Maximum City - an urban nightmare

Mondays in Mumbai

Annoying horns, crackling firecrackers, the annoying digging noise of a digger somewhere, dust flying all over the place. Seems like a scene straight out of a day in Mumbai? Yes. What happens when you try to fill a water balloon and keep pouring water in beyond what the balloon can carry? That is exactly what is happening to Mumbai. Maximum city is bursting at its seams. Despite being a Mumbaiphile, despite how much it hurts me to write this piece, it is the truth!

To keep up with the urbanization spree, the infrastructure needs to grow. So everyone needs bigger roads and more buildings. And now, India is a growth story with Mumbai as one of its central characters. So, people are getting more affluent. As the standard of living increases, people grow aware of heretofore unknown entities like status symbols and so on. So, in a new phenomenon that is gripping Mumbai, people buy 4 cars per household! 2 small cars, and 2 SUVs, all for a family of maybe 4! Given the affluence, people hire a driver for a small sum a month and absolve themselves of the sorrows of driving in Mumbai. The result - the ever burgeoning need for more flyovers and even bigger roads! As the number of rich people grows, room at the bottom and the middle of the pyramid is let up and more poor people migrate into the city. This puts a pressure on public transport, the buses and trains in Mumbai, which till date have been hailed as the best in India! But even these have a set capacity which cannot be overshot.

The result - the balloon bursts. Crowds have become unimaginably huge such that traveling by public transport is literally painful. Augmented crowds lead to discomfort and whole lot of rage in an already stressed out city! Fine, so one could choose to travel in his own vehicle. But what will you do when someone chooses to take his SUV through rush hour traffic? He probