MANAGING CYCLONES, FLOODS, QUAKES, TSUNAMIS—OR WHATEVER!

By Professor Gopal K Piplani *

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If ‘Fighting Disasters’ was the slogan of the yesteryears; ‘SAVE WORLD’ was the battle-cry of majority of speakers at the International Conference on Disaster Management, held at the Garden City (Bangalore), from 14th to 16th June, 2008. Politicians & experts from across the globe, chipped-in their bit, to the ‘cause of a better & safer tomorrow. They spoke on issues of all kinds; organizational models, fires, structurals, terrorism, ecology-geology-metrology, climate change and the aspects of trauma management & rebuilding lives. The speakers included Home Minister Patil, Texan fire expert-David White, former Army Chief Malik, Singapore Civil Defence Chief Abdullah, representatives of UNDP, UNICEF & NDMA and HE Yusuff Irvandi-Governor of Aceh-Banda Province (Indonesia). Dr Madhavan Nair, Chairman ISRO delivered the valedictory address. They all had one common denominator that, ‘in the game of wits with humans, nature is always one-up’.
If it is Japan & Iowa today; it was China yesterday; Burma-the day before; & countless other disaster destinations like Bangladesh, Indonesia, New Orleans, Balakot, Gulf of Mexico & others: which get battered by disasters, day after day, killing hundreds of thousands & destroying everything in their wake. That is Nature’s Fury, and some call it Nature’s Terrorism.
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A TALE OF DISASTERS. While the world was still trying to decipher the misery of the cyclone affected millions in the Irrawaddy Delta; in came the news of the Sichuan quake. That’s still fresh in our memory & in-comes the news of a 7.2 magnitude quake & over 470 aftershocks in Northern Japan on 14/15 June. And here starts the tale of our three recent disasters. China & Burma are neighbouring states, both closed societies, both with state controlled media, but with different responses. While the Burmese Military Junta tried to shut-out its’ suffering millions from the rest of the world, & indulged in political gimmickry & cover-up; the Chinese leadership reached out with speed & benevolence. Thirty two years ago, late Chairman Mao, reacted the Burmese way, after the Tangshan earthquake (near Beijing), when over 2,50,000 people died. In the case of Japanese quake, the quality of preparations & constructions prevented heavy casualities. At the time of going to press, only 7 dead & 200 injured were reported. However, the relief & support measures were instant & are ongoing, and that would have saved many a lives. Across the Pacific, we have American mid-west reeling under tornadoes, twisters, floods & destruction, due surging Iowa & Mississippi rivers. Little mercy then that, despite heavy losses to property (24000 homes under water), the loss of life is 21 confirmed deaths, and that is the essence of Disaster Management.
It is almost 6 weeks since cyclone Nargis lashed Myanmar on 2nd/3rd of May,2008. The nation was unprepared. Foreign aid agencies were barred, while the state lacked resources & infrastructure to reach-out to the millions of desperate & tragedy stricken people. The civilized world needed access to help. It took three weeks to achieve a breakthrough with Junta leader, Gen Than Shwe to open-up the affected region; after the visit of UN Secretary General on 22/23 May. The official death toll so far is 78,000 dead with over 56,000 missing. The actuals will never be known. Some foreign aid has started pouring in. But it is too little & very late. The cyclone floodwaters have left over 2 million hungry & homeless people, at risk of disease. Even the calamity & size of cyclone Nargis, has not stopped the insecure & insensitive Military Junta from extending the detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Today, thousands of aid workers, incl from UNO & Red Cross, are held up at Yangon, waiting for travel permits, to move into delta region. A case of a totalitarian regime, trying to bury the evidence of their incompetence. All at the cost of their battered millions.
The Chinese tragedy is of a greater magnitude. But they have reacted positively. A quake of 7.9 magnitude struck Sichuan province, with the epicenter near the town of Yingxiu, on 12th of May. At the time of going to press, the death toll is 68,977 with over 18200 missing. More than 45.6 millon people were affected by the quake and 15 million of them have been evacuated. Another 5 million are homeless. These figures continue to rise every day. The aftermath led to formation of dozens of lakes in the disaster zone, due to rubble plugging the narrow valleys. The largest is the Tangjiashan quake lake in the Beichuan County. While the relief efforts were picking up, two aftershocks rumbled across the disaster zone on 27th May, leading to over 4,20,000 house collapses & quake lake overflows. More losses to life & property, and fuelling anxiety and fear in the people of further landslides & floods. Still more misery was to follow, this time in the form of rains on 29th & 30th May. Consequently, on 31st May over 2,00,000 people were evacuated & over a million others warned to move in next few days, before the barrier of quake lake Thangjiashan opens & floods the downstream area, a task well executed by the Chinese army on 9/10 June.
Elsewhere in China, there has flooding in south China due to heavy rains, resulting in 57 deaths & forcing over 1.27 million people to move to safer ground. Fresh floods are forecast in the Yellow River basin due to heavy rains, in the northern part of this vast country. The cry of “oh my child”, from a devastated school-child’s mother, can shake-up many a braves, but not the heartless Chinese police, who used force to break up a rally of women, seeking the mortal remains of their loved ones Yes, it made the communist leadership reverse the much-lauded, ‘one child norm’. A case of endless misery & devastation.

