மரியாதைக்குரிய ஆய்வறிஞர் பேராசிரியர் சி.கோவிந்தராசனார்

மங்கலாதேவி கோவிலையும் கண்ணகியின் பயண வழித்தடத்தையும் கண்டறிந்தவர் :

சிலப்பதிகாரம் என்பது கற்பனைக் கதையல்ல, வரலாற்று நிகழ்வு என்பதனை உலகிற்கு உணர்த்தியவர், மரியாதைக்குரிய ஆய்வறிஞர் பேராசிரியர் சி.கோவிந்தராசனார் அவர்கள்.
குன்றக்குரவை என்னும் காதையுள், கண்ணகி மலைமேல், வேங்கை மர நிழலில் நின்று தெய்வமான இடத்தினையும், அவ்விடத்தில் சேரன் செங்குட்டுவன் அமைத்த பத்தினிக் கோட்டம் என்னும் கண்ணகிக் கோயிலையும் கண்டுபிடித்து உலகிற்கு அறிவித்த பெருமைக்கு உரியவர், சி.கோவிந்தராசனார்.
1945 ஆம் தொடங்கிய பயணம் 1963 ஆம் ஆண்டு நவம்பர் 17 ஆம் நாள் மலையினுள் மறைந்து கிடந்த கோயிலைக் காணும் அந்த இனிய நிகழ்வில் நெகிழ்ந்துள்ளார்.
கடந்த 2012 டிசம்பரில் குடியரசு தலைவர் பிரணாப் முகர்ஜி தொல்காப்பியர் விருது வழங்கி சிறப்பித்தார்.
கண்ணகி கோட்டத்தைக் கண்டுபிடித்தது எவ்வாறு? என்பது குறித்து தினமணி நாளிதழுக்கு திரு.கோவிந்தராசனார் அளித்த பேட்டி..
’’சிலப்பதிகாரத்தை முழுமையாகப் படித்தேன். அதில் எல்லாம் தெளிவாக கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது. சோழ நாட்டின் தலைநகரமான பூம்புகாரில் இருந்து கோவலனும் கண்ணகியும் நடந்து சென்ற பாதையாக அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ள இடங்களுக்கெல்லாம் நடந்தே சென்றேன். மதுரையில் கண்ணகி பாண்டிய மன்னனிடம் நீதி கேட்டு அது கிடைக்காததால் நகரை எரித்துவிட்டு தலைவிரி கோலமாய் மேற்கு நோக்கிச் செல்கிறாள். சேர நாட்டின் மலைப் பகுதியான முருகவேல் குன்றத்துக்கு (இன்றைய மங்களதேவி மலை) சென்று அங்கு வானுலகில் இருந்து ரதத்தில் வந்திறங்கிய கோவலனுடன் இணைந்து கண்ணகி விண்ணுலகம் சென்றதாக சிலப்பதிகாரம் கூறுகிறது.
கண்ணகி நடந்து சென்றதாக கூறப்பட்ட பாதை வழியாக நானும் இரவு, பகல் பாராமல் நடந்தேன். மதுரையில் இருந்து 90 மைல் தொலைவில் உள்ள மங்களதேவி மலையை அடைந்தேன். 40 மைல் சுற்றளவில் கண்ணகி கோட்டத்தை தேடி அலைந்தேன். இறுதியில் அந்த கோட்டத்தைக் கண்டுபிடித்தேன்.’’
கண்ணகி கோட்டத்திற்கு அப்படி என்ன சிறப்பு?
’’வானுலகில் இருந்து ரதத்தில் இறங்கி வந்த கோவலனுடன் கண்ணகியும் விண்ணுலகம் சென்றதை நேரில் கண்ட மலைவாழ் மக்கள் அந்த செய்தியை மன்னன் சேரன் செங்குட்டுவனிடம் கூறுகிறார்கள். மன்னனின் மனைவி அந்த இடத்தில் பத்தினித் தெய்வமான கண்ணகிக்கு ஒரு கோயில் கட்ட வேண்டும் என எண்ணுகிறாள். அதன் பின்பு வடபுலத்து அரசர்களை வெற்றி கண்டு இமயமலையில் கல்லெடுத்து அதை கங்கையில் நீராட்டி தலைச்சுமையாக இங்கு கொண்டு வந்து அந்தக் கல்லில் கண்ணகிக்கு சிலை வடித்து முருகவேல் குன்றத்தில் நிறுவி நாள்தோறும் வழிபாடும், விழாக்களும் நடத்தி வந்தான் மன்னன். அத்தகைய சிறப்பு மிக்க கண்ணகி கோட்டம் சுமார் இரண்டாயிரம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு கட்டப்பட்டதாக குறிப்புகள் உள்ளன.’’
அது கண்ணகி கோட்டம்தான் என்பதை எப்படி உறுதி செய்தீர்கள்?
’’மண்டிக்கிடந்த புதருக்குள் சிறிய கோட்டைச் சுவர் போன்ற கல் கட்டடத்திற்குள் கண்ணகி சிலை இருந்தது. அந்த கற்களில் தமிழ் வட்டெழுத்தும், முற்கால பாண்டியர் காலத்து தமிழ் எழுத்துகளும் காணப்பட்டன. அங்கு சிலப்பதிகாரத்தில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ள பழங்கால மலைவாழ் மக்கள் மட்டும் இல்லையே தவிர, எஞ்சிய வன விலங்குகள், இயற்கை காட்சிகள், வேங்கை மரங்கள் என அத்தனை அடையாளங்களும் ஒருங்கே காணப்பட்டன.
மேலும், அங்கிருந்த கண்ணகி சிலை, இமயமலை கல்லில் செதுக்கப்பட்டது என்பதால், அந்த கல்லை ஆய்வுக்கு உட்படுத்தினேன். அது மாதிரியான கல் அருகில் உள்ள மலைகளிலோ அல்லது தமிழ்நாட்டில் உள்ள மலைகளிலோ இல்லை. இறுதியில் இமயமலை கல்லுடன் ஒப்பிட்டுப் பார்த்து உறுதி செய்தேன். தலையில் சுமந்து வரும் எடையளவில் இருந்த கல்லில் செதுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது கண்ணகி சிலை. அந்தச் சிலையைப் பாதுகாக்கும் வகையில் எனது வீட்டில் வைத்திருந்தேன். தகவலை அறிந்த அப்போதைய தமிழக முதல்வர் மு. கருணாநிதி என்னை அழைத்து கண்ணகி சிலையைக் கேட்டார். அவர் கேட்டபடி அரசிடம் ஒப்படைத்து விட்டேன்.
தமிழர்களின் வரலாற்றை செப்பம் செய்ய வேண்டும் என்ற நோக்கில் 50 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்னர் கண்ணகி கோட்டம் கண்டேன். அதற்காக உழைத்தேன். பேர், புகழ், பதவி, பட்டம், விருது வரும் என நினைத்ததில்லை; ஆனால் அதெல்லாம்தான் இப்போது நடக்கிறது.’’
தஞ்சாவூர் கரந்தட்டான்குடியில் ஒரு சாதாரண ஓட்டு வீட்டில் வசித்து வரும் சி.கோவிந்தராசனார் அவர்களுக்கு தற்போது வயது 94.

கண்ணகி அம்மன் என்ற வலைபக்கத்தில் இருந்த பதிவு

An Overview of Solid Waste Management in the Ja-Ela Area

1. Introduction

1.1 About this survey

The aim of this survey is to describe the various aspects of solid waste and its management in the Ja-Ela Divisional Secretary (DS) division, and to investigate the possibility of a participative community project in waste-management under the Integrated Resources Management Programme in Wetlands (IRMP).

1.2 IRMP

IRMP is a five-year project of the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), which currently operates in the wetland area of Muthurajawela Marsh and Negombo Lagoon. It aims to develop a workable model for participative and integrated management of wetlands in Sri Lanka. Activities are first run as pilot projects, to see whether they work and how they can best be implemented.

