eChapters

Introduction

Road traffic in cold snowy regions during winter season faces problems, like icing of road, snow compaction and snow storms that obstruct visibility. In snowy region there is also danger of damage due to snow avalanches. Avalanches often severely damage road service facilities or road structures. Quick response and corrective actions are required to cope with the damages, if any avalanche occurs.

Introduction

Forests face many hazards but most common is forest fire. They pose threat to not only forest wealth but also to entire region of fauna and flora seriously disturbing the bio-diversity, ecology and environment of a region. During summer, forests are littered with dry senescent leaves and twigs which could burst into flames ignited by the slightest spark. Forest cover in India is 675,538 km and constitute 20-25% of geographical area.

Case Study    :    Indian Ocean Tsunami - 2004

Appendix-'E'    :    How can Cummunity Reduce Carbon 
            Footprints

Appendix-'F'    :    Chemical and Industrial Disaster Mitigation
    
Appendix-'G'    :    Emergency Procedure for Handling Chemical Disasters
    
Case Study    :    Bhopal Gas Tragedy 1984

Appendix-'H'    :    Do's & Don'ts During Commercial Nuclear Disasters

Appendix-'I'    :    Mock Drill Reporting Format
    
Appendix-'J'    :    Suggested Roles and Responsibilities of Stakeholders

Appendix-'K'    :    Supreme Court Directions on School Safety
    
Case Study    :    Kumbakonam School Fire Tragedy

1.    Anthracnose
    
2.    Powdery mildew
        
3.    Mango malformation
        
4.    Red rust
        
5.    Grey blight
        
6.    Sooty mould
        
7.    Stem end rot
        
8.    Bacterial leaf spot

1.    Panama wilt
        
2.    Moko or Bacterial wilt
        
3.    Sigatoka disease
        
4.    Anthracnose
        
5.    Bunchy Top

1.    Downy mildew
        
2.    Powdery mildew
        
3.    Anthracnose/Bird’s eye spot

1.    Gummosis
        
2.    Canker
        
3.    Scab/Verucosis
        
4.    Tristeza or quick decline
        
5.    Greening
        
6.    Exocortis or scaly butt

1.    Wilt
        
2.    Anthracnose
        
3.    Canker

1.    Stem rot/Foot rot
        
2.    Powdery mildew
        
3.    Anthracnose
        
4.    Ring spot
        
5.    Leaf curl

1.    Scab
        
2.    Powdery mildew
        
3.    Fire blight
        
4.    Soft rot
        
5.    Bitter rot

1.    Leaf spot or blight
        
2.    Cercospora leaf & fruit spot
        
3.    Alternaria fruit spot
        
4.    Bacterial leaf spot

1.    Sooty mould
        
2.    Leaf spot
        
3.    Flat limb

1.    Bud rot
        
2.    Stem bleeding
        
3.    Grey blight
        
4.    Basal Stem Rot

1.    Coffee rust/Oriental leaf disease
        
2.    Black rot or Koleroga
        
3.    Die back or Anthracnose
        
4.    Damping off/Collar rot
        
5.    Berry blotch

1.    Blister blight of tea
        
2.    Red rust
        
3.    Black rot
        
4.    Black root

1.    Foot rot or Leaf rot or wilt
        
2.    Anthracnose
        
3.    Bacterial leaf spot or stem rot

1.    Late blight
        
2.    Early blight
        
3.    Black scurf
        
4.    Common scab
        
5.    Bacterial Brown rot
        
6.    Wart
        
7.    Black leg (Soft rot)
        
8.    Viral diseases
        
9.    Potato spindle tuber

1.    Damping off
        
2.    Early blight
        
3.    Fusarium wilt
        
4.    Bacterial wilt
        
5.    Mosaic
        
6.    Leaf furl
        
7.    Root knot nematode

1.    Damping off
        
2.    Phomopsis fruit rot or blight
        
3.    Collar rot
        
4.    Bacterial Wilt
        
5.    Little leaf

1.    Damping off
        
2.    Fruit rot or Die back
        
3.    Powdery mildew
        
4.    Bacterial leaf spot
        
5.    Cercospora leaf spot
        
6.    Fusarium wilt
        
7.    Viral diseases

1.    Yellow vein mosaic
        
2.    Cercospora leaf spot
        
3.    Fusarium wilt
        
4.    Powdery mildew

1.    Club root or Finger and toe
        
