tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149361502024-03-25T00:16:16.282-07:00Cloudburst MumbaiSet up post the the cloudburst on the 26th July, 2005, this blog now links to news about emergencies in and around the city.zigzacklyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16061386367303982262noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-27366325422702084052007-06-30T03:54:00.000-07:002007-06-30T04:21:36.745-07:00Helpline NumbersGot these helpline numbers off <a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/news/mumbai-rains-some-important-helplines/43807-3-1.html">CNN-IBN </a>.<br /><blockquote><br /> * Power Supply Reliance: 30303030.<br /><br /> * MSEB: 25686666.<br /><br /> * Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Control room: 22694727.<br /><br /> * For emergency complaints like building or wall collapses, call 1916.<br /><br /> For fallen trees, short circuits or fire, call 101 or 23085991.<br /><br /> * For drainage related complaints, call 1916.<br /><br /> * Drainage control rooms: 23678109 (city), 26146852 (western suburbs) or 25153258 (eastern suburbs) Central Railway Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus: 22697330 Dadar: 24143841 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Kurla: 26502475, 25298499 Kalyan: 95251-2311499 Western Railway Call 131 or 22005388 Mumbai Pune Expressway Call 09822498224 Airlines Air India: 28318888 Indian Airlines: 1407 Jet Airways: 56986111 Air Sahara: 30302020 Insurance claims Bajaj Allianz: 5.</blockquote><br /><br /><br />TV is now back, flights are taking off. Still, people are being warned by BMC officials to stay indoors.Dina Mehtahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14014280910696319994noreply@blogger.com79tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-68460186405519164472007-06-30T00:59:00.000-07:002007-06-30T01:08:24.549-07:00The clouds open up againThe rain is back. <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070017248&ch=6/30/2007%2012:43:00%20PM">NDTV reports</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Heavy rainfall in Mumbai has flooded the busy Andheri, Worli, Sion, Kurla, Wadala, Chembur and Borivili areas.<br /><br />The airport in Mumbai has called off all flight operations, reports on Saturday said.<br /><br />The showers also crippled transport systems on the ground forcing diversions to avoid flooded roads and disrupted rail services.<br /><br />The weather office has forecast more rainfall throughout Saturday.</blockquote><br />There's more from <a href="http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jun/30rain.htm">Rediff</a> and <a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/news/mumbai-rained-in-maharastra-on-rain-alert/43797-3.html">CNN-IBN</a>. <a href="http://zigzackly.blogspot.com">Peter Griffin</a> SMSs to inform me that Vashi is waist-deep in water in some places, and there's no electricity, and therefore no access to the internet or television reports. Heavy rain is expected to continue today, and staying indoors is advisable.amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1149158797420316462006-06-01T03:43:00.000-07:002006-06-01T03:46:37.436-07:00200mm of rains later...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7837/1754/1600/rains.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7837/1754/400/rains.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-style: italic;">Above picture is courtesy today's Mid-day. Text goes "Lying in wait: More than, 1,000 outstation commuters slept at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus last night, as several trains on the Konkan route were delayed due to the rainfall. Many local train commuters who missed the last train also spent the night at the station." (For more pictures of yesterday's chaos, </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://ww3.mid-day.com/news/city/2006/june/138472.htm">click here</a><span style="font-style: italic;">)</span><br /></span><br /><p class="MsoBodyText"><span lang="EN-GB">Indeed, the monsoons have arrived. This is what happened last evening after heavy rains and downpours hit the city (201.2mm in Colaba and 143mm in Santacruz - on Day #1, as per Indian Express).<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span lang="EN-GB">(News collated from <a href="%28http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1600580,curpg-1.cms%29">the Times of India</a>, <a href="http://www.mumbaimirror.com">Mumbai Mirror</a> and the <a href="http://cities.expressindia.com/2.html">Indian Express Newsline</a>.)</span></p> <ul><li><span lang="EN-GB">Western Railways – 19 trains cancelled. Trains ran anywhere between 5 to 35 minutes late. The WR PRO says “The problem was in the Goregaon-Malad stretch”. </span></li></ul> <ul><li><span lang="EN-GB">Central Railways – </span><span lang="EN-GB">Trains ran 40 minutes late after being </span><span lang="EN-GB">stalled between </span><st1:time minute="40" hour="18"><span lang="EN-GB">6.40pm</span></st1:time><span lang="EN-GB"> and </span><st1:time minute="30" hour="19"><span lang="EN-GB">7.30pm</span></st1:time><span lang="EN-GB"> as lightening struck an overhead equipment wire between Ghatkopar and Kurla.<br /></span></li></ul> <ul><li><span lang="EN-GB">Roads – Water-logging at S. V. Road at Khar and Santacruz, LBS Marg, Kurla, Hindmata Dadar, Subways at Malad and Santacruz. Incomplete pre-monsoon work led to flooding in Goregaon, Jogeshwari and Kandivali. Note that June 5<sup>th</sup> was the deadline given by the BMC to complete all digging work. Mohan Kadam (Chief Engineer, Roads) says “If we get a dry spell, we will open all these stretches to traffic within a day or two”.<br /></span></li></ul><ul><li><span lang="EN-GB">Add to above, waste material like plastic bags, etc collecting over drain entrances. BMC Commissioner Johnny Joseph says “It always happens in the first flush of the monsoon. All the kachra is washed up from all over and it plugs the drains. Once we clear this up, the drains will work smoothly.”