1.3 The area

The Ja-Ela DS Division lies in the Gampaha District of the Western Province, and is located just north of Colombo. It covers some 65 km², has about 190,000 inhabitants, and is subdivided into the Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) areas of Kandana, Ragama, Batuwatta and Dandugama, and the Ja-Ela Urban Council (UC) area. Both its population density and population growth are relatively high. A small strip on the western side of the division is part of the Muthurajawela Marsh.

1.4 The waste problem

Infrastructure and resources for waste collection are lacking in most parts of the country, so uncontrolled scattering and dumping of garbage is widespread. There are no proper facilities for final disposal of most of the solid waste produced by households and industries. Waste that is improperly dumped can impede water-flow in drainage channels, and provides breeding places for disease vectors such as rats and mosquitoes. Open dumping sites in natural areas cause pollution of ground- and surface-water, and will facilitate encroachment. Open burning of waste at low temperatures is also widespread. It contributes to atmospheric pollution and may cause serious health problems.

1.5 Government organisation

The government levels in Sri Lanka include the National Government (the President, Parliament, and the Ministries and their departments, agencies, boards, etc.), Provinces (headed by Provincial Councils), Districts (headed by a Government Agent), Divisions (headed by a Divisional Secretary), Pradeshiya Sabhas (PS) and Municipal and Urban Councils (MC and UC), and Grama Seva Nildaris (GN). The PS, MC and UC are assigned a Public Health Inspector (PHI) by the Ministry of Health, who usually also takes care of solid waste management. At the national level, the Ministry of Forestry and Environment (MFE) and the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) are responsible for policies regarding solid waste.

1.6 Legal Aspects

Important laws and regulations with regard to solid waste are the National Environmental Act, the Pradeshiya Sabha Act, and the Urban Council and Municipal Council Ordinances. The Environmental Act restricts the emission of waste materials into the environment, and states the responsibilities and powers of the CEA. The local Government Acts and Ordinances state that the local authorities are responsible for proper removal of non-industrial solid waste, and for providing suitable dumpsites.

1.7 Life cycles

Organic waste consists of materials that will naturally degrade within a reasonable time period. It can be composted or converted into methane (biogas), and some of it can be fed to animals.
Paper and cardboard waste are essentially also a form of organic waste. When to too dirty, they can be recycled or re-used (e.g. for wrapping, as bags or envelopes, and for writing on the unused side). When dirty, they could be composed, but caution may be needed because of the printing ink.
Glass can be recycled, and glass bottles can be re-used. Other silicate (stony) materials can be used in things like road construction, but might first need to be grinded.
Most metals can be recycled. Care should be taken with dumping, as heavy metals can cause serious pollution.
Plastics will degrade naturally, but only very slowly. Addition of certain materials during production can speed up this process. Some types of plastic waste (mostly PET, PE and PP) can be recycled mechanically, but will have to be sorted and cleaned. Tertiary (chemical) recycling of plastics is also possible, and can often handle more contaminated waste, but these techniques are not yet widely available.
 

2. Methodology

2.1 Interviews

To get more insight into the workings and organisation of solid waste management, interviews were conducted with national and local government agencies, "town-cleaning" firms, waste resellers and local residents. The reliability and completeness of the information obtained through these interviews might in some cases be questionable, so care should be taken in its interpretation.

2.2 Collection survey

We accompanied a group of town cleaners on their morning shift, to gain familiarity with their methods, to get an idea of the composition and amounts of collected waste and to see which materials are kept apart by the cleaners for reselling.

2.3 Dumpsite survey

The main dumpsites in Ja-Ela DS were visited and detailed observations were made (see appendix IV). Quantitative measurements of any kind proved difficult, so were not really performed. The size of the sites was estimated.

2.4 Measurement of waste production

Waste production and composition were measured for 15 households, half of which were located in a more "rural" area (Delature), and half in a more "urbanised" area (Ekala). The households were further divided into two or three income groups. Waste was collected four times over three weeks, sorted into several material types and weighed. Waste from some retail-shops and eating-houses was also collected and analysed. The results obtained are mostly indicative, as precision and representation of the measurements leave something to be desired.
 

3. Survey Results

3.1 Waste production

The reliability of the figures is somewhat questionable, due to small sample-size and large variation. Collection by the households might also have been selective, leading to a slightly biased result.
Waste production of the households measured seems to be in the range of 100-300 g per day, not including waste materials that were recycled or re-used. Households in more rural areas often seem to use their organic waste as animal feed (not necessarily for their own animals) or for composting.
The average composition of the household waste we measured (by weight), seems to be roughly as follows: 15%-30% plastics, 30%-40% paper, 0-30% organic fraction and 10%-30% rest-fraction. The plastic and paper fractions make up most of the volume of household waste, but can be significantly compressed. The organic fraction makes a relatively large contribution to the total weight, due to its high density and water-content.
Packaging materials make up more than half of the plastic and paper fractions, both by weight and by volume. A significant part of the paper-fraction is already made of recycled materials. Only a small part (less than half) of the plastic fraction would be easy to recycle mechanically. Most packaging materials produced in Sri Lanka do not state the material type.
Restaurants and eating-houses produce a lot of food and kitchen remains, which are usually collected by local pig farmers, who use it as animal feed. Retail shops produce mostly packaging waste.

3.2 Waste collection

Some relevant information on the waste collection resources of the various local authorities is listed in table 3.3. Cleaning of (main) roads and markets has been recently privatised in Kandana PS and Ja-Ela UC, and seems to function better than the former public cleaning systems.
Waste collection and cleaning is mostly paid out of assessment tax and trade licences.
Frequent cleaning and collection of roadside waste is mostly restricted to main roads and town areas. Cleaning of the roadside drains is included in the duties of the local authority cleaners, but is currently insufficient.
The cleaners proceed along their daily route, sweeping and shovelling up roadside litter and garbage (including a lot of sand and stones), and throwing it in a tractor-trailer or handcart.
There seems to be an increasing tendency, especially among shop owners and higher-income households on the town-edges, to use bags or bins, instead of just dumping the garbage along the roadside. Centrally placed garbage barrels, which are provided by the private cleaning companies in Ja-Ela and Kandana, are also effective, although many barrels get stolen.
Plant material makes up a very large part of the collected municipal waste. Estimates give around 60%-90% for the organic fraction (by weight).

3.3 Waste disposal

Households generally dump or burn their waste materials. Dumping is usually done in a shallow pit in the ground, along the roadside, on a nearby dumpsite, in low-lying marshland or in waterways or waterbodies. Dumped material is often periodically burned.
Local authorities usually dump their collected waste on privately owned land. Finding suitable sites is difficult, and current sites are therefore often over-used. Officially, waste is not burned by the authorities after dumping, but it does happen.
No regulations or guidelines have been made to govern dumping of solid waste by private companies or industries. Uncontrolled dumping of (hazardous) industrial waste and of slaughterhouse waste is problematic, and poses a potential health risk. Other problems with disposal include smell, prolonged exposure to noxious gases from the burning of waste, scattering of waste materials, presence of potential container habitats and ingestion of plastic bags by cows, pigs and other animals. Serious water pollution (mostly eutrophication) was observed in a few places, but does not (yet) seem widespread. Measurements are needed, however.
There do seem to be any usable laws or regulations that deal with unauthorised dumping of non-hazardous solid waste. Sometimes the Nuisance Ordinance is used by local authorities to stop undesired dumping.