2.    Downy mildew
        
3.    Powdery mildew
        
4.    Alternaria leaf spot
        
5.    White rust
        
6.    Black rot
        
7.    Bacterial soft rot

1.    Downy mildew
        
2.    Powdery mildew
        
3.    Anthracnose
        
4.    Cercospora leaf spot
        
5.    Alternaria blight
        
6.    Bacterial wilt

1.    Damping off
        
2.    Purple blotch
        
3.    Smut
        
4.    Downy mildew
        
5.    Leaf blight (blast)
        
6.    Black mould

1.    Downy mildew
        
2.    Powdery mildew
        
3.    Rust
        
4.    Wilt

1.    Anthracnose
        
2.    Bean rust
        
3.    Yellow mosaic
        
4.    Common bean mosaic/green mosaic

1.    Rhizome rot/soft rot
        
2.    Leaf spot
        
3.    Yellows disease
        
4.    Banded leaf blight
        
5.    Cercoseptoria leaf spot
        
6.    Bacterial wilt

1.    Powdery mildew
        
2.    Die-back
        
3.    Black spot
        
4.    Rust

1.    Wilt
        
2.    Rust
        
3.    Septoria leaf spot
        
4.    Powdery mildew
        
5.    Chrysanthemum stunt

1.    Rust
        
2.    Cercospora leaf spot
        
3.    Collar rot and Root rot
        
4.    Phyllody

1.    Wilt
        
2.    Stem rot
        
3.    Alternaria leaf spot

1. GEOLOGY

Geology : Earth Science

 Geo = Earth + Logos = Science

 Def : The science which investigates the history of the earth is known as geology.

 Following are the important branches of geology.

1.Coal Geology : it is related with natural gas, coal deposits and their formation.

2.Crystallography : includes the crystal and atomic structure of the mineral. 3. Drilling Technology : it is related with the cores, core logging and coorelation of the lithology.

4.Engineering Geology and Surveying : it is related with engineering aspects of the earth.

9. WEATHERING

The general process of production of rock waste partly by mechanical breaking and partly by chemical decomposition is known as weathering. The resulting products of weathering accumulate in the same place from which they are derived and there is no transport involved in the process.

Agents and types of weathering : The agencies which are involved in the process of weathering are atmosphere, water and organisms. The whole process of weathering may be conveniently divided into two types : mechanical or physical weathering and chemical weathering. Mechanical weathering involves those processes which bring about disintegration of rocks and minerals without any chemical activity. Chemical weathering involves various chemical processes which slowly decompose the rocks and minerals. In nature two processes are intimately associated and only under extreme conditions, they do occur as a separate entities. Mechanical weathering breaks down the rock creating more surface area and facilitates chemical weathering. Chemical weathering weakens the rock and makes it more susceptible to mechanical break down. Thus the two processes are always complementary to each other.

19. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS

Def : The minerals are naturally occurring solid bodies having definite chemical composition and certain atomic arrangement, and are formed by inorganic processes in the nature.

All the minerals possess certain physical properties which are considered as follows.

1.Characters depending upon light such as colour streak, luster, transparency, translucency, phosphorescence and fluorescence.

2.Characters depending upon certain senses such as taste, odour and feel.

3.Characters depending upon the atomic structure and state of aggregation such as form, hardness, tenacity, fracture, cleavage and surface tension effects.

On the basis of these three characteristics, the minerals are identified and distinguished.

24. IGNEOUS ROCKS

Introduction : Petros = rocks and logos = science

Petrology means the science of rocks. It deals with the mode of occurrence composition, classification and origin of rocks and their relation to geological processes and history of the earth.

