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September, 2010: Flooding in Haridwar-R. Meenakshi SundaramHaridwar is located in the western part of Uttarakhandat a height 249.7 meters above the sea level. Thethdistrict came in to existence on 28 December, 1988and is surrounded by Saharanpur in the west,Dehradun in the north, Muzzafarnagar and Bijnor inthe south and Pauri in the east. The district isadministratively divided into 3 tehsils; Haridwar,Roorkee and Laksar and 6 development blocksnamely Bhagwanpur, Roorkee, Narsan, Khanpur,Laksar and Bahadarabad. As per the 2001 census thepopulation of the district is 14,44,213.Heavy rainfall was recorded in entire Haridwar districtthon 19 September, 2010; Haridwar 180 mm,Bahadrabad 192 mm, Pathari 119 mm, Dhanauri 150mm and Roorkee 110 mm. Almost all the seasonalrivers of the district started overflowing. It isimportant to mention that Ganga had already crossedththe danger mark (294.00 m) at 7:30 PM on 18September itself and due to heavy rainfall in thecatchment area it reached 296.30 m level at 9 AM onth19 September. The discharge of Ganga reachednd4,75,178 cusecs which is 2 to the 6,60,000 cusecsthdischarge witnessed on 29 September, 1924. Thedischarge remained more than 3 lakh cusecs or morefor 35 hours continuously which resulted into anunprecedented discharge of water into Ratmau river.In the previous three months of this year Ganga hadalready crossed the danger level thrice by upto 1 meterst nd thon 31 July, 2 August and 8 September and thusHaridwar district faced a series of floods.thFrom the evening of 18 September, 2010 to 10 AM ofst21 September Ganga was above the danger mark forabout 54 hours continuously. All the tributary seasonalrivers even worsened the situation by feeding Gangawith the heavy rain water which they brought from thecatchment areas.Few instances of damage caused by the floodHeavy downpour created threat of a big landslideat the Mansa Devi hills.Solani river crossed danger level and spilt over thehighway connecting Roorkee and Haridwar. Thehighway was severely damaged at certain placesbringing transport and communication tostandstill.Severe damage was inflicted to Pathri power housesub-stations of 33 KV. The area adjoining thepower house was completely washed off by thePathri river and the Pathri power house had almostcome to the verge of collapse. Severe damage wasalso inflicted to Bhoopatwala and Laksar substations.There was severe breach in the embankments atmany places and Bishanpur Kundi embankmentwhich was already undergoing repairs came on theverge of collapse. It could only be saved by thecontinuous reinforcements done throughout thethnight of 18 of September. Failure of thisembankment would have completely submerged48 villages.Gate no. 6 of the Bheemgoda Barrage wasthcompletely washed away by the river Ganga on 18September.40 villages of tehsil Laksar were submerged for 4days and the Khanpur block of the tehsil Laksarwas cut off due to intermingling of Pathari Rao andSolani rivers.35 villages of tehsil Roorkee were severelyaffected by the floods together with 12 villages oftehsil Haridwar.Intotal 638 villages were affected by floods indistrict Haridwar and population of 13 lakh wasaffected.2

50,500 hectares of agricultural land is estimated tobe affected by flood.A total of 10,999 houses were damaged and 16human lives were lost while 19 persons wereinjured.191 animals were lost.About 399.5 km of road in rural and urban areas,65 culverts, 41 spurs, 27 tube wells and 27.9 km ofirrigation canal were damaged together with 17PHCs, 03 schools, 9.8 km of sewage canal, 2.5 kmof safety walls and 356 meters of stairs.Relief and rescue measuresDue to the heavy rainfall in the city as well as in thecatchment areas the situation had become alarming onth18 September. It was informed that the water level inthe Tehri reservoir was rising continuously and thecatchment areas of Alaknanda, Bhagirathi and otherthe seasonal rivers like Ratmau, Banganga, Solani andPathri Rao were witnessing heavy rainfall.An emergency meeting was immediately called andsenior officers were rushed to various places identifiedas high risk areas. Reinforcement work was started atBishnupur Kundi embankment. Public addresssystems were used to alert the people residing in lowlying areas to remain cautious.thOn 18 September at around 11 PM information wasreceived that the water level of Ganga is expected torise after three to four hours. Taking note of theseriousness of the issue people were evacuated fromall the sensitive areas.ADM (FR) and SP (Rural) were immediately rushed toLaksar. The team headed by ADM (E) and SP city wasdeployed at the Bishanpur Kundi embankment thatwas undergoing repairs. The continuous breaching ofthe embankment threatened to submerge 40 villages.As a precautionary measure Bishnapur Kundi,Bhogpur, Tanda Bhagmail, Taatwala and Anekkivillages were evacuated.In the Haridwar city the QRTs evacuated nearly 6000people from Bairagi Camp, Chandi Ghat, Laljiwala,Sapt Sarovar, Pant Dweep, Rodibelwala, Dhobighatand Keshav Ashram. Even one Police cavalary unitwas evacuated from the low lying area after midnight.thIn the morning of 19 September 10 boats of PAC andPolice were deployed for rescue works and 1500people in Haridwar, 1700 in Roorkee and 5,000 inLaksar sub-divisions were evacuated.The situation in Laksar and Roorkee sub-divisionsfurther worsened due to the flooding of Solani, Pathri,Barganga and Ratmau rivers. Rescue boats were thusrushed to Laksar, Khanpur and Pathri areas.Needs assessment was undertaken and major reliefcamp was set up in Laksar at Radha Swami Satsangwhere a control room was also set up. ADM (F/R) andSP (Rural) were made in-charge of this camp. Reliefcamps were also setup at 11 other places in the districtin schools, ashrams and other places located on higherground in Laksar, Roorkee and Haridwar where about49,000 people were taken care of. All basics serviceslike food, water, medicines and sanitation wereprovided to the affected people. As nearly 50 villageswere totally submerged in water, the administrationgeared up for the arranging food items that weremobilized through social workers, NGOs, industrialassociations, ashrams and akharas and it was ensuredthat there was no shortage of food for the affectedpeople. These were sent to various places as per therequirement.Information of all kind was collected and disseminatedthrough Control Rooms already functional at tehsillevel. The District Magistrate and all other keyfunctionaries were stationed in the flood affected areaof Haridwar district to provide immediate relief andrescue support to the flood affected people.09 Officers and 109 Jawans of Engineering Group,Dehradun, 03 Officers and 85 Jawans of BEGRoorkee, 07 Officers and 98 Jawans Of NDRF, 043