UNDERSTANDING DISASTERS. Natural & man-made disasters have a long & sad history. So what has happened in May 2008 in Japan, China & Burma, has also happened earlier. Such tragedies bring us together. The nations of the world must learn their lessons & have suitable plans of actions in their respective countries, to tackle disasters in the future. That’s what this conference of 14th of June is trying to achieve.Asia has suffered many of the world’s worst natural disasters, such as, the Boxing Day Tsunami 2004; Bangladesh Cyclone of November, 1970; Yangtze river (China) overflow of 1931; the great Kanto (Tokyo) earthquake of 1923 and the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 1883. The worst European Tsunami occurred in 1755 (Lisbon), following an earthquake off Portugal’s Atlantic coast, in which over 60,000 people died. The man has also chipped–in, with his indigenous disasters such as,9/11, the 2nd set of Bali blasts of 1st October 2005, Mumbai blasts and the London bombings (7/7) .

Disasters are not new to the Indian sub-continent. We have had our share of cyclones (Orissa-1999), earthquakes (UttarKashi–1991,Latur-1993 & Bhuj-2001); floods (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh & HP); landslides (Malpa –1998), J&K quake of 2005; and the Tsunami of 26th Dec, 2004. Each time we react in varied timings, because no two disasters are similar in their kind, place & magnitude. Aid, relief, money and economic reconstruction is rushed-in, as a part of immediate succor to the affected people, and then, slowly the tragedy fades from the human memory. We start hoping that nothing like the proceeding disaster would ever happen again.
Although, we have a National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) at the national level, it is essential that, we also formulate our disaster management plans at respective state & district levels. The Indian management of disasters has been primarily dependent on the Armed Forces. Post Tsunami of 26 December, 2004, a few state governments(incl Karnataka) & the central government, have made some models. But all these need to be further improved upon. The City State of Singapore has an Urban Disaster Management model, which may be of a great study value for our Metros. The Japanese model of civil defence & disaster management too deserves attention.
In the American model, the Department of Homeland Security, acts as a nodal agency for the federal government (President), to manage all kinds of disasters. It has the federal emergency management gency (FEMA) & disaster assistance response teams, which work in conjunction with the states. The State Governments have the FEMA teams, firefighters, National Guard and control rooms, where inputs from scientific, meteorological, FBI and other such agencies are coordinated, under the ageis of the Governor. Thus, the state administration plays a primary role for disaster relief. This role can be given to the defense department & the military, on the orders of the President. Many of the European nations have similar models. This system has been effectively tested & the disaster response for 9/11 and other emergencies has been satisfactory.
Copy a little–innovate the rest. Our future disaster management models, must be built on the civil administrative services; at the state, district, zilla-parishad & down to the community level. This must be coupled with suitable infrastructure & adequate resourses. .
While the climatologists, meteorologists & atmospheric administrators of the world, are busy designing & installing advanced warning systems, the Greens blame the increase in natural disasters on Global Warming. They feel that, changes in the natural cycle of ocean temperatures, is responsible for intemperate rainfalls and frequent killer-storms. Some others feel that, planets like Jupiter, Mars, Moon & Sun, may be playing foul & are therefore responsible. Well, whatever, ultimately it is we, the lesser humans, who are suffering unending misery.
. *.The author is a former Principal and Member of the Academic Council of Bangalore University.