Rocks can be studies in two ways : The study of rocks as specimens in the laboratory is called Petrography which places emphasis on the purely descriptive part from textural mineralogical and chemical point of view. Petrogenesis deals with the origin and processes of formation of rocks. Petrology is a broader term which includes both petrography and petrogenesis.

Igneous rocks are formed by cooling and solidification of magma, either underneath the earth’s surface or above the earth’s surface.

27. STRIKE AND DIP

Outcrop : A part of the rock formation which crops out or exposed on the surface of the earth is called an outcrop.

The total area over which a particular rock unit occurs at the surface whether visibly exposed or not. The term outcrop is especially used for delination of such an area on a geological map.

Attitude : To study these outcrops their attitude help in better understanding the position of the bed on the ground surface or in field is attitude of a bed can be described with the help of two basic structural elements i.e. strike and dip.

33. GEOTECTONICS

Introduction

Geotectonics is the branch of geology which deals with the structure and movements of the earth’s crust. It includes the study of large-scale features like mountain chains, mid-oceanic ridge and oceanic trenches. Investigation regarding the form, pattern and genesis of these, and other tectonic units have enabled geo-scientists to ascertain the important characteristics of earth’s crust and reconstructs its evolution and geological history.

33. GEOTECTONICS

Introduction

Geotectonics is the branch of geology which deals with the structure and movements of the earth’s crust. It includes the study of large-scale features like mountain chains, mid-oceanic ridge and oceanic trenches. Investigation regarding the form, pattern and genesis of these, and other tectonic units have enabled geo-scientists to ascertain the important characteristics of earth’s crust and reconstructs its evolution and geological history.

34. GEOPHYSICAL METHODS

This chapter gives important and useful methods for measurement of seismic signals.

Firstly a brief introduction of seismic signals is given. The P waves, S waves and L-waves are discussed in short.

The old methods of measuring seismic signals like mechanical geophones are replaced by electronic geophones. The discussion includes Electromagnetic type, Reluctance type, Capacitive type and pressure type of basic geophones. New methods of damping are included. New Recently developed amplifiers and filters are also included. Development in oscillographic elements and cameras are discussed. Other information includes, the recently reported Array Technology and Space Technology for measurement of seismic signals.

Abstract

This chapter will look at the major reasons why farmers in India are unable to take advantage of Agricultural profession as a mode of generating income and suggest ways to change this by employing new technologies. Agriculture has basic processes which require identifying the season for planting the seeds at the right time, watering the plants to the required level, undertaking maintenance for the different plants and then finally harvesting at the right time to ensure that the effort that has been put into the agricultural process results in useful output. In business terms the output when it is valued in terms of money, should enable the farming business to sell their output at a certain price that will enable them to pay off the money that has been used for setting up the crop for that cycle. This chapter will underscore the valuable contribution of remote sensing data in farming to enhance operational decisions. We will look at how low-cost technologies can be implemented into the existing agricultural extension activities and help farmers make better decisions that will enable them to be more business oriented. It is envisaged that incorporating high technology-based data into simple to understand terminology willhelp reduce the burden on farmers. This is due to the lack of knowledge but also due to the low volume of information that is possible to be fed to the farmers through the agriculture extension network in the country. However, due to the varied nature of farming in India it is difficult for extension officers to specialise but concentrate their efforts on widely utilised crops in an area. The following figure below explains in simple terms how the cycle of activities occur in a farmer’s world and where business decisions are taken that will have an impact on the profitability.

Abstract

The upsurge in global population rates has triggered a significant escalation in food demand across the world. This is accompanied by urbanisation and a pressing need for sustainable agriculture. In this context vertical cultivation of plants as well as breeding of livestock on vertically inclined surfaces, such as in skyscrapers and other high-rise buildings in urban regions has gained prominence. The dynamics of urban agriculture is captured through the case study of Urbagrow Aquaponics, an urban, aquaponic, soil-free, food garden based in Kolkata. The garden exhibits an assortment of aquaponic systems for growing a variety of vegetables as well as the tilapia and catfish. The systems make use of less water, require less work in man-hours and can grow vegetables in greater density than a traditional soil based food growing endeavour. A feasibility study has been conducted to explore the potential of scaling such a venture across myriad other high-rise buildings across Indian cities.

