The deafening roars of India’s second highest fall beckons tourists
With Monsoon at its peak, the very first sight of these splendorous falls will elevate your senses. Jog falls, the second highest falls in India, is in full glory these days.
Located amid lush green vegetation of Western Ghats in Shivamogga district of Karnataka, Jog falls is brimming with tourists from far and wide to savor the roaring milky water columns plunging down the rocky chasm sheathed in greenery.
Created by the Sharavathi River falling from a height of 253 m at Jog town, the course of water channels into four forming the waterfall. The first column is sobriqueted as the Raja, which chutes down into one mass to a depth of 253.15 meters.
It is joined by the Roarer while the third one is the Rocket, which shoots downward in a series of jets. The fourth is called the Rani, and it glides down quietly in a feminine grace. Ensconced by verdant forests, these waterfalls offer a scintillating sight.
The sun and moon light over the gushing torrents during the day and night create a perpetual rainbow over the falls. Since it is a catchment area and rainfall is copious very often the falls disappears in the misty weather to reappear again after the fog rolls over.
View points
The main viewing area is in the heart of the town but one can also go to the other side from where the falls take the plunge.
There are steps from the main view point that take you to the bottom of falls. A gushing pool down below provide tourists a place to unwind. But it is not easy to go down as there are approximately 1,450 steps and often one gets tired while on return. At the main viewing point, one can relax at the park.
Though the Linganamakki dam, built across Sharavathi river and is exclusively used for hydel power production, was once another attraction for tourists in Jog Falls but for the last many years it is closed for tourists. Jog Falls is located downstream of Linganamakki reservoir.
Sustainable tourism
Speaking to Al Aarabiya English, M. Lokesh, Deputy Commissioner, Shimoga district, said that the government is committed toward Sustainable Tourism for Development as far as Jog Falls is concerned.
“Since tourists come to Jog Falls and find only the falls and nothing else to see we are planning to link with neighboring destinations which are home to famous temples,” he said adding that tt Jog Falls, they are focusing on providing proper facilities.
Many new developments were planned some years ago but they are yet to be taken forward. There have been proposals for a ropeway between gorges of the valley of the Jog Falls, development of the garden on the model of the Brindavan Garden, etc. With a new government in place, it is expected that these plans might be given a push.
Adventure camp
About seven kilometers away from Jog falls, the Jungle Lodges and Resorts Limited (JLR), a Karnataka government undertaking that promotes ecotourism and adventure activities, has come up with the Sharavathi Adventure Camp.
It is located on the lush sloping terrain abutting the Talakalale, a balancing reservoir to Linganamakki dam constructed across Sharavathi River. The reservoir is strewn with many lush jade-green islets.
Encompassed by greenery the camp offers aquatic adventures like coracle rides, kayaking and game fishing; bird watching, guided trekking, etc.
You can wake up to misty mornings and head out for a drive into the densely wooded forest of the Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. The rainy season is still on and the region will continue to be pounded with more rains until September end-making Jog falls a place of awe.
Courtesy: english.alarabiya.net
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Ukraine says Russia launched intercontinental missile in attack for first time in war
Kyiv (AP): Ukraine says Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile overnight targeting Dnipro city in the central-east of the country, which, if confirmed, would be the first time Moscow has used such a missile in the war.
In a statement Thursday on the Telegram messaging app, Ukraine's air force did not specify the exact type of missile, but said it was launched from Russia's Astrakhan region, which borders the Caspian Sea.
It said an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired at Dnipro city along with eight other missiles, and that the Ukrainian military shot down six of them.
Two people were wounded as a result of the attack, and an industrial facility and a rehabilitation centre for people with disabilities were damaged, according to local officials.
While the range of an ICBM would seem excessive for use against Ukraine, such missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads, and the use of one would serve as a chilling reminder of Russia's nuclear capability and a powerful message of potential escalation.
The attack comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine that formally lowers the threshold for the country's use of nuclear weapons. Ukraine on Tuesday fired several American-supplied longer-range missiles and reportedly fired UK-made Storm Shadows on Wednesday into Russia.
The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement Thursday that its air defence systems shot down two British-made Storm Shadow missiles, six HIMARS rockets, and 67 drones. The announcement came in the ministry's daily roundup regarding the military actions in Ukraine.
The statement didn't say when or where exactly it happened or what the missiles were targeting. This is not Moscow's first public announcement of the shooting down of Storm Shadow missiles, as Russia earlier reported downing some over the annexed Crimean Peninsula.
The developments come as the war has taken on a growing international dimension with the arrival of North Korean troops to help Russia on the battlefield — a development that US officials said prompted U.S. President Joe Biden's policy shift on allowing Ukraine to fire longer-range US missiles into Russia. The Kremlin responded with threats to escalate further.
Putin has previously warned the US and other NATO allies that allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied longer-range weapons to hit Russian territory would mean that Russia and NATO are at war.
And the new doctrine allows for a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power.
While the doctrine envisions a possible nuclear response by Russia to a conventional strike, it is formulated broadly to avoid a firm commitment to use nuclear weapons and keep Putin's options open.
