Calamities

Panvel Floods of 2005

The memory of flash flood in Panvel where we lived, on the evening of July 25 2005 and destruction in its wake sends chills in the spine of anyone who had witnessed it. Although it was raining very heavily for three days continuously, although a thick solid sheet of rain was battering the land, nobody expected that it would turn into a nightmare. Within minutes the area around Panvel was under 10 to 12  feet of water. It looked as if the Arabian sea has expanded and and gulped the pieces of land lying in its vicinity. The loss of… Read More »Panvel Floods of 2005

When Bamboo Flowers!!!

Yes, bamboo species called Melocanna Baccifera blossoms copiously approximately every 48 years. Blossoming of flowers is heralded as spring and is the nature’s way to be happy and show the joys to the world. On the other hand, flowering of bamboo is the signal of an impending calamity in the North East states of India. This variety of bamboo grows densely in Mizoram, Manipur and adjoining Burma. Bamboo is a natural resource. It is used extensively in the construction activities. It helps in the conservation of soil with its strong roots and also beautifies the landscape of the area. Bamboo… Read More »When Bamboo Flowers!!!

Facing Floods in Assam….

I worked as a scientist with ONGC which is the premier oil and gas company of India. I was posted in Cachar Project of ONGC during 1987 to 1991. Our company was desperately looking for oil and gas in this area. Five rigs were employed for these operations in different areas around the town of silchar located in the southern part of Assam adjoining Agartala and near this town is another town called Badarpur which is a gateway to north eastern states like agartala, Manipur and Mizoram. The area where drilling operations were being conducted bordered Bangladesh. Two rivers namely… Read More »Facing Floods in Assam….

Uttrakhand Floods: Shall we learn any Lessons

It has become a tragedy of epic proportions. The loss in terms of precious human lives, property and environment is bigger than suffered in many wars. The floods which occurred in June 13 coincided with an event called “Char Dham Yatra” in which many hundred thousands have gone to the religious places in the Himalayas falling in Uttrakhand like Badrinath, Kedarnath. Thousands died and many thousands were trapped as the floods smashed many roads to smithereens blocking the way to return. So many hotels and guest houses fell like house of cards. As can be seen clearly in the video… Read More »Uttrakhand Floods: Shall we learn any Lessons