The Observer Edition 14, Volume 22

The Observer An IIJNM publication

Govt introduces quarantine facility to decrease fish mortality which happens due to infections | P 2

Vol 22, Issue 14

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

8 BILLION

Symbolic eight billionth citizen born in Manila

Team Observer

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Distracted driving leads to road accidents

By Siddhi Chauhan

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espite the number of deaths and injuries caused due to distracted driving, people continue to neglect its consequences like accidents.

According to WHO, drivers who use phones while driving are four times more vulnerable to accidents.

Bankrate describes distracted driving as an activity that diverts the driver's attention from driving. Texting, talking on the phone, eating and drinking while driving are examples of it.

Afroz, 25, who rides a motorcycle, said: “Whenever I want to talk to someone on the phone or I need to use GPS, I always stand aside. I have seen people driving while talking on their phones; this diverts their attention (and) puts their lives at risk.”

Continued on page 3

The symbolic eighth billion baby was born in Tondo, Manila, Philippines. | Credit: Philippines’ Commission on Population and Development informed The Observer: “If India surpasses China, it will be because its fertility rate is higher. Poor people are uncertain if their children will survive. They may not have access to healthcare, nutritious food and education. He said, develop-

ment is the best contraceptive.’”

Nakula Reddy, an economics professor at Osmania University, said: “Increase in population may be a boon if they (people) have necessary skills to contribute positively to economic progress. In the absence of

skills, they certainly put a burden on the economy. India can take advantage of demographic dividend is by making all youth talented by imparting necessary training.

UN Secretary General António Guterres warned:“But as our human family grows larger, it is also growing more divided.Unless we bridge the yawning chasm between the global haves and have-nots, we are setting ourselves up for an 8-billion-strong world filled with tensions and mistrust, crisis and conflict.”

According to the World Prospects Report 2022, released by the UN, more than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.

(Inputs by Siddhi Chauhan, Vindhya P. and Suryash Kumar)

Pharma stores sales dip as people shift to e-platfoms Digitization has led to increase in drugs e-purchase

By Vindhya Pabolu

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edical shop owners have seen a decrease in their sales after the rise of pharmacy apps.

Subba Rao V, owner of Annapurna Medical Stores in JP Nagar, informed The Observer: “Pharmacy apps have offers on company medicines as well. Customers expect us to sell them medicines at the same price as mentioned on the apps. We can’t give extra offers like medical apps. We will be in loss.”

Website: theweeklyobserver.in Epaper: https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver

Exploitation of groundwater has increased in 4 K’taka districts including B’luru Rural & B’luru Urban | P 3

The world’s population has crossed

he world population crossed eight billion on November 15, 2022. It had reached six billion in 1999 and seven billion in 2011. The Observer recordedthe eight billionth birth the Worldometer website at 1:28 pm.

The symbolic eighth billion baby was born in Tondo, Manila, Philippines. Her name is Vince Mabansag.

According to UN estimates, India will surpass China to become the most populous country by 2023.

Experts say population growth has both positive and negative impacts on the social and economic development of a country.

Gopal Dabade, a health expert,

@theweeklyobserver

The Indian e-pharmacy is expected to grow around 21.28 per cent for the next five years | Credit: Vindhya Pabolu Sai Nath S, owner of Sri Lakshmi Gayatri Medical Stores in Jayanagar, said: When our sales started declining, we started home deliveries. We covered

areas within 10 km to 12 km of our shop, but we had to close the service as not many were interested. We even promoted our business on social media. There is nothing more I can do than this.

We can’t give maximum discounts and run into losses.”

Medical store owners The Observer spoke with complained that the government has still not taken action against online platforms. According to a report in The Economic Times, in 2017, a strike was called by the All-India Organization of Chemists and Druggists against online pharmacies, which they say pose a threat to their business.

Medical shop owners have been up in arms against online apps and demanded a ban on them.

