This is jugaad innovation at its best! Only Indians are capable of this.
http://www.business-standard.com/ar...ts-to-prevent-evaporation-117042200367_1.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/0...at-thermocol-to-prevent-evaporati_a_22050709/
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...ay-by-winds/story-8WT1KMqXOLFU0PBlQx3gZP.html
Tamil Nadu minister's idea: Float thermocol sheets to prevent evaporation
Tamil Nadu is reeling under a severe drought and the minister tried this idea to prevent water loss
BS Web Team
Comedy of errors: You must have heard of 'chasing chickens'. But this minister of Tamil Nadu spent a day chasing 'thermocol' sheets with a 'grand plan' in mind to save the state from drought woes. In a haphazard attempt to resolve Tamil Nadu's dry spell curse, the state's Co-operatives Minister Sellur K Raju, came up with this solution.
Inviting a host of journalists to show off his innovation, K Raju said that the plan was to cover the entire water surface with sheets of thermocol taped together to prevent evaporation from the Vaigai Dam. K Raju, his party cadre and officials crowded the waterside and enthusiatically picked up a few sheets. He tried to place them over the water only to see them wash away due to high velocity wind in the dam.
Undeterred, the minister entered the water to place the sheets back, some of which had shredded into pieces. To his dismay, those too blew away.
The minister said that as the region is experiencing one of the worst droughts in 142 years, every attempt is being made to conserve water. The method of using thermocol sheets to reduce evaporation has been tried in foreign countries and private water bodies, he said, while adding that Rs 10 lakh has been set aside for the project.
Defending the initiative, Madurai collector K Veera Raghava Rao said that it was carried out on an experimental basis. "Only after experimenting we will know if these methods could indeed prevent evaporation loss. All factors like wind velocity, size of sheets and their ability to arrest evaporation will be studied in the project," said Rao. The collector added that plastic balls and plates will also be tried out for the purpose.
When questioned if the use of thermocol, which is made of expanded polystyrene beads, could lead to water pollution and affect marine species, the collector said that they had used "a limited number of thermocol sheets and they could be retrieved."
Not only was the scheme a complete failure, it irked journalists who had travelled all the way from Madurai to witness it.
While, there was nothing wrong with the "method", it was the implementation that was a complete disaster.
Study says use of thermocol sheet as floating cover could reduce evaporation loss in farm pond. According to ResearchGate, researchers selected Devergaon village in Niphad tehsil of Nasik district, Maharashtra to study the effects as the area receives scanty rainfall. The months of March, April and May were selected for observation. Researchers were able to save 32 per cent of water by this technique. Due to thunderstorm sheets were broken but the effect of floating cover still remained and saving of water continued.
Tamil Nadu drought: Minister adopts bizarre way to prevent evaporation, floats thermocol sheets on Vaigai dam
Tamil Nadu is in the midst of the worst drought in 140 years but clearly there is no drought of ideas. With an eye on protecting the water from the evil eye of the sun at the Vaigai dam near Madurai, Minister for Cooperation Sellur K Raju, decided he would be a Kannagi with a difference.
Like the legendary Kannagi who took revenge on the Pandyan king of Madurai who had wrongfully put her husband to death, by cursing the city to go up in flames, Raju decided to take on the Sun God no less. His weapon: Sheets of thermocol. Spending a fortune — Rs 10 lakh, no less — to buy the several sheets of thermocol, Raju arrived at Vaigai dam on Friday to float those sheets on the water. The previous night, he must have imagined a sheet of white over the water, preventing the loss of even a drop of water. The plan was to spread the sheets over 200 sq.m of water surface, out of the 12 hectares of water-spread in the dam area.
Raju ban gaya scientist!
A minister in Tamil Nadu, on Friday, came up with the idea of floating thermocol sheets on Vaigai dam to prevent evaporation. Photo courtesy: TS Sudhir
But Raju in his Physics class at school, had forgotten to read the chapter on wind velocity. The moment he set the sheets free, they took a life of their own and flew in all directions. His partner in the thermocol project, Madurai collector K Veeraraghava Rao now wiser from the failed experiment, says the correlation between wind velocity and thickness of thermocol sheets will be studied in the future. Raju and Rao — the modern-day Wright brothers from Madurai — now want to invest in heavier thermocol sheets to fulfill their flight of fancy. The ones used on Friday were just 2 cm thick.
