Study on sparrows urgently required say experts
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Sci. & Tech. <http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008hdline.htm>
*Study on sparrows urgently required say experts*
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200808221150.htm
Mumbai (PTI): Voicing concern over the depleting population of sparrows,
experts have suggested a census of the bird to prevent its chirping from
being lost forever.
"We have sent a project to the Ministry of Environment and Forest to
conduct a census of sparrows for its approval," Bombay National History
Society (BNHS) Envis Centre scientist-in-charge Girish Jethar said.
"There has hardly been any study conducted on sparrows. A study is
necessary to ascertain the current state of the bird's population," the
ornithologist added.
Being domestic birds, sparrows haven't been able to attract the
attention of wildlife activists and other conservationists, founder of
Nature India, which champions the cause of sparrows, Dilawar Mohammad said.
"There is total apathy over the issue of dwindling sparrows due to lack
of any kind of national data on the bird," he alleged.
Mohammad pointed out that the United Kingdom included the bird in the
list of species to be conserved after a survey found that the population
of the bird had declined by almost 50 per cent in the country.
The decline in the population of this chirpy bird has been attributed to
environmental changes following ecological disturbance, coupled with
increase in presence of *_electro-magnetic radiation_* and natural
habitat destruction
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*Fatal Mobile Technology*
Cell phone towers have come in for a lot of flack since the inception of
mobile technology. People who live near them have a long list of
complaints ranging from a continuous buzzing or humming noise, which is
annoying, to an increased risk of cancer, which is dangerous. Lately,
however, a new danger has been brought into the spotlight, as a number
of cell phone tower workers have plunged to their deaths.
In April, 5 workers died within 12 days, and in May another worker fell
to his death. Craig Lekutis is the president of the online newsletter
Wireless Estimator, and has 27 years experience in the communications
construction industry. He says that these kinds of accidents often occur
in spurts, which is strange enough, but that a concentrated run of
deaths such as this one is extraordinary. Last year 10 people died from
falling off “elevated structures” including water towers and electricity
pylons, which makes the fact that 6 people have died from cell phone
towers all the more remarkable.
The strange cluster of deaths has been attributed to AT&T’s push to
upgrade its network so that it will be able to support the new 3G iPhone
that is to be released soon. So far only three of the six people who
have died have been identified as AT&T employees. Nevertheless, people
are claiming that in its quest for speed, AT&T has thrown safety
concerns out of the window.
AT&T denies that there is any connection between the deaths and their
tight upgrade deadline. A spokesperson claims that the upgrade only
requires workers to adjust the software at the base of each tower and
that climbing the tower is unnecessary. Others contend, however, that
workers may need to climb the towers to test the upgrade or remove
redundant and out-dated equipment.
Regardless of whether the events are related, AT&T has taken steps to
try and address the issue. After the death of the first two AT&T
employees, they called for a halt to all construction projects and
ordered all subcontractors to hold a safety refresher training course.
They added that they expected their subcontractors to conduct random
safety checks at all construction sites to ensure that the safety
measures are being enforced.
AT&T says, “We consider the safety of our contractors and our employees
to be our first priority.”
Recommended sites:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/28/3g-iphones-at-any-cost-cell-tower-deaths-on-the-rise/
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