Continued on page 3

News briefs Ukraine war must stop, says Modi in Bali Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for a return to the path of “ceasefire and diplomacy” to resolve the raging Ukraine conflict, and opposed any restrictions on the supply of energy, amid the West’s call against procurement of discounted Russian oil and gas. In an address at the G20 summit in Bali, Modi said climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, developments in Ukraine and the global problems associated with it have caused havoc in the world. PTI

Cops take accused to body-dumping spot

The Delhi police on Tuesday took the 28-year-old accused of killing his live-in partner to the jungle areas of south Delhi’s Chhatarpur where he dumped her body parts.

A senior police official said Aaftab Amin Poonawala will be taken to some other places in the city for inquiry. Poonawala was taken to the wooded area, surrounded by police personnel.PTI

Imran Khan demands equal treatment for Pak

Former PM Imran Khan has said he wants the United States to have a dignified relationship with Pakistan similar to what it shares with India. In a recent interview with the UK-based Financial Times, Khan stated that India has a “very dignified” relationship with the US. PTI

Djokovic granted visa for 2023 Australian Open

Novak Djokovic has been granted a visa to play in the Australian Open in January, Guardian Australia and state broadcaster ABC reported on Tuesday. He was deported from Australia in the leadup to the Grand Slam in January after he declined to be vaccinated. The former world No. 1 was originally barred from the country until 2025. Reuters

Congress lashes out LDF for Raj Bhavan march plan

The Congress on Tuesday criticised the LDF move to carry out a march to the Raj Bhavan Thiruvananthapuram in protest against Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s actions regarding universities and bills passed by the state legislature, saying it is creating “anarchy” in Kerala.

PTI

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The Observer Tuesday, November 15, 2022

CITY

The art of calligraphy is declining Software tools to blame for it

By Sneha T S

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he centuries old art of writing, calligraphy is declining because software can do the work of calligraphists.

Baby Varghese, an artist and trainer said “The main reason behind the decline of the art form is that today we have so many graphic design tools and software which do the job easily. There are a number of fonts available. You name the font and with just a click you have it. I am a drawing teacher as well. During the early days of my career, I had two batches. One was for drawing classes and the other for calligraphy. Today I do not have any student who is willing to learn calligraphy. I do not take individual classes for it. Drawing students learn it as a part of drawing class itself.”

Meghana Kumari, the founder of Callistyle, a calligraphy and language training institute, explained to The Observer the different kinds of calligraphy.

“The most common types of calligraphy are brush pen calligraphy (done with either a brush pen or the traditional brush), copperplate calligraphy (in which a sharp ink pen is used) and Gothic calligraphy (a large font size is used in this style).

Another style is Faux calligraphy, which is done with pencil.”

Not many are even aware of

Around the city Heritage Week (19th - 25th November): City based Heritage trust has announced a series of event. The events like ‘The Coin Story’ aim to preserve the heritage.

Karnataka Rajyotsava 2022 ( 7–16 November): It will be organised at PES University, Banashankari Stage III, Dwaraka Nagar, Bengaluru.

UnMoored: Charting the Future of the Semiconductor Industry, RSVP, BIC Venue Event, on November 17, 2022 @ 6:30 Pm -8:00 Pm Comic Con India: The Comic Con India will host the Bengaluru event at the KTPO Trade Center, on November 19 and 20, 2022.

Quiz 1. The logo for luxury car maker Porsche features which animal?

2. What was Gautama Buddha's language of discourse?

3.For which field is B. C. Roy Award is given?

4. In which year was the Pulitzer Prize established?

5. What is the name of Parsis sacred book?

6.Which country has the highest life expectancy?

Answers on Page 3

Calligraphy not only improves a person’s handwriting but also makes them creative| Credits: Sneha T S calligraphy, she said. There are various myths associated with the art.

People connect calligraphy with handwriting.

There is a myth that if one has a bad handwriting , he/she cannot be good at calligraphy.

“Calligraphy lessons start with basic strokes, letter, words and then eventually sentences. A lesson on background designing is also given to the students.

Calligraphy can make people creative. One can also develop designing skills and improve

their concentration by practising calligraphy,” she added.

Avnish U, an art teacher and calligrapher, noted that handrendered calligraphy requires a lot of time, effort and patience.

