Finding suitable land to build houses for flood survivors is an uphill task

News Network

August 26, 2019

Madikeri, Aug 26: The district administration has been finding it a difficult task to select suitable land for construction of houses for the victims of floods and rain havoc as entire landscape of Kodagu District was damaged in the fury for the second consecutive year.

Hundreds of houses were damaged in the fury both last year and this year, leaving many people homeless. Though efforts to explore using government land for the rehabilitation of this year’s victims have begun, land for building 'flood-proof' houses is not easily available. The available lands are either unsuitable or far away from human habitations. Most victims may not want to live in such locations.

After a resident of Kodangeri — Abdulla Haji — volunteered to donate two acres of his land for rehabilitation, the authorities said they would construct houses on private land in other places too if landowners were willing to donate. While appreciating Haji’s gesture, Assistant Commissioner Jaware Gowda said several houses in Kodangeri, which lies close to the Cauvery river, were devastated in the deluge. “The government is ready to construct houses even on private land for flood victims if the land is suitable and is donated for the purpose. On one acre, we can build about 20 houses.”

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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