Effect of Mobile Phones and Mobile Towers on Sparrows
Ghanshyam Vishwakarma M.B.A. Ist Semester, M-1 Roll No. 046
Department of Management, Management, Babu Banarasi Das National Institute of Technology and Management, Lucknow.
Submitted To: Mrs. Ashi Chandra
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am so grateful to Mrs. Ashi Chandra for giving me this assignment and guiding me. I am also thankful to all my classmates and my seniors of MBA programme of Babu Banarasi Das National Institute of Technology & Management, Lucknow.
Index Introduction ………………………… …………………………………………………… ……………………………………………….……..1 …………………….……..1 History …………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………….……… …………………….………..1 ..1 Methodology…….…………………………………………… Methodology…….……………… ………………………………………………….……… …………………….………2 2 Data sheet…….……………… sheet…….…………………………………………… ………………………………………………….….…… …………………….….………2 …2 Researches in India…………………… India………………………………………………… …………………………………………….………3 ……………….………3 Researches outside India……………………… India…………………………………………………… ……………………………………….……4 ………….……4 Findings……………………………………………… Findings………………… ……………………………………………………… …………………………….…….….4 ….…….….4 Recommendation…………………………………………………… Recommendation………………………… ………………………………………………….5 ……………………….5 Bibliography………………………………………… Bibliography……………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………....6 ………....6
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INTRODUCTION
Set a bird song as your mobile ringtone. That may soon be the only way you get to hear from our winged friends, studies show that the increasing number of cell phone towers in cities is bringing down bird population. The population of house sparrow, the small bird that lives in nest colonies close to hu man habitats, is threatened by proliferation of mobile phone towers. This avian species can still be spotted at over two-thirds of the world's land surface. But reports are pouring in from all over India and around the world of rapid decline in the populations of these once abundant birds. Birds are known to be sensitive to magnetic radiation. Microwaves can interfere with their sensors and misguide them while navigating and preying. This report is about to analyze the current condition co ndition of sparrows and finding out the reasons behind their decline.
HISTORY The ancient Romans introduced the house sparrow to Europe from North Africa and Eurasia. Human exploration and migration then took the bird to many other parts pa rts of the globe, including North and South America, South Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand. Being a social bird, the sparrow thrived around human beings and where grain was abundant. Despite being derided as a s ‘avian rat' in the late 19th century c entury (for damaging cereal and other crops), the sparrow steadily ‘colonised' a number of countries. The demise of vast numbers of this spunky bird is all the more shocking since it is a survivor; sparrows have been found breeding high up in the Himalaya and down below in Yorkshire coal mines.
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METHODOLOGY
A sample of 20 people was taken across the Lucknow, and different kinds of questions were asked from them regarding their knowledge and thinking about this issue. For this a questionnaire was made and then marked the answers accordingly. Moreover, references were taken from the news papers and websites. A study was done about the researches which have been done yet as well as which are going on. Based on these researches and the collected data findings and recommendations have been given.
Data Sheet
1 2 3 A B C D E 4 5 A B C D 7 8
QUESTIONS Do you know the bird named sparrow? Do you see them in your colony? How How lon long g befo before re did did you you see see the them? m? 0 to 6 months before 6 to 12 months before 12 to 24 months before 24 to 36 months before Do not remember Do you know it is an endangered species? What could could be be the greatest greatest reason reason among among following following behind behind it's it's decline? decline? Insufficient food. Harmful fertilizers. Inappropriate environment for their breeding. Mobile radiation. Do you think that there should be limited numbers of mobile network providers? Do you think that there should be limited numbers of mobile towers?
No. of People YES NO 20 0 2 18
2 4 4 6 4 8
18 16 16 14 16 12
0 4 4 12 12 14
20 16 16 8 8 6
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RESEARCHES IN INDIA Kerala Environment Research Association (KERA):
Studies in Kerala exposed the impact of cell phone radiation on honeybees and house sparrows. Researchers said the state saw about 60 per cent plunge in commercial bee population. Besides, house sparrows had vanished from the state. This was attributed to the electromagnetic radiation from mobile towers. The study by the Kerala Environment Research Association (KERA), an NGO, said the eggs of sparrows nesting on mobile phone towers failed to hatch even after a month, though their normal incubation period ranged from 10 days to a fortnight. "The mobile communication towers emit electromagnetic waves of a very low frequency of 900 or 1,800 MHz. But this is enough eno ugh to harm the thin skull of the chicks and their egg shells,'' said KERA president Dr Sainudeen Pattazhy. The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda: of Baroda:
At the M S University campus in Baroda, house sparrows have been studied extensively since 1960 using nest boxes. Bony Pilo of the Zoology department reports that these boxes have been lying vacant for the last few years, marking a d efinite fall in the campus sparrow population. Dr. Shyam Sunder Rao, head of the All India Coordinated Project on Agricultural Ornithology, reports declining sparrow populations at most of the places where studies have been conducted. condu cted. Despite the gloomy news from all around, there are still some rays of solace. Sparrows have been thronging the new Sacon campus at Anaikatty, Coimbatore. Today there are about 30 of these birds on the campus. This contrary phenomenon may be due to the campus' environment-friendly buildings designed by renowned architect, Lawrie Baker. The ventilators in these buildings offer cosy nesting sites for sparrows.