“A lot of parents used to approach me for teaching their children calligraphy. They used to think that if children would learn calligraphy, it would help them improve their handwriting. This was a major reason behind the parents encouraging children to learn calligraphy. Before we

discuss the art of calligraphy, we need to address writing. Today the practice of writing is declining. Today no one even thinks about handwriting. Also digitisation is another reason behind its decline. No one even wishes to hurt their hands.

Everybody thinks, why to make an effort to write when a computer can do the same things in an easier way.”

The tools needed for calligraphy are rarely seen. Earlier they were common in stationery shops.

Avnish is trying to revive calligraphy by encouraging children to learn it. One way of reviving the art is through graffiti.

Urmila N, a former student of calligraphy, said “As a child, I was always keen to learn calligraphy; even my parents encouraged me for the same. They even enrolled me in a calligraphy class. I practised it regularly. The day I joined the class I realised that it is not a cakewalk.

It needs a lot of practice and patience. Earlier, I used to get hyper easily. But, learning calligraphy helped me a lot. In the journey of perfecting the art, I became a lot more patient.”

Asked about the time that is required to learn calligraphy, she said it depends on the grasping power of the learner.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA, had published in a journal that a 55-year-old man who was in coma for two years after suffering a stroke was healed through calligraphy therapy. sneha.ts@iijnm.org

Citizen’s Voice Develop Jharkhand’s tourism potential Jharkhand is a state abundant in mineral resources. Rich in coal, iron ore and copper ore, it boasts of a number of heavy industries like SAIL-Bokaro Steel Plant, Tata Steel, Hindustan Copper and Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. But little is known about its pristine beauty, greenery, waterfalls, hills and forests. The state has great potential for the development of tourism and should make efforts to conserve its greenery.

Subhajit Banerjee

Those who feed stray dogs litter food

There are multiple places in and around Kengeri where the food left over after feeding stray dogs lies scattered on the road. People who are kind enough to feed the dogs do not seem to care about their fellow human beings. When it rains, the food starts to rot and stink on the roadside overpowers, causing nuisance to edestrians.

Shopkeepers and residents has to clean the area as they are affected the most by this.

Arsha BS

Bengaluru has some most delectable food

During my quest to find Bengaluru’s dish, I learned that the IT hub is famous for one dish in each cuisine. I came to know the variety of cuisine the city offers. Despite being a global city, only veg food is known.But, the city is also known for its non-veg dishes.‘Donne biryani’ is one of the most famous foods in Bengaluru. e of the most famous foods in Bengaluru.

Navya Sruthi

Govt introduces new quarantine facility to decrease fish mortality State wants to boost aquaculture

By Shruti Banerjee

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he Karnataka government has introduced a new quarantine facility at Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru, to reduce fish mortality which occurs due to diseases infecting ornamental species of fish.

Ornamental fish, corals and crustaceans, are aquatic animals kept in aquariums.

Shripad Kulkarni, deputy director of the Directorate of Fisheries, said the new facility has been mandated by the central and state governments to introduce quarantine facilities for ornamental fish which are imported.

The quarantine facility will be supervised by the state department of fisheries. The quarantine facility has been established in a closed building of about 3,000 square feet with good ventilation.

The reason behind this set up is to accelerate the growth of aquaculture in the state. The facility has biosecurity boundaries to prevent the entry of unauthorized

Ornamental fish including corals are aquatic kept in aquariums| Credits: Shruti Banerjee people inside the area.

In the quarantine unit, each tank is equipped with separate hand nets and heaters with a proper aeration system. The area is divided into two units: The prequarantine unit and the quarantine unit. In the pre-quarantine unit, glass tanks of 310-litre capacity are placed to handle 30,000 fish for three to four days. The quarantine unit has glass tanks that can house only 34,000 fish for 15 to 21 days.

Facilities will be set up to diag-

nose bacterial and parasitic infections in fish, Kulkarni said.

Most importers and exporters are not equipped with quarantine facilities. Diseased fish are kept with healthy ones. This, in turn, leads to the death of healthy fish.

Shatabdi Ghosh, a resident of Durgapur, West Bengal, said she purchased three fishes from a local aquarium which the shopkeeper said were brought from Bengaluru. After a month, one of the fish developed symptoms of a disease, leading another fish to contract it. Ghosh isolated the third fish seperatley.