</span></li></ul> <ul><li><span lang="EN-GB">Finally, Mr. Joseph adds – “Ward officers, assistant engineers in each ward and all senior officers are monitoring the situation and are prepared to handle the situation”. </span></li></ul> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoBodyText"><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1600580,curpg-1.cms"><span lang="EN-GB">Meanwhile at the BMC –</span></a><br />“<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10;">Barely a day after the chief minister inaugurated its much hyped emergency operation centre (EOC) in the basement of its headquarters, the BEST substation next to it was 2.5 feet deep in water. The power went off even as municipal commissioner Johnny Joseph, back from a quick tour of the city, was briefing the press to allay fears about any hazardous situations.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyText"> </p>(Cross posted on my <a href="http://doesmumbaimatter.blogspot.com"taget="_blank">Mumbai Matters blog</a>.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1149076515922857132006-05-31T04:53:00.000-07:002006-05-31T04:55:15.936-07:00Yet another monsoon is upon us...... and so this old blog gets active again. The BMC has sent out SMS warnings that heavy rains are expected in Mumbai in the next 48 hours. So if you're reading this now, do stock up on essential supplies in case you're stuck at home, and don't travel any more than absolutely necessary.amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1135523446651597882005-12-25T07:10:00.000-08:002005-12-25T07:10:46.670-08:00Remembrance Week - 26th December, 2005 - 1st January, 2006<img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7408/230/1600/wwh2.gif" alt="WWH Remembrance Week" border="0" />Last year, on the 26th December, an earthquake, and then a tsunami, killed, wounded, or impoverished hundreds of thousands of people in South Asia.<br /><br />During the course of the year, other disasters took their toll too. Most devastating of them: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the South-East coast of the USA; and another enormous earthquake near Pakistan's border with India.<br /><br />These disasters took their immediate toll, and, each time, the world tried to help. But as calamity piled upon calamity, there has been a certain amount of fatigue. Perhaps people's stock of goodwill has run low. Perhaps seeing too much suffering hardens us.<br /><br />But, the fact is, the suffering from those disasters has not ceased. Parts of South Asia have still not recovered from December 26th, 2004. In the USA, normalcy hasn't returned to New Orleans. In Pakistan, thousands are still homeless, and may not survive the harsh Himalayan winter.<br /><br />They need your help.<br /><br />Last December and this January, the online community came together as never before to help in the aid efforts in South-East Asia. The lessons learned there were put to use, and improved upon, when the other tragic events of the year unfolded.<br /><br />Can we harness that goodwill, that togetherness, that willingness to help once more?<br /><br />The <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/WorldWideHelp">WorldWideHelp group</a> would like you to join us in <b>Remembrance Week</b>. Here's what we suggest you do.<br /><br /><a href="http://worldwidehelp.blogspot.com/2005/12/remembrance-week-26th-december-2005.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7408/230/1600/wwh2.gif" alt="WWH Remembrance Week" border="0" /></a>Use your blogs, your home pages, your wikis, your newsletters. Link to your favourite charities and NGOs, write a paragraph about them and the work they are doing, and ask your readers to make a donation. (If you'd like to find some more charities and NGOs, please take a look at <a href="http://www.tsunamihelp.info/wiki/index.php/Aid_Agencies">this page on our TsunamiHelp wiki</a>, <a href="http://www.katrinahelp.info/wiki/index.php/Aid_Agencies">this one on our KatrinaHelp wiki</a>, or <a href="http://quakehelp.asiaquake.org/qh/index.php/Aid_Agencies">this one on our QuakeHelp wiki</a>.)<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Please link back to <a href="http://worldwidehelp.blogspot.com/2005/12/remembrance-week-26th-december-2005.html">this page</a> to help pass the word. You can use the image above.<br /><br />Please use this Technorati Tag: <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/disaster%20remembrance%20week" rel="tag">Disaster Remembrance Week</a>.<br />Here's the code:<br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/disaster%20remembrance%20week" rel="tag">Disaster Remembrance Week</a></span><br /><br />In <a href="http://worldwidehelp.blogspot.com/2005/12/linking-to-remembrance-week.html">this post</a>, we have a few more banners and buttons, with intructions on the code you must post to use them.</span>zigzacklyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16061386367303982262noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1126160134906987952005-09-07T23:13:00.000-07:002005-09-07T23:34:18.646-07:00Red tape after a catastropheBobby Jindal, who almost became governor of Louisiana and is now a Congressman there, <a href="http://www.opinionjournal.com/cc/?id=110007224">writes in the <i>Wall Street Journal</i></a> about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:<br /><blockquote>There have already been a number of instances in which an overly inhibitive bureaucracy prevented an appropriate response to the disaster. For example, on Wednesday of last week a company called my office. With only three hours before rising waters would make the mission impossible, they were anxious to send a rescue helicopter for their stranded employees. They wanted to know who would give them a go-ahead.<br /><br />We could not identify the agency with authority. We heard that FEMA was in charge, that the FAA was in charge, and that the military was in charge. I went in person to talk with a FEMA representative and still could not get a straight answer. Finally we told the company to avoid interfering with Coast Guard missions, but to proceed on its own. Sometimes, asking for forgiveness is better than asking for permission.</blockquote>Jindal lays out some more examples of red tape in <a href="http://www.opinionjournal.com/cc/?id=110007224">his article</a>, and suggests a solution:<br /><blockquote>[W]e need, in the future, a single, strong leader with the power to override the normal process restrictions and get things done. That individual must be identified from the very beginning. But below that person, other individuals up and down the line need to know they can make obvious and sensible calls in an emergency.