vkinkds vk¡lw&jkeflagjkorOfficers and 31 Jawans of PAC, 12 Officers and 35Jawans of Haridwar Police, 01 Officer and 20 Jawansof Jal Police were deployed for rescue and relief worksthin the district from 20 September.Emergency medical facilities were provided to theaffected people through rescue boats. 20 medicalteams together with 20 Red Cross volunteers weredeployed for this work. Persons needing immediatehospitalization were brought to the hospitals forfurther care.20 teams of veterinary doctors were sent by the rescueboats to take care of the affected livestock in variousvillages.Availability of safe drinking water in affected villageswas ensured by deployment of tankers in adequatenumbers. Measures were taken to ward off outbreak ofepidemic in flood affected areas.All the damaged sub-stations were repaired at warfooting and power supply was restored. Importantroads and means of communication were restored.Hon'ble Governor Smt. Margaret Alva visited theaffected areas of the district and reviewed the situationalong with senior officials of the district. Hon'ble ChiefMinister Dr. Ramesh Pokhariyal “Nishank” alsovisited the affected areas and met the affected people.Though the waters have receded many areas are stillcut off and relief and restoration works are beingcarried out at war footing. But it was certainly the predisasterplanning and preparedness of the districtofficials together with collective team work of one andall that the situation could be brought under control in ashort time.(Author is the District Magistrate of Haridwar)foinkdhvus dgkfu;ksa ds gelk{khjgs gSa_blo"kZ ,dckjfiQjlsmRrjdk'khvkdjtulsokdkvoljfeykAigys Hkh;gk¡ jgpqds gSa]lks;gk¡ dhHkSxksfydfo"kerk,oa izd`frdhizòfRrls Hkyh&Hk¡frifjfprgSaAfiNys eghus tcjlkrds dgjus HkVokM+hdks fgykdj[kfn;kFk]rcxk¡oesa tkdjksrs&fcy[krs yksxksa dks ns[k_mucw

x,FksANq Vhgksus ij?kjksa ij[kuk[kus dhydysdjykSVs rks ?kjijlUukVkFkAjlksbZ ?kjcrZufoghuFkAmle;Nk=ksa dhek;wlhesa fNikds lehiQstouds ÅijcknyiQVus ls Hkjhrckghgks pqdhgSAHkw&/¡lkoHkwL[kyudhǹf"Vls HkhmRrjdk'khvius vkiesa lokZsifjgSA(ys[kdmRrjdk'khesa iqfylfoHkxesa dk;ZjrgSa)Role of space technologyin landslide mitigation- Piyoosh RautelaAlmost every monsoon season the debate over the useof space technology for landslide hazard and riskmapping invariably surfaces, more so after majorlandslide incidences. A number of villages inUttarakhand are also very often quoted as beingalready marked as prone to landslides by differentagencies. These debates invariably target theGovernment agencies for inaction.Though these debates are sometimes joined by thescientists and academicians but in most instances theones fuelling these debates are hardly conversant withthe technical capabilities of the satellite sensors, leave5apart appreciating their limitations. Most at the sametime do not understand the landslide process.Technology in our country has been mostlyunderutilized and state of art high speed computingmachines are largely being used just for doing twintasks of web surfing and word processing. These taskscan be very well done equally efficiently on any otherbudget machine and do not really require these highend gadgets. Same is the case with GIS and remotesensing tools. While the former in most cases has beenreduced to a drafting too, the latter is being used fordoing almost everything without really trying tounderstand the problem to be addressed.Before trying to utilize space technology for landslideeZ Lo;a dks O;fFkrdjus ds fy,etcwjdjgkFkAvkinkdh?kM+hdshazard, vulnerability and risk mapping one has toblrjgds dbZ ekfeZd{k.kova'kgekjs {ks=kh;lekpkji=ksa ds Nk;kdkjksa make sure and decide what of these three (s)he intends}kjklatk;s x;sA;glHkhblvkinkdhthoUrLohjis'kdjrs gSa vkSj to address for the three connote distinctly differentml?kM+hdhekfeZdrkdhvVwV/jksgjgSAthings. (S)he has to then, in consultation with experts,decide upon parameters that influence the landslideHkwdEids fglkcls mRrjdk'khdks vfrlaosnu'khytksuesa j[kgSAfdUrq process. Subsequently (s)he has to see what;gugha Hkwyukpkfg,fdHkwL[kyu,oa Hkw&/¡lkods fglkcls Hkh;g information regarding these parameters can betuinmRrjk[k.Mds lHkhtuinksa ls vR;f/dlaosnu'khygSaA1978esa extracted from the satellite data. Unfortunately thisexercise is not taken seriously by most researchersMcjkuhds iklfyepkxkM+ ds lehinksuksa rjiQls igkM+ VwVtkus ls xaxkwhich results in bewildering array of unusable>hyesa ifjofrZrgks xbZ Fkh]ogha Kkulw esa cknyiQVus ls rckghrFkdqVsVh landslide hazard, vulnerability and risk maps.One has to understand the simple fact that landslide isdown slope movement of mass under the impact ofgravitational force of the earth. But the underlyingtruth is that the place and time of this movement isgoverned by complex interrelationship of a largenumber of ambient parameters of which geo-tectonicsetup of the rocks, slope morphology, drainage andprecipitation are the most significant. It is interestingto note at this juncture that only a person very wellconversant with the ground conditions and havingundertaken detailed geological investigations in thearea can comment something upon the former twoparameters on the basis of satellite data alone and mostof h(er)is comments are bound to be based on h(er)isexperience rather than the study of the satellite dataalone. Some information on slope morphology canwell be deduced from special satellite products but thiswould again require rigorous truth collection exerciseon ground. The last and the most important parameteron appropriate scale would be the hardest to decipherfrom any satellite data.