The Indian golfing sensation, Jeev, son of the yesteryear Flying-Khalsa, Milkha Singh, is on a roll; and the golfers around the globe are taking note of him. Ranked amongst the top Fifty golfers in the world for the 3rd year in a row, he was the highest paid Indian sports-person in 2006. Infact, with Jyothi Randhawa & Shiv Kapur doing well in patches, the Indian golf has never had it so good. Not to forget Bhullar & Co, for the silver they won at the Doha-Asiad on 11th December, 2006.

Jeev’s first International tournament win was way back in 1994, in Korea. Since then, he has won eleven major international titles. But 2006 was the year of his Crowning Glory, when he won 4 internationals–China Open; Volvo Masters of Europe(Spain); Casio Japan Open and ended his golfing year, with the title win of Nippon Series-JT Cup, at Tokyo on 3rd December. He won four titles & a total of 19 top-10 finishes in 2006; which helped him with the biggest jump in the world rankings, with a climb to 37 from 376. He also won the UBS Asian Order of Merit for 2006. Today, he reflects the hopes & aspirations of millions of Indian golf lovers, as he heads for the remaining Majors and the European & Asian tours in the 2nd half of 2008.

Golf in India is not as young, as some would like us to believe. Infact, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, was founded way back in 1829. Yes, the recent achievements are just the beginnings of a new era. With failing performances & loss of interest in Test Cricket & Hockey; maybe, one day; Golf may become the No 2 sporting choice of Indians; ofcourse, after the Twenty-20.

Once the game of the rich & famous, and patronized by royalty; Golf has undergone a worldwide boom & popularity, in recent times. It is fast losing its’ exclusivity & becoming the game of the masses. Known as a gentlemen’s game, for its’ observance of rules of social behavior & etiquette; golf still has the reputation for being a sport, where sportsmanship & honor, survive the changing times.

OF GOLF & GOLFING. Colf , Kolf, Golf or whatever. Well, what’s in a name? The origin of present-day golf lies in medieval Europe. Different stick & ball games like Palle-Maille in France & Italy, & Chole in Belgium, were popular. In Holland, this game was called Colf, only to be replaced by an indoor version, called Kolf. However, the golf, resembling the one we play today, evolved into a game in Scotland, in late 15th & 16th centuries. The royals, King James IV & Mary, Queen of Scots, played it in 16th century, at St Andrews in Scotland. It is the home for British Open since 1860. The Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews (R&A) was founded in 1754, & subsequently, US Golf Association (USGA), formed in 1894; together became the seat of authority, for all matters pertaining to this game.

Golf is a challenging sport, while at the same time, it can be stimulating & relaxing. The young, old, ladies & people of varying abilities can play together & still enjoy it. This is because of its’ universally accepted handicap system. Ofcourse, a golfer with a ‘bug’ will tell you that his biggest weakness/handicap is his wife. But ladies have found a way-out of becoming golf-widows, by learning to play themselves. Mary Stuart(1563), Joyce Wethered(1924), Laura Davies(1994), Annika Sorenstem & the 19 year old Michelle Wie, have said it all, over the years.

The male legends include, Tom Morris, Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones, James Braid & Byron Nelson(won 18 titles in 1945) of early years; and the modern era greats like Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Palmer, Nicklaus & Gary Player. But the 1990s were overshadowed by the arrival of the youth icon, Tiger Woods, who in his twenties had smashed almost every existing record. Thirty plus today, he has won 14 majors & countless other titles. He was voted the 2007 US PGA Tour Player of the Year, his 9th win in eleven years. And he is still on. The new golf mantra for young & enterprising is, ‘have talent, will play’.

