July 26, 2003

 

Coca-Cola in India accused of leaving farms parched and land poisoned

 

The Guardian reportedthat the largest Coca-Cola plant in India is being accused of putting thousands of farmers out of work by draining the water that feeds their wells, and poisoning the land with waste sludge that the company claims is fertiliser. The plant in the southern state of Kerala is designed to satisfy the demand for Coke in what has become the multinational company's fastest growing market.But its huge demand for water is causing such damage to the local economy that the village council which had granted the company a licence to operate is now demanding the plant's closure.

 

Troops Accused of Mosul Killing

 

Witnesses Say Crowd Was Fired On After Hussein Firefight; U.S. Denies Allegation

Saturday, July 26, 2003: MOSUL, Iraq, July 25 -- It was too much for the 20 men watching. Almost all of them buried their faces in their hands and sobbed. "Why did the Americans kill my son?" said Basil Hamed Azawi, 63. "By God, I say to you, I thought it was better to have good relations with the Americans and repair our country. But now the Americans have lost any relationship with Iraq. How can I face them now? What should I do? What can I do?"Neighbors here said Hamed was killed on Tuesday by U.S. soldiers who fired into a crowd of young, unarmed Iraqis who were throwing rocks at the troops, shortly after the fierce firefight in which U.S. troops killed the two sons of former president Saddam Hussein, Uday and Qusay. Full Report

 

IT and Health Monitor - Special Feature

Managing the health risks

July 26,2003

New CEO Appointed to Take Jordan Telecom into Competitive Era
Satyam implements 'Virtual University' portal for leading global consortium of universities  Sakhr announces a strategic alliance with SAIL LABS Technology, Europe Media Mining and Management solutions the first of their kind IS0 9001: 2000 certification strengthens Siemens LLC standing in Middle East region IBM Business Consulting Services helps bring e-Governance to the Government of Pondicherry U.N. Warns India On AIDS Problem As New Figures Released Wholesale-retail sector is the biggest spender of IT in Saudi Arabia's booming market

 

Indian News

 

No foreign university programme can be offered against AICTE Regulations Govt to consider model cinema regulations

Managing the health risks

Dinesh C. Sharma*

In today's fast-paced life, our health is under attack from innumerable sources - stress, environmental pollution, unhealthy work conditions, industrial smoke, unsafe water, noise and so on. The average number of visits to the doctor that we make for ourselves or for our children has gone up in the past decade or so despite the fact that health science and the medical field have witnessed revolutionary advances in the same period. In that sense, our health is at greater risk than what it was a decade or two ago.

It is everybody's wish to lead a healthy, longer life and to avoid visits to the doctor or hospitals. In order to do so, it is necessary that we identify risks to our health and then try to manage them. Although there are many definitions of the word "risk", experts of the World Health Organisation (WHO) define it as "a probability of an adverse outcome, or a factor that raises this probability". Going by this definition also, we see that there are countless threats or risks to human health. We all know about risks such as bacteria and the viruses that cause a number of infectious diseases. These risks sometimes cannot be prevented. When health experts talk about risks to human health, they are referring to factors other than viruses and bacteria.

A synthesis of research data and scientific evidence from different countries and regions has helped in defining the major risks to health globally. The WHO has recently published a report based on a massive world wide research exercise. According to this report, ten leading risk factors across the globe are : underweight, unsafe sex, high blood pressure, tobacco consumption, alcohol consumption, unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene, iron deficiency, indoor smoke from solid fuels, high cholesterol and obesity. Together, these factors account for more than one-third of all deaths worldwide!
This means that a relatively small number of risk factors cause a huge number of premature deaths and account for a very large share of the global burden of disease. The risk factors differ for the poor and the rich parts of the world.

The top ten risks to health in the so-called rich or developed countries are - tobacco, blood pressure, alcohol, cholesterol, overweight, low fruit and vegetable intake, physical inactivity, illicit drugs, unsafe sex and iron deficiency. This is not to assume that these factors do not apply to people in the poor or developing countries. These factors also very much apply to the rich living in the developing countries. Overweight, obesity, physical inactivity, chole

sterol and so on are certainly the risk factors for a lot of urbanites in India.
The risks from blood pressure and cholesterol - strongly linked to heart attacks and strokes- are also closely related to excessive consumption of fatty, sugary and salty foods. They pose greater dangers when combined with tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption. Obesity, a result of unhealthy consumption coupled with physical inactivity, is itself a serious health risk. Overweight and obesity lead to adverse metabolic changes, including increase in blood pressure, unfavorable cholesterol levels and increased resistance to insulin. They raise the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus and even many forms of cancer. Globally, close to a billion people are overweight and 300 million of them are clinically obese.