</blockquote>That is exactly the reason that many people, <a href="http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=fromthepress&subsection=inbombay&xfile=August2005_inbombay_standard7758">including Milind Deora</a>, are calling for Mumbai to have a strong, empowered mayor in place who can guide the city after a disaster like the recent floods. That is needed at the national level as well, where a single individual should have the power to coordinate all disaster management in a crisis. We have much the same problems in India as the ones Jindal talks about, and need to find a way to cut through the red tape. Assigning responsibility clearly and streamlining processes is the logical way forward.amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1125921134924504312005-09-05T04:46:00.000-07:002005-09-05T04:52:14.936-07:00Self-inflicted damageJoel Kotkin, the author of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&camp=1789&tag=themiddlestag-20&amp;creative=9325&path=tg/detail/-/0679603360/">The City: A Global History</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=themiddlestag-20&amp;l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />," <a href="http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110007206">writes in the <i>Wall Street Journal</i></a>:<br /><blockquote>The key to understanding the fate of cities lies in knowing that the greatest long-term damage comes not from nature or foreign attacks, but often from self-infliction. Cities are more than physical or natural constructs; they are essentially the products of human will, faith and determination.<br /><br />A city whose residents have given up on their future or who lose interest in it are unlikely to respond to great challenges. Decaying cities throughout history--Rome in the fifth century, Venice in the 18th--both suffered from a decayed sense of civic purpose and prime. In this circumstance, even civic leaders tend to seek out their own comfortable perches within the city or choose to leave it entirely to its poorer, less mobile residents. This has been occurring for decades in the American rust belt--think of Detroit, Cleveland and St. Louis--or to the depopulated cores in old industrial regions in the British Midlands, Germany and Russia.</blockquote>There's something to think about here for citizens of all of India's cities. Our apathy can be worse than any natural disaster.amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1125560511062388202005-09-01T00:40:00.001-07:002005-09-01T02:33:37.106-07:00Our Flood & Their Flood<div class="entry"> <p>I have been watching images on various news channels showing the devastation left behind by <strong><a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/katrina">Katrina</a></strong>.</p> <p>I have been following <strong><a href="http://www.vatul.net/blog/">Maitri’s blog</a></strong> on the more personalised aspect of surviving Katrina.</p> <p>And one thing struck me - however developed you may be, how ever well trained your response teams may be, when it comes to dealing with Nature’s fury - all that can be achieved is minimisation of damage. not much else.</p> <p>With something like <strong><a href="http://www.nola.com/hurricane/photos/">Katrina </a></strong>- the last one week has been “Katrina is coming” news all over the place. Evacuation has been in full swing. Yet the loss of lives has been phenomenal. Property destruction was anyway a given, nothing that could be done as far as houses or vehicles are concerned.</p> <p>One of the things i do like about the MSM in the US, is their ability to highlight the positive, instead of finding just the negatives to shout about. In that sense the media in Mumbai, when it came to covering our own terrible Tuesday, was caught up in sensationalising rather than providing information. This an article from the <strong><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/31/national/nationalspecial/31rescue.html?ex=1283140800&en=60c5e976e6b200d4&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss">NYT</a></strong> highlights rescue operations:<br /></p> <blockquote><p>“If we come across a body floating?” Sgt. Chris Fisher of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office asked.<br />“Let it go,” Maj. Bobby Woods replied, as Sergeant Fisher and other rescue workers prepared for the day’s mission. “Let’s first go for life.”</p></blockquote> <p>There were policemen here too, ill equipped - who did much the same. But, there was no highlighting of the positive, until much, much later. Only the cacophony of ‘you should have’, ' you f***ed up. Even today there is so much of finger pointing and so much of negativism that it is quite difficult to get past the negativism and move on to do something constructive.<br /></p> <p>Maybe, it is time that the press in India realised that they don’t just have a responsbility to the bottom line of their newspapers. They also have have societal responsibility. And maybe it is time that they grew up to the maturity challenge. </p> <p>Here is a much more developed nation, with a finely trained disaster management system, where evacuation of people had began earlier. And yet, on the day, there wasn’t a thing that could be done to prevent mayhem. And reports talk about weeks before people can go back to normalcy. I am not saying that we need to let up on Government inefficiencies, but there is a time when we need understand that there is only so much that can be done in a given situation. And all these recriminations of ‘you should have’ needs to give way to a slight degree of balance. We seem to like to score points. They leave that till later - after the calamity has passed and life goes back to normal. </p> <p>Like in the case of Mumbai, part of the problem seems to be greed - and the ability of business and Government to stand by and rape the environment without any thought of the consequence.This a readers’ opinion from the <strong><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/30/opinion/30tue1.html?ex=1126065600&en=5c2de4ad2db1030f&ei=5070&emc=eta1">NYT</a></strong>:</p> <blockquote><p>Upstream levee-building has also had the effect of turning a sluggish river into a fire hose, helping to destroy marshes and barrier islands that once provided some protection. The steady destruction of coastal wetlands by residential development and years of oil and gas drilling hasn’t helped much either. The combination of subsiding land and rising seas has put the Mississippi Delta about three feet lower than it was 100 years ago.