Clubs, Balls & all that Jazz. An interesting parallel with the growth of the game, is the constant improvement of equipment. The first clubs were, wooden mallets/bats, tipped with horn. Today, shafts are made of steel, graphite, titanium & even, fibre glass. The heads too, have graduated from woods to metallics.

Balls, were wooden to start with. Then came the Feathery; the Gutta-Percha(gum); and onto the rubber balls, with dimples/dents. Today, we use the Three-Piece(solid) & Three-Piece Balata(liquid core) balls.

Coupled with this, is the mushrooming of designer golf courses around the world. USA alone has over 10,000 golf courses. Some of the spectacular ones include Augusta National & Cypress Point in USA; Sun-City in South Africa; Royal Melbourne in Australia; & the old course of St Andrews in Scotland, which is the Malgudi of golfers around the globe.

Golf in India has changed & evolved over the past 15-20 years. From the yesteryears champs like PG Sethi & Maliks; we have a much more open field with Jeev, Jyothi, Shiv Kapur, Atwal, Ghei, Chowrasia, Gangjee & many other younger players. Popularity of the game ranges from school kids to corporate big-wigs. Infact, corporate golfing has a regular itinerary in India & in most of the golfing nations. At present, the popular golf destinations are Gurgoan, New Delhi, Calcutta & Bangalore. But with 65 new golf courses in the pipeline, the Indian government is promoting golf tourism as a niche segment. They say that, golf is like life. But don’t believe them. It is more complicated than that. (The author is a former CEO and member of the Academic Council of Bangalore University).

Prof  Gopal K Piplani*

It all started last year-end. I was ‘put-on’ by the various awards & competitions launched by TV channels & print media. They selected & then justified their respective Nos 1–sportsmen, actors, corporate czars, powerhouses, politicians, sensuous & most desired ladies, & et al. In each case, the tele & mobile companies made their millions.

To be with the times, I launched the JODI NO 1 – Pratham; and to be one-up, announced the prize money of Rs 3 crores. Winner takes all. In came the sponsors & millions of entries. The closing date was extended to July 01,2007, due to massive response.

Aao Khelen Jodi No 1 – Pratham. And so went some of the answers along with the comments of the anchor. By sheer impulse, the 1^st one was…….

Is it Sanju – Govinda? No, next.

Is it the lovey-dovey Kapoor & Kapur of Mumbai? Cute kids. But no.

Is it the queens of melody-Lata-Asha? Great attempt. No.

Is it As, Bs or Cs of bollywood? Galat jawab.

Is it Sachin-Ganguly? Hmm, No. Not now.

Is it Don Q & his pot-bellied, perpetual-gate crasher, Sancho Panza of Lucknow? Look, we are into serious matter. And see, what a dressing-down they got at the recent polls.

Next. Is it the very old B & old BB of Kolkata? Well, great attempt, despite the national antipathy against their maverick partymen.  No, not after the Nandigramwala  Bagh  incident.

Is it the couple of the recent, much hyped  wedding, dubbed by the few guys as Shaadi No 1? No-No. Infact, they looked  bored already. Bilkul galat jawab.

 Is it Tata-Birla?  Well, they are the most distinguished corporate families of our country, from the pre-independence era. JRD & GD could have been a winning jodi. Absos, they are not with us today.

Ok, is it the value based software czar & his ever smiling, benevolent wife, from Bangalore? Well, you were very close. Aap khaali hath nahin jayenge.

Is it the very tall Mittal & the not so tall Mittal? Actually, they both stand tall as stalwarts of the Indian industry. Brilliant answer. Next.

 Is it  Ambani & ambani?  Look, they are not a jodi at all. So different-so diverse.

Last one. Is it the dimply & graceful mom & her so-very handsome son, from the Nehru-Gandhi family? Very close. Very very close. Aap bhi khaali haat nahin jayenge.

You see, nobody, no Indian, no NRI, from a billion-plus nation, could guess/give correct answer. So, the prize money rolls over to the next years’ kitty.