Most of the risk factors discussed in the world body's report are strongly related to patterns of living and particularly to consumption - it can be a case of either too much or too little. While the poor - facing risks like underweight and unsafe drinking water - are suffering because there is little choice for them, the rich are suffering because they are making wrong choices in terms of consumption and activity. About 1.7 million deaths a year globally are attributed to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene, mainly through infectious diarrhoea. Nine out of ten such deaths are in children, and virtually all of the deaths are in the developing countries. The WHO report says that while eating fruits and vegetables can help prevent cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, their low intake as part of the diet is responsible for almost three million deaths due to these diseases every year. At the same time, changes in living and working patterns have led to less physical activity and labour. The report finds that physical inactivity causes about 15 per cent of some cancers, diabetes and heart disease.

One must not sit back and wait for the governments and WHO to act. Start identifying risks to your health in your living and working environments. While obesity, physical inactivity and unhealthy food habits are all common risks and must be managed, there are other risks associated with individuals. Many of them are occupational, like low back pain which is a result of wrong seating or working posture. It is an 'ergonomic stressor' and is leading to serious diseases. A lot of respiratory diseases are associated with indoor smoke or dampness at home or at work places. This is in addition to risk from air pollution and particulate matter. Risks from injuries at work or while driving can be reduced by taking appropriate measures like wearing protective gear or seat belts. Unsafe health care practices can lead to serious injuries and exposure to diseases in clinics, nursing homes and hospitals. So, the time to act is now. The WHO's report has only provided a new, scientific meaning to the age-old adage "prevention is better than cure".
*Columnist on science, technology and health-related issued.

25 July 2003

CLOSING ALLEYWAYS IN BATTLE AGAINST CRIME

LONDON Local authorities will have powers to seek the closure of alleyways
(known in some areas as gulleys or ginnels) in 52 areas where they
facilitate crimes such as robbery, burglary, arson and drug dealing,
Local Environmental Quality Minister Alun Michael said today. The
announcement was made today in Walsall, where six areas will be
designated within which rights of way may be closed. Walsall
Metropolitan Borough Council was one of 11 local authorities that
provided sufficient evidence to Defra that closing rights of way in
certain areas will help reduce opportunities for criminals.

Applications were made by 15 local authorities for 78 areas to be
considered, supported by evidence from police and community groups.
Decisions on the remaining applications were deferred to give those
local authorities the opportunity to provide the required evidence
that rights of way in those areas are facilitating crime. Local
Environmental Quality Minister Alun Michael said:

"For many people living in areas blighted by crime and vandalism,
this is very good news. These alleyways have often given burglars
easy access to the back of houses, or have provided an easy escape
from police. In other places they have become sheltered havens for
drug dealers, or have been soft targets for vandals.

"The evidence we have viewed in the applications has demonstrated to
us that resident and neighbourhood groups feel very strongly that
these rights of way have become a serious detriment to their
communities. At the same time, they no longer serve the purposes for
which they were designed many decades ago, such as providing an
access point for people collecting ash.

"But we have been stringent in setting criteria to close rights of
way; local authorities have needed to provide strong evidence that
real problems exist in these areas and that other means of crime
prevention have failed. We have designed the system to avoid the risk
that important rights of way might be needlessly affected." As with
existing powers to close rights of way, where the new powers are
used, local authorities will be required to invite objections to
every proposal to divert or close a right of way and take those
objections into account. Hazel Blears, Home Office Minister for Crime
Reduction, Policing and Community Safety, said:

"Tackling the scourge of crime and drugs are among the Government's
top priorities. We are working hard to make people feel safe and
secure in their communities and the power to close alleyways where
thugs, burglars and drug addicts lurk, will be an important step
towards this goal.

"This is just one of the measures this Government has introduced to
tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. We also have record police
officers on our streets and are reforming the criminal justice system
to bring greater numbers of offenders to justice. We have also
introduced a White Paper and Bill to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour,
the low-level crime and thuggery that makes life a misery for so many
in our communities."

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