Most satellites are designed to pick surfacereflectance signatures on predefined wavelengthwindows of the electromagnetic spectrum and mostparameters dictating landslide events are notprominently expressed on the surface and have to beobserved on sectional views not provided by thesatellite.The satellite data can no doubt provide unparalleledand accurate information on land use pattern and landuse changes but these parameters in most cases areonly the subsidiary factors for initiating the landslideevent. The satellite data might well also be used forcounting number of persons present at a humancongregation as was done during the Kumbh mela orfor delineating inundated areas as was done afterflooding in Haridwar district recently.There is no denying the fact that accurate and timelymapping of the areas overrun by the landslide debriscan be undertaken using space technology besidespreparing inventory of landslides; the former beingthe post-mortem while the latter just depicts thespatial distribution. This information however cannotbe utilized for mitigation or risk reduction purposes.Before commenting upon anything pertaining tolandslides one needs to understand that everylandslide has a distinct personality of its own. Thereare a large number of variables governing thelandslide event and thus there is low probability ofany two landslides being exactly alike. This premiseis enough to lead one to the logical conclusion thatgeneral remedial plans cannot be suggested forlandslide mitigation using any technology.If landslides are to be mitigated, these have to bestudied individually in detail and a site specificmitigation plan has to be evolved. Appropriate role ofspace technology in this strategy can well beincorporated, but space technology alone cannot beprescribed as the sole and most efficient solution of alllandslide related problems.We humans though all alike are so much differentfrom each other in many aspects. The same standsgood for landslides. Had there been generictechnological solutions we all would have beentreated on predefined lines for all our health relatedailments. This would certainly have been the mosthappy situation for the State of Uttarakhand which isunable to rope in medical practitioners to serve inremote hilly areas. But the reality is poles apart; theexisting space technology has no concrete answer toour landslide related problems and there exists nogeneric prescription for all our health related ailments.[keks'korudqNdgrkgS[keks'korudqNdgrkgSdqNiz'ulHkhls djrkgSAnhidls nqfu;kjkS'ku]oks 'keka

The health care delivery system:The state of affairs- Devendra BudakotiThe status of health delivery system and itsfunctioning reflects the political economy of the state.The state has a very wide network of health centres forproviding health services to the people. However,there are glaring shortcomings. It is nowacknowledged by the state that there are manypositions which are lying vacant. Another problemrelates to the services provided at the health centres.Though information regarding the various servicesand facilities available is often provided through thehoardings and wall writings, it is often observed thatthe same is not true. The centres might have theequipments, diagnostic tools and chemicals, but do notoften have the technicians to handle, operate and usethese facilities. While medicines might be available,these are not given in full dosages. Many a times theprescribed medicines have to be purchased fromoutside. And finally what is more disconcerting is thatthe staff members work at a very low level ofmotivation and this affects their efficiency. The poorservices and lack of motivation of the staff, results inpeople getting very little benefit from the healthinstitutions. In institutional delivery cases, most of thepeople have to purchase all delivery items andmedicine from private medical shops in the vicinity.After the delivery, money is demanded by one and all;some in name of reward, some for extra work done andfor some it's simply private fee. One can guess whyinstitutional delivery in normal circumstances has noreal monetary benefits.The outcome of the state of affairs is the phenomenonof corruption and dishonesty in reporting by healthstaff. The most disturbing feature is the physicalinfrastructure lying idle and under utilized while moreis being created or purchased in the name of the givinghealth services to the people.The health institutions, not surprisingly, present a verybleak picture. There are times when one doctor islooking after two PHCs. The existing PHCs are beingupgraded to CHCs, just by constructing new buildings,buying equipments, even when the earlier PHCbuildings and its infrastructure is not being fullyutilized. Similarly new APHCs, SADs are coming upwithout any doctors and other human resources to manthese health centres. Though the acute shortage ofdoctors is acknowledged, the lack of motivationamongst the existing doctors and paramedical staff isleading to the poor quality of services in the healthcentres. The situation at the sub-centres level is moredeplorable. While some have new building, many ofthe village level sub-centres are on rentedaccommodations. It is now well known that most of theANMs don't stay in the centre. Many of the ANMshave taken a room in the village or in the vicinity forcatering to 'emergency' situations or inspection spells.Some records show that PHCs or additional PHCshave a female hospital in its premises. Forget femaledoctor, even a male doctor is not present in these PHCsor additional PHCs. One fails to understand