Abstract

Sustainable development and success in any field, agriculture being one of them, goes hand in hand with Innovation. To tackle the current growing problems in the agricultural sector, and long-term sustainability of the agri-ecosystem, agricultural innovations are needed that might bring new products or processes or open up new markets, thereby optimising the use of the limited resources to attain maximum benefits. The authors discuss innovation from the perspective of two dimensions: Technology and Market to illustrate four different kinds of innovation - incremental, architectural, radial and descriptive. This paper deals with the concept of innovation in agricultural field [referred to as agri-innovation] using illustrations of two innovative products namely Dragon Fruit and Water Hyacinth, both of which have significant role in the agri-ecosystem of India. The introduction of Dragon Fruit in a new market is illustrated as an agri-innovation. Efforts by state and private sector of introducing Dragon Fruit, a popular production in South & South East Asia to Indian markets are an example of Architectural Innovation. Also the most common weed Water Hyacinth is considered to be used in news forms so that it can be modified as a new product for a new market. The paper thus documents the suitability of these innovative agri-products in the current Indian market scenario.

Abstract

Access to reliable and affordable irrigation is one of the most important enablers to increase agricultural productivity and income for farmers. An innovative Manual Axis Tracking Solar Pump model and its utility in providing affordable irrigation has been discussed in this paper. The proposed Manual Axis Tracking Solar Pump can increase output on an average 8%-12% more than fixed panel and is much cheaper than automated tracking. This paper deliberates upon the technical features that make the Manual Axis Tracking Solar Pump an advantage over its nearest competitor, the diesel pump. Government of India has already introduced various subsidy-based solar pump schemes and most of them are not popular because of low discharge issue. The low discharge issue can be solved by this proposed optimum tilt-based Manual Tracking Solar Pump, whose sustainable market penetration is suggested through various strategies in the paper, supported by case studies. The proposed entrepreneurship model not only opens a new era of agricultural business but also helps to reduce the GHG emissions.

Abstract

More than one-third of food is lost or wasted in post-harvest operations in India. Decreasing the post-harvest losses (PHL) may be a sustainable solution to increasing food availability and improving farmers’livelihoods. As per Associated Chambers of Commerce of India, India loses approximately US$ 14.33 billion annually on account of PHL (ASSOCHAM, 2017). The objective of this study is to analyse the agricultural wastes that are produced in the value chain for a modern trade retailer, identify their causes, and discuss methods for minimising field wastages. A case study approach has been used to depict the agricultural value chain (vegetable segment). A field visit was conducted to a farmland and a privately operated Collection Center in Barasat area of West Bengal. The author discusses solutions towards minimising harvest wastages in the farm by focusing on waste reduction. Post-harvest wastages beyond the farm can be reduced by undertaking measures that focus on waste management. Going forward, adoption of technologies by farmers may lessen inefficiencies such as wastages and improve their income. Further scope for research lies in exploring joint interventions by private players, government agencies, non-profit organisations and entrepreneurs through public-private partnership models or through development of clusters for creating sustainable value chains and achieving greater profitability.

Abstract

Packaging industry is considered to be one of the world’s largest industrial sectors. In the past few years, food processing has undergone several paradigm changes with respect to production, distribution, storage, processing and retailing. This increasing dynamism in the food industry, while on one hand placing a lot of challenges on the packaging industries, is on the other hand opening up opportunities for entrepreneurs to foray into food processing and also packaging industries and develop appropriate solutions in response to the needs of the market and environment. This study aims at exploring the state of packaging industry and packaging technologies in developing countries, with special emphasis on India, against the backdrop of increasing concern for prevention of food losses and therefore highlighting the need for new innovative ideas for food packaging. The authors posit that customer awareness about safety of processed food has given rise to tremendous possibilities of entrepreneurship opportunities in the area of safe and hygiene packaging. However market preferences, state reputations and cost benefit analysis play major roles in packaging of processed food products.