3.4 Re-use and recycling

Especially households in more rural areas re-use organic waste as animal-feed and/or for composting. Pieces of cloth are also sometimes re-used. In more urbanised areas, re-use of waste materials seems virtually non-existent.
Town cleaners seem to keep several materials separate from the rest of the collected waste. Especially corrugated cardboard, metal cans, scrap metal, glass bottles, firewood and some food remains are re-used or sold to waste buyers for recycling.
Waste buyers (re-sellers) often have small shops, where they buy, sort and store things like (news)paper, corrugated cardboard, scrap metal, glass, barrels, plastic containers, sacks and sometimes black-coloured plastics. These materials are obtained from companies, town cleaners, house-to-house collectors, scavengers and other individuals, and are either sold locally for re-use or are sold to recycling-companies, usually through a middleman.
House-to-house collectors buy mostly (news)paper, glass and metal from households, and sell these to the re-sellers at a small profit.

3.5 Public awareness and attitude

The results below might not be representative, because of the small sample group and superficiality of the answers.
Many people do not seem aware of the (potential) environmental problems caused by disposal of solid waste. Garbage is often only seen as a problem because of practical reasons.
Most people seem to know about health problems (especially mosquitoes) relating to garbage, from school education or media. The extent and depth of this knowledge was not determined.
Waste materials that can still be sold or re-used are not seen as waste, but as something which still has value. However, it is usually thrown away when not collected.
Proper collection (and dumping) is seen by many residents as a solution to garbage problems.

3.6 The role of the Government

Lack of resources makes it difficult for local authorities to do anything about the waste problem other than clean the main roads. According to them, the National Government should provide the necessary legislation and resources.
According to the CEA, waste management is a task for the local authorities. The CEA have neither a license-system, nor any regulations, standards or guidelines for solid waste disposal (except for some hazardous materials). The relevant sections of the National Environmental Act have not been implemented. Measures of National Government agencies to help solve the waste-problem seem currently limited to some awareness-material, mostly for schools.

3.7 Future policy

The Ministry of Forestry and Environment is working on a National Strategy for Solid Waste Management (NSSWM), aimed at municipal solid waste. A three-year implementation plan has already been made. Responsibilities are to be shared between national Government bodies (Ministries, the CEA, etc.), local authorities, the private sector, and the general public. Implementation is co-ordinated through committees at national, provincial and local levels. Details and the matter of funding are still unclear.
Waste reduction is mostly envisaged through public awareness and regulation. Re-use and recycling are to be promoted, partly through tax-measures. Properly engineered landfills are to be set up on a regional level and are to be shared between various local authorities.
 

4. Conclusions and Recommendations

Shown here is the full text of the chapter from the report, not a summary.

4.1 Main conclusions

General

• The relation between weight and volume of household waste can vary greatly with water content and the amount of compression, and is thus partly dependant on methods of storage, transport and disposal. This means that some care should be taken in interpreting figures that state weight or volume of household waste, without giving additional information about water content and/or density.

• The main solid-waste streams in the Ja-Ela District can be depicted as follows:

Figure 4.1 The main product- and solid-waste streams in the Ja-Ela DS Division. Institutional

• Responsibilities of Government agencies with regard to solid waste management (and the maintenance and cleaning or drainage channels) often overlap. This leads most of the agencies involved to pass responsibility for solving the problems to each other, without taking any action themselves.

• Several parts of the National Environmental Act seem currently unimplemented and/or not used, including the provisions for solid waste disposal.

• There are currently no regulations, standards or guidelines for the disposal of solid waste. There are only some guidelines for certain hazardous materials.

Waste production

• Relatively little can be said about the waste production of a given household based on its income and location.

• The plastic and paper fractions of household waste make up most of its volume, but the organic fraction often contributes the most to its weight. This is mainly because of the high water-content of the organic fraction, when compared to the other fractions.

• Packaging waste makes up more than half of the paper and plastic fractions of household waste, both by weight and by volume. In the case of the households we measured, some 60%-80% of the plastic and paper waste consisted of discarded packaging material.

• The "municipal solid waste" as collected by town cleaners contains a lot more organic material and sand/gravel/stones than the household waste that was measured outside the towns. This is partly because the methods used to collect the waste, which make that a lot of sandy material and leaves from the roadside are included. It is also likely that not all of the organic waste produced by households was measured. Gardening waste seemed largely absent (and is possibly re-used in the garden), and selective collection might also have played a role, making that the size of the organic fraction was possibly underestimated.

Waste collection

• Waste collection (or "town cleaning") involves sweeping and the removal of waste from the roadsides. It covers mostly town areas and main roads. Byroads are sometimes also cleaned, but less frequently.

• Household waste is only collected when deposited along the side of the road. Some households just dump it there, but especially shops and (higher-income) households at the edges of towns are also starting to use garbage bins or plastic bags.

• The manner in which the roadsides are swept and garbage is picked up, makes that relatively large amounts of leaves, soil, gravel and small stones are included in the waste which is collected and subsequently dumped.

• Privatisation of the collection / cleaning system seems to significantly increase its effectiveness.

• Cleaning and maintenance of roadside drainage channels is currently insufficient.

• Possibilities to improve the efficiency of roadside waste collection include promoting the use of garbage bags and bins, and placement of central barrels or depots for disposal of household waste. The main problems are that barrels are often stolen, and that bags inhibit the extraction of recyclable or re-usable waste materials by town cleaners.

Waste disposal

• Finding suitable dumping sites for collected waste poses a problem for most local authorities.

• Most dumpsites in the Ja-Ela District are located in marshy areas, especially along the edges of Muthurajawela Marsh.

• Although plastics make up a relatively small fraction of the dumped waste (especially by weight), they do dominate the dumpsites because they do not easily decompose (like paper and organic waste) and are not recycled (like metal and glass waste).

• Access to many dumpsites can be a problem, especially in rainy periods.

• The majority of dumping sites may constitute a hazard to the public health and to the environment. The dumped waste is not covered frequently, waste materials (especially plastics) are spread by wind and water, and leachate and runoff are free to reach ground- and surface water.

• Solid waste disposal is also a problem for most industries, both large scale and small scale. There are no facilities, no regulations, and in most cases no guidelines or standards.

• Uncontrolled dumping of slaughterhouse waste takes place at a fairly large scale and constitutes a nuisance as well as a risk to the public health.

Re-use and recycling

• Most households do not seem to re-use much. Bottles and containers are often re-used, as are some plastic bags. Organic material is mostly used as animal feed or compost in the more rural areas. But especially in urbanised areas, re-use of organic materials is currently insufficient to non-existent, and can easily be much higher.

• Most paper and organic waste could theoretically be easily recycled, but sorting and quality of the materials would be a problem.

• Plastics are difficult to recycle and sort. Plastic waste contains a lot of laminate materials and other composite products, and is sometimes very dirty.

• Contaminants, including heavy metals and other toxic substances, might become a problem when organic material is re-used (by composting, or in a biogas-digestor) on a larger scale.

• It seems that in the current situation, a number of recyclable and/or reusable materials are almost completely removed from the waste stream by the "informal" circuit of waste collectors and resellers. The materials involved are mostly:

• newspaper, books and plain paper (before re-use);
• corrugated cardboard, when dry and relatively clean;
• glass bottles and jars;
• larger sized metal objects, sometimes also including cans;
• food remains, in some (rural) areas and households;
• gardening waste, in some (rural) areas and households; and
• empty barrels and good-quality (plastic) containers of larger size;

• The waste materials which are currently not collected for recycling, include:

• paper and cardboard packaging;
• newspaper and paper, after re-use;
• plastic packaging and other plastic articles;
• most composite materials;
• organic waste (depending on the area and the household); and
• hazardous waste, such as chemicals, oil remains, batteries, etc.

• The "informal" circuit creates a significant amount of jobs, for collection, buying and selling, processing and sorting, transport, and recycling.

Collection and/or re-selling of recyclable and re-usable waste materials has a low profit margin, but can nevertheless provide a full income in many cases.

4.2 Recommendations

Reduction

• Measures for waste reduction at the source, should probably focus on reducing the number of plastic bags provided at shops (or used by consumers), and on reducing the amount of (plastic) packaging waste. Better alternatives should be provided.