how andwhy a hospital is called or designated a femalehospital. These so called female hospitals without anysemblance of a hospital structure, shows how officialrecords have become a farce.The old family planning programme has now come in anew garb of Reproductive Child Health (RCH)programme and the family planning camps are nowknown as RCH camps. The activities listed under oneRCH roof are many, but the RCH camps are same asbefore, i.e. a FP camp for female sterilization. Thoughthe new approach of Community Need Assessment(CNA) is to be adopted for fixing FP targets by the subcentreANMs, it appears that the family planningtargets are still being pushed down the entireorganization from the CMOs office. The main task ofANMs is again to get some sterilization cases forfamily planning. The earlier pre-occupation with thefamily planning programme remains and just gettingcases for family planning would not have any impacton the demographic scenario. Field staff is now pastmasters in reporting achievements under variousprogrammes. Under the FP targets, particularly thespacing targets for contraceptive pills, condoms andIUD insertion are mostly fudged. Once the ANMachieves her RCH targets, partly or completely, shecan relax about other national programmes, as she isnot likely to suffer from any retribution. Under the7

DOTS TB control programme, the medicines are to begiven by a health provider on a regular basis, but inmany cases, the monthly quota is given to the patientsin one go. The services are not provided at the villagelevel and the sad part is that the victims are blamed.Health providers generally blame the people for nonutilization of services at the centres.The implementation of the ASHA scheme under theNRHM has its history in the Community GuideScheme. The ASHAs are supposed to be therepresentatives of the people who are regularly beingtrained to help the people to cope with their healthproblems. ASHAs are now unionized and demandingpermanent position in the health department.Agitations by the ASHA union have already started inthe state to press for this demand. The whole idea ofASHA seems to be collapsing, as ASHAs are lookingforwards to their needs and not that of the people. If thedesigned backbone of health service in rural areas ofthe state is through ASHAs, one can say that thebackbone is weak and fragile.There is a divergent view between the providers andthe receivers of health services at every level.Providers talk of illiteracy, lack of awareness andcultural barriers thereby, basically blaming the victim,while the people talk of inefficiency, lack ofaccountability, corruption, non-availability offacilities and finally question the poor quality of thehealth care delivery system.(Author is a freelance development consultant)uhM+ dkfuekZ.kfiQjfiQj-&lq/kdcfV;kyegkudfoJhgfjoa'kjk;cPpudhdforkdhiafDr;k¡ uhM+dkfuekZ.kfiQj&iQjc;kif{k;ksa ijlVhdcSBrhgSaAdSls]vkb;stkurs gSaAD;kvkius rkykcfdukjs isM+ es lqanjykSdhds vkdkjds c;kds ns[krs jgrs FksAlu~ 1930esa vius buvè;uksa dks izdkf'kr?ksalys yVds ns[ks gSa\'k;ndqNdks ;gvoljufeykgksAdbZ djus ijmUgsa i{khfoKkuesa [kwc[;kfrfeyhAmUgksaus cqdvkWiQnksLr,sls HkhgSa]ftUgksaus ;gns[krks gS ijdHkhmldhcukoV bf.M;ucMZ~lfy[khAblfdrkcesa Hkjrh;if{k;kas dkfp=kijxkSjugha iQjek;kA;gk¡ ge?ksalys dhckrblfy,djgs gSa lfgro.kZufd;kx;kFkAdksbZ vtuchHkhbliqLrdhen8D;ksafdc;kdk?ksalykcgqrlqanj]etcwrvkSjcukoVovkdkjesa lqjf{krgksrkgSa! ,slkizrhrgksrkgS ekuks fdlhdkjhxjus cqukgksAetcwrhHkh,slhfdksbZ izkd`frdvkinkmldks uqdlkuHkhugha igq¡pkldrhAc;kujoeknki{khdks o"kZ ½rq esa igpkukvklkugksrkgS!ble;ujc;ki{khds xys ijihyk/CckmHkjvkrkgSA;ghigpkugS mldhAujc;kdks Js;tkrkgS lqanjfVdkmQ?ksalykcukus dkAvius ifjokjesa eq[;f'kYidkjogha gksrkgSAlclsigys ogLFkudkpqukodjrkgS]/kuds iRrs vkSj:[kh&eksVh?klbdV~BkdjrkgS vkSjfiQj'kq:djrkgS og?ksalykcq ukA?ksalykvkdkjesa cksryuqek;kykSdhtSlkfn[kbZ nsrkgSAvf/drj?ksalys rkykcounhfdukjs isM+ dh'k[kvksa esa yVdsjgrs gSaAtc?ksalykrS;kjgks tkrkgS rceknkc;kdks ujfuea=k.knsrkgS fdog?ksalys dkfujh{k.kdjsaA;fneknkdks?ksalykilanvkrkgS rks ogujdk?ksalykiwjkdjus esa endjrhgSA?ksalykiwjkgksus ijogvaMs nsrhgSAtcrdeknkv.Mksa ijcSBhjgrhgS rcrdujnwljk?ksalykcq uk'kq:djnsrkgSA?ksalys dhlekfIrijfiQjogha flyflyk'kq:gksrkgSAnwljheknkdks fuea=k.k]fiQjeknk}kjkfujh{k.kvkSjfiQjogeknkHkhu,?ksalys esa v.Ms nsrhgSAblrjg,dle;esa ujc;kds nks ;kvf/difjokjgksrs gSaAujoeknkus vius&viusdkeck¡Vj[ksa gSaAujdhftEesnkjhgS fuekZ.kdk;Z];kfu?ksalyscukukvkSjeknkdhftEesnkjhgS cPpksa dks f[kykuk&fiykukvkSjftEesnkjhls mudhns[kHkydjukAHkjrh;oSKkfudlkfyeksbtqn~nhuvCnqyvyhdks Js;tkrkgS c;kif{k;ksa ijxguvè;udjus dkAigys yksxkas dks bli{khds ckjs esa T;knktkudkjhugha FkhAcsjkstxkjhds fnuksa esa os?k.Vksa vius ?kjds ihNs iwM+ksa esa c;kif{k;ksa dhdk;Ziz.kyhdks

ls i{khigpkuklh[kldrkgSAdgrs gSa fd,slhdksbZ txg might end up compensating up to US$ 1,000 for everybarrel of oil spilled in the Gulf. BP had to cut itsugha tgk¡ os uig¡qps gkasAvktgelcds iklqfo/kgSAgedividends, risk a takeover and appoint a new CEO, aiqLrdksa obUVjusVds ekè;els if{k;ksa ds ckjs esa tkudkfj;k¡ US citizen. The Company even posted regular updatesgkflydjldrs gSa ysfdunksLrks gesa ges'k;knj[kukpkfg;s on the clean up work being done in the Gulf on itsofficial website.fdif{k;ksa ds fp=kotkudkfj;ksa ds ihNs buegkuoSKkfudksa dkThis is how big Corporates have to be taught lessons ofvFkdiz;klovè;ugSAbuds }kjkfd;s x;s 'ks/us ghgekjs abiding by safety standards. The cost of playing withfy;s ;s lkjhtkudkfj;k¡ lqfo/ktudcuknhgaSAsafety has to be made so high that they never everdream of short cuts. By doing so there is possibility