The perennial river Kosi flowing through Kumaon has become a seasonal river since 2013 due to climatic changes. This and various other findings were discussed during the two-day project review group meeting of the Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST) which concluded here on Thursday. The 70 projects discussed included 50 based on biology and 20 based on physical engineering.
As part of the cancer related project allocated to Himalayan Institute Dehradun, Dr Sunil Saini said that about 5,000 cancer patients of Uttarakhand are registered with the Himalayan Hospital. Women constitute about 60 per cent of these registered patients. Among the women patients, the most -- 24 per cent suffer from gastrointestinal cancer while the other patients suffer from cancer of the breast, throat or head. About 3,000 cancerous tissues have been collected under the project making this the first centre in north India to have such a number of preserved cancerous tissue samples.
Prof JS Rawat of Kumaon University has published weather related data of the past 20 years for Uttarakhand. This data will play an important role in research and development works related to climatic change. Rawat informed that climatic change had not changed or decreased the total quantity of rainfall in a year but the duration of rainfall had decreased. This is responsible for irregular and heavy rain with incidents of cloudburst and flood being seen more often in recent years. He found in his research that the perennial river Kosi has been transformed into a seasonal river since 2013. Problems resulting from climatic change can be tackled through public participation, he added.
As part of a project on solid waste management, Dr Neelu Jyoti Ahuja of University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) said that soil, water and solid waste samples were collected from the 60 municipal wards of Dehradun. These samples were tested in a laboratory. Dr Ahuja has developed a software which will provide data on Dehradun’s solid waste and information related to suggestions for redressal of problems resulting from solid waste. Former vice chancellor of Garhwal University, Prof AN Purohit, NRDC, New Delhi, biotech manager Amitabh Mishra, former dean of GB Pant University, Professor MC Nautiyal and other experts were among those who reviewed the projects. The UCOST director general Dr Rajendra Dobhal, scientists from the council and other institutions were also among those present on the occasion.