But for those assembled at Vaigai dam, it turned out to be a comedy show with Tamil Nadu threatening to become 'Thermocol Nadu'. Raju had thought the sticky government tape will be good enough to hold together the thermocol sheets, just like the stickiness quotient of power has kept the AIADMK legislators together since February. But he had not calculated that once the expensive thermocol was out in the open, the wind will raid the reservoir and the thermocol sheets will run helter-skelter.
As Raju and Rao found their experiment going down the drain, concerns that thermocol which is made of polystyrene beads, would harm marine life were expressed. However, the two 'water scientists' felt that raising environmental concerns was a ploy to fish in troubled waters.
Science journals point out that experiments to prevent evaporation have been conducted with thermocol but they have been on ice or static water in farm ponds, not on running water in an open area. Now if the heavier thermocol also does not work, the AIADMK minister has declared that he wants to experiment more. He could look at the Los Angeles precedent where in August 2015, 96 million black plastic balls, called shade balls were dumped into the reservoir to prevent water loss through evaporation. While the experiment worked, it was found way too expensive than the water it saved.
Having blown away Rs 10 lakh from the public exchequer, money is not expected to be a factor in Raju's laboratory.
Intention-wise though, Raju's heart was in the right place. As MLA from Madurai, he wanted to ensure that the Vaigai dam that is the major source of water to Madurai district, is protected. But then it also proved that the media narrative is spot-on. This AIADMK government is truly bhagwaan bharose.
Even though Raju may claim political immunity by saying he was taking on the rising sun, the symbol of the Opposition DMK, his carelessness in dealing with public money has proved to be an embarrassment. With Raju's experiment ended in a watery grave, the O Panneerselvam camp would do well to put one fresh condition for merger talks. Give Raju the thermocol treatment and drop him from the cabinet.
The small mercy is that this kind of an experiment was not conducted in February, when all the AIADMK MLAs were locked inside the Golden Bay resort at Koovathur, 60 km from Chennai. Otherwise, an inspired VK Sasikala may have asked all AIADMK legislators to wear thermocol veshtis to ensure her support base does not evaporate.
Published Date: Apr 22, 2017 07:20 pm | Updated Date: Apr 22, 2017 07:31 pm
TN Minister Floats Thermocol Sheets On Vaigai Dam In An Innovative Experiment To Prevent Evaporation
Gone with the wind.
ANI/Twitter
THENI -- An 'experiment' by PWD officials to try and cut water loss due to evaporation in Vaigai dam by covering a small portion of it with thermocol sheets came unstuck when parts of it were swept away by strong winds.
Tamil Nadu PWD floated Rs.10 lakh worth thermocol sheets in Vaigai reservoir to prevent loss of water due to evaporation. (April 21) pic.twitter.com/HdYJ3wm5Gw
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 22, 2017
Tamil Nadu Minister for cooperatives Sellur K Raju, who inaugurated the unconventional method to conserve water in drought hit Tamil Nadu, saw the attempt go awry as the sheets flew in different directions in gusty winds in the river.
The minister later held discussions with PWD experts on ways to overcome the problem of wind and water flow, which led to the sheets drifting in various directions, officials said.
Water from the Vaigai dam flows through six water starved districts of south Tamil Nadu including Madurai, sivaganga, ramanathpuram theni and dindigul districts.
On this technique, Raju merely said the "thermocol covering technology" was received from a "source."
Journalists, who were part of the team taken to the spot to demonstrate the 'technology', found there were not enough sheets to cover the water.
The attempt to spread the sheet at different water levels also did not serve the purpose.
Raju said such methods are used abroad to reduce evaporation and that experts would also be consulted for these initiatives.
He said the state Government had allocated ₹10 lakh to try out different technolgoies to prevent water evaporation.