Recycling

• Plastic packaging materials should be marked for material type, to ease sorting for mechanical recycling. Many imported products are already marked.

• Plastic products which might be suitable for recycling (and are relatively easy to sort and clean) include cups (of yoghurt, ice, etc.), bottles (PE/PET), pots and other containers (usually PE), and PE/PP packaging foil and bags, although distinguishing between material types might be difficult.

• The possibilities for tertiary recycling of plastics should be investigated (see § 1.7).

Disposal

• Properly engineered dumpsites are needed. At the very least, suitable locations should be selected for new sites (which means that a suitability check has to be performed).

• The biogas-digestors which are being developed and tested at the National Engineering and Research Department (NERD) in Ekala, could provide a cheap and effective method for disposal (or at least reduction) of municipal solid waste with energy recovery, as the organic content of the waste is very high.

• More research is needed into the effects of the current open dumpsites. Some samples of groundwater and surface water in the vicinity of some dumpsites should at least be taken and analysed.

Awareness and instruction
Proper awareness and instruction campaigns are needed on the effects of the current solid-waste disposal practices, and on solutions for (some of) the problems.
Awareness material and usage instructions for things like compost barrels should be suitable for theentire target group intended. This is currently not always the case, as most material produced is only suitable for better-educated people who already have an interest in the subject. If needed, various versions of the same material can be produced for different target groups.
The channels used to distribute the message should also be able to reach the entire target group. Newspapers are often only read by a small portion of the population, and each newspaper has a slightly different target group. Television is effective, but does not reach the lowest income groups. Radio is somewhat less effective, but can also reach some people with lower incomes, and especially people at work. Posters are usually the least effective, but may gain something in effectiveness when put up at places where they will be frequently and easily seen. Brochures can be very effective, but are also expensive and difficult to distribute.
Usage instructions should give clear and short instructions, preferably using additional illustrations. They should be written in simple and unambiguous language, and should also include information on what not to do.
 

4.3 Suggestions for local action

As waste is seen more as a practical than as an environmental problem, it will be difficult to mobilise community support for a participative waste-collection and recycling programme. Most people feel that waste management is a task for the Government, and would only be willing to take action themselves if it yields sufficient benefit. Experiences with the Arthacharaya community waste collection programme have already shown that financial benefits from selling sorted garbage are fairly low on a household level (IRMP, 2000). Therefore such a programme would only be effective in very low-income areas, where even small benefits count.
The low benefits for selling waste materials are mostly caused by the fact that one household does not produce much waste, and does therefore not get much income from selling it. This problem is avoided if the benefit is spread over fewer people. A house-to-house buyer for instance, can make a living out of buying and selling waste materials from a number of neighbourhoods (see § 3.4). His profit margin is low, but this is because the major part of the financial benefit actually goes to the households!
To start a successful and self-sustainable community/neighbourhood waste-management project, it would be most efficient to incorporate the informal collection and recycling routes that already exist. This existing system of "informal waste collection" can then be extended to include the waste materials that are currently not (sufficiently) collected and/or recycled. When implemented correctly, this could result in benefits for everyone involved (households, collectors, resellers, recyclers).
In such a system it is absolutely essential to have the support of the community. The households are the ones that have to initially sort and store the waste materials that are to be collected for recycling. Therefore to ensure co-operation, the local population must be involved in setting up the system. It is very important that they are correctly informed on proper sorting of waste materials, on composting and on management of household waste in general. For most people, the incentive for co-operation will probably be the fee for selling the waste (IRMP, 2000), and the fact that waste is now properly collected (see § 3.5), so that it is no longer their worry.
It would probably not be difficult to get support from waste buyers and recyclers, as such a project would mean an expansion of their market, by which they have something to gain. One potential problem might be that they might get more competition, which (especially considering the nature of the Sri Lankan society in this regard) might not always be appreciated.
The project would have to focus mostly on collection of paper and plastic packaging materials, and on collection and/or local re-use (composting, feeding animals) of organic waste (in areas where this is not already happening). In a proper collection system, provisions also need to be made for the rest-fraction and for hazardous waste (chemicals, etc.). This might pose a problem, as no profit can be obtained from collection and disposal of these fractions, and these activities will have to be funded somehow.
The local residents should be briefed in a workshop on how to sort waste and make compost, and also on what not to do. This last point is very important, and can help to avoid many problems. This is often forgotten: instruction briefings for many projects only seem to focus on what to do, but not on what to avoid.
Expected problems include the following:

• Lack of space for storage, especially among low-income households, and in more urbanised areas. Collections will have to be more frequent (which will result in decrease of benefits for the collector), or other provisions need to be made. Central storage could be considered, but is impractical and involves extra cost.

• Lack of space for composting, or no use for compost. In this case organic waste will have to be collected for composting by someone else, for biogas production or for animal-feed. This might be a problem, as storage of organic waste is near to impossible, due to smell and animals.

• Animals. Especially dogs, cats and crows will often go through waste, looking for something to eat. This may cause the (sorted) material to be scattered again, and will make (storage for) collection very difficult. The animals are usually able to open plastic bags, so these offer no protection. A (heavy) bin would help, but will involve extra costs.

• Improper sorting. For many people it is difficult to distinguish between waste-types, even with proper instruction. Also, quality of the waste is of importance. Dirty paper should for instance be deposited with the organic fraction or the rest-fraction. Very dirty plastics are difficult to clean and recycle, so should also go with the rest-fraction. The organic fraction often contains small bits of plastic, which are difficult to sort out. If the waste materials are improperly sorted at the household level, the quality (and with it the value) will go down.

• Plastics. For (mechanical) recycling, plastics will have to be cleaned and sorted to material type. This will involve extra costs, which might outweigh the benefits, except when done by volunteers. Sorting plastic types is also very difficult, as most locally produced packaging materials are currently not marked.

An alternative would be to only recycle product types that are easy to sort, to clean and to recycle. Things like plastic bottles, yoghurt cups, etc. The rest would have to be dumped, or burned at elevated temperatures (for which no installation seems to be currently available in Sri Lanka). Tertiary recycling (see § 1.7) is also an option, but the technology for this might not yet be available in Sri Lanka or around.

• Residual waste. As was already mentioned, collection of these (usually non-recyclable) waste fractions will involve extra cost (except when done by volunteers - perhaps schoolchildren). The rest-fraction would have to be dumped or burned. It is likely that there are currently no proper facilities on the island to dispose of hazardous materials (chemical residues, batteries, etc.) in residual household waste.

Meat remains are best not composted, so these will go into the rest-fraction. However, this will make it more difficult to store, because of smell and animals.

Besides the sort of larger-scale community project suggested above, initiatives for waste collection and recycling are also possible on a smaller scale, and for a more limited target group. An example of this could be the following:
Hotels and restaurants, especially in tourist areas, produce a significant amount of plastic (PET) drink bottles. These are relatively easy to collect, store and clean, and also easy to recycle mechanically. Therefore, it might be useful to set up a kind of bottle-collection system for hotels, restaurants and guesthouses in the Negombo area. Hotels and guesthouses could have a separate bin in which tourists can deposit PET bottles. This would be good for the "environmental" image of the participating hotels, restaurants and guesthouses, and might also provide some positive publicity for IRMP.
 

4.4 Comments on the NSSWM

The proposed National Strategy for Solid Waste Management is fairly complete, in that it covers the entire waste-cycle from production (avoidance) through re-use, collection, recycling to disposal. This is done in a fairly integrated manner, and according to the established hierarchy of waste management. In the light of this report however, a few notes need to be made on the strategy:

• Some practical aspects of the proposal are still very vague. For example, the motto of "reduce, re-use and recycle" is one of the pillars of the plan. But nowhere is it mentionedwhich kinds of products might be re-used (for instance containers, bottles and plastic bags might be possible candidates). The measures for waste reduction on the consumer side are also somewhat unclear. But more importantly, it is still not fully known where the initial money for implementation of the plan has to come from.

