Friday 21 May 2010

Cyclone Laila Hits Normal Life in Andhra Pradesh

Cyclone Laila is named by Pakistan. The cyclones originating in the Indian Ocean are named by eight countries north of the ocean - India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman and Thailand which has been intensifying. ...And it's expected to hit the coast of the state overnight - or tomorrow morning.

Cyclone Laila at the doorstep


Acid Rain and its Effect

Acid rain was first noticed in Scandinavia in the 1950s when large numbers of freshwater fish died. research showed that the water in which these fish had lived contained more than average amount of Acid. Later it was discovered that this extra Acid had been carried by rain, hence the term Acid rain. The Acid is formed in the air from sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) which are estimated by thermal power stations, industry and motor vehicles. These gases are either carried by prevailing winds across seas and national frontiers to be deposited directly into the earths surface or are converted in to acids which then fall to the ground in the rain.


Acid rain is measured using a scale called "pH." The lower a substance's pH, the more acidic it is. Pure water has a pH of 7.0. Normal rain is slightly acidic because carbon dioxide dissolves into it, so it has a pH of about 5.5. As of the year 2000, the most acidic rain falling in the US has a pH of about 4.3.


Acid rain causes acidification of lakes and streams and contributes to damage of trees at high elevations. For examples are:

** Acid deposition changes the chemistry of the environment. It affects water bodies such as ponds and lakes, river and streams, and bays and estuaries by increasing their acidity, in some cases to the point where aquatic animals and plants begin to die off.The acidity of lakes has increased large concentrations kill fish and plant life.

** Acid deposition damages vegetation as well.An increase in the acidity of soils reduces the number of crops that can be grown.

** Forests are being destroyed as important nutrients (calcium and potassium) are washed away (leached). These are replaced by manganese and aluminum which are harmful to root growth.In time the trees become less resistant to drought, frost and disease, and shed their needless.

** Water are more acidic and this could become a future health hazard. For example, the release of extra aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's disease.

** Acid deposition damages man-made structures as well; marble,limestone, sandstone are susceptible to damage from acid deposition, as are metals, paints, textiles and ceramics. Repairing the damage caused by acid rain to buildings and monuments costs millions of dollars per year. The Acropolis in Athens and the Taj Mahal in India have both deteriorated rapidly in recent years.

Cyclone Laila weakens India’s coast

A severe cyclone packing winds of 110 kilometres (70 miles) an hour hit India's southeast coast on Thursday as tens of thousands of people evacuated their homes fearing major damage.

Cyclone Laila slammed into the state of Andhra Pradesh 50 kilometres southwest of the city of Machilipatnam, the Indian Meteorological Department said, forecasting a sea surge and disrupted power and communication lines.


As heavy rain and strong gales battered the coast, state authorities said at least 40,000 people had been evacuated from low-lying areas.The armed forces were drafted in to help the evacuation efforts after Andhra Pradesh's chief minister K. Rosaiah called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to request extra assistance."We have had no power supply since yesterday," Ramulu, a middle-aged resident of Balajinagar town, told the TV5 local news channel.


"The municipal authorities are just not bothered about people's plight," he said. "We have formed our own teams to clear the roads of fallen trees and electric poles."
The meteorological department described the cyclone as "severe" and forecast extremely heavy rainfall in places during the afternoon and into Friday.Its latest warning also predicted that a "storm surge" of up to two metres above the regular tide was likely to inundate parts of Andhra Pradesh as the cyclone moved up the coast."Cyclone Laila has made landfall and will take four hours for the entire system to cross," V. Prasad Rao, director of the cyclone warning centre in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, told AFP. "The impact will last for 12 hours."

Large trees were uprooted and some cars damaged by gusts of wind that touched 120 kilometres an hour, television pictures showed.All fishermen were ordered to stay on shore due to "very rough" sea conditions, and the Press Trust of India news agency said Reliance Industries had suspended crude oil and gas production in the Bay of Bengal as a precaution.


State disaster officials said that besides existing cyclone shelters, schools and community halls were serving as relief camps to evacuees.Three people were killed when a shed collapsed during heavy winds in Andhra Pradesh, while a fisherman drowned in rough sea in neighbouring Tamil Nadu state. Local reports put the total death toll at between 14 and 17.

The cyclone, which weakened during the day, is forecast to move north along the coast through Orissa and West Bengal states after making land.India and Bangladesh are hit regularly by cyclones that develop in the Bay of Bengal between April and November, causing widespread damage to homes and fields.