Madurai Collector K Veera Raghava Rao said different methods would be adopted or experimented to save water which is in 10-12 hectares of waterspread area in the Vaigai dam.
He said 1.2 Million Cubic Feet of water is lost due to evaporation every day.
On use of thermocol, he said this was done as the material was non-polluting.
But Rathnam, a scientist, differed, saying thermocol is non-biodegradable and can harm fish when they break into pieces.
Tamil Nadu minister’s Rs 10 lakh water-saving ‘innovation’ blown away by wind
In a bizarre attempt, a minister floated thermocol sheets in a water reservoir in Madurai to prevent evaporation of water in drought-hit Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu minister Sellur K Raju’s failed attempt to use thermocol sheets to prevent water evaporation had people on social media making fun of the idea that was ripped apart by wind.
The co-operative minister of the drought-hit state, had invited a group of newsmen from Madurai to Vaigai Dam, 70 kms away, to show off his innovation- cover the reservoir of the dam with thermocol- sheets so that evaporation in the summer heat would come down, reported Outlook news magazine website.
“Tamil Nadu PWD floated Rs.10 lakh worth thermocol sheets in Vaigai reservoir to prevent loss of water due to evaporation. (April 21),” ANI tweeted.
Tamil Nadu PWD floated Rs.10 lakh worth thermocol sheets in Vaigai reservoir to prevent loss of water due to evaporation. (April 21) pic.twitter.com/HdYJ3wm5Gw
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 22, 2017
As reported in news channels too, the minister attempted to cover the reservoir of the dam with thermocol sheets tapped together perhaps to prevent evaporation of water. But no sooner did he pick up a few sheets of thermocol, strong winds blew over the lake and washed them away.
Not one to give up, the minister made another attempt to place the sheets by entering into the water only to see them been blown away again. Worse, the minister said that the government had set aside Rs 10 lakh for the ‘innovative’ that would help save water in the state reeling under worst droughts in last 142 years.
The idea evoked sarcastic responses from Twitterati with some suggesting that the minister should be conferred with the Nobel prize for the idea.
“#Tamilnadu minister floating thermocol sheets at Vaigai reservoir #Madurai to prevent water evaporation !! Please give him noble prize.....” tweeted Gini Khan.
#Tamilnadu minister floating thermocol sheets at Vaigai reservoir #Madurai to prevent water evaporation !! Please give him noble prize..... pic.twitter.com/xQCJQGIqTV
— Gini Khan (@giniromet) April 22, 2017
The TV visuals showed the minister with his dhoti rolled up stepping into the water and pushing sheets of thermocol into the water.
A twitter user Aravind tweeted, “Andhra uses satellite to identify water resources. But here in Tamil Nadu we use thermocol sheets to prevent evaporation in dam. What a shame,”
A shocked user Lavanya Mohan tweeted, “ SCIENCE IS SHOOK - Tamil Nadu Minister Has A Brainwave: Float Thermocol To Prevent Water Evaporation In Vaigai Dam,”.
SCIENCE IS SHOOK - Tamil Nadu Minister Has A Brainwave: Float Thermocol To Prevent Water Evaporation In Vaigai Dam https://t.co/6LWwg9fsAA
— Lavanya Mohan (@lavsmohan) April 22, 2017
When common sense evaporates: Twitterati have hilarious response after TN minister uses thermocol to cover dam to ‘save water’!
Eureka!
Water conservation is essential and everyone must play their role to save water. And in a crisis like the drought, saving water is the need of the hour to curtail wastage. But in a bizarre move, Tamil Nadu Co-operatives Minister Sellur K Raju went few notches ahead to save water when he tried his best to stop evaporation. Yes, the minister in his sincere effort used thermocols to cover an entire dam surface to stop the natural process!