• The proposal does not consider the fact that many materials are already being sorted out of the waste stream for re-use and recycling, by the "informal" circuit (see § 3.4). Integration of the existing informal systems into the proposed collection system might somewhat simplify implementation of segregated waste collection.

• Practical problems with collection and with sorting of waste at the household level are not considered. See paragraph 4.3 for examples. Especially storage of waste will be a problem for many households.

• The plan only targets municipal solid waste. And more importantly, through the proposed methods of sorting, composting and awareness building, it implicitly targets mainly better-educated and higher-income households located in more urban areas. This is not really a problem, as this group is the easiest to start with, but nowhere is this explicitly mentioned. It is however an important realisation, as it implicitly limits the initial scope of the plans for segregated waste-collection. It means that low-income and poorly educated families, and households in more rural areas will or can not easily be included in the waste-collection and recycling schemes. At least, not at first. In other words, the majority of households in the country would initially not be covered by the measures proposed in the strategy.

And finally of course, as is the case with all proposals: The plan looks good, but it is always the question if it can and will be implemented properly. The proposed three-year timeframe sounds good, but may be a bit optimistic considering previous experiences.
 

References

CEA	Central Environmental Authority of Sri Lanka
GCEC	Greater Colombo Economic Commission
IRMP	Integrated Resources Management Programme in Wetlands
NL	The Netherlands
WCP	Wetland Conservation Project

Abracosa, Ramon
Philippines Urban and Industrial Environment
http://www.aim.edu.ph/rpa/papers.htm
(Note: document no longer available online)
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
National Environmental Act No. 47 of 1980,
incorporating Amendment Act No. 56 of 1988
(CEA consolidated reference copy)
http://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/srl13492.pdf
http://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/srl13496.pdf
Free University of Amsterdam (NL), Dienst VEB, Januari 1999
M. Aarts, G. Beernink, C. Evenhuis, J. Grant, F. Henriquez,
L. van Hulst, A. Kreleger, E. Krijger, K. Ooteman,
H. van den Os, M. Stomp, M. Zeeman, L. van Zon
Wetenschapswinkel report no. 9901
A qualitative and quantitative comparison of the German and Dutch
Government policies on packaging waste
http://environmental.scum.org/packaging/
GCEC, Euroconsult NL, March 1991
Environmental Profile of Muthurajawela and Negombo Lagoon
Independent Newspapers, South Africa, 1999
Putting plastics in litter perspective
http://www.saep.org/forDB/forDB9906/WASTEplasticsARG990604.htm
(Note: document no longer available online)
IRMP Technical Report No. 1, December 1998
P.K.S. Mahanama
Socio-Economic Baseline Survey in Muthurajawela
IRMP, January 2000
Charlie Austin, Shashikala Ratnayake, Nalaka Siriwardena
Evaluation of Arthacharaya's Community Waste Management Project in Negombo
IRMP, June 2000
Levien van Zon, Nalaka Siriwardena
Project Proposal: Data Collection on Solid Waste Management in the Ja-Ela Area
Ministry of Forestry and Environment, Sri Lanka, 1999
Database of Municipal Waste in Sri Lanka
Ministry of Forestry and Environment, Sri Lanka, August 1999
National Strategy for Solid Waste Management,
Narmathaa Group, Interplamak Plastic Packs (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Bio-degradable polyethylene film
http://www.narmathaa.com/bio-inter.htm
(Note: document no longer available online)
Raabe, Robert D.
Berkely University (USA)
The Rapid Composting Method
http://commserv.ucdavis.edu/ceamador/rapidcompost.htm
Note: original link is outdated, this document can now be found here:
http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/40/963.pdf
Randall Curlee, T., and Sujit Das
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (USA), September 1996
Back to Basics? The Viability of Plastics Recycling By Tertiary Processes
http://www.yale.edu/pswp/
Schall, John, October 1992
Does the Solid Waste Management Hierarchy Make Sense?
A Technical, Economic & Environmental Justification
for the Priority of Source Reduction and Recycling
http://www.yale.edu/pswp/

கோயிலுக்கு நாம் ஏன் செல்ல வேண்டும்? (ஒரு அறிவியல் பூர்வமான அலசல்) படித்து பாருங்கள் உங்களுக்கு மெய் சிலிர்த்துபோகும் !!

இதைப் படிக்க ஆரம்பிக்கும் முன் இது எல்லா ஃபாஸ்ட்ஃபுட்
கோயில்களுக்கும் பொருந்தாது என்பதை கவனத்தில்கொள்ள
வேண்டும். எல்லா லட்சணங்களையும் கொண்டிருக்கும்
கோயில்களுக்கு மட்டும் தான் இது.

பழங்காலத்து கோயில்களில் எல்லாம் இது 100% சதவிகிதம் உள்ளது.
எப்படி எனறு கேட்பவர்களுக்கு கொஞ்சம் விளக்கமாக சொல்கிறேன்.:
பூமியின் காந்த அலைகள் அதிகம் வீசப்படும் இடங்கள்தான் இந்த
கோயில்களின் சரியான லொகேஷன். இது பொதுவாக ஊருக்கு ஒதுக்கு புறமான இடங்கள், மலை ஸ்தலங்கள் மற்றும் ஆழ்ந்த இடங்கள் தான் இதன் ஐடென்டிட்டி.

கோயில்களில் ஒரு அபரிதமான காந்த சக்தியும், பாஸிட்டிவ் எனர்ஜியும் அதிகம் கொண்டிருக்கும். இது நார்த் போல் சவுத் போல் திரஸ்ட் வகை ஆகும்.

முக்கிய சிலைதான் இந்த மையப்பகுதியில் வீற்றீருக்கும். அதை நாம் கர்ப்பகிரகம் அல்லது மூலஸ்தானம் என கூறுவோம்.
இந்த மூலஸ்தானம் இருக்கும் இடம் தான் அந்த சுற்று வட்டாரத்திலேயே அதிகம் காணப்படும் அந்த காந்த மற்றும்
பாஸிட்டிவ் எனர்ஜி. பொதுவாக இந்த மூலஸ்தானம் சுயம்பாக உருவாகும் அல்லது அங்கே கிடைக்க பெறும் சிலை அப்புறம் தான் கோயில் உருவாகும்.

நிறைய கோயில்களின் கீழே அதுவும் இந்த மெயின் கர்ப்பகிரகத்தின் கீழே சில செப்பு தகடுகள் பதிக்கபட்டிருக்கும். அது எதற்கு தெரியுமா? அது தான் கீழே இருக்கும் அந்த எனர்ஜியை அப்படி பன்மடங்காக்கி வெளிக் கொணரும்.

எல்லா மூலஸ்தானமும் மூன்று சைடு மூடி வாசல் மட்டும்
தான் திறந்து இருக்கும் அளவுக்கு கதவுகள் இருக்கும். இது அந்த எனர்ஜியை லீக் செய்யாமல் ஒரு வழியாக அதுவும் வாசலில் இடது மற்றும் வலது புறத்தில் இருந்து இறைவனை வணங்கும்
ஆட்களுக்கு இந்த எனர்ஜி கிடைக்கும். இது உடனே தெரியாமல் இருக்கும் ஒரு எனர்ஜி. ரெகுலராய் கோயிலுக்கு செல்லும்
ஆட்களுக்கு தெரியும் ஒரு வித எனர்ஜி அந்த கோயிலில் கிடைக்கும்
என்று.

