Jammu scientist blazes new trail

Discovers 14 new species of midge fly; possible to free water bodies from pollutants

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria
Tribune News Service
Jammu, September 19
She learnt French for two years to undertake a research project and then she came out with a startling discovery of 14 more species of chironomus, popularly called “midge fly”, that fetched her “International Educator of the Year” award. The International Biographical Centre of Cambridge in the UK conferred upon her the award.
The larvae of 14 new species, very sensitive to pollutants in water, would now be applied to study pollutants in water bodies and remedial measures would be suggested to free water bodies from contamination of all sorts, be it sewerage waste, domestic refuse or industrial effluents.

And, in turn, clean and safe water for human beings and animals may become a reality, at least in river-rich Jammu and Kashmir, provided the discovery and remedial measures were taken seriously by those at the helm of affairs.

The seven out of 14 species have been named after 35-year-old expert from Jammu, Pragya Khanna, as PK1 to PK7.

In the backdrop of Pragya’s discovery, scientists like Dr Blinov of Germany, Dr Jon Martin of University of Melbourne (Australia), Dr Michailova and Dr Petrova of Russia, have started working on the new species, which hitherto were unknown to the world.

Talking to The Tribune, Pragya said, “Since most of the literature on chironomus was either in French or in Russian, I first learnt French for two years to acquaint myself with the subject and then I started my research work.”

“Being a cytogeneticist, I had to face a gruelling time while getting information. I succeeded in my endeavour when I got in touch with Dr Jon Martin of the University of Melbourne, who had been working on the chironomus since 1953,” she said.

Based upon my research, Dr Jon was able to uncover 14 news species of chironomus, out of which seven were reported for the first time in the world, said Pragya, adding that all the seven new species had been named after her (from PK1 to PK7).

Her studies were based on genotoxic effects of some heavy metals and pesticides on the polythene chromosomes of chironomids of the Jammu region. Elucidating further, she said, the new species form an important basis for the study of new taxa/genra because these organisms were not known to the world earlier.

“Now research has started on these organisms, which in turn will be employed in the study of major pollutants in water bodies,” she added.

“Since water bodies are infested with pollutants and biological oxygen demand (BOD) is increasing, aquatic organisms are dying out. So the new species discovered by me will be applied for studying contamination in water bodies,” she said.

Pragya focused on chromosomal studies of midge fly as bio-indicator of stress vis-à-vis impact on major water bodies of the Jammu region. “Now I want to focus on minor water bodies like tube-wells and “bowlies” and once done with the research work I would be suggesting remedial measures to prevent contamination of water bodies,” she added.

“The midge fly, which resembles a mosquito, is omnipresent, but never before the 14 new species were uncovered, out of which seven were reported for first time in the world,” she said.

A lecturer of zoology at the Government College for Women here, Pragya has presented 30 research papers, five monographs, 90 popular articles and two books on the subject of her expertise. She has also attended 35 conferences in the past eight years in the country.

The woman scientist, who has brought laurels to the state, thanked Dr OP Sharma and Dr Narinder Kumar Tripathi, experts, who guided her in her research.