World Environment Day and BITS Pilani: Initiatives for Desert Technologies=20 05 Jun 2006 13:55:49 +0600
World Environment Day and BITS Pilani: Initiatives for Desert Technologies Environment is changing. Vast surface area of the planet is facing water scarcity. United Nations is spreading awareness about Environment protection through various programs. As a socially responsible and Technology driven Institute, BITS Pilani, is pioneering collaborative initiatives to counter the environmental threats in the desert state of Rajasthan. Pilani,=20 Rajasthan, India, 2006-06-04 (IndiaPRwire.com) -- 5th June is celebrated as the World Environment Day since 1972. United Nations, through this day, stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The theme for 2006 is Deserts and Desertification. The desertification of Rajasthan is a recent and ongoing process. 68% of the state area is desert. Dinosaurs lived here about 300 million years ago and fossils dating from nearly 185 million years ago have been discovered in Akal Wood Fossil Park near Jaisalmer. The water level in certain parts of state is as low as 500 feet. And with rivers flowing low it's high time that we realize the importance of this dry environment and prevent the desertification. It is a blessing that Birlas founded Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) in Pilani, a small town in the heart of this dryland. BITS, Pilani, felt that there is a need to conserve water, which is the most important resource in desert state and established a Center for Desert Development Technologies (C-DDT), for making the desert bloom. The C-DDT emphasis will be on Water and Energy conservation in irrigation systems, rain water harvesting and water distribution systems. Further, tissue culture and other biotechnologies would be explored for developing low water consuming plants, propagating of various plant species to address the ecology of the desert and environmental conservation. The Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA) and BITS Pilani are collaborating for the rural transformation of villages in Rajasthan through water management, waste management, entrepreneurship, and education development. The first phase of the Integrated Rural development is to build a replicable and sustainable water management system, which will be modeled and prototyped at the BITS campus. The successful model has already been deployed in the Raila village of Rajasthan. The Water Harvesting Project "Akash Ganga" undertaken by BITS, Pilani and RANA has recently won the World Bank grant of $196,000. BITS Pilani has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR), of Ben Gurion University (BGU) Israel for exchange of ideas and human resources to enhance mutually beneficial R & D activities in the area of desert sciences and technologies. To quote Antoine de Saint, "What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well", BITS Pilani reiterates its commitment to address the issues concerning the environment and takes this opportunity to utilize the resources of deserts and turn the dry lands into green lands. http://www.indiaprwire.com/news/environmental-services/20060604294-world -environment-day-bits-pilani.htm ~(^^)~ Avelino _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org)