</p></blockquote> <p>I guess that the Free Market is not as free as we think. Sometimes the price tag is so high that generations to come end up paying for it. </p> <p>The one thing that we didn’t get to see on terrible tuesday here, which unfortunately seems to be happening in <strong><a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/%22new+orleans%22">New Orleans </a></strong>is <strong><a href="http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=53703">looting</a></strong>.<br />This is not the first time that one has seen pictures like this come out of the west. We saw similar pictures out of Gujrat during the riots. And, at a very primal level it is scary. The break down of civil society as we know it. </p> <p>I hope that people there are as safe as they can be. That they get back and resume a normal life, as soon as possible. That they are reunited with their families and loved ones soon. All that we have in a time like this is hope.<br /></p> <p>cross posted on <a href="http://calamur.org/gargi"><span style="font-weight: bold;">a POV</span></a><br /></p> </div>Harini Calamurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17357596512632772227noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1125302348145478322005-08-29T00:40:00.000-07:002005-08-29T00:59:08.160-07:00Toxic carcasses<a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=77154">Sucheta Dalal writes</a> in the <i>Indian Express</i> about the aftermath of the cloudburst in Mumbai:<br /><blockquote>Contrary to popular perception, the spread of disease through mosquitoes and rats is unlikely to end very quickly. In fact, increased toxicity during the hotter months of September and October could lead to a second round of epidemic. The urgent need to clear dead animals after July 26, forced the municipal corporation to hastily bury or chuck carcasses in dumping grounds or open spaces.<br /><br />Sources connected with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) say over 2,000 buffalo carcasses and a massive 12,000 dog and goat carcasses were dumped at the Vasai and Deonar dumping grounds. In some cases, there has been an effort to bury them, but not at Vasai.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Indian Express</span> has in its possession photographs taken just a week ago, which show that carcasses thrown in the Vasai dumping ground are generating dangerous toxic waste and such high stench, that it is unsafe to visit the ground without protection. Today, Mumbai has two options: to deal with frequent epidemics carried from these toxic graveyards or to treat them and contain the danger. </blockquote>Obviously, only the second is a viable option. And Dalal writes that the municipality is not competent enough in that regard.<br /><blockquote>Can we leave it to the municipal authorities to work at preventing epidemics? Even if these authorities have the will to do so, do they have the resources and the flexibility to consider new and innovative ways of disease prevention?<br /><br />Dr Uday Bhawalkar and Dr H.S. Shankar of IIT Mumbai have designed a breakthrough solution that is being actively supported by <span style="font-style: italic;">The Indian Express</span>. Their work has led to two doctorates and a US patent (check <a href="http://www.biosanitizer.com/">www.biosanitizer.com</a>).<br /><br />Dr Bhawalkar, who heads the Bhawalkar Ecological Research Institute (BERI), has developed the Vermi+Biosanitizer, which acts as a catalyst for treatment of garbage and sewage, preventing the spread of disease through nitrat management.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br />Although <span style="font-style: italic;">The Indian Express</span> is keen to take this effort forward, a larger programme would require corporate support and initiative. The alternative is to wait for municipal and government authorities to plod through the paperwork required to experiment with breakthrough technology and hope that it leads to an official clearance for the use of such remedies for the greater common good.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br />Dealing with the situation does not require a huge financial outlay. Dr Bhawalkar estimates that treating all the worst-affected parts of Mumbai with the Biosanitizer concentrate will require an outlay of under Rs 25 lakh.</blockquote>Surely that's not too much?amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1124902035658030492005-08-24T09:41:00.000-07:002005-08-24T09:47:15.663-07:00That's right, blame it on the bagsSo has the Maharashtra government figured out the many complex causes behind how ill-prepared Mumbai was for the July 26 Cloudburst? Yes. It's the bags that did 'em. <a href="http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/117057.htm"><i>Mid Day</i> quotes</a> Vilasrao Deshmukh, the chief minister, as saying:<br /><blockquote>Mumbai alone suffered losses of around Rs 4,000 crore, including damage to property, in the recent floods due to choking of drains because of plastic bags, which also had its effect on public health.</blockquote>The Maharashtra government has decided to ban plastic bags, which I have no complaints with. But I worry that the authorities will carry out a few such minor measures, and will absolve themselves of all other responsibility -- until the next disaster.amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123612448804529972005-08-20T09:49:00.000-07:002005-08-20T09:52:18.956-07:00Tell us your cloudburst stories<i>[Originally published 12:04 a.m., August 10th, 2005. Moved up to the top today]</i><br /><br />For the project I mentioned in <a href="http://cloudburstmumbai.blogspot.com/2005/08/wanted-translators-for-non-profit.html">this post</a>, we're also looking for first-person accounts of the events of 26th July and the days after that.<br /><br />Where were you? At home, marooned in office, stranded somewhere between? How did you cope? What did you see? Did anything particularly nice happen to you? Or anything really nasty? Do you have pictures?<br /><br />If you've blogged it, send me the permalink. If you have an online album, send me the URL. Or email me. Accounts in languages other than English are welcome.