in. Lesson-based assessment As reported by TOI before, this year on, there will be lesson-based assessment after the completion of each lesson, unlike the earlier practice of having two formative and two summative assessments.