According to Raju, the ‘innovative’ method is effective and it curtails evaporation. He also added that the method has been tried in foreign countries and private water bodies. So, the Tamil Nadu PWD floated Rs 10 lakh worth thermocol sheets in Vaigai reservoir to prevent loss of water due to evaporation on Friday. But, ta-da, the plan drifted away! Due to the heavy gust of wind, all the afloat sheets stuck with tapes and sticks were swept away.
http://www.business-standard.com/ar...ts-to-prevent-evaporation-117042200367_1.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/0...at-thermocol-to-prevent-evaporati_a_22050709/
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...ay-by-winds/story-8WT1KMqXOLFU0PBlQx3gZP.html
Tamil Nadu minister's idea: Float thermocol sheets to prevent evaporation
Tamil Nadu is reeling under a severe drought and the minister tried this idea to prevent water loss
BS Web Team
Comedy of errors: You must have heard of 'chasing chickens'. But this minister of Tamil Nadu spent a day chasing 'thermocol' sheets with a 'grand plan' in mind to save the state from drought woes. In a haphazard attempt to resolve Tamil Nadu's dry spell curse, the state's Co-operatives Minister Sellur K Raju, came up with this solution.
Inviting a host of journalists to show off his innovation, K Raju said that the plan was to cover the entire water surface with sheets of thermocol taped together to prevent evaporation from the Vaigai Dam. K Raju, his party cadre and officials crowded the waterside and enthusiatically picked up a few sheets. He tried to place them over the water only to see them wash away due to high velocity wind in the dam.
Undeterred, the minister entered the water to place the sheets back, some of which had shredded into pieces. To his dismay, those too blew away.
The minister said that as the region is experiencing one of the worst droughts in 142 years, every attempt is being made to conserve water. The method of using thermocol sheets to reduce evaporation has been tried in foreign countries and private water bodies, he said, while adding that Rs 10 lakh has been set aside for the project.
Defending the initiative, Madurai collector K Veera Raghava Rao said that it was carried out on an experimental basis. "Only after experimenting we will know if these methods could indeed prevent evaporation loss. All factors like wind velocity, size of sheets and their ability to arrest evaporation will be studied in the project," said Rao. The collector added that plastic balls and plates will also be tried out for the purpose.
When questioned if the use of thermocol, which is made of expanded polystyrene beads, could lead to water pollution and affect marine species, the collector said that they had used "a limited number of thermocol sheets and they could be retrieved."
Not only was the scheme a complete failure, it irked journalists who had travelled all the way from Madurai to witness it.
While, there was nothing wrong with the "method", it was the implementation that was a complete disaster.
Study says use of thermocol sheet as floating cover could reduce evaporation loss in farm pond. According to ResearchGate, researchers selected Devergaon village in Niphad tehsil of Nasik district, Maharashtra to study the effects as the area receives scanty rainfall. The months of March, April and May were selected for observation. Researchers were able to save 32 per cent of water by this technique. Due to thunderstorm sheets were broken but the effect of floating cover still remained and saving of water continued.
Tamil Nadu drought: Minister adopts bizarre way to prevent evaporation, floats thermocol sheets on Vaigai dam
Tamil Nadu is in the midst of the worst drought in 140 years but clearly there is no drought of ideas. With an eye on protecting the water from the evil eye of the sun at the Vaigai dam near Madurai, Minister for Cooperation Sellur K Raju, decided he would be a Kannagi with a difference.
Like the legendary Kannagi who took revenge on the Pandyan king of Madurai who had wrongfully put her husband to death, by cursing the city to go up in flames, Raju decided to take on the Sun God no less. His weapon: Sheets of thermocol. Spending a fortune — Rs 10 lakh, no less — to buy the several sheets of thermocol, Raju arrived at Vaigai dam on Friday to float those sheets on the water. The previous night, he must have imagined a sheet of white over the water, preventing the loss of even a drop of water. The plan was to spread the sheets over 200 sq.m of water surface, out of the 12 hectares of water-spread in the dam area.
Raju ban gaya scientist!
A minister in Tamil Nadu, on Friday, came up with the idea of floating thermocol sheets on Vaigai dam to prevent evaporation. Photo courtesy: TS Sudhir
But Raju in his Physics class at school, had forgotten to read the chapter on wind velocity. The moment he set the sheets free, they took a life of their own and flew in all directions. His partner in the thermocol project, Madurai collector K Veeraraghava Rao now wiser from the failed experiment, says the correlation between wind velocity and thickness of thermocol sheets will be studied in the future. Raju and Rao — the modern-day Wright brothers from Madurai — now want to invest in heavier thermocol sheets to fulfill their flight of fancy. The ones used on Friday were just 2 cm thick.