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RESEARCHES OUTSIDE INDIA
In London:
The decline of the house hou se sparrow is not restricted to India. London bird-watchers too have been noting its vanishing with concern. Buckingham Palace, reputed to be the richest wildlife area in central London, has seen its sparrow population dwindle to zero. The British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) Common Bird Census Programme recorded a 58 per cent decline from 1973 to 1988 across the rural areas of the UK. A BTO nest census reported a 53 per cent decline in both rural and urban areas. Sparrow expert David Summers-Smith, who has been working on sparrows for the last 50 years, records a 95 per cent decline in the urban centres of London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dublin. He hypotheses that the decline of the house sparrow in London coincides with the increase in traffic and the introduction of unleaded petrol. The new toxic compound (benzene and methyl tertiary butyl ether), that replaced lead in petrol, may be killing insects on which young sparrows depend almost solely for nourishment. The fall of the British sparrow could well have started as early as the turn of the 20th century, when automobiles began replacing the horse-drawn carriage. The trails of feed that leaked from coaches used to provide sparrows with easy pickings. But the disappearance of h orses from urban roads meant that sparrows were deprived of a valuable food source which used to be available not too far from home.
The diminutive sparrow has a small roaming range. Plus, it needs to find insects to nourish it's young. But garden herbicides and pesticides have reduced insect population, depriving the sparrow of sustenance. The British are so concerned about their missing sparrows that The Independent has Independent has even instituted a sizeable reward of £5,000 to anyone offering convincing scientific evidence on the reasons for the little bird's woes. In Netherlands:
A study conducted in the Netherlands Ne therlands by Guus Van der Poel found that the house sparrow was almost extinct in those urban residential areas, where most ho uses had been built before 1953. 19 53. But the bird was found to be thriving in the more recently built areas. His reasoning is that older cities lack sufficient amount of insects. As a result of the extensive building activity of the past 30-40 years, many older towns and city centres have drifted too far away from their former rural surroundings. He concludes that the decline of sparrows in their traditional breeding sites in the urban areas of larger towns is due to the lack of appropriate food during breeding seasons and suitable nesting venues.
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FINDINGS The electromagnetic radiation emerging from mobile tower and mobile phones has caused the decline of sparrows. Increasing number of mobile towers in urban and rural areas is affecting the breeding of sparrows. The eggs of sparrows failed to hatch in presence of electromagnetic radiation even after a month, though their normal incubation period ranged from 10 -12 days. Apart from this, changing lifestyles and architectural evolution have wreaked havoc on the bird's habitat and food sources. Modern buildings devoid of eaves and crannies, disappearing home gardens and crop fields cleaned of insects by the use of chemical pesticides, all play a part in denying sparrows nesting sites and food, especially for the young. It is the same sad story for the sparrow all over the globe. To protect the sparrows to become fully out of the world Sacon has launched the Common Bird Conservation Con servation Programme. This is in addition to the Endangered Species Conservation Programme, which is investigating factors affecting the populations of endangered birds.
RECOMMENDATIONS The increasing numbers of mobile service providers and so the increasing numbers of mobile towers has led this drastic situation of loosing sparrows and other birds. The things that can help in saving endangered birds from electromagnetic radiation and providing them favorable environment could be as follows: Government should make such norms no rms that can control the increasing number of mobile network providers in a particular region. There should be only 3 to 4 network providers in a particular region. It will decrease the rate of increase of mobile towers and can be a limiting factor to their quantities. Such technologies should be introduced that can facilitate network providers to operate their service jointly from a single tower. This will also reduce the number of towers in a particular area and so the radiation. Buildings and apartments should be made environment friendly that can provide favorable environment to the birds for nesting and breeding.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
India today………………………………………………………………..13 today………………………………………………………………..13 September, 2009 The hindu.com…………………………………………………………… hindu.com…………………………………………………………… …….19 June, 2009 The Times of India ……………………………………………………........…3 ……………………………………………………........…3 October 2008
