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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Ganga, Yamuna recede in Prayagraj; admin now faces cleaning task
Although water level of the Ganga and the Yamuna have gone down in Prayagraj in the last couple of days, the local administration is now facing the mammoth task of cleaning filth and mud in over a hundred localities in city limits under Sadar tehsil besides nearly 65 villages in seven other tehsils comprising the rural belt. Filth and waste left behind on roads by the receding flood waters in Prayagraj. (Anil K Maurya) Prayagraj district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation officials have been directed to ensure speedy cleaning of the affected localities followed by spraying of DDT and bleaching powder to prevent outbreak of any epidemic. 'In rural parts of the district, officials of panchayati raj department have been directed to ensure proper cleaning of affected villages besides spraying of bleaching powder and other disinfectants,' he added. At 12noon on Sunday, the Yamuna was measured flowing at 81.04 metres in Naini, while the water level of the Ganga in Phaphamau was recorded at 81.62 metres and at Chatnag it was 80.40 metres as against the danger mark of 84.73 metres. Meanwhile, no casualty has been reported in the district due to the floods in the past 10 days during which around 9,470 people from 2,220 families had taken shelter in 27 flood relief camps set up by district administration in eight tehsils. Nearly 1.5 lakh food packets were distributed in the relief camps. Besides, 5,145 dry ration kits were also distributed to people. A total of 350 boats were made operational for evacuation and supplying commodities to people stuck in their homes. ADM (finance and revenue) Vinita Singh, who is also nodal officer for flood relief arrangements in the district, said now fewer than 200 people of around 30 families were staying in relief camps as four localities in Sadar tehsil besides four villages of Phulpur tehsil were still in the grip of flood water. The four affected localities in the city include Kachaar Mau/Saraiya, Beli Kachaar, Shivkuti, Bakshi Kachaar besides four affected villages of Phulpur tehsil namely Sonauti, Bhadra, Dhokri and Bhadkar. According to executive engineer, irrigation, RK Singh, in view of rising water level of both the Ganga and the Yamuna in other districts of state, the water level of both the rivers could rise again in the next couple of days.
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- General
- NZ Herald
Pastures Past: Wasp control in 1949 - Department of Agriculture offers free DDT
It was highly effective at killing insects like mosquitoes, flies, lice, and wasps, due to its long-lasting residual effects, meaning one application could provide weeks or months of control. DDT stopped being used because it was discovered that it accumulated in the food chain and had devastating effects on wildlife, especially birds. It was found that it didn't break down easily, contaminating soil and water for years. Wasps: Rush For Free DDT Powder Northern Advocate, March 25, 1949 AUCKLAND, Fri. (P.A.)—An offer of free DDT powder to people who located wasps' nests has resulted in the Department of Agriculture being flooded with requests. Mr C. R. Thomas, of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, has been doing research work on controlling the wasp. Recently he destroyed six large nests near the Middlemore golf course and four at Clevedon. He said the wasps were first located at Hamilton in 1945. By last summer they had reached south to Taumarunui and north to the fringe of Auckland. This year they had been reported at Palmerston North and Wanganui, and within 30 miles of Gisborne. They were a nuisance more than an economic menace. Recently, a heifer was stung to death, and two others were affected by stings. No new wasps have invaded the Gisborne District Gisborne Herald, February 11, 1950 There have been no fresh signs of the threatened invasion of wasps into the district from the north, but this is the season when they should be noticed if present in the country behind Gisborne and on the East Coast, and the Department of Agriculture desires information concerning wasps found in any locality. Fears that wasps would become established in Hawke's Bay, expressed after the discovery of several queens last year, appear to have been realised. A week ago, two nests were discovered at Waipawa and an Otane apiarist has killed a number of wasps in one of his hives. The destruction of the two nests at Waipawa—one in an old tree stump and the other in an old shop in the town's main street—means that thousands of wasps have been prevented from becoming a menace. The only signs of infiltration of the wasps to the areas north of Waipawa have been the discovery of two isolated queens, one at the Tomoana freezing works and the other in a railway wagon at Napier. Wasps Making Nests Te Awamutu Courier, March 1, 1950 The suggestion that wasps are likely to be non-existent this season is discounted by a local district farmer. He stated on Monday that on his farm and the adjacent roadway 25 nests have been destroyed. The wasps so far have not invaded houses as they are busily engaged making their nests. The wasps gather around water troughs and they laden themselves with earth and fly to their nests, often dropping the earth near by. The farmer said that it was an interesting sight, for the flight of the wasps could be followed. The Courier's informant further said that he had destroyed the nests with cyanide gas, which he had injected into the