Japan’s nuclear crisis and global energy
In 2004, i had chance to visit Japan and was there briefly. This was my first trip outside India and into the outside world. I remember the first time i walked out of the airport in the middle of the night and had a glimpse of this modern country i have always heard about, my first instinct was i saw lights everywhere and no people. There were no dark spots anywhere. The country was lit as though it was my house. It just took me off base for a moment. Then i learned later that the bright environment (powered by electricity) is true in all modern world. Then we took a bus from one part of the country to another, and the highway was flushed with lights for miles and miles. The first question that came to my mind at that time, was how can they afford it, and how do they generate all those electricity. So last week event kinds of answers those questions partly.
A significant portion of Japan’s energy needs, come from nuclear power. There was a massive earthquake that rattled Japan of magnitude at least 8.9, that shook the north-east part of the country (Sendai) and a massive tsunami followed. Even though the nuclear reactors are designed to handle huge earth quakes, they were no answer to nature’s fury of a huge earth quake followed by a huge tsunami all at the same time. The nuclear reactors were shut down, and the cooling process began. However the lack of electricity to channel the cooling was lost, and hence they had to resort to primitive means, like pouring water, and other chemicals (like borine) on the reactor to avoid a meltdown. Thousands of people have died in the tragedy and the country has lost valuables lives. In some cases, whole villages vanished. The relief effort has been complicated by radiation leaks from the nuclear reactors, and the situation is really bad. It is going to be years and years for Japanese to overcome the effects of this disaster and re-live normal lives. On a nuclear scale, the tragedy is given 6 out of 7 (Chernobyl was 7) and with the situation still unfolding, we will know more as the days progress. As a result of this nuclear accident, China has suspended its plans to build new nuclear plants in China. The whole nuclear energy generation and its safety is back in lime light throughout the world. Can the world really afford these accidents. There is a possibility that radiation might reach other neighboring countries. Even thought the nature’s tragedy of earth quake and tsunami have come and gone, the man-made tragedy of the radiation leak is here to stay for a long long time.
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Categories: Accident, Climate, Controversy, Electricity, Emergency, Japan Tags: Controlling disaster, Japan, Nuclear Crisis, Nuclear Disaster, Nuclear Problems, Radioactive, Stricken reactor
The mess in Kashmir, and the Government being ineffective in doing anything to counter it
The current mess in Kashmir offers no easy option for the Government in terms of how to handle the situation, and bring the overall situation to the peace that was there just a few months ago. After a long period of time, the Indian Government was feeling happy about the situation in Kashmir. Tourists were arriving in droves, the local economy was working fine, security incidents were minimum in terms of attacks by terrorists (and the casualties in terms of deaths in violent incidents as well as in cross-fire between the security forces and the terrorists was at a minimum). Further, in the overall situation, the tolerance for using terrorism as a method of furthering their goals had gone out of style, and as a result, support structure and media support for the terrorist movement in Kashmir had been drastically reduced, giving the Government a big plus. Also, local elections had been held and there was enough participation by the local electorate that a claim of electoral boycott could not be sustained.
And then, everything turned upside down. There seems to have been a new strategy in place to bring the status of Kashmir back to a boil, using the weapon a public protest. Public protests can be very difficult to handle, since you are no longer dealing with terrorists whom you can attack with the full force of security weapons, and without too many political issues. In this case, the Government is dealing with normal citizens, with young men, with women, and with many others. They pelt stones at the security forces, target individual policemen, try to burn and destroy Government institutions, and in a case of what one would think to be suicidal actions, they target the barracks and the posts of the security services. And as a result, even though the state Government has tried to restrain the security forces from harsh action, the direct attacks on the security forces have resulted in firing.
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Categories: Army, Congress, Disturbance, Emergency, J & K, Law, Police, Politics, Power Tags: Agitation, Armed Forces, Hurriyat, India, Insurrection, Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, Police, Political, Stone throwers
India Terrorism: Sickening terrorists, Sickening leadership
India Terrorism: Sickening terrorists, Sickening leadership
#fullpost{display:none;}Below is chronology of terror attacks in 2008…I do not claim it to be complete just what comes to mind immediately. The Prime Minister is a buffoon when it comes to these situations…he gave a ‘insipid, robotic speech’ decrying terrorism.
Mumbai, Nov 26, 2008: Several killed and many more injured in seven terror attacks targeting mostly foreigners’ hangout places. And the Prime Minister says: you guessed it ‘condemned the blasted terrorists’ and the Action taken will be..yup you guessed it NONE
Assam, Oct 30, 2008: At least 45 killed (figure can change) and over 100 injured in 18 terror bombings across Assam.
Guwahati, Nov 1 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Saturday strongly rejected the charge that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government was soft on terrorism and said there will be no compromise on this account. The Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson reviewed the latest situation in the state with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, his cabinet colleagues and senior officials of the state government at Guwahatis Borjhar airport before their departure for New Delhi.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who is already in Guwahati, visited the blast sites at Kokrajhar and Barpeta Road today and said both the Centre and the state government would ensure that such incidents do not recur.
Action: NONE
Imphal, Oct 21, 2008: 17 killed in a powerful blast near Manipur Police Commando complex.
Manipur shares a long porous border with Myanmar of around 370 km (230 miles) and security officials want the entire stretch to be barbed-wired to stop smuggling of weapons and explosives.
Ringed by China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan, India’s northeast is home to more than 200 tribes and has been racked by separatist revolts since India gained independence from Britain in 1947.
“We want the centre (federal government) to fence the border, we cannot let them (PREPAK) escape after the incident,” Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh told Reuters on Wednesday.
Action: NONE..not even acknowledged by Centre.
Kanpur, Oct 14, 2008: Eight people injured after bomb planted on a rented bicycle went off Colonelganj market.
Action: NONE..not even acknowledged by Centre
Malegaon, Maharashtra, Sep 29, 2008: Five people died after a bomb kept in a motorbike went off in a crowded market.
Action: NONE..not even acknowledged by Centre.
Modasa, Gujarat, Sep 29 2008: One killed and several injured after a low-intensity bomb kept on a motorcycle went off near a mosque.
Action: NONE..not even acknowledged by Centre
New Delhi, Sep 27, 2008: Three people killed after a crude bomb was thrown in a busy market in Mehrauli.
New York, Sep 27 (IANS) As the news of a blast in south Delhi trickled in here, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday expressed “shock and grief” at this apparent terrorist incident and asked senior officials travelling with him to monitor the situation. “The prime minister has expressed his shock and grief. Officials are monitoring the situation,” a senior official of the Prime Minister’s Office told reporters here.
Action: NONE
New Delhi, Sep 13, 2008: 26 people killed in six blasts across the city.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan singh condemned the serial bomb blasts in delhi and requested the people of Delhi to maintain peace. Congress President Soniya Said that the those responsible for delhi bombings will not be spared.
Action: NONE
Ahmedabad, July 26, 2008: 57 people killed after 20-odd synchronised bombs went off within less than two hours.
Condemning the serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sanctioned an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of those dead. He also announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 for those injured in the blasts.
Action: NONE
Bangalore, July 25, 2008: One person killed in a low-intensity bomb explosion.
Indian Prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has condemned the Serial blasts in Bangalore and has the people on Friday to remain calm and maintain communal harmony
Actiion: NONE
Jaipur, May 13, 2008: 68 people killed in serial bombings.
Both Indian President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed to people to maintain communal harmony in the state.
Action: NONE
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