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Our country, India is suffering from worst ever water crisis in the history. Millions of lives and livelihood are under threat. Currently 600 Million people face high to extreme water stress and about two lakh people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water. The situation is only going to get worse.

Every year the water demand is rising from Agriculturre, Industrial and Domestic sectors. Cities in coastal zone are facing serious issue of sea water intrusion in deep aquifers, such salinity ingress make the water of confined aquifer non usable for any purpose. This aquifer is a large storage of water for billions of people in that geography. Contamination of water has dangerous effect on agriculture, animals and humanity. In addition cities closer to sea are in danger of sinking below sea level as water in aquifer is going down deeper.

The water demand is expected to double the available supply of water in few years from now. Under these circumstances more than half of the world's population will have to face extreme water crisis. Major cities in the world have already reached 'Zero water or Dry Stage'. We know that water can't be made in the factory but the realisation is far.

Availability of fresh water in rural and semi urban areas is a major problem as they do not have connection with government water grid. Surface water is polluted by human, agriculture and industrial waste. Ground water, in many parts of the world is found to have excess impurities like salt, Flouride, Nitrate, Iron, Chromium, Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Uranium etc. largely due to over extraction from borewells.

Extensive use of ground water for agriculture, industrial or any other purpose are increasing salinity (TDS levels) and hardness in raw water. Consumption of this quality of water results in many diseases including chronic kidney diseases. In Urban areas people treat this raw water through Reverse Osmosis and Softening plants resulting in huge wastage of water; This is not only exacerbating the water crisis but also adding huge electricity bills, carbon emissions that fuels effect of Climate Change. 

June 5th, 2017 is World Environment Day !
The theme this year is "Connecting People to Nature" !
The slogan is "I am with Nature" !
Read more about it at : World Environment Day 2017

Amidst the rich paddy fields on the outskirts of Tumgaon village near Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh lays a small hamlet of Snake catchers belonging to a sub-caste of Gond tribe, called the Saur Gond’s. There are around 40 households and each of them has snakes more than the number of members residing in it. It’s been named Jogidera after the former chief minister of Chhattisgarh Mr. Ajit Jogi.

During my recent visit to this hamlet, I came across some traditions followed by this tribe. As it was a quick trip, I had very less time to spend with them and learn more about it. Yet there are few which I found interesting to share with you all.

In this tribe, for example, during marriage instead of giving in kind or in cash for dowry, the bridegroom is gifted with 21 snakes. They believe 21 to be a holy number and it’s been practiced since ancient times in their culture. After receiving all these 21 snakes, the bridegroom’s family leaves it back to the jungle. They keep a few of them to show to people during festival season like Nagpanchami, during which they travel all across Chhattisgarh.

They teach their children the tricks of handling snakes at a very young age and instead of toys they have it to play with. Through syringe the catchers take out the venom and then teach them about it. They also use wild herbs if bitten by snake and before going to any place to catch venomous snakes, they take it as a precaution medicine.

When I visited this hamlet there were hardly any men, as most of them do labor work and were out of the hamlet during day hours. The kids showed me some of the poisonous snakes including spectacled cobra, krait and common sand boa (non-venomous) which are shown above.

I hope to visit this hamlet in future again and document more about it.

More on www.marvelnature.com

For those who argue that Human is the superior form of God's creation and existence then wondering whether they have any answer for this question - How did trees/plants discovered that solar energy is the infinte and most reliable source of energy and why did we human's failed??

Please read this to know what can we learn from Trees the super efficient creatures on this earth.
This one is incredible as this is done by a 13 year old prodigy who took inspiration from the life giving tree and its structure designed to trap the solar energy. This innovation is marvelous both in its observation and understanding of natures design and incredible as it was done by a 13 year old kid. I can see the future generations are going to be more responsible and better at the development of technology than us. 
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-08/13-year-old-designs-breakthrough-solar-array-based-fibonacci-sequence

The science embedded in the design of the Tree.. Please  Read Aidan’s award-winning and inspiring essay here, 
http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/2011/aidan.html 

Hope you enjoyed reading this

cheers

kanna