Winning Jodi. The sahi jawab, as per ‘Mr Computer’, is Dr APJ Abdul Kalam & Prof Manmohan Singh. A pair of intelligent & dedicated nationalists – with great humility and honesty. Both are by-products of the much abused public sector;  one, a dedicated economist and the other, an eminent scientist. Both come from humble family backgrounds, and are soft-spoken and unassuming; despite world-wide recognition & acclaim. Both, have risen to high positions in our country, due to their hard-work, diligence and competence.

Now, where in this world, would you find such a distinguished Jodi – with so much in common.

WORLDS’ ENVY – OUR PRIDE.

  Let’s get to know the winners, a little more.

  The first Jodidar (in alphabetical order), is Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. He was born on 15 October 1931 at Rameswaram, in Tamil Nadu,in a modest family background. As a schoolboy, he helped his family in distribution of newspapers. He specialized in Aero Engineering at Madras Institute of Technology. Although his first love was to become a fighter pilot, he made it big in the field of missiles. It was under his leadership that Agni, Prithvi, Trishul, Akash and Nag missiles were designed. He served in several government organizations; beginning with HAL Bangalore and subsequently in DRDO, ISRO & DRDL  Hyderabad.

  He was the project director of SLV – III, India’s 1^st Satellite Launch Vehicle, which launched Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit. Thereafter, he became our country’s most honored scientist and laid foundation for various high-tech aerospace projects. He was also a participant in India’s nuclear programe.

  Dr Kalam also served as the scientific advisor to defence minister & Govt of India; as secretary dept of defence research & development; and chairman of SAC-C. As chairman of Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC), he generated the Vision 2020 document – laying a road-map for transforming India, from a developing to a developed nation.

  He is recipient of numerous awards, including the National Design Award; Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1997; Padma Bhushan in 1981; Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and Bharat Ratna in 1997. Dr Kalam has been conferred with the degree of Doctor of Science, by over 32 universities & academic institutions.

He is the 11^th  President of the Indian Republic, since July 25, 2002. Now in the fading days of his Presidency, he recently fell prey to a temptation for a second term. Whatever, our results are based on data of the pre-temptation era.

Prof Manmohan Singh, is the next winning Jodidar of this prestigious contest. He was born on September 26, 1932, at Gah village in West Punjab (now in Pakistan). He completed his initial school & college education from Punjab University; and advanced studies in economics from  St John’s College, Cambridge University (UK), & D Phil from Nuffield College, Oxford University.

He served several financial institutions and was the economic advisor to the PM & Govt of India; Governor of RBI; and also had tenure with International Monetary Fund.

This great & dedicated economist, is widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic liberalization. He was the Finance Minister of India from 1991 to 1996.

Prof  Manmohan  Singh, is presently the 13^th Prime Minister of India.

One startling aspect that this competition threw-up, was the utter lack of knowledge about our legends and institutions. Tens of millions entries, and not one sahi jawab.  Who is to blame?We all. As always, the first name that comes to mind is the media. As an organ of our democratic state, they(media) generate tremendous expectations & with it, matching disappointments. Too much of TV-time & newsprint is spent on actors, wrong-dooers & insignificant guys. It sells, they say. In the bargain, the good guys miss out. How else do we get across to our gen-next?    So back to where we started. In a billion-plus nation, let us aspire for a 1000 such Jodis. Is it asking for too much?

   For honourable sponsors only. This game has been declared TAX FREE, for the next 99 episodes. Now, if that is not success—what is?

  For those who missed this contest, or those who wish to play again; JODI NO 1 Dwitiya, will be selected on the same day next year (July 01, 2008). Entries close on 01 April 2008. Prize money will be Rs 4 crores. OK, till then.

 *Former Principal & Member of Academic Council of Bangalore University

Tammy, Rita, Katrina, Emily, Dennis, the 40-plus Betsy or whatever. They are definitely not our bar girls, trying to migrate to the USA. They are the wicked Atlantic sisters.

Recently, Katie and Rita tried to embarrass George Bush and Co. They did. The macho, Stan the mudslinger, created havoc in Central America. Followed closely by South Asian Shaker and Quaker, who visited the scenic Kashmir valley and destroyed it out of shape. This guy also shakes-up his brother terrorists in PoK. Their cousins visited Mumbai twice – in July and August – and devastated the city. They are the new breed of global terrorists.

