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Here
you will find links to 7 articles: Bomberos
65 - Peru, Pumps Pipes and Predators - Somalia,
Rattraps Domes and Filler Slabs - India, Stop
The Bite - Papua New Guinea, Stop The Dump
- England, The Bug Business - The Netherlands,
Vetiver A Grassy Solution - Mexico
Bomberos
65! - Peru
The areas of Caqueta and La Victoria are situated
on the peripheries of Lima. They are the poorest,
largest and most densely populated regions in Peru
and as such, they are the most vulnerable to the
many hazards that affect the country. Caqueta is
one of the oldest parts of Lima and there are about
2 million people living in the area. The majority
of them are traders who work in the nearby markets.
Pumps
Pipes and Predators - Somalia
The Hiraan region in Somalia covers an area of 34,000
square kilometres and has a predominantly arid climate
with very low annual rainfall. The only permanent
river, the Shabelle River, is of utmost importance
as most of the region’s agricultural land is
situated along the river bank.
Farmers living in Hiraan have used irrigation schemes
for generations but six years of civil war, looting
and destruction have left buildings, dikes and pumps
devastated. The region has been constantly deficient
in crop production over the past few years because
of the loss of irrigated farmland during the war.
More than 100 large irrigation schemes with capacities
of several thousand hectares have been forced out
of production.
Rattraps
Domes and Filler Slabs - India
Currently, in two thirds of the states in India,
literacy levels are below 20 per cent. With the rapidly
expanding population, the need for schooling and
primary education is greater than ever before. Until
recently, most schools were built by engineers whose
methods, materials and techniques ignored the skills-potential
and resources of local craftspeople.
In 1994, the Department for International Development
(DFID) and the British Council began an imaginative
training programme to help engineers, local craftspeople
and communities to find innovative solutions to meet
the demand for schools and reduce the cost of the
infrastructure.
Stop
The Bite - Papua New Guinea
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite transmitted
from person to person by the mosquito. All mosquitos
are born free of the disease but they become infected
when feeding on people carrying the malaria parasite.
Malaria can only be carried by one species of mosquito:
the female Anopheles.
Stop
The Dump - England
Three major problems arise from the discharge of
sewage. The first is visible sewage debris - walk
along any beach near a raw sewage outfall and you
will see toilet paper, sanitary towels, condoms and
occasionally syringes. The second is the risk to
health that occurs when entering polluted waters.
Ear, nose and throat infections, diarrhoea, vomiting
and skin irritations are commonplace. The final problem
is the degradation to marine ecosystems and the consequent
impacts on marine wildlife.
The only solution to sewage disposal is sewage treatment.
Every year, sewage treatment in the UK produces over
30 million tonnes of sewage sludge - a product which
is bulky and expensive to treat.
The
Bug Business - The Netherlands
Consumers expect food products to be healthy and
safe. As a result, chemical pesticides are being
slowly removed from the market and the amount now
available for crop growers to use is declining. Meanwhile,
the number of pest insects is increasing. Therefore,
it is fortunate that the number of natural enemies
that can be commercially produced is increasing as
well. Alternatives to chemical pesticides, that are
environmentally friendly, are being introduced onto
the market and provide a viable option for producers
to protect their crops.
Vetiver
A Grassy Solution - Mexico
Every year, worldwide, 75 billion tonnes of top
soil is removed, by the weather, from farmland. The
state of Oaxaca in south-east Mexico is an important
centre of biological diversity because of its position
as a land bridge between two parts of a continent.
Its big central valleys and mountains have been home
to one of the ancient Indian civilisations and the
origins of agriculture.
Most of the people in the state rely on farming
for their livelihood but soil erosion and the loss
of soil fertility are major problems affecting the
communities in Oaxaca. It is one of the poorest states
in Mexico with very high rates of malnutrition and
migration by farmers to the United States because
the land has become so degraded that there is no
longer sufficient farmland to cultivate. It has been
estimated that up to 70% of the territory of Oaxaca
(an area the size of Portugal) suffers moderate or
severe erosion.
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