Pharmaceutical Pollution Turns Hyderabad Lake Into Spawning Ground For Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria

 

Photo by Roberto Sorin on Unsplash

 

The bacteria present in the contaminated environment have developed lots of mechanisms to survive antibiotics

  

Nilesh Vijaykumar | Hyderabad: The Kazipally lake is becoming a spawning ground for “superbugs” — bacteria that are resistant to a wide range of antibiotics — due to inflow of effluents in the lake from pharmaceutical plants.

In a recently published study, researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, stated that the lake has more than 80 antibiotic-resistant gene types among its bacteria.

When contacted, Prof. Joakim Larsson, one of the researchers, said, “Such polluted lakes can serve as recruitment grounds for antibiotic resistance genes, which might ultimately end up in disease causing human pathogens. The bacteria present in the contaminated environment have developed lots of mechanisms to survive antibiotics. If they come in contact with some dangerous disease-causing human pathogen, they could transfer genetic material between each other. The resulting drug resistant pathogen will be very difficult to treat.”

Radha Rangarajan, CEO of Vitas Pharma, a drug discovery company based in Hyderabad, said, “The WHO cites antibacterial resistance as the third biggest threat to human health. Multidrug-resistant infections are on the rise across the world.”

A major percentage of the bacteria in Kazipally have developed resistance to fluoroquinolones, a broad spectrum of antibiotics used to treat severe respiratory and urinary tract infections.

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This is my report which had appeared in Deccan Chronicle. You can find it here:
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/150325/nation-current-affairs/article/pharma-wastes-make-drug-resistant-germs

49 per cent forest cover vanished from Andhra Pradesh in 8 decades

 

Picture courtesy: Deccan Chronicle.

 

Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Kurnool are the worst affected, says report

 

V Nilesh | Visakhapatnam: Most forests in Andhra Pradesh are rapidly degrading and becoming more and more fragmented with every passing decade. 

Forest fragmentation means breaking up of a large intact forest into small patches. The overall forest cover is also shrinking by almost 49 per cent in a time span of eight decades.

A study by scientists of National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, revealed that the forest cover in Andhra Pradesh declined from 85,392 sq. km to 43,523 sq. km between 1930 and 2011.

The study said: “The landscape analysis shows that the number of forest patches was 3,981 in 1930; 5,553 in 1960; 8,760 in 1975; 9,412 in 1985; 9,646 in 1995 and 10,597 in 2011. This indicates the ongoing anthropogenic pressure on the forests. The mean patch size (in sq. km) of forest decreased from 21.5 in 1930 to 12.3 in 1960 and dropped to 3.9 by 2011.” 

The study was conducted by P. Hari Krishna, K.R.L. Saranya, C. Sudhakar Reddy, C.S. Jha and V.K. Dadhwal.

Anthropogenic pressures include expansion of human habitation resulting in encroachment of forest lands, chopping of trees, turning forest land into agricultural land and other such issues.

G. Lakshman, the divisional forest officer, Narsipatnam, said that podu cultivation or shifting agriculture is a major reason behind forest fragmentation.

The study found that forest cover loss has been very high in Rayalaseema (44.8 per cent) followed by Coastal Andhra (40.6 per cent). Anantapur, Krishna, Guntur, Kurnool and  Visakhapatnam showed the maximum loss of forest cover of all the districts in the present AP.

Another study by NRSC in RV Nagar Range, a forest which is part of the Eastern Ghats, concludes that 48 sq. km of forest area had degraded in a span of 28 years.

Well-known forest rights activist Ganjivarapu Srinivas says, “A big reason behind declining forest cover is that the forest department has not been conducting compensatory afforestation efficiently for the forest lands which are diverted for industrial or other activities.”

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This is my report which had appeared in Deccan Chronicle. You can find it here:
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/150112/nation-current-affairs/article/49-forest-cover-vanished-ap-8-decades

 

Eco defects expose Olive Ridley turtle eggs

Olive Ridley Turtle eggs exposed due to coastal erosion on Ramakrishna Beach in Visakhapatnam
(Photo: Deccan Chronicle)

Olive Ridley Turtle is an endangered species under Schedule-I of Wildlife Protection Act

 

Visakhapatnam: Coastal erosion has been a long-pending environmental issue in Vizag but on Monday it exposed a major environmental threat. Hundreds of eggs of Olive Ridley turtles lay strewn on the beach, most of them in rotten or damaged condition due to erosion and high tide.

The Olive Ridley turtles lay eggs as deep as three feet in the sand but the erosion brought the eggs to surface exposing the truth behind the so called conservation efforts undertaken by the government and non-governmental agencies. It also proved that not  far off beaches like Bheemili but even RK Beach in the city is also a major nesting ground of Olive Ridley turtles.

Various academics and environment experts have demanded that parts of the beach be declared protected for conservation of the species. 

Prof. Bharatha Lakshmi of department of zoology, Andhra University said, “In situ hatching of eggs goes a long way in conservation of these vulnerable species. It would be great  if the government could ensure that some areas on the beach is declared protected area as AP is an important nesting site of for these turtles.”

Environmentalists are crying foul over the lack of commitment of the forest department in ensuring the safe hatchings of these eggs, which are affected due to a variety of reasons including pollution and climate change.

City-based environmentalist, J.V. Ratnam, said, “The forest department is getting funds  for protection of these turtles but no concrete measures are visible.” Vizag divisional forest officer P. Ram Mohan Rao said, “We understand the importance  of  the conservation of these  turtles hold, and as a long term measure we are planning to start in situ conservation.”

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This story had appeared in Deccan Chronicle. You can find it here : https://www.deccanchronicle.com/140715/nation-current-affairs/article/eco-defects-expose-olive-ridley-turtle-eggs