nests in the evening. He suggested that the Department of Agriculture could with advantage issue that gas to responsible persons who were to exercise the greatest care in its use as it was poisonous. Early attacks on the nests should be made so as to prevent a repetition of last year's plague of wasps. Wasps Make Way to South Island Rotorua Morning Post, April 30, 1952 NELSON, Tuesday. The discovery of three nests in the Mapua-Ruby Bay area of the Nelson district provides definite evidence that the wasps of the species vespula germanica have spread to the South Island. Individual wasps were first seen in the Nelson district last year and in the neighbouring Marlborough Province. This year the three nests near Mapua are the first reported in the South Island. They are all of the underground type and have been treated with D.D.T. by horticultural division officers. - Source: Papers Past
Borneo Post
03-08-2025
- Automotive
- Borneo Post
Niosh, MRS ink MoA to promote workplace safety, professional competency
Chong (second left, seated) and others give the thumbs up in a group photo after the MoA signing. KUCHING (Aug 4): The National Institute of Occupational and Health (Niosh) has entered into a partnership with MRS Management Sdn Bhd (MRS) to promote workplace safety, professional competency and public awareness. This follows a memorandum of agreement (MoA) sealed between the two parties at the Niosh Kuching Office here yesterday. According to Niosh chairman Chong Chieng Jen, the significance of this MoA lies in the practical outcomes it will deliver to thousands of workers across Malaysia, especially those operating behind the wheel or navigating challenging terrain daily. 'MRS brings to this collaboration more than 35 years of experience as a training provider, with notable expertise in defensive driving, 4×4 off-road handling and safety-focused consultancy. 'Their work with industries, both public and private, reflects an agile understanding of real-world challenges and training needs,' he said at the signing ceremony. Under this MoA, Chong said MRS will deliver public training programmes including the Defensive Driving Competency Training (DDT) and the Off-Road 4×4 Competency Training, supported by Niosh in terms of branding, regulatory updates and monitoring. He added that these are not just skills courses but potentially life-saving interventions. 'More importantly, this collaboration shows that OSH is not confined to classrooms or offices — it takes place in muddy construction zones, on winding logging roads and in fast-paced urban logistics environments. 'And through this partnership, we can bring training directly to where it's needed most,' pointed out the Stampin MP. Chong said Niosh is proud to support this through their advisory role, ensuring that programme content, safety protocols and assessment standards remain aligned with national and international expectations. He emphasised that Niosh does not take partnerships lightly, adding: 'We see them as shared responsibilities.' He expressed confidence that this collaboration would be a model of professionalism, mutual respect and outcome-driven delivery. 'This MoA is just the beginning. We hope it sparks new ideas, drives innovation in safety training delivery and ultimately contributes to a safer, more competent workforce,' he said. Chong Chieng Jen lead Niosh professional workplace safety
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Oba Femi retains WWE NXT Championship, Blake Monroe earns first singles win
Oba Femi retained his NXT Championship in a hard-hitting triple threat main event against Yoshiki Inamura and Josh Briggs on this week's WWE episode on Tuesday night. In a chaotic and physical showdown, it appeared Inamura had the match won until Briggs intervened - first pulling the referee out during the count and then placing Femi's hand on the ropes to break a pin. As Inamura and Briggs brawled, Femi regrouped and capitalized, flooring Briggs before delivering his signature Fall From Grace to seal the victory and keep his title. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Public Policy Data Science Management Technology Leadership others Digital Marketing healthcare MBA Data Science Finance Product Management Data Analytics Design Thinking Cybersecurity Operations Management MCA Degree Others CXO PGDM Healthcare Project Management Artificial Intelligence Skills you'll gain: Economics for Public Policy Making Quantitative Techniques Public & Project Finance Law, Health & Urban Development Policy Duration: 12 Months IIM Kozhikode Professional Certificate Programme in Public Policy Management Starts on Mar 3, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 12 Months IIM Calcutta Executive Programme in Public Policy and Management Starts on undefined Get Details — WWE (@WWE) by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like St. James's Place Clients: Take Action Pacific Legal Check your Claim Click Here Undo Earlier in the night, Blake Monroe made an emphatic statement in her NXT TV singles debut. Nicknamed 'The Glamour', Monroe defeated Wren Sinclair in dominant fashion, finishing her off with a powerful double arm DDT. The post-match chaos escalated when Jordynne Grace defied Ava's ban and stormed the arena to confront Monroe. Though security tried to intervene, Grace bulldozed through them - only to be met with a vicious headbutt from Monroe. Live Events — WWE (@WWE) Monroe then sent a message, planting Grace with a double arm DDT onto a steel chair at ringside, leaving her laid out and asserting herself as a force to be reckoned with in the NXT women's division.