ofns[kIk{khHkhtkurs gSa fdvius uhM+ dkfuekZ.kizkd`frdo one single incident jeopardising the very existence of aglobal corporate, but there exist no soft choices.LFkuh;lalk/kuksa ls fd;ktkukpkfg;sALFkuh;lalk/ku]{ks=kPunishment inflicted upon one big company woulddhizd`fr]tyok;q oikfjfLFkfrdh(ecology) ds vuq:Ikgksrs certainly bring forth radical change in the attitude ofgaSAekuodks if{k;ksa ls ;ghlh[kukgS fdvius edkuds thousands of erring companies.fuekZ.kds fy;s mi;qDrovuqdwyLFkudkpqukodjsa vkSjOut here in our country we are plagued by our chaltahai attitude and pay scant regard to the life of ourlqjf{krduhdls mls cuk;saAuhM+ dkfuekZ.kfiQj&fiQju people, leave apart the environment. Moreover, afterdjukiMs+ vkSj?kjlqjf{krgks]vkf[kj;ghrks pkgrs gSa]gelcA every incidence involving big and influential namesthe entire machinery is geared up to protect them. The(ysf[kdknsgjknwufLFkrLo;alsohlaLFkgsLdks ls lEc¼gSa)sequence of incidences after what transpired in Bhopalin 1985 clearly indicates this. Union Carbide was noAre we responsible for increasing doubt responsible for the incident but it has also beenaccidents around us?established beyond doubt that the Bhopal tragedy wasan outcome of the failure on the part of the Government- Piyoosh Rautelaregulatory and licensing authorities. Failing to bringthOn April 20 , 2010 explosion and fire onboard the them to books even after 25 years of the incidence, wedrilling rig Deepwater Horizon, owned by Transocean are busy debating on the sequence of events that led toLtd. and leased by BP PLC one of the world's leading the escape of Union Carbide Chief, Warren Anderson.oil exploration companies, killed 11 workers off the No denying the fact that the public has right to knowUS coast in Gulf of Mexico. The incidence resulted in the same but booking guilty Government officialsmassive, unmanaged and continuous outpouring of would have sent a warning signal to others that theircrude oil into the Gulf from a blown out undersea well. reckless attitude is no longer going to be tolerated andThe spill, though causing significant damage to this would have averted many other tragedies that tookmarine life and ecology, did not cause any further place in the past.human casualties.Despite Republicans defending BP over the Gulf oilleak the US Government spared no effort in bringingBP to book. President Barack Obama himself madeseveral anger filled statements about BP's recklessnessand the US administration made sure that BP coughsup US $ 20 billion compensation fund. Fear of possibleUS Government backlash caused BP shares to rolldown to half their market value since the spill began, adecline close to US$ 90 billion. It is estimated that BP9For sending out warning signals to defaulters it is notnecessary that the Government has to wait and watchtill another tragedy of the order of Bhopal takes place.Message in favour of zero tolerance to recklessness hasin fact to be propagated routinely and repeatedly. Anumber of unfortunate incidences taking place allaround us, day in and day out, can thus be averted bytaking timely, stern and affirmative action against theones who are guilty of negligence, recklessness andomission.

Innocent Shruti while participating in an amateurthmarathon run on 18 April, 2010 was victimised by aburning roadside tree that fell over her. The incidencewas highly publicised as it involved a public event ofthe Capital city and many well known names. Therewas a lot of hue and cry in the media for fixingresponsibility for the incidence and there wereassurances that all unsafe trees would be identified andstremoved. Despite all this on 21 June amid mildwindstorm during the day time a tree collapsed over anill fated auto - rickshaw carrying Shrimati DarshiKapoor near Malsi Deer Park. The incidence despiteinvolving one human life, failed to get adequate mediacoverage but it certainly does warrant the need to fixresponsibility as to who was to get the unsafe treesindentified and removed and as to the circumstancesthat led h(er)im in omitting to remove the ill fated onethat fell over the vehicle, else we are awaiting a fewmore tragic incidents.There would certainly be many similar incidenceshappening in your surroundings. I am sure the chaltahai attitude of yours would be stopping you fromreacting to these but would you not really react evenwhen your near and dear ones fall victim to suchincidences? What is really the guarantee that theywould not? In an amusement park around Dehradunthon 20 June people were banged off the swing.Thankfully, there were no grievous injuries. Butsurprisingly the park was not closed down even for asingle day after such an accident which cannot takeplace but for the lack of regular maintenance androutine safety audit. Moreover there were noenquiries, inspections and safety audits after thisincidence that might well have been tragic. You wouldbe surprised to note that these amusement parks haveno medical back up plan, ambulance or medicalattendant of their own. After all Bhopal incidence didnot occur overnight. It is open and shut case of coverups of the smaller incidences that were well managedand failed to get adequate media coverage.We all are busy preparing recipe of big disaster in ourneighbourhoods by way of our indifference to smallerincidences and after the big one which is sure tohappen, we would all be busy in the blame game ratherthan in spending a few moments on introspection; inestablishing our contribution to the tragedy. It's hightime, we, everyone, you, he, she and me wake up, shedour age old chalta hai attitude and start reactingpositively to the realities around us in a constructivemanner, else the ground realities are never going tochange on their own.eSa vkSjftUnxhdcekSrvktk;s fdldks irkftUnxhrw eq>dks brukulrk]eqf'dyls ik;s gSa iypkjlykSusbuesa ghckSus gSa ;knksa ds f[kykSus]ftlesa thus dkvktk;s etk]dcekSrvktk;s fdldks irkftUnxhrw eq>dks brukulrkAesjs budherhiyksa dks jaxhucuktkeq>s irkHkhupys dcfudys tuktk]dqNblrjgdkfetktcrk]dcekSrvktk;s fdldks irkftUnxhrw eq>dks brukulrkA;w¡ rUgkoDrugha xqtkjukpkgrkgw¡[keksf'k;ksa dks Hkhiqdkjukpkgrkgw¡]mnkldjds ueq>s vglkutrk]dcekSrvktk;s fdldks irkftUnxhrw eq>dks brukulrkAvxjdkaVs cksmQrks IkQwygks tk;sHkwyls Hkhbuiyksa esa dksbHkwygks tk;s]ekiQdjukrw mloDresjh[krk]dcekSrvktk;s fdldks irkftUnxhrw eq>dks brukulrkA&lq'khy[k.Mwjh10

