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| Saturday, January 05, 2008
“Bright prospects for microbial technology”
Air, water and land pollution can be addressed through bio-remediation
TIRUCHI: The growing prominence of microbial technology in the
era of biodiversity conservation is increasingly felt worldwide,
Tiruvalluvar University Vice-Chancellor L. Kannan observed on
Thursday.
The endemic problem of air, water and land pollution caused
by natural and demographic factors could be addressed through
bio-remediation based on microbial technology, Prof. Kannan
said addressing the inaugural of a national symposium on ‘Current
Scenario in Microbial Technology – 2008’, organised
by the Department of Microbiology of Bharathidasan University.
India being a mega-diversity centre, there was a need for accelerating
research in the country on the role of microbial species in
sustaining environment, agriculture, food and medicine, industry,
forestry and ocean, Prof. Kannan emphasised.
Microbiology candidates were sought after as water quality testing
analysts worldwide, he said, while explaining the opportunities
in the field.
Focussing on the imperative need for offsetting global warming
in order to prevent degradation of biodiversity caused by the
migration of vector and microbial organisms from tropical to
sub-tropical areas, A. Ramachandran, Forest Utilisation Officer,
Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Chennai, said in his inaugural
address that microbial diversity must be enhanced for bio-remediation
of environment polluted by excessive carbondioxide in the atmosphere;
large-scale use of plastics, emissions from vehicles and industrial
chemicals.
Dr. Ramachandran advocated adequate field exposure for researchers
to understand chronological aspects before getting into laboratory
work.
Presiding over, University Registrar V. Radhakrishnan said the
symposium would help in arriving at new processes to circumvent
the environmental degradation caused by pollutants.
With a capacity for rational thinking, man ought to make judicious
use of natural resources in the interest of future generations,
he said calling for the adoption of technology to make industrial
and agricultural wastes and plastic materials bio-degradable.
G. Subramanian, former Head, Department of Microbiology, Bharathidasan
University, handed over the first copy of the book titled ‘Topics
in Microbial Technology’ to Raghunathan, Senior Plant
Protection Specialist, on the occasion.
Organising chairman of the symposium N. Thajuddin, organising
secretary V. Rajesh Kannan, and convenor K. Natarajaseenivasan
spoke.
Courtesy: The Hindu
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