The past nine months have been a sort of record for disasters around the world. From the boxing day tsunami, which wrecked the coasts of Sumatra, India and Sri Lanka; to the Pacific ocean typhoons in Japan, Taiwan, China and SE Asia; to the super hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, devastating the coasts of Cuba, Caribbean Islands, Mexico and southern United States; to the deadly mud-slides & flooding of Mumbai, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico (4th to 6th October); and onto the Muzaffarabad earthquake in Kashmir of 8th October.

All are super disasters, killing hundreds of thousands and destroying everything in their wake. That is nature’s fury. The man has also chipped-in with his indigenous disasters during this period such as, the second set of Bali blasts of October, 2005 and the London bombings (7/7).

Well, that’s not all. The world is in danger of a pandemic — avian flu (H5 N1 virus). Hoping for the best may not be enough, to prevent this potential catastrophe. The unsuspecting detection at Lake Qinghai (China) may well kill millions and wreck the global economy. Over 150 million poultry birds have died and been culled in East and SE Asia, due to this virus to date. With fresh cases from Siberia, Turkey and Romania, it is another disaster in the making.

Natural and man-made disasters have a long, sad history. So what has happened in the past nine months since December 26, 2004, had also happened earlier. Such tragedies bring us together, so it is time that, we resolved for the future. The nations of the world must learn their lessons and have suitable plans of actions in their respective countries to tackle disasters in the future.

In the American model, the Department of Homeland Security, acts as a nodal agency for the federal government (President) to manage all kinds of disasters. It has the federal emergency management agency (FEMA) and disaster assistance response teams, which work in conjunction with the states.

The State Governments have the FEMA teams, fire-fighters, National Guard and control rooms, where inputs from scientific, meteorological, FBI and other such agencies are coordinated under the aegis of the Governor.

Thus, the state administration plays a primary role for disaster relief. This role can be given to the defense department and the military on the orders of the President. Many of the European nations have similar models.

This system has been effectively tested and the disaster response for 9/11 and other emergencies has been satisfactory. But nothing can be fool-proof. There was a system’s failure during hurricane Katrina. Sluggish response and lack of coordination between FEMA and the military led to looting, shoplifting and much more. In fact, New Orleans was on the verge of anarchy.

But within three weeks before the onset of Hurricane Rita, all this had changed. The organised evacuation of Houston and other coastal cities involving over two million people, was exemplary.

The disaster relief and the management of supplies was efficient. Over 50,000 troops were deployed in the affected area. Looting was prevented and losses to life and property were minimal. Sometimes, a failure can improve a system/organisation.

The Indian management of disasters has been primarily dependent on the armed forces. Post-tsunami of December 26, 2004, a few state governments and the central government have made some models. But all these need to be further improved upon. Copy a little innovate the rest. Our future disaster management model must be built on the civil administrative services — at the state, district, zila-parishad and down to the community level. This must be coupled with suitable infrastructure.

At the helm, the PM needs a council for the formulation and implementation of the disaster management schemes. Members of this council must be serving officials, be competent, accountable and committed. The head of this council could be a serving chief of the armed forces.

Similarly, state governments could have their own crisis management groups, to act in conjunction with the central body. Finally, a nodal ministry to coordinate and handle disasters.

While the climatologists, meteorologists and atmospheric administrators of the world are busy designing and installing advanced warning systems, the Greens blame the increase in natural disasters, on global warming. They feel that changes in the natural cycle of ocean temperatures are responsible for intemperate rainfall and frequent killer-storms.

From Aceh, Velankani, Taiwan, New Orleans, Lake Charles, Beaumont, Panabaj, Atitlan, Biloxi, Tapachula, New York, Madrid, Bali, London, Mumbai, Balakot, Uri and Tangdhar everywhere millions of unsuspecting victims felt that God could have saved them.

In these moments of grief we all look upwards and inwards for his help. It is high time that we learnt to help ourselves. In the game of wits with the humans, nature is one-up.