HC seeks end of endosulfan menace in Dakshina Kannada

October 13, 2012

Bangalore, October 13: The Karnataka High Court has ordered issue of notices to the State and Union Governments in connection with a suo motu petition to end endosulfan menace in Dakshina Kannada district.

Treating a letter to Chief Justice by Justice K L Manjunath on the harmful effects of endosulfan, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B V Nagarathna on Friday ordered notice to Centre, State Department of Forest Ecology and Environment, Secretary, Health and family Welfare, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and deputy?commissioners of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

Justice Manjunath, in his letter dated October 3, 2012, has requested the Chief Justice to treat his letter as a writ petition.

He had stated that endosulfan, used as pesticide and insecticide by cashew growers in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, has not only affected physical structure, but has also rendered people mentally retarded.

Mentioning that endosulfan is banned across the globe, as well as in Karnataka, Justice Manjunath has expressed his concern over the developments in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Sullia, Puttur, Belthangdy Kundapur and Karkala, where people have become disabled.

Justice Manjunath in his letter, has said that the State has failed to take steps to provide medical facilities and rehabilitate them.

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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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