National Geographic
17-07-2025
- Health
- National Geographic
Malaria
Anopheles Mosquito Her abdomen full of blood that will nourish her eggs, a femaleAnopheles mosquito takes to the air. Her next landing may be a dangerous one—for the human who receives her bite. The female Anopheles mosquito is the only insect capable of carrying the human malaria parasite. Photograph by Hugh Sturrock Learn about the mosquito-transmitted disease, which kills over one million per year, most of them children. The disease chiefly affects lowland tropical regions, where conditions favor Anopheles mosquitoes, which carry the malaria parasite plasmodium. It's the blood-seeking females that inject these microscopic invaders, each bite acting like an infected hypodermic needle. Of the four kinds of plasmodia, Plasmodium falciparum is by far the most dangerous, responsible for about half of all malaria cases and 95 percent of deaths. Parasite The parasite has a complicated life cycle, which begins in the mosquito's gut before moving to the salivary glands, where it awaits transfer to the next host. Once in a human's bloodstream, the parasite lodges in the liver, burrowing into cells where it feasts and multiplies. After a week or two the plasmodia burst out—around 40,000 replications for each parasite that entered the body. Next they target red blood cells, this time repeatedly, until there are billions of parasites in circulation. If this cycle isn't checked, the body starts to fail, because with so many oxygen-carrying red cells being destroyed there are too few left to sustain vital organs. Meanwhile, all it takes for the parasite to pass on its grim legacy is for another mosquito to stop off for a meal. Almost two-thirds of humans infected live in sub-Saharan Africa, which also bears around 90 percent of the global malaria death toll. A child there dies from the disease about every 30 seconds. Elsewhere, countries worst affected are in southern Asia and Latin America. Those most vulnerable are young children, who have yet to develop any resistance to the disease, and pregnant women who have reduced immunity. Signs of infection include flu-like symptoms such as fever, shivering, headache, and muscle ache. The P. falciparum parasite can lead to life-threatening conditions such as brain damage (cerebral malaria), severe anemia, and kidney failure. Survivors are often left with permanent neurological damage. For centuries the only widely known malaria remedy was quinine, which came from the bark of the cinchona tree of Peru and Ecuador. Then, in the 1940s, a synthetic drug was created using the compound chloroquine. Around the same time, the insecticide known as DDT was developed. These twin weapons led to a worldwide assault on malaria, eradicating the disease in many areas, including the United States and southern Europe. But malaria has made a major comeback since the 1970s, partly because DDT use was severely restricted after it was found to be harmful to certain wildlife, and because the plasmodium parasite started becoming resistant to anti-malaria drugs. With more people now falling sick from malaria than ever before, the need to tackle it has never been so urgent. The top priority, health experts say, is finding a vaccine—seen as the only surefire way of beating the disease. Peekaboo American mosquito nets (left) afforded explorers better vision and ventilation than English ones (right). That's according to the 1926 National Geographic article in which this photo appeared, which chronicled an exploration of the Amazon Valley. Photograph by Albert W. Stevens, Nat Geo Image Collection