But for those assembled at Vaigai dam, it turned out to be a comedy show with Tamil Nadu threatening to become 'Thermocol Nadu'. Raju had thought the sticky government tape will be good enough to hold together the thermocol sheets, just like the stickiness quotient of power has kept the AIADMK legislators together since February. But he had not calculated that once the expensive thermocol was out in the open, the wind will raid the reservoir and the thermocol sheets will run helter-skelter.
As Raju and Rao found their experiment going down the drain, concerns that thermocol which is made of polystyrene beads, would harm marine life were expressed. However, the two 'water scientists' felt that raising environmental concerns was a ploy to fish in troubled waters.
Science journals point out that experiments to prevent evaporation have been conducted with thermocol but they have been on ice or static water in farm ponds, not on running water in an open area. Now if the heavier thermocol also does not work, the AIADMK minister has declared that he wants to experiment more. He could look at the Los Angeles precedent where in August 2015, 96 million black plastic balls, called shade balls were dumped into the reservoir to prevent water loss through evaporation. While the experiment worked, it was found way too expensive than the water it saved.
Having blown away Rs 10 lakh from the public exchequer, money is not expected to be a factor in Raju's laboratory.
Intention-wise though, Raju's heart was in the right place. As MLA from Madurai, he wanted to ensure that the Vaigai dam that is the major source of water to Madurai district, is protected. But then it also proved that the media narrative is spot-on. This AIADMK government is truly bhagwaan bharose.
Even though Raju may claim political immunity by saying he was taking on the rising sun, the symbol of the Opposition DMK, his carelessness in dealing with public money has proved to be an embarrassment. With Raju's experiment ended in a watery grave, the O Panneerselvam camp would do well to put one fresh condition for merger talks. Give Raju the thermocol treatment and drop him from the cabinet.
The small mercy is that this kind of an experiment was not conducted in February, when all the AIADMK MLAs were locked inside the Golden Bay resort at Koovathur, 60 km from Chennai. Otherwise, an inspired VK Sasikala may have asked all AIADMK legislators to wear thermocol veshtis to ensure her support base does not evaporate.
Published Date: Apr 22, 2017 07:20 pm | Updated Date: Apr 22, 2017 07:31 pm
TN Minister Floats Thermocol Sheets On Vaigai Dam In An Innovative Experiment To Prevent Evaporation
Gone with the wind.
ANI/Twitter
THENI -- An 'experiment' by PWD officials to try and cut water loss due to evaporation in Vaigai dam by covering a small portion of it with thermocol sheets came unstuck when parts of it were swept away by strong winds.
Tamil Nadu PWD floated Rs.10 lakh worth thermocol sheets in Vaigai reservoir to prevent loss of water due to evaporation. (April 21) pic.twitter.com/HdYJ3wm5Gw
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 22, 2017
Tamil Nadu Minister for cooperatives Sellur K Raju, who inaugurated the unconventional method to conserve water in drought hit Tamil Nadu, saw the attempt go awry as the sheets flew in different directions in gusty winds in the river.
The minister later held discussions with PWD experts on ways to overcome the problem of wind and water flow, which led to the sheets drifting in various directions, officials said.
Water from the Vaigai dam flows through six water starved districts of south Tamil Nadu including Madurai, sivaganga, ramanathpuram theni and dindigul districts.
On this technique, Raju merely said the "thermocol covering technology" was received from a "source."
Journalists, who were part of the team taken to the spot to demonstrate the 'technology', found there were not enough sheets to cover the water.
The attempt to spread the sheet at different water levels also did not serve the purpose.
Raju said such methods are used abroad to reduce evaporation and that experts would also be consulted for these initiatives.
He said the state Government had allocated ₹10 lakh to try out different technolgoies to prevent water evaporation.
Madurai Collector K Veera Raghava Rao said different methods would be adopted or experimented to save water which is in 10-12 hectares of waterspread area in the Vaigai dam.