<br /><br /><i>Mail me, Peter Griffin, at <b>zigzackly AT gmail DOT com</b>, and put the words <b>[ThinkBombay]</b> in the subject line (with the square brackets), to get past the spam filters.</i><br /><br /><i><b>Important:</b> In your mail, I will need you to give me permission to:<br />1. Publish your story or pictures, in print and online, with NO payment to you. (None of the people involved in the project are making any money from it. Most of us are donating at least our time, if not more.)<br />2. Edit your contribution if I feel it is necessary.<br />You will not be giving the me or the project exclusive rights to your writing or photography. You will continue to own the rights to your intellectual property.</i><br /><br /><b>Update</b>: The project is now moving faster, and further then we imagined it could. We need those stories now! Please mail me, and do also please pass this around to your friends, and link to it.<br /><br />Thanks muchly.zigzacklyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16061386367303982262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123870595606453722005-08-12T11:09:00.000-07:002005-08-12T11:16:35.613-07:00The road to apathy<blockquote>Society proceeds like the ocean. After a disaster, it resumes its wonted level and rhythms; its devouring interests efface all traces of damage.</blockquote>-- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_de_Balzac">Honoré de Balzac</a>.<br /><br />So shall Mumbai leave the cloudburst behind in such a way, and be apathetic again?amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123824113414970882005-08-11T22:04:00.000-07:002005-08-11T22:21:53.420-07:00She loves me, she loves me notEpidemic, yes. Epidemic, no. Like a demented madman <a href="http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/116037.htm">picking petals out of a daisy</a>, the government first <a href="http://cloudburstmumbai.blogspot.com/2005/08/epidemics-declared.html">issued an epidemic alert</a> in Mumbai, and then <a href="http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/11epidemic.htm">retracted it</a> four hours later. This was after <a href="http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/11deaths.htm">37 people died</a> in a space of 48 hours, and the number of people hospitalised for "fever", a common symptom in many of the diseases likely at this time, <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1198516.cms">increased to 749</a>.<br /><br />Also of interest: <i>Mid Day</i> has <a href="http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/116038.htm">a break-up of cases</a> across hospitals. Rediff has a story <a href="http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/12rain.htm">here</a> on some of the afflicted. <i>Mumbai Mirror</i> points out that there is <a href="http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?sectid=1&articleid=812200501259953812200501114859">no testing facility</a> for leptospirosis in the city, and samples of suspected patients have to be sent to either Pune or Port Blair. Rediff's <a href="http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/11faq.htm">FAQ on some common diseases</a> is a useful read. And finally, <a href="http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?sectid=2&articleid=812200501657187812200501531656"><i>Mumbai Mirror</i> reports</a> on how "Municipal Commissioner Johny Joseph got a earful from Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh" for "not divulging the correct figures".amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123808504862696302005-08-11T17:51:00.000-07:002005-08-11T18:41:35.606-07:00Funds are not a problemTo counter the popular litany of how Mumbai pays a large share of the nation's taxes and doesn't get enough back, the <i>Indian Express</i> has <a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=76108">a report</a> that quotes a "top state bureaucrat" as saying: "Funds are not a problem, the quality of decision-making is." The report contunues:<br /><blockquote>The state government has dipped into kitty of Mumbai’s prime planning authority, the MMRDA, at least twice—Rs 1,000 crore was loaned to bail out the cotton crisis and around Rs 400 crore for the Krishna Valley Irrigation Project. The money has still not been returned.<br /><br />‘‘Most funds are cornered by political lobbies from Western Maharashtra,’’ said a former finance secretary. ‘‘Legislators and MPs in Western Maharashtra, from all parties, are accountable to their constituencies. If they don’t bring in funds, they are finished.’’<br /><br />That’s why on July 26, when Mumbai was marooned, Finance Minister Jayant Patil rushed 325 km southwards to his constituency, Sangli.<br /><br />Patil returned only yesterday. ‘‘I was not assigned to go there,’’ he acknowledged. ‘‘I went on my own since my constituency suffered huge losses.’’<br /><br />So Patil’s job—assessing damage, distributing ex-gratia and preparing a statement of losses for Central assistance—was left to his officials.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br />On that torrential Tuesday, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh spent precious time getting Sena rebel leader Narayan Rane sworn in as revenue minister. The next day, Rane rushed to his constituency in the Konkan, also hit hard by the floods.</blockquote>There is a <a href="http://indiauncut.blogspot.com/2005/08/conflict-of-interest.html">conflict of interest</a> here that is written into the system: a member of parliament might reasonably feel that his first loyalties lie with the people who have voted him into power; but when he is a minister, his duty is towards the portfolio he has been given as well. Sometimes these interests collide, as now, and someone's going to feel shortchanged. Maybe, in at least this one respect, the American system works better.<br /><br />This is also one of many reasonable arguments to make Mumbai a separate state, but there are also many reasonable arguments <i>against</i> that, so let's not go there.amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123725372421739582005-08-10T18:54:00.000-07:002005-08-11T03:26:52.010-07:00High fever and failure of vital organsWe had <a href="http://cloudburstmumbai.blogspot.com/2005/07/threat-of-epidemic.html">written earlier</a> about the worries that an epidemic might break out after the cloudburst. Well, those worries have <a href="http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115891.htm">resurfaced</a>, with 10 people dying in Mumbai since yesterday "due to high fever and failure of various vital organs." <i>Mid Day</i> <a href="http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115891.htm">adds</a>:<br /><blockquote>[H]ealth officials said today that 19 confirmed cases of cholera have been reported across the state, while Mumbai alone has 352 hepatitis, 30 leptospirosis and 10 dengue patients.