கோயிலின் பிரகாரத்தை இடமிருந்து வலமாய் வரும்
காரணம் எனர்ஜியின் சுற்று பாதை இது தான் அதனால் தான்
மூலஸ்தானத்தை சுற்றும் போது அப்படியே எனர்ஜி சுற்றுபாதை கூட
சேர்ந்து அப்படியே உங்கள் உடம்பில் வந்து சேரும். இந்த காந்த மற்றும் ஒரு வித பாசிட்டிவ் மின்சார சக்தி நமது உடம்புக்கும் மனதிற்கும் ஏன் மூளைக்கும் தேவையான ஒரு பாஸிட்டிவ் காஸ்மிக் எனர்ஜி.
மூலஸ்தானத்தில் ஒரு விளக்கு கண்டிப்பாய் தொடர்ந்து எரிந்து கொண்டிருக்கும்..

அந்த விக்கிரகத்திற்க்கு பின் ஒரு விளக்கு (இப்போது நிறைய கோயில்களில் பல்புதான்).. அதை சுற்றி கண்ணாடி அது செயற்க்கை ஒளி வட்டம் வருவதற்க்கு அல்ல அது அந்த எனர்ஜியை அப்படி பவுன்ஸ் செய்யும் ஒரு டெக்னிக்கல் செயல்தான்.
அது போக மந்திரம் சொல்லும் போதும், மணியடிக்கும் போதும்
அங்கே செய்யபடும் அபிஷேகம் அந்த எனர்ஜியை மென்மேலும்
கூட்டி ஒரு கலவையாய் வரும் ஒரு அபரிதமான எனர்ஜி ஃபேக்டரிதான் மூலஸ்தானம்.

இவ்வளவு அபிஷேகம், கர்ப்பூர எரிப்பு,
தொடர் விளக்கு எரிதல் இதை ஒரு 10க்கு 10 ரூமில் நீங்கள்
செய்து பாருங்கள் இரண்டே நாளில் அந்த இடம் சாக்கடை நாற்றம் எடுக்கும் ஆனால் கோயிலில் உள்ள இந்த கர்ப்பகிரகம் மற்றும்
எத்தனை வருடம் பால், தயிர், பஞ்சாமிர்தம், தேன், சந்தனம், குங்குமம், விபூதி மற்றும் எண்ணெய், சீயக்காய்
போன்ற எவ்வளவு விஷயங்களை கொன்டு அபிஷேகம்
செய்தாலும் இந்த இடம் நாற்றம் என்ற விஷயம் வரவே வராது.

கடைசியில் செய்யும் சொர்ணாபிஷேகம் இந்த
எனர்ஜியை ஒவ்வொரு நாளும் கூட்டிகொண்டே செல்லும். பூக்கள்,
கர்ப்பூரம் (பென்ஸாயின் கெமிக்கல்), துளசி (புனித பேஸில்),
குங்குமப்பூ (சேஃப்ரான்), கிராம்பு (கிளவ்) இதை சேர்த்து அங்கு காப்பர் செம்பில் வைக்கபட்டு கொடுக்கும் தீர்த்தம்
ஒரு அபரித சுவை மற்றும் அதன் சுவை கோயிலில் உள்ளது போல்
எங்கும் கிடைக்காது. இதை ஒரு சொட்டு அருந்தினால் கூட
அதில் உள்ள மகிமை மிக அதிகம்.

தை ரெகுலராய் உட்கொண்டவர்களுக்கு இது ஒரு ஆன்டிபயாட்டிக் என்றால் அதிகமில்லை. இதை மூன்று தடவை கொடுக்கும்
காரணம் ஒன்று உங்கள் தலையில் தெளித்து இந்த
உடம்பை புண்ணியமாக்க; மீதி இரண்டு சொட்டு உங்கள்
உடம்பை பரிசுத்தமாக்க.

இன்று ஆயிரம் பற்பசை அமெரிக்காவில் இருந்து வந்தாலும் ஏன் கிராம்பு, துளசி, வேம்பின் ஃபார்முலாவில் தயாரிக்கும் காரணம் இது தான் இந்த தீர்த்தம் வாய் நாற்றம், பல் சுத்தம் மற்றும்
இரத்ததை சுத்த படுத்தும் ஒரு அற்புதமான கலவை தான் இந்த தீர்த்தம்.
கோயிலுக்கு முன்பெல்லாம் தினமும் சென்று வந்த இந்த மானிடர்களுக்கு எந்த வித நோயும் அண்டியது இல்லை என்பதற்கு இதுதான் காரணம்.

கோயிலின் அபிஷேகம் முடிந்து வஸ்த்திரம் சாத்தும்
போது மற்றும் மஹா தீபாராதனை காட்டும் போது தான் கதவை திறக்கும் காரணம் அந்த சுயம்புக்கு செய்த அபிஷேக
எனர்ஜி எல்லாம் மொத்தமாக உருவெடுத்து அப்படியே அந்த
ஜோதியுடன் ஒன்று சேர வரும் போது தான் கதவை அல்லது திரையை திறப்பார்கள். அது அப்படியே உங்களுக்கு வந்து சேரும்.

அந்த அபிஷேக நீரை எல்லோருக்கும் தெளிக்கும்
போது உங்கள் உடம்பில் ஒரு சிலிர்ப்பு வரும் காரணம்
இது தான். கோயிலுக்கு மேல் சட்டை அணிந்து வர வேண்டாம் என கூறுவதற்கும் இது தான் முக்கிய காரணம் அந்த எனர்ஜி, அப்படியே மார்பு கூட்டின் வழியே புகுந்து உங்கள் உடம்பில்
சேரும் என்பது ஐதீகம்.

பெண்களுக்கு தாலி அணியும் காரணமும் இது தான்.
நிறைய பெண்களுக்கு ஆண்களை போன்று இதய
நோய் வராமல் இருக்கும் காரணம் இந்த தங்க மெட்டல் இதயத்தின் வெளியே நல்ல பாஸிட்டிவ் எனர்ஜியை வாங்கி கொழுப்பை கூட
கரைக்கும் சக்தி இருப்பதாக ஒரு கூடுதல் தகவல். மாங்கல்யம், கார்
சாவி மற்றும் புது நகைகள் இதையெல்லாம்
இங்கு வைத்து எடுத்தால் அந்த உலோகங்கள் இதன்
எனர்ஜீயை அப்படியே பற்றி கொள்ளுமாம். இது சில பேனாக்கள் மற்றும் பத்திரிகை மற்றும் எல்லாவற்றுக்கும் பொருந்தும்.

கல் சிலையின் முன் வைத்து எடுக்கும் இவர்களை என்னவென்று கூறும் அறிவாளிகள் இதன் எனர்ஜிதான் அங்கிருந்து இதில் படும் என்பது தான் இதன் பிளஸ் பாயின்ட்.

எவ்வளவு பேர் பல மைல் தூரத்தில் இருந்து பயணம் செய்திருப்பினும் அந்த சில நொடிகளில் தரிசனம் கிட்டும்போது அந்த உடம்பில்
ஒரு மென்மையான சிலிர்ப்பும், ஒரு வித நிம்மதியும் ஒரு எனர்ஜி வந்து மிச்சம் உள்ள எவ்வளவு பெரிய பிரகாரத்தையும்
சுற்றி வரும் ஒரு எனர்ஜு ரீசார்ஜ் பாயின்ட் தான் இந்த கோயிலின்
மூலஸ்தானம்.

கோயிலின் கொடி மரத்திற்க்கும் இந்த பரிகாரத்திற்கும் ஒரு நேரடி வயர்லெஸ் தொடர்பு உண்டென்றால்
அது மிகையாகது..

கோயில் மேல் இருக்கும் கலசம் சில சமயம் இரிடியமாக மாற இது தான் காரணம். கீழ் இருந்து கிளம்பும் மேக்னெட்டிக் வேவ்ஸ் மற்றும் இடியின் தாக்கம் தான் ஒரு சாதாரண கலசத்தையும் இரிடியமாக மாற்றும் திறன் படைத்தது.

கோயில் இடி தாக்கும் அபாயம் இல்லாமல் போன காரணம்
கோயில் கோபுரத்தில் உள்ள இந்த கலசங்கள் ஒரு சிறந்த மின் கடத்தி ஆம் இது தான் பிற்காலத்தில் கண்டெடுக்கபட்ட
லைட்னிங் அரெஸ்டர்ஸ்..