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cknyiQVus ds fy;s mRrjnk;hmQtkZ dkL=ksrfopkj.kh;,oa large and media. There are two kinds of responses'ks/dkfo"k;gSAigkM+h{ks=ksa esa cUn?kVhesa iQ¡ls ckny through all sections. One of those wanting to distancethemselves from the phenomenon of natural disastersfuf'prghvpkudvkSjvR;f/dek=kesa tyfxjkrs gSa vkSj and trying to protect themselves from being remotely;gty,dcM+s izgkjds lkFkHkwfeds lEidZ esa vkrkgSArks responsible for any incident and the others who areD;kbltyds Hkjls ghbruhmQtkZ mRiUugks tkrhgS ftlds focused on the issue; for such large scale disasterscarry financial value / monetary benefit.dkj.kHkwfeijvofLFkrpV~Vkusa xgjk;hrdVwVtk;s\D;ksafdo"kZ okys cknyigkM+ksa ds chpiQ¡ltkrs gSa vkSjoghiQVrs gSa]I wonder in such a scenario, when do we readyourselves to get a more realistic and holistic picture onvr%,slhfLFkfresa bucknyksa dhmQ¡pkbZ cgqrT;knkugha gks the state of affairs. By the time we set ourselves on theldrhgSArks D;kdemQ¡pkbZ ls fxjus okyktybrukfoèoald right direction, our ignorance and justification as angks ldrkgS ;kfiQjmQtkZ dkdksbZ vU;L=ksarHkhblesa lafyIr individual and as a society would have cost us greaternumber of lives.gksrkgS\,sls esa vkdk'kh;fctyhdhHkwfedkdks Hkh,dnelsThings have to move away from direct or indirectudkjkugha tkldrkgSA,slkgksus ijizgkjds LFkuds lehiblame game. We need to honestly introspect where wefLFkrouLifr,oa vU;ds tyus dhHkhlEHkoukgks ldrhgS have gone wrong, what gaps remained and at the sameijUrq fouk'kdhvf/drkoLFkudhewyHkSxksfydfLFkfresa time accept the Mother Nature's intentions and humanbeings vulnerability and fruits of previous KARMA'SifjorZugks tkus ds dkj.kblIkzdkjds lk{;

I feel we all must come to accept that DisasterManagement is an old concept however legalizedrecently and recognized as a specialized field onlyafter the enactment of DM Act, 2005.Therefore on one side when it would not be completelyjustified to blame the Disaster Management system forsuch happenings and losses, on the other side arealistic picture need to be developed with regard tothe present provisions, resources and capabilities ofexisting infrastructure in Disaster Management.At the same time we need to learn that media, more soresponsible media needs to be continuously roped in tocomplement disaster management efforts. It seemsthat there is a lack of understanding on part of officialagencies and media with regard to the potential mediahas in addressing the issues of disaster management inthe short and long term.Media also on its part has to lay emphasis and shiftfocus from flashy headlines, immature reporting andinflated figures about death tolls, infrastructuredamages, destruction, to presenting a real and truepicture of events.The same would thus ensure a realistic expectationtowards Disaster Management from people at largeand would also give a clear picture as to kind of workrequired to be done given the base (infrastructure,resources and awareness base) that we have.We need to understand that in spite of all the good workdone; there remains a crisis of confidence with regardto the media. In spite of well researched report manytimes first reaction of administration or politicalleadership is to impute motives to the writings and playdown or deny the research or information under thegarb of criticism. Of course part of responsibility tochange such perception lies with Media as well thathas to exercise self restraint.The example of Rajkumar Keswani a young journalistin a tabloid “Shaharnama” who had alerted peopleagainst a possible disaster from Union Carbide is wellknown where both the government and the promotersof Carbide remained immune to criticism and ignoredthe warnings. On the other hand media's role withrespect to the government agencies also has to be morepositively critical.Only when we have a bird's eye view on the subject ofdisaster management, can we dream of a time whencoordinated response would result in mitigation oflosses.viQokgHkwdEidh&ih;w"kjkSrsykdkiQhle;ls lqcgvk¡[keksckbydh?k.Vhls gh[kqyrhgS_jkresa blesa vykeZ yxkdjlksus dhtks vknrgks x;hgSA13flrEcjdks HkhjkstdhghrjgvykeZ yxkdjlks;kFkijlqcgeksckbydhvkoktlqudjdqNvlgtlkeglwlgqvk_yxktSls cgqrtYnhctx;kgksAdqNle;vo';yx;k;gle>ikus esa fdeksckbyijdksbZ ckrdjukpkgrkgSA?kM+hijutjMkyus ijirkpykfdvHkhjkrds