<br /><br />A total 11,684 cases of diarrhoea and gastroenteritis were reported (excluding Mumbai) till yesterday, the officials said.</blockquote>Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court <a href="http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115932.htm">tells</a> the Maharashtra government to get its act together, as the state's advocate general claims that "the electronic media had created havoc with its coverage."<br /><br />Bang, bang, bang. Hey, look, someone's firing at the messenger.<br /><br /><b>Update</b>: <a href="http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115981.htm">PTI reports</a> that Maharashtra's chief secretary has called a meeting to discuss (presumably emergency) measures to tackle the prospect of an epidemic. The toll in Mumbai <a href="http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?sectid=1&articleid=8112005118488908112005118470">keeps rising</a>, and the pictures in this <a href="http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115945.htm"><i>Mid Day</i> story</a> will give you some idea why. Also, here are some localised reports from <a href="http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115964.htm">Kalyan</a>, <a href="http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115946.htm">Khar</a> and the <a href="http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?sectid=2&articleid=81020052223431098102005221911265">Ghoshte Colony in Kherwadi</a>.amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123610777530637672005-08-09T11:02:00.000-07:002005-08-09T11:32:06.160-07:00Magic Bus Appeals<span style="font-style: italic;">This was posted on the network board that i run. </span><br /><br /><br />Dear Friends,<br /><br />As you know, Bombay is facing its biggest challenge. Magic Bus along with thousands of others is working very hard to put the city back together without losing its eternal spirit.<br /><br />Many communities where our children live have been badly affected. Incessant rains have left most of them without food, clothing, utensils, beddings, etc. which is their sole lifetime belongings.<br /><br />The need of the hour is to support them to bring normalcy in their life as soon as possible.<br /><br />We plan to reach out to 550 families based in the Port Trust and Dharavi areas, hit by this catastrophe.<br /><br />Magic Bus team has done a situational assessment of the specific needs by individually visiting each of these communities.<br /><br />Food being a necessity is being widely distributed; we want to take it a step further and help resume their normal lives.<br /><br />Following are the items that we have assessed, are needed by these communities and would like to provide.<br /><br />1. Clothes ( For 290 families)<br />2. Bed sheets ( For 240 families)<br />3. Footwear 300 pairs (Rubber Chappals)<br />4. Utensils A set consisting of 1plate, I vessel to cook and one Spoon for cooking (minimum)<br />5. Foodgrain 650 families(5kgs Rice & 1kg Dal per family)<br />6. Plastic Sheets.for 175 families (5 meters per family)<br />7. Medicines (Crocine, Dependal, Chlorine Drops)<br /><br />This is a time, when we are sure you want to volunteer in some way or the other towards the rehabilitation of our city and our children. Magic bus is providing a platform where we can all come together for this cause and work jointly, systematically in doing so. A committee will be in place, comprising of Magic Bus staff, volunteers & community workers to coordinate this project.<br /><br />Due to the urgency of the problem, we plan to take an immediate action in this initiative. We would appreciate if you can send in your contribution, cash or kind before the 10th of August '05 to the address below for us to start the distribution of the relief items on 11th August '05.<br /><br />Please be free to contact us if you need more information regarding the relief operation or any of our other programmes.<br /><br />Thanking you<br /><br />Katy & Purvi<br /><br />Magic Bus<br />233 Adhyaru Estate<br />Sunmill Compound<br />Senapati Bapat Marg<br />Lower Parel<br />Mumbai<br />022-24954429 / 31<br />Cell nos Katy :9820451446 / Purvi :9820861634Harini Calamurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17357596512632772227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123610705500889932005-08-09T10:58:00.000-07:002005-08-14T05:43:14.066-07:00Wanted, translators for a non-profit project, (preferably Bombay-based)<i>Ideally, a Languages department in an ad agency, or a professional translation service. Provided you're willing to work for no money on a completely insane deadline. :) Individual offers of help are welcome too.</i><hr>Some of the people behind this blog are also involved in a project that will bring out a free booklet of emergency information for the city's residents (what the floods revealed is that this kind of info is very difficult to find otherwise), and one other publication, which is being finalised.<br /><br />The final product will be in four languages: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, English.<br /><br />Most of the content we have so far is in English. So Requirement One is people who can translate from English to the other three langauges.<br /><br />But there will be original content in all four languages.<br /><br />To cut to the chase, we need people who can competently translate:<br />English to Hindi, and Hindi to English<br />English to Marathi, and Marathi to English<br />English to Gujarati, and Gujarati to English<br />Marathi to Hindi, and Hindi to Marathi<br />Marathi to Gujarati, and Gujarati to Marathi<br />Hindi to Gujarati, and Gujarati to Hindi<br /><br /><i><b>Update:</b><br />We're also looking for<br />English to Tamil, Tamil to English<br />Tamil to Gujarati, Gujarati to Tamil<br />Tamil to Hindi, Hindi to Tamil<br />Tamil to Marathi, Marathi to Tamil<br />Tamil to Gujarati, Gujarati to Tamil<br />English to Bangla, Bangla to English<br />Bangla to Gujarati, Gujarati to Bangla<br />Bangla to Hindi, Hindi to Bangla<br />Bangla to Marathi, Marathi to Bangla<br />Bangla to Gujarati, Gujarati to Bangla</i><br /><br />It would be ideal if the translators concerned can generate soft copy in all the languages they handle.