கொடி மரம் இன்னொரு இடிதாங்கி மற்றும்
இது தான் கோயிலின் வெளி பிரகாரத்தை காக்கும்
இன்னொரு டெக்னிக்கல் புரட்டக்டர். அது போக கோயில்
கதவு என்றுமே மரத்தில் செய்யபட்ட ஒரு விஷயம் ஏன் என்றால்
எல்லா ஹை வோல்ட்டேஜெயும் நியூட்ர்ல் செய்யும் ஒரு சிறப்பு விஷயம். இடி இறங்கினால் கோயிலின் கதவுகளில் உள்ள மணி கண்டிப்பாக அதிர்ந்து ஒருவித ஒலியை ஏற்படுத்தும் இதுவும்
ஒரு இயற்கை விஷயம் தான். நல்ல மானிடர்..

இருவேளை கோயிலுக்கு சென்று வந்தால் மனிதனின் உடல் மட்டுமல்ல அவனின் மனதும் மூளையும் சுத்தமாகும். சுத்த சுவாதீனம் இல்லாதவர்களை கூட கோயிலில் கட்டி போடும் விஷயம் இந்த எனர்ஜி ஒரு மாற்றத்தை ஏற்படுத்தும் என்பது தான்..

கோயிலின் மடப்பள்ளியில் கிடைக்கும் புளியோதரை ஆகட்டும்
சர்க்கரை பொங்கலாகட்டும் இந்த டேஸ்ட்டை எந்த ஒரு ஃபைவ் ஸ்டார் கிச்சனும் கொடுத்துவிட முடியாது.. சில கோயில்களில்
இரண்டு அல்லது நாலு வாசல் இருக்கும் காரணம் இந்த
எனர்ஜி அப்படியே உங்களுடன் வெளியே செல்ல வேண்டும் எனற
மூத்தோர்கள் நமக்கு வகுத்த சூத்திரம் தான் இந்த கோயில் டெக்னாலஜி...

What happens in the brain when the heart stops?

"A research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF is now set to provide scientific insights into one of these still unsolved mysteries: what goes on in the brain of people who are on the brink of death due to cardiac arrest and have memories of the time when their heart had stopped after resuscitation? Although a very rare occurrence, such experiences are reported from time to time. From a scientific point of view they are hard to explain, since electrical activity in the brain ceases seconds after the blood supply is interrupted – or does it? Scientists are still at a loss, but project head Roland Beisteiner is convinced that there are explanations for such events. "Although no comprehensive evidence of brain activity during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been found so far, this doesn't mean that it doesn't exist", observes the neurologist from the Medical University of Vienna and explains that an increasing amount of data, for instance from coma patients or the realm of anesthesia, points to the fact that the brain has great capacities for regeneration and information processing invisible to outside observers."

A new player in the neural learning circuit!

Zebrafish have also become an ideal model for studying vertebrate neuroscience and behavior. "Normal fish startle with changes in noise and light level by bending and swimming away from the annoying stimuli. They do eventually habituate and get used to the alterations in their environment. However, fish mutants fail to habituate -- they never get used to their surroundings and always flinch at the loud noises."
Scientists developed Zebrafish mutants and exposed them to the startle response test. Most fish larvae habituated and stopped reacting to the noise stimulus. Some of the mutants, did, however, fail to habituate and continued to respond to the noise.
One of the mutants was vertebrate-specific gene pregnancy-associated plasma protein-aa (pappaa). This gene encodes an enzyme that cleaves other proteins and works outside the cell. It is known to increase the availability of the hormone IGF at the cell surface, thereby enhancing receptor signaling for the IGF pathway.
A role of the PAPPAA enzyme in or on neurons had not been described; however, IGF is known to be an important molecule in pathways that determine long-term memory.
The team verified the involvement of the IGF pathway by rescuing mutant behavior to normal by adding an activator of downstream molecules that interact with the IGF receptor. Mutants that were treated this way, when put back in the startle test, reacted normally and habituated to the loud noise. Also, when the team used an inhibitor of the IGF receptor in normal zebrafish larvae, these fish showed the same behavior in the startle test as the pappaa mutants. This all indicates that the pappaa gene promotes learning by acutely and locally increasing IGF availability to the cell.

ஒரு மஹா மூலிகை ( நத்தைச் சூரி)

நத்தைச் சூரி குழி மீட்டான் மூலிகை என்றழைக்கப்படுகிறது.அதாவது பிணமாகிக் குழியில் விழுந்தவனையும் மீட்டெடுக்கும் என்பதால் இந்தப் பெயர். நத்தைச் சூரி எண்ணெய் வர்ம பாதிப்புகளில் இருந்து உடலைவிட்டு உயிர் பிரியாமல் மீட்பதாலும் இதற்கு இந்தப் பெயர்.

நத்தைச் சூரி விதையை புறாவும் , காடையும் , கவுதாரியும் , குருவியும் இதை சாப்பிடுவதால் அவற்றுக்கு போக சக்தி மிக அதிகமாக இருக்கிறது.உடலை மிக அதிகமாக இறுக்கும்.உடல் இரும்பு போல ஆகும்.ஒரு மண்டலம் இச்சா பத்தியத்துடன் இருக்க அதிக பலமுண்டாகும்.விந்தை ஸ்தம்பனம் செய்ய உதவும்.இதனால் நூறு பெண்கள் வந்தாலும் இந்திரிய ஸ்கலிதம் ( விந்து நஷ்டம் ) இல்லாமல் , நூறு பெண்களையும் திருப்தி செய்யலாம். ஏனெனில் விந்து ஞானத்துக்கு மிக முக்கியம்.

நத்தைச் சூரி வேரை வாயில் போட்டு மென்று கொண்டு கண்ணில் மண்ணைப் போட்டால் உறுத்தாமல் கண்ணீர் கொட்டாமல் எப்போதும் போல பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருக்கலாம்.கண்ணிற்கு அவ்வளவு வல்லமை அளிக்கும். நோக்கு வர்மம் மற்றவரின் மேல் பிரயோகம் செய்ய கண்ணிற்கு பலம் அளிக்கும் மஹா மூலிகை.இது மட்டுமல்லாமல் மந்திரப் பிரயோகங்களிலும், இதை காலற்ற , உடலற்ற , தலையற்ற நாட்களைத் தவிர்த்து மற்ற முழு நாளில் தூப தீப எலுமிச்சம் பழம் பலி கொடுத்து சாப நிவர்த்தி செய்து எடுத்து இதன் வேரை தாயத்தில் அடைத்து இடுப்பில் அணிய சகல லோக வசியம் , ஞான வசியம் , லட்சுமி வசியம் , சரஸ்வதி வசியம் , பார்வதி தேவி வசியம் சித்திக்கும் என்று மூலிகை ஜால ரத்தினம் கூறுகிறது.நத்தை சூரி விதையை அரைத்து அல்லது சூரணித்து பாலில் உட்கொண்டு வந்தால் தேக பலமுண்டாகும்.

