Latest news with #Kani
New Indian Express
02-08-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Guardians of the green cure: Kani healers fight to keep forest medicine alive
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is a girlish spright in her steps as she sashays into the thick, verdant spread surrounding her mud house, the insides of which reflect a deeply earthy aesthetic — smoking stoves, dim interiors, and a clustered room brimming with mementoes and accolades she has earned over the years. At 81, Lakshmikutty Amma takes pride in all that she has achieved, especially the Padma Shri, which reached her from Delhi to the remote, reclusive stretch of land nestled in Ponmudi's Kallar forest range. She remains passionately engaged in her vocation, one handed down through generations of her tribe, the Kani, known for their intrinsic knowledge of the Western Ghats. 'I have two people coming tomorrow for treatment,' Lakshmi exclaims, adding that people seek her help for relief from migraines, rheumatoid arthritis, and lifestyle ailments related to diabetes or blood pressure. 'But my forte is vishavaidyam, that is treating poisoning from bites of snakes or other reptiles.' Both Ayurvedic and allopathic practitioners come to learn from her — a Class 8 dropout. 'But remember, Class 8 in my youth was a hefty education for tribespeople,' she smiles. Though Lakshmi is the most well-known, the stretch of forest is home to several such traditional physicians from the Kani clan who continue to practise tribal medicine. Mallan Kani and his son Ashok are one such duo, running a clinic near the main road leading to Ponmudi.
Observer
19-06-2025
- Business
- Observer
Japan returns to long-term LNG deals on AI boom, national energy plan
TOKYO/SINGAPORE: Japan is back in the spotlight for liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers as the boom in artificial intelligence, rising costs for cleaner energy, and a new national energy plan drive appetite for long-term LNG deals. While imports by China, the world's biggest LNG importer, are expected to fall this year, buyers in number two Japan are securing long-term supply deals again, including a potential landmark deal with Qatar. Japan's LNG imports had fallen for a decade as nuclear power plants, idled after the Fukushima disaster, restarted and as renewable energy sources increased. Data centres are expected to use enormous amounts of power to sustain the AI boom, while Japan's 7th Strategic Energy Plan in February identified gas as a realistic transition fuel for the nation's goal of zero net carbon emissions by 2050. 'We had expected that electricity demand in Japan would decline, but the growth of data centres is bending that curve,' said Yukio Kani, global CEO of JERA, the country's top power generator and LNG buyer. 'If we want quick solutions for data centres, Japan needs LNG.' Rising costs have also dimmed prospects for alternative fuels like hydrogen and ammonia. 'Until two or three years ago, we expected faster development of ammonia, but now we have to pause,' Kani said. 'So we've been shifting back to LNG.' Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) forecast annual LNG demand would fall to 53–61 million tons in 2040 if it meets its emissions target, down from 66 million tons in 2024. But in a risk scenario, demand could rise to 74 million tons. The new plan makes it easier for buyers to commit to long-term contracts. Japan has also been auctioning new gas-fired capacity to replace aging coal plants, awarding 7 GW in the past two years. LNG-fired capacity is projected to rise to 85.75 GW by 2034 from 79.98 GW in 2024. Morgan Stanley sees Japan's LNG imports rising to 78 million tons in 2030 as gas-fired generation grows. Osaka Gas signed a 15-year deal with Abu Dhabi's ADNOC. Kyushu Electric is set to sign its first long-term US deal. JERA signed four 20-year deals with US suppliers. 'Uncertainty remains,' said Tokyo Gas Chairman Takashi Uchida. 'The government presents multiple scenarios—there's no single outlook.' — Reuters
The Hindu
04-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
ADAK caged fish farming project strikes gold in Neyyar Dam, benefiting the local forest tribal community
In July last year, pisciculture experts from the agency for the Development of Aquaculture Kerala (ADAK) surveyed the Neyyar Dam Reservoir to map crocodile habitats and feeding grounds. The ADAK team discerned that the waters adjacent to Amboori village were relatively free of the predatory sem-aquatic reptiles' menace. In 1977, the government released a batch of mugger crocodiles into the reservoir, and their population abounded later. In 2001, the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) studied the crocodile population in Neyyar reservoir after local tribals complained that the species threatened humans and livestock and depleted the fish stock. The ADAK team found the expansive reservoir locality ideal and safe for caged fish farming. Nevertheless, the agency was loath to take chances, so experts used intrusion-resistant underwater netting to protect the fish farming zone from predatory forays by crocodiles looking for easy prey. Over several weeks, ADAK placed 100 floating cages in the reservoir to cultivate fish. Each high-density polyethene (HDPE) cage measured 6 metres in length, 4 metres in width, and 4 metres in depth. ADAK stocked the cages with Pearl Spot (2.5 lakh) and Murrel (50,000) fishlings sourced from its hatcheries at Ayirumthengu and Kulathupuzha in the Alappuzha and Kollam districts, respectively. The ADAK also roped in the local tribal community as stakeholders in the project. Pesticide and fertiliser seepage from nearby plantations and destructive fishing methods had diminished the local fish population, incrementally depriving the forest community of income and protein. ADAK managing director Ignatious Munroe told The Hindu that tribals helped source Satavari Root. The increasingly rare tuber increases fishlings' immunity when mixed with fish feed and fed to them. However, the root grows in abundance in the Agasthya Biosphere. It is a seasonal source of income for forest-dwelling tribes. Moreover, ADAK enlisted the Forest Department and the Eco Development Committee (EDC) to train tribals in the latest caged fish farming methods. So far, 14 families from the Kani forest tribe in the Puravamala settlement have partnered in the ADAK project. Faced with the prospect of poachers raiding the cages, ADAK installed solar lamps and internet-linked surveillance cameras for round-the-clock monitoring. ADAK also provided tribals with inland fishing boats, canoes and fish feed to maintain and monitor the cages. The ADAK project struck gold in May. Tribals used dip nets to scoop fully grown and pricey Pearl Spot, a highly sought-after local delicacy, and Murrel from the cages. ADAK experts had intermittently seeded the cages so the fishlings would reach market size in batches, given that a glut of fish in the market would drastically bring down prices. They valued the total catch at an estimated ₹2 crore. Fish wholesalers and locals flocked to Amboori on May 2 to buy rare freshwater Pearl Spots and Murrel. Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian inaugurated the auction. Several local restaurants serving freshwater fish delicacies, including Mahseer, Rohu, Cutla, Anabas and endemic catfish varieties, are proving a magnet for weekend holidayers from Thiruvananthapuram. ADAK experts feel that caged fish farming has immense scope in Kerala, given its vast backwaters and maze of inland waterways. Similar ADAK projects were under way at the Idukki, Peechi, and Kaki dams.