vko';dk;Zokghfd;s tkus dkvuqjks/fd;kx;kAmlds ckneksckbyclctrkghjgkA^D;kHkwdEilpeqpvk;sxk\*^psrkouhfdlds }kjknhx;hgS\*^geus HkwdEids >Vds vHkh&2eglwlfd;s gSaAgesa D;kdjukpkfg;s\*^HkwdEivkus ijuqdlkufdrukgksxk\*^D;kgekjk?kjHkhfxjtk;sxk\*^gekjs fj'rsnkjnsgjknwuesa gSaAlqukgS ogk¡ HkwdEivkus okykgS\*lgk;rkHkhdjldrkgS]ijdk'k;s yksxgekjs lans'ksa dks ;w ghfMyhVdjus dhtxgbuviQokgksa dhrjgiQSyus nsrsAoSls rks bruklc?kVrs le;tkxus yk;dgks ghx;kFkij?kM+hdhvksjihBdjds lksus dkiz;kldjukT;knkBhdyxkAuhan'k;nvkus dks ghFkh-ijgk;eksckby-fiQjls ctmBkAijblckjiQksuiqjkuhtku&ig¡pkuokys vkinkizcU/udsjk"Vªh;laLFkuds izksiQsljdkFkAiQksumBkuketcwjhFkhAvis{kds foijhrizksiQsljlkgcdkHkhoghiz'uFk]^lqukgS fdHkwdEivkus okykgS]nsgjknwuesaA*eukdjus ijdgus yxs]^ugha]ugha]esjs tkus okys [klyksxksa dkiQksuvk;kgS vkSjoksHkhdbZ txgksa lsA*^dqNus rks >Vds HkheglwlHkhfd;s gSaA*^iwjkeksgYykvius ?kjksa ls ckgjgSAgelHkhdkiQh?kcjkjgsgSaAlpesa rks ugha vk;sxkuHkwdEi\*T;knkrjyksxksa dks HkwdEidhlwpukeksckbyijesjB]eqtÝiQjuxjvkSjlgkjuiqjls feyjghFkhAdqNdkdgukFkfdqNyksxksa }kjkblizdkjds ,ukmUlesUVfd;s tkjgs gSaAdqNdkdgukFkfd/eZLFkyksa ls Hkhblizdkjds izlkj.kfd;s tkjgs gSaA[kSjviQokgsa]dkSuvkSjD;ksa iQSykjgkgS ;grksdkiQhiz;kldjus ijHkhirkugha pyik;k]ijdqNphtsale>esa t:jvkx;hA17>qa>ykgVds dkj.kckyukspus dkeudjgkFkAjgh&lghdljmuds vxys iz'us iwjhdjnh]^vPNkrqe,slkdjks]okfM;kdhlhfLedyScdkuEcjns nks]muls dUiQeZ djysrkgjvkoktesa ?kcjkgVFkh]MjFk_dqNvfu"V]vizR;kf'kr?kVgw¡A*tkus dkAbls mudhvkoktls lkiQeglwlfd;ktkldrkFkAvkSj,slkugha Fkfd;giQksudsoynsgjknwuls vkjgs FksAyksx vcbudk;gkygS rks esjs lh/s&lk/s izns'kokfl;ksa dhdksbZns'kds rekefgLlksa ls iQksudjds tkudkjhysus dkiz;kldj cgqrcM+hxyrhugha gSAoks rks cgdkos esa blfy;s vkx;s fdjgs FksAmUgsa irkghugha gS]ijbudkD;kfd;ktk;sA;gflyflyk;gk¡ :dkughaAvxys fnurekelekpkji=ksa esa[k.Muizdkf'krfd;s tkus ds cknHkh;ghlcdbZ txgnksgjk;kx;kA14flrEcj]nsgjknwu-16flrEcj]jkeuxj-19flrEcj]gfj}kj-vkSjfiQj20flrEcjdks rFkdfFkrcqf¼thfo;ksa ds 'kgjvYeksM+kdhcM+hvkcknhHkwdEidhviQokgds dkj.kdbZ /.Vksa rdckgj[kqys esa jghAdqNdkdgukFkfdviQokgfdlhv[kckjokyhthi}kjkiQSykbZx;hAigyh;gfdlapkjØkfUrds blgfFk;kjds vR;Ur[krjukdifj.keHkhgks ldrs gSaAblds }kjkdkiQhdele;esa ghcM+s [kSjtks Hkhgks gekjhdkiQhcM+hvkcknhdks ;girkghugha gSleqnk;dks cjxyk;ktkldrkgSAnwljhvkSjegRoiw.kZ ckr;g fdHkwdEidhHkfo";ok.khugha dhtkldrhgS vkSjftUgsa ;gfdvkinktkx:drklEcfU/rvius rekeiz;klksa vkSjnkoksa ds Hkyh&Hk¡frekywegS ogHkhvk'kafdrjgrs gSa fd;fncknHkhvHkhgesa dkiQhyEckjkLrkr;djukgSAviuh Hkfo";ok.khlpgks x;hrks D;kgksxkAvc,sls esa gekjkdkerksdksf'k'ksa esa rsthykuhgSAgekjhbudksf'k'ksa esa eksckbygekjh Lor%ghc

iz;klksa esa fuf'prghrsthykuhgksxhvkSjdels de;grkscrkukghgksxkfdksbZ HkhO;fDrHkwdEidhHkfo";ok.khughadjldrkgSAIn Search of Happiness- Munish BajajWhen asked to make a choice between job satisfactionor salary package young graduate from a reputedbusiness school in US preferred job satisfaction as hefelt that if the job does not make one happy, thenmoney is of no use. He subsequently joined avoluntary organisation to work for the upliftment ofthe destitute children. First few months, he enjoyedworking with them because this work lifted himinternally. He felt great satisfaction along with eternalpeace and happiness. It however did not take him longto realise that money was equally important. Unlikehis colleagues he could neither afford a luxuriousapartment nor a fancy car.He thus left the thankless job and moved to thecorporate world on a handsome package. Now, hecommanded all the luxuries one could think of. He hadrespect amongst his friends and his social circlewidened. But again after some time, he felt the samedissatisfaction, “I can buy anything I feel like, but still Iam not happy.” So, he left the job and went to aCheshire Home, where he worked for the bettermentof the inmates. Soon he started to devote major portionof his time to the various activities of the CheshireHome. Now, his friends together with his familymembers started to put across sarcastic remarks, “Whyyou went to US, if you had to do all this?”Most of us are like this youngster; jumping from oneground to another in search of happiness. We haveframed our own definitions of happiness. Why can't webe happy when we see a handicapped child, smileaway his sufferings? Why can't we rejoice when we seea butterfly sipping the nectar from the flower? Whycan't we be happy when we see a group of ants make aliving for themselves? We have so much to learn fromall this. Happiness really lies in almost every moment.Just think and enjoy.osnuk'kCnD;ksa esjs]vkt]gkafl;s ijvVdus yxs gSa]Hkoksa ds ia[kesjs]oSHkodhblizp.M/wiesa>qylus yxs gSa]vEcjds voryesa]NkbZ gS xgjh/qU/]vFkok]ǹxksa esa esjs vc]eksfr;kfcUnmHkjus yxs gSa]vfyòUnksa ds xhrxquxquk;kFk]izkr%miouesa]lqeus crk;k]yxrkgS Jo.k}kj]/hjs&/hjscUngksus yxs gSaAVwVpqdkgS fj'rk]osnukvkSjeudk]rHkh]nsonkjvkSjcq¡jklds ruksa ij]dqYgkM+s fueZerkls pyus yxs gSaAfHkxksrhFkhdHkhlkoudhiqQgkj]esjs ?kjvkaxudks]vcrks cjlus ls igys gh;gk¡]ckny]iQVus yxs gSaAdSls fy[kw¡ dforkdh]nks gǹ;Li'khZ iafDr;k¡]Hkofu>Zj.khds Jksrlc]vkfgLrk&vkfgLrk]lw[kus yxs gSa]vUrghunksguds x/sjs ?koksa ls]igkM+ HkhrjghHkhrj]njdus yxs gSaA&fouksntks'kh(ys[kdyksdfuekZ.kfoHkx]vYeksM+kesa dk;ZjrgS)18

Monsoon 2010: Disasters inUttarakhand- Piyoosh RautelaRains were 41 percent more than normal inUttarakhand during the current monsoon season.Precipitation was almost double the normal in some ofthe districts. Heavy precipitation was received towardsthe end of the monsoon season in the month ofSeptember and there was devastation in the entireState. Out of the total of 15,761 villages 9,162 wereadversely hit affecting population of around 29.24lakh.A total of 214 persons lost their lives in variousincidences in this monsoon season which is the highestsince the creation of the State. Around 1,800 animalswere lost and crops were adversely affected in morethan 2 lakh hectares while around 65 thousand hectaresof land was either covered with silt and debris or waslost permanently. Horticultural crops also witnessedmassive losses and even the harvested crops could notreach the market due to disruption of