Suraj Kumar Sahoo, manager of Wet Pets Shop, said that a few fish die during transportation as they experience stress if too many individuals are packed in a small container. Lack of oxygen is also another reason.

He informed The Observer that he does not have any quarantine facility to isolate the diseased fish. As a result, his fish died. His business suffered a huge loss during the pandemic as the sales of fish deteriorated. This happened as people were not interested to buy fish during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. shruti.b@iijnm.org

Dr B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner of the Traffic, police, hands over charge to his successor M. A. Saleem. Saleem earlier was the additional directorgeneral of police (administration) | Credit: Hamsaveni N

Weather Today- 28 °C

Wind- 28 km/h Humidity- 53% Visibility- 16km Max UV Index- 3 Moderate Indoor Humidity- 53% (Humid) Precipitation-0.5 mm

CITY

The Observer Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Exploitation of groundwater has risen in four Karnataka districts

3 Wonders of the world

Its extraction has increased by 5.08 per cent in the past two years

By Suryash Kumar

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Continued from page 1 ohith Dasari, a software company employee who orders medicines from the Chemist180 app, shared: “It’s more convenient and also gives us more offers. My first purchase was during the time of Covid.

Compared to medical stores, epharmacy platforms offer a greater choice of medicines. I end up buying all medicines on one platform instead of running around 2 or 3 medical stores for one particular medicine.”

Priya Darshini, a student who purchases medicines on the PharmEasy app, said: “It reduces my work to go out every month to buy medicines for my grandmother. It also provides more offers. Home delivery is convenient.

But I buy medicines at medical stores in time of emergency.”

The Indian e-pharmacy market stood at US$344.78 million in FY 2021 and is expected to grow around 21.28 per cent for the next five years, as per data published by the India e-Pharmacy Market Report 2021.

Read full story on our website: www.theweekelyobserver.in

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“Groundwater is evaluated twice a year, and water from static wells is used for evaluation.

Static wells refer to wells in which water is not disturbed by exploitation. The Groundwater Directorate collects water samples before and after monsoon.”

About 30 percent of Karnataka’s groundwater has been overexploited.The overdraft is estimated to be about 0.22millionhectare meters, according to a research article in the journal Groundwater Regulation and Management Practices in K’taka.

Rajendranan, a retired geologist, said overexploitation happens when people tap more water, and the water table is not recharged. “The salt content is high if water is not recharged.

And the deeper we go, the salinity increases. Some parts of the city

groundwater are overexploited, and some are underexploited….

Borewell utilization is less, but in outer areas, there is overdependence on borewells.”

In Karnataka, the quality of groundwater is a major concern as people have been falling ill after drinking contaminated waterin over the years.

Apeksha, a consultant at the state rural drinking water supply and sanitation department, informed The Observer: “Under WQMSP (Water Quality Management and Surveillance Program), the rural department collects samples and conducts sanitary surveys to monitor water quality.

Water- treatment plants are established to treat water in villages before it can be supplied, and if the water source has a high concentration of harmful sub-

Distracted driving continues to be a threat to people’s lives Continued from page 1 ajendra Prasad, a motorist, said both pedestrians and drivers could be at fault in an accident. He has seen people driving after drinking.

Mahima, a student of Sophia High School, narrated to The Observer an accident she said.

“Pedestrians are also responsible for accidents. Once I saw a man using his phone in the middle of the road. He was so occupied with the phone that people had to shout to alert him.”

Aiswarya Saji, an advocate, explained: “In India, distracted driving is classified as either mobile driving or intoxicated driving. Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, makes both activities an offence. As per the Motor Vehicle Acts, a person who drives in a drunken state or under the influence of drugs is punishable under the law."

In 2016, the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill proposed an amendment to Section 184 to include the “use of handheld devices allowed while driving. If violated, the driver will be fined Rs 5000 and or be jailed for a year

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Tweetcasm Are the IAS/IPS/IRS officers getting a Blue Tick Allowance from the Govt of India? @GabbbarSingh

Did You Know?

Air pollution causes about 7 million premature deaths every year, one in nine of all deaths.