The stress of money

APA’s latest Stress in America survey found that 72 percent of Americans reported feeling stressed about money at least some time in the prior month. In this episode, psychologist and researcher Linda Gallo, PhD, talks about how stress from finances and other sources can affect your health.
About the expert: Linda Gallo, PhD
Linda Gallo, PhDLinda Gallo, PhD, received her doctorate in clinical/health psychology from the University of Utah in 1998. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in cardiovascular behavioral medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, she joined the faculty at San Diego State University in 2001. She is currently an associate professor of psychology, an adjunct associate professor in the Graduate School of Public Health and a co-director of the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health Studies.
Her research focuses on how stress and health are linked and the differences in how people from different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds are affected by stress and other psychological conditions. She has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles, books and book chapters
Transcript
Audrey Hamilton: Money is a top cause of stress for many Americans. That's according to the latest Stress in America survey conducted by the American Psychological Association. Stress can negatively affect health and even contribute to chronic health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. In this episode, we talk with psychologist and researcher Linda Gallo about managing stress and how it affects people from different economic and ethnic backgrounds. I'm Audrey Hamilton and this is “Speaking of Psychology.”
Linda Gallo is a professor of psychology at San Diego State University. She is also co-director of the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health Studies, which promotes research aimed at making behavioral science applicable to medicine and health care. Dr. Gallo has extensively studied how stress and other psychological problems can lead to increased risk of chronic disease and she has helped develop a number of psychological interventions aimed at lowering disease risk in lower income populations. Thank you for joining us, Dr. Gallo.
Linda Gallo: Thank you very much for having me.
Audrey Hamilton: I think there are many people who are aware that stress can negatively affect our health, but what are some side effects of stress that people may not expect? You know, what sort of diseases can be aggravated or even caused by stress?
Linda Gallo: Well, humans are actually equipped to deal with stress and stress can be beneficial, at least initially, because it allows us to avoid danger and face challenges. But, stress becomes unhealthy when it is unrelenting and people do not experience opportunities to recover. So, in these cases stress can lead to physical problems, things like headaches and stomach aches and also mental health issues, such as anxiety, trouble sleeping.
And then over time, the toll of stress on the body accumulates and can contribute to chronic physical conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses.
And in addition, some conditions can be made worse by stress. For example, stress can exacerbate auto immune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. And yeah, something else that people may not be aware of is that chronic stress can also affect our immune system in a way that makes us more vulnerable to acute viral illnesses like colds and the flu. But, it should more likely to get sick with those conditions than those under stress as well.
Audrey Hamilton: What's the difference between good stress and bad stress?
Linda Gallo: I think that bad stress is the kind that makes us distressed or upset. When those feelings continue over time, you know, that can be particularly detrimental to the body. Sometimes stress prepares us to face a challenge. And if we have the resources to meet that challenge, then it can be a positive thing but that sort of incites us to prepare and get ready for things like an important event or a meeting or things like that.
In those cases, it is OK. It is really the situations that are uncontrollable or that causes a lot of distress that end up being the most unhealthy for us.
Audrey Hamilton: Now APA's 2015 Stress in America survey tells us that money continues to be a top source of stress for Americans from all economic backgrounds. Now however, in this last survey, lower income households reported higher overall stress levels than those living in higher income households. Can you explain why we're seeing such a stress gap between lower and higher income families?
Linda Gallo: So, there are a number of factors that contribute to higher levels of stress in people with lower incomes. First, as we know from the Stress in America survey, financial stress is a very common cause of stress overall and it's more likely to occur if people have lower incomes. But, people with lower incomes may also experience exposure to stress across many other domains in their lives. They may work in jobs that are stressful because they are demanding but don't allow a lot of control or their work environment may be unhealthy. For example, they could have a lot of noise or exposure to toxins in their work environment. And they may also be exposed to more stressful community environments – community environments that have less green space, more traffic, crowding or even violence.
And then, the other component is that in addition to increased exposure to stress people with lower incomes often have fewer resources to cope with stresses that they face. So, this includes both tangible resources like health insurance, a savings account, a reliable source of transportation and also psychosocial resources such as a source of social support, in that sense of control over one's life and destiny. So those can cause stress to escalate and continue to create an unhealthy cycle.
Audrey Hamilton: And you mention this. How important is family and social support when it comes to managing stress?
Linda Gallo: So I think we all recognize that family can be both a critical source of support and well-being and also a source of stress for many people. And people with cohesive and supportive families tend to live healthier lifestyles and have better health than those who have less supportive families. But when there are problems in the family relationships or when a family member is having difficulties, this can be an important source of stress.
And in addition, as we were just saying, we know that having good social support, having someone to talk about problems with, people who can provide help or guidance is very important to health. And that support can come from family members or friends and also from other sources like formal support groups or religious organizations. Overall, social support is an important resource for coping with stress and it's also more generally important for maintaining good health and well-being.
Audrey Hamilton: Is this something that comes up pretty frequently in your research – looking at these factors that contribute to how people manage stress?
Linda Gallo: Absolutely. Yes and the point that I raised initially about family being both an important source of support and stress – this is something that people mention all of the time that they ask me what is the most relevant stressors or resources in your life – family comes up sort of in both of those questions.
Audrey Hamilton: Right. I can imagine. Both sides of the coin with that one.
Linda Gallo: Exactly.
Audrey Hamilton: Your research focuses on people from different ethnic backgrounds as well. Can you talk a little about what, if any, differences you found and how various ethnic groups experience and manage psychosocial health problems?
Linda Gallo: Well, a person's cultural background can influence the experience and expression of emotions in psychosocial health problems and also how they go about seeking help, the types of coping styles they have and how much stigma they may attach to having a mental health problem. In some cultural contexts it may be more socially acceptable to report physical health problems than mental health problems. So sometimes people from ethnic minority groups might report things like physical symptoms, such as stomach aches, headaches or pain when they're experiencing a lot of stress or depression. All of us have those symptoms arise when stress is high, but sometimes those might be the ones that are primarily reported in certain cultural groups.
And unfortunately, we know that psychosocial health problems are undertreated in general, but this is especially the case in diverse groups. Racial and ethnic disparities in mental health treatment are very well documented in the United States and ethnic minorities are also more likely to seek help for behavioral health problems in primary care settings and less likely to seek some in outpatient mental health care settings. So, it may be that the trend toward integrated care models where behavioral and physical health care are integrated but within the same context is a potential avenue to reduce disparities and improve care for diverse groups.
Audrey Hamilton: You think this is mainly related to stigma issues or just a lack of feeling of effectiveness?
Linda Gallo: Yes, I think there's a number of issues going on. So one of the stigma attached with having mental health problems – one is kind of preferences about what's most comfortable to talk about and the words people like to use to explain how they're feeling.
And in terms of healthcare seeking, part of it is stigma, there's a lot of access issues. Having access to good care and culturally appropriate access to care can be a challenge for many people. So there's a lot of different barriers that could interfere with help seeking, particularly for ethnically diverse groups.
Audrey Hamilton: So what would you recommend people do if they think their stress levels are out of control and you know, you can talk about this from different groups. I mean, we're talking about lower income or different ethnic backgrounds or just people who may be more apt to go out and get care, but what are some of the recommendations from psychologists as to what they can do to get their stress under control?
Linda Gallo: Well, if someone does feel overwhelmed by stress, they can definitely seek help from a psychologist or another mental health provider. In addition, they can stay in touch with people who can provide social support. So they can ask for help from family and friends or a community or religious organization. So whatever setting is most comfortable for them to seek support. And that's something obviously that anyone can do and as I was mentioning earlier, social support can be important in maintaining health at all times, not just when we're under stress.
And we also know that regular exercise is an excellent means of reducing or coping with stress. There's a lot of research showing that engaging in moderate activity for about 30 minutes a day can improve mood and, of course, we know that has many physical benefits as well. And walking can be ideal for a lot of people because it doesn't require any special equipment or gym memberships and it can be done with a friend of family member as well, which can also create social support or someone can join a walking group in their neighborhood. Things like that.
And since stress can really get in the way of activities like these, it's important to set aside time regularly for healthy and relaxing behaviors because I think, as we all know, we know it's good for us, we know it's healthy, but when stress arises often we let go of the behaviors that could help us deal with it most effectively.
Audrey Hamilton: Well Dr. Gallo, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate you taking the time.
Linda Gallo: Thank you very much. It was a pleasure to talk with you, Audrey.
Audrey Hamilton: Find more tips on how to manage stress and read the complete Stress in America report on our website. With the American Psychological Association's “Speaking of Psychology” I'm Audrey Hamilton.

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