transportnetwork. Preliminary estimates suggest that more than24 thousand residential houses were damaged tovarying degrees and massive losses have been inflictedupon public infrastructures all over the State.Number of persons250200150100Sl. No.1.2.3.4.HighwayRishikesh –Badrinath(NH 58)KarnaprayagKedarnath(NH 109)Dharasu –Yamunotri(NH 94)Rishikesh –Gangotri(NH 108)Number of days whentraffic was disrupted on the Highway(30 days)July(31 days)August(31 days)September(30 days)Total(122 days)01 17 25 09 5203 12 09 15 3900 07 40 19 6601 09 38 19 67along four major National Highways is enough tohighlight the situation.On different occasions the pilgrims and tourists werestranded in large numbers at various places during thecurrent monsoon season. The State Governmentensured that the pilgrims and tourists were evacuatedat the earliest and the supply of essential commoditiesand medicines was maintained.There were a number of devastating disasterincidences in the State during the current monsoonthseason. On 13 August, 2010 amid continuous heavyrains the Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highwaysubsided by more than 15 meters at Bhatwari in districtUttarkashi. More than 40 residential and commercialhouses were devastated by this movement at BhatwariBazar as also in the village. Pilgrims in large numbers5002001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Transport sector has been hit particularly hard bylandslide, flash flood, cloudburst and flood events.Major highways of the State along with link roads weredisrupted and the Government had to strive hard tomaintain normal supply of essential commodities inthe remote areas. The summary of traffic disruption19

were stranded due to the blockade. There wereextensive ground fissures in the upslope area ofBhatwari village and these posed serious threat to theentire village. Major portion of the village had to beevacuated and put up in the relief camp established inthe nearby Irrigation Colony. The pilgrims wereevacuated through alternative pedestrian route.Worst ever tragedy however occurred in the morningthhours of 18 August, 2010 at Sumgarh in Kapkotetehsil of district Bageshwar where 26 school childrenof a Primary School were trapped in the landslidedebris that overran a school. 18 of these children couldnot be saved despite best efforts of the localadministration.Towards the end of the monsoon season entire Statewitnessed incessant heavy rains and there were seriesof landslides in the hills while large areas in the plainswitnessed flood situation. Almora was worst affectedby these incidences and there were major cloudburstincidences at Balta, Devli and Pilkha villages. 29persons died in these incidences. Major rivers of theState crossed the danger level and people in largenumbers were marooned at a number of places inHaridwar, Udhamsingh Nagar and Nainital districts.Due to heavy rainfall and increased discharge ofBhagirathi and Bhilangana rivers the Tehri reservoirattained a level of 831 meters and discharge had to beincreased from 800 cumecs to 1250 cumecs.All the major highways and connecting roads weredisrupted by landslides at a number of places and evenrailway connectivity was disrupted. Tourists andpilgrims from all over the country and abroad werestranded at various places. Two trekking parties wentmissing in the higher reaches of Uttarkashi districtthwhile 16 group of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra wasstranded at Gunji in Pithoragarh. There was severeshortage of essential commodities and medicines.Besides State Police, PAC and Home Guard assistancewas sought from Army, ITBP, SSB and NDRF forrelief and rescue works. Four IAF and two civilianchoppers were pressed into service for relief andevacuation. Besides ground search by NIM, Uttarkashiteam aerial search was undertaken by Army Aviationand State Government to locate the missing trekkersbut only one group could be located.After the rains it was fire incidence at Nainital thatgutted the 112 year old Collectorate building in thethearly hours of 5 October. It was a big loss to the Stateas it was a heritage building built in 1898.As if this wasnot enough, fire broke out again at Sanchyan village of20Mori tehsil in district Uttarkashi in the morning hoursth10 October destroying a number of houses.There was massive loss of public property andinfrastructure and efforts, hard work and investment ofmany years was washed off during this monsoonseason. Relief, rehabilitation, restoration andreconstruction works have already been initiated but itis certainly not going to be easy and would certainlytake time(The article is based on the records of the State Emergency Operations Centre),dlosZ{k.k,slkHkh&lquhycM+ksuh]ih;w"kxqIrk,oa vk'kh"kjkoroSls ,dckrks lR;gS fdizkbZosVukSdjhds ctk;ljdkjhukSdjhesa xksrs yxkus dketkghdqNvkSjgS_D;ksafdljdkjhukSdjhlSdM+ksa cgkjksa ds lkFkghvkjkedk[ktkukgSAogk¡ NqV~Vhdkcsfglkcetkrks fy;kghtkldrkgS lkFkgh,MokaldhcnkSyrpkjfnudhpk¡nhdketkvyxls ywVktkldrkgSAblds cknHkhljdkjykpkjgksrhgS vkSjvius deZpkfj;ksa lsdHkhdksbZ fxyk&f'kdokugha djrhAlks gjfdlhdhfnyhbPNkgksrhgS fdgks ugks_cl,dvnljdkjhukSdjhfeytk;s]rks fiQjmezHkjdkvkjkeAdqN,slkghgqvkgekjs lkFkHkhAHkX;us dqNnsjlkFkfn;kvkSj;su&dsu&izdj.ks ukSdjh,dljdkjhlaLFkufeyghx;hAvcD;kFk]/hjs&/hjs geHkhlaLFkuds ekgkSyesa ?kqyus&feyus yxsAvc,slkrks gS ugha fdljdkjhlaLFkugS rks dk;Z fcydqyHkhugha gksxk_lks vk'kuq:Ikdk;Z Hkhvkx;kAdk;Z Fk]fVgjhck¡/ls fupys HkwHkxesa cgus okyhHkxhjFkh;kxaxkunhdkMkmuLVªhe,ukfyfldjrs gq;s vkinkizcU/u;kstukrS;kjdjukAblgsrq gesa pEck]fVgjh]izrkiuxj]?kulkyh]pfe;kyk]dhfrZuxj]ikS