<br /><br />We want Bombay-based people because the project is on a manic deadline, and this would save coordination time. However, if we can find at least one person who has more than a passing acquaintance with all four languages, who is willing to coordinate and take responsibility for the translation exercise, we'd be thrilled.<br /><br /><b>We must tell you that this is a project where all concerned are offering their services gratis, so we'd be looking for people who will help for FREE.</b><br /><br />If you can do this, or put us on to people who can, we'd be very grateful.<br /><br />Mail Peter Griffin at <u>zigzackly AT gmail DOT com</u>, and put the words <b>[ThinkMumbai]</b> in the subject line (with the square brackets), to get past the spam filters.zigzacklyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16061386367303982262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123610077227786892005-08-09T10:44:00.000-07:002005-08-09T11:03:47.280-07:00Floods in KarnatakaRemmeber <a href="http://cloudburstmumbai.blogspot.com/2005/08/long-and-winding-roads-no-more.html">our earlier post</a> about Vilasrao Deshmukh's request that Karnataka release more water from the Almatti Dam? Deshmukh claimed that there would be floods in Sangli and Kolhapur if his request wasn't accepted, and Karnataka, in turn, claimed that several of <span style="font-style: italic;">their</span> villages would be submerged if they listened to Deshmukh. Well, guess what: <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/environment/Floods.asp?id=77185&callid=1">floods have struck Karnataka</a>.<br /><br />The Almatti Dam dispute may well have nothing to do with it, but it underscores that not just Mumbai, not just Maharashtra, but the whole country has been hit hard by the rains, to different degrees. This monsoon, the gods have been generous to a fault.amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123573716190325112005-08-09T00:30:00.000-07:002005-08-09T00:51:17.006-07:00Now Shanghai gets hitShanghai, often spoken of as being a benchmark for Mumbai, has also been <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/07/typhoon.matsa.ap/">hit by the weather</a>. According to <a href="http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=247502&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/">this report</a>:<br /><blockquote>Xinhua news agency said seven people were killed in the metropolis, four of whom were electrocuted when power lines were brought down.<br /><br />The typhoon flooded 20,000 houses, uprooted 2,700 trees and destroyed 400 high-tension power lines in the city. Its two airports, Hongqiao and Pudong, were closed for 30 hours.</blockquote>Also read Xinhua's <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-08/07/content_3322464.htm">account of the aftermath</a>. The typhoon was supposed to be <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-08/09/content_3328800.htm">heading towards Belijing</a>, where the authorities were planning to "evacuate about 40,000 people living close to mountains in suburban Beijing should there be a threat of landslides or flooding." It hasn't yet arrived there.<br /><br /><a href="http://gauravsabnis.blogspot.com/">Gaurav</a>, who sent some of these links, points out via email that "the rains were still [just] 15 cm, and it flooded many parts of Shanghai. We got more than 6 times the rain!" He also points out that a few of the deaths in Shanghai were caused by electrocution, a fate <a href="http://cloudburstmumbai.blogspot.com/2005/08/human-life-over-electricity.html">wisely avoided</a> in Mumbai by Relaince Energy shutting off power wherever it was unsafe to keep it on, for which they were rather <a href="http://gauravsabnis.blogspot.com/2005/08/cut-reliance-some-slack.html">unjustly criticised</a>.amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123489509734457292005-08-08T01:13:00.000-07:002005-08-08T01:25:09.740-07:00Nearby cityThe July 26 deluge rates a mention <a href="http://www.heatisonline.org/main.cfm">here</a>, but I'm not sure what "nearby Bombay" means. Never mind. Thanks, Rajni B for the pointer.Dilip D'Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08221707482541503243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123486657031095082005-08-08T00:38:00.000-07:002005-08-08T00:37:37.036-07:00The heroism of ordinary peopleJust how remarkable was the way Mumbai's citizens rushed to each other's aid after the cloudburst? For crisis situations, it was perhaps par for the course. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/07/opinion/07fischhoff.html?ex=1281067200&en=642913dcc47cc3ec&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">Baruch Fischhoff writes</a> in the <i>New York Times</i>, in the context of similar "social coordination" after <a href="http://www.financialexpress.com/latest_full_story.php?content_id=98213">the Air France crash</a> of last week:<br /><blockquote>While this sort of behavior is often described as remarkable, it is actually what researchers have come to expect. Studies of civilians' intense experiences in the London Blitz; the cities of Japan and Germany in World War II; the 1947 smallpox outbreak in New York; the earthquake in Kobe, Japan, in 1995; and even fires have found that people, however stressed, almost always keep their wits and elevate their humanity.<br /><br />Indeed, the critical first responders in almost any crisis are ordinary citizens whom fate has brought together. As Kathleen Tierney, head of the University of Colorado's Natural Hazards Center, has noted, "The vast majority of live rescues are carried out by community residents who are at the scene of disasters, not by official response agencies or outside search and rescue teams."</blockquote>In other words, helping others in a crisis is hardwired in us. Comforting.