He said 1.2 Million Cubic Feet of water is lost due to evaporation every day.
On use of thermocol, he said this was done as the material was non-polluting.
But Rathnam, a scientist, differed, saying thermocol is non-biodegradable and can harm fish when they break into pieces.
Tamil Nadu minister’s Rs 10 lakh water-saving ‘innovation’ blown away by wind
In a bizarre attempt, a minister floated thermocol sheets in a water reservoir in Madurai to prevent evaporation of water in drought-hit Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu minister Sellur K Raju’s failed attempt to use thermocol sheets to prevent water evaporation had people on social media making fun of the idea that was ripped apart by wind.
The co-operative minister of the drought-hit state, had invited a group of newsmen from Madurai to Vaigai Dam, 70 kms away, to show off his innovation- cover the reservoir of the dam with thermocol- sheets so that evaporation in the summer heat would come down, reported Outlook news magazine website.
“Tamil Nadu PWD floated Rs.10 lakh worth thermocol sheets in Vaigai reservoir to prevent loss of water due to evaporation. (April 21),” ANI tweeted.
Tamil Nadu PWD floated Rs.10 lakh worth thermocol sheets in Vaigai reservoir to prevent loss of water due to evaporation. (April 21) pic.twitter.com/HdYJ3wm5Gw
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 22, 2017
As reported in news channels too, the minister attempted to cover the reservoir of the dam with thermocol sheets tapped together perhaps to prevent evaporation of water. But no sooner did he pick up a few sheets of thermocol, strong winds blew over the lake and washed them away.
Not one to give up, the minister made another attempt to place the sheets by entering into the water only to see them been blown away again. Worse, the minister said that the government had set aside Rs 10 lakh for the ‘innovative’ that would help save water in the state reeling under worst droughts in last 142 years.
The idea evoked sarcastic responses from Twitterati with some suggesting that the minister should be conferred with the Nobel prize for the idea.
“#Tamilnadu minister floating thermocol sheets at Vaigai reservoir #Madurai to prevent water evaporation !! Please give him noble prize.....” tweeted Gini Khan.
#Tamilnadu minister floating thermocol sheets at Vaigai reservoir #Madurai to prevent water evaporation !! Please give him noble prize..... pic.twitter.com/xQCJQGIqTV
— Gini Khan (@giniromet) April 22, 2017
The TV visuals showed the minister with his dhoti rolled up stepping into the water and pushing sheets of thermocol into the water.
A twitter user Aravind tweeted, “Andhra uses satellite to identify water resources. But here in Tamil Nadu we use thermocol sheets to prevent evaporation in dam. What a shame,”
A shocked user Lavanya Mohan tweeted, “ SCIENCE IS SHOOK - Tamil Nadu Minister Has A Brainwave: Float Thermocol To Prevent Water Evaporation In Vaigai Dam,”.
SCIENCE IS SHOOK - Tamil Nadu Minister Has A Brainwave: Float Thermocol To Prevent Water Evaporation In Vaigai Dam https://t.co/6LWwg9fsAA
— Lavanya Mohan (@lavsmohan) April 22, 2017
When common sense evaporates: Twitterati have hilarious response after TN minister uses thermocol to cover dam to ‘save water’!
Eureka!
Water conservation is essential and everyone must play their role to save water. And in a crisis like the drought, saving water is the need of the hour to curtail wastage. But in a bizarre move, Tamil Nadu Co-operatives Minister Sellur K Raju went few notches ahead to save water when he tried his best to stop evaporation. Yes, the minister in his sincere effort used thermocols to cover an entire dam surface to stop the natural process!
According to Raju, the ‘innovative’ method is effective and it curtails evaporation. He also added that the method has been tried in foreign countries and private water bodies. So, the Tamil Nadu PWD floated Rs 10 lakh worth thermocol sheets in Vaigai reservoir to prevent loss of water due to evaporation on Friday. But, ta-da, the plan drifted away! Due to the heavy gust of wind, all the afloat sheets stuck with tapes and sticks were swept away.