Nine out of 10 people breathe unclean air, making it the most significant environmental health risk of our time.

Quote of the day “One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work.

Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away.”-Stephen Hawking

Quiz answers Horse Pali Medicine 1917 Zend Avesta Hong Kong

E-pharmacy stores offer great choice of drugs

Quality of groundwater is a major concern as people have been falling ill after drinking contaminated water | Credit: Yukta Mudgal

The Lighthouse of Alexandria on the tiny island of Pharos in the harbour of Alexandria, Egypt, is the archetype of all subsequent lighthouses and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was one of the last of the original Seven Wonders to be destroyed, after multiple earthquakes reduced most of the original structure to rubble, and the Sultan of Egypt turned it into a medieval fort around 1480.The lighthouse was commissioned by the first Ptolemy, the Greek general who stayed behind to rule after Alexander the Great Source: Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

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roundwater in Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru Urban districts is overexploited, says a study by the Central Ground Water Board.

According to the National Compilation on Dynamic Groundwater Resources of India by the Central Ground Water Board, out of the 234 assessment units (taluks) in Karnataka, 49 (20.94%) are overexploited.

Groundwater extraction has increased from 64.85% in 2020 to 69.93 % in 2022.

Jagadeshwari, a geologist at Groundwater Directorate and Karnataka Groundwater Authority, informed The Observer: “In overexploited districts, restriction on drilling borewells and separate permission to extract water before drilling borewells is required…. Overexploited category falls into the 100 percent and above. This means more groundwater is extracted. ” Commercial and residential users need permission to dig new borewells in overexploited areas.

Commercial users consume over 2,000 KLD (kilolitres/day), and domestic users consume up to 1,000 KLD. Any commercial user of groundwater needs a no-objection certificate and is permitted to withdraw 50% of the groundwater capacity, she added.

stances, the water source is marked red to indicate whether it is portable or not.

“We have an awareness program for people to make them aware of contaminated water sources. The government is trying to establish a full-fledged microbiological lab in every district, and in a few taluks of the state like Hassan/Mysore, the biological lab is 90% complete.”

The government has 32 district laboratories and 48 sub-district laboratories. A safe water network suggests technology that can be used for purification. The technology requires investment and maintenance.

“Right now, the laboratories can only test the absence or presence of bacteria, but once fullfledged laboratories are set up, we can tell what kind of bacteria is present. What the rural department suggests is to boil your water before drinking.”

Overexploitation of groundwater can be prevented if the government build infrastructure for tapping rainwater to recharge groundwater. Further, changing the cropping pattern can pare groundwater usage significantly.

Karnataka’s Water Policy 2022 says groundwater extraction other than for domestic use should be restricted for commercial use depending on the degree and zone of exploitation. suryash.k@iijnm.org

The Observer In India more than 3 lakh people were injured and 1.3 lakh lost their lives in many cases Credit: Yukta Mudgal for commiting an offense.”

According to the ‘Road Accidents in India 2020’ report of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), more than 3.66 lakh road accidents occurred in India, more than 3 lakh were injured and 1.3 lakh lost their lives in the accidents.

Harish Kumar, a constable of the Cubbon Park Traffic Police Station, said road accidents happen due to overspeeding, poor road conditions and distracted drivingby commuters.

Narasimharaju G.C., a head constable of the same police station, said a person charged under the Motor Vehicles Act for using a phone while driving is liable to pay a fine of Rs 2,500.

According to the Road Accidents Report, 2020, out of the 43,412 fatal accidents that took place on national highways, Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 7,031 (16.2%), followed by Maharashtra (3,232, 7.4%), Karnataka (3,039, 7%), and Bihar (3,004, 6.9%). siddhi.c@iijnm.org

Produced by the Print students of the Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media at Nityananda Nagar, Kumbalgodu, Kengeri hobli, Bengaluru 560074.

Editor: Shruti Banerjee News Editor / Photo Editor: Suryash Kumar Copy editors: Vindhya Pabolu, Yukta Mudgal, Siddhi Chauhan, Sneha T S Other IIJNM publications l The Beat magazine l CityCast l The SoftCopy