<br /><br />(Link via email from <a href="http://www.ravikiran.com">Ravikiran</a>, via <a href="http://instapundit.com/archives/024761.php">Instapundit</a>.)amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123408682830466552005-08-07T02:55:00.000-07:002005-08-07T02:58:02.876-07:00The ICE campaign - In Case of EmergencyI received this message on email and since this is a good idea for any disaster, I thought of posting it here (hoping it has not been posted before!).<br /><br />-------<br /><br />Due to the recent bombing in London and floods in Mumbai, there has been a tremendous push to launch the International "In Case of Emergency" (ICE) campaign.<br /><br />As you know, many people were injured in these incidents. Many of those injured were found with their cell phones. First responders used the injured person's cell phone to try and locate a family member that they could notify on the injured persons behalf. However the rescuers found it difficult to locate the appropriate person.<br /><br />Wireless subscribers are now being asked by Public Safety Officials all over the world to store the word "ICE" in their wireless phone address book and put their next of kin's phone number next to it.<br /><br />In the event of an emergency, this person would be contacted quickly by ambulance and hospital staff. It's just that easy! (Source: BBC News)<br /><br />Please take a moment to program someone that you would like to be contacted in case of an emergency into your cell phone with the word "ICE".<br />Public Safety officials around the world will know what this means.<br /><br />Forward it to as many persons you can, this is a good idea.<br /><br />Do not forget to do it on your mobile first.Charukesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00496266469495205919noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123391929148076882005-08-06T22:11:00.000-07:002005-08-06T22:18:49.153-07:00Lethal astrologyShould have known. I asked earlier if any numerologists have swung into action to tell us about how 26 is our unlucky number. The answer, bless them, is yes. Maria Abraham reports in the Hindustan Times today ("26th: India's date with disasters?", August 8): <br /><ul>What does Terrible Tuesday, when Bombay was inundated, have in common with the earthquake in Gujarat four years ago and the tsunami which struck the southern coast last December, leading to hundreds ot deaths? All of them happened on the 26th, and numerologists say it all adds up to a lethal astrological reason for India's date with disasters...<br /><br />[R]eputed numerologist Sanjay B Jumaani, known for advising Bollywood and cricket stars, said he had actually mentioned in a radio programme a day before the deluge that July 26th would be an inauspicious day.<br /></ul><br />Well! I'm convinced! Boy, was that wet Tuesday an inauspicious day or was it an inauspicious day!<br /><br />This deserves more, which I'll get to soon.Dilip D'Souzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08221707482541503243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123387035641863112005-08-06T20:49:00.000-07:002005-08-06T21:04:58.913-07:00Appeal to webmasters from AID<a href="http://www.aidindia.org/">Association for India's Development</a> requests those of you with websites or blogs of your own to display their fund-raising banner.<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.aidindia.org/FloodRelief/"><img src="http://aidindia.org/FloodRelief/images/banners/mumbai.gif" border="0" text="Support Mumbai Flood Survivors" /></a><br /><br />Here's the HTML you can copy and paste:<br /></p><br /><em><a href="http://www.aidindia.org/FloodRelief/"><img src="http://aidindia.org/FloodRelief/images/banners/mumbai.gif" border="0" text="Support Mumbai Flood Survivors" /></a></em>zigzacklyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16061386367303982262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14936150.post-1123363589031706312005-08-06T14:13:00.000-07:002005-08-06T14:40:07.373-07:00Being seen to be goodThe <i>Indian Express</i> <a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=75832">writes</a>:<br /><blockquote>Over the past three days, as officials cranked up relief, there’s been a great, messy push among Congress MLAs, ministers, innumerable corporators and political wannabes to corner food, kerosene and other relief now being distributed by the state.<br /><br />So being eight months pregnant did not deter prospective Congress MP Priya Dutt—daughter of late star and Mumbai North West MP Sunil Dutt—as she roamed the miserable bylanes of Kalina near the international airport. Thousands got handouts, leaving out those deep inside the dark interiors of the slum. "At least, aid is not falling into the wrong hands," said Dutt on Thursday, accompanied by husband Owen Roncon. "We’ve brought it to the people."<br /><br />The next day, <i>The Sunday Express</i> received a call from an agitated aspirant to the same constituency—also from the Congress: "Why is she getting all the publicity?"<br /><br />Across town, Sharif Khan, brother of Kurla Congress MLA Naseem Khan, slapped S Annamalai, husband of Congress corporator Lalita Annamalai, for not inviting the former minister to a relief-distribution function.<br /><br />"He wanted to know why I had not invited his brother," said Annamalai. Countered Khan: "Annamalai has been bad-mouthing me and my brother in television interviews."<br /><br />MLAs, corporators and others criticised heavily for their absence during the rain—citizens in the western suburb of Oshiwara offered a reward for their MP, film star Govinda, who defends himself on television—are now popping up with alacrity.</blockquote>I like that bit about people who voted for Govinda offering a reward for him after he disappeared. Right out of a David Dhawan comedy. I don't understand what the newspaper is saying about Priya Dutt, though. Is it saying that she was sincere, or that she was opportunistic?<br /><br />The article, titled "<a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=75832">The 944-mm Lesson</a>", takes a cursory look at what Mumbai's officials can do to turn the city around, and includes a nice quote from Anand Mahindra in which he says that Mumbai is "a blip on the world’s radar screen."<br /><br />Heck, you look at how <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1193291.cms">the sensex keeps going up and up</a>, and you'd think that Mumbai is a blip on <i>Mumbai's</i> radar screen.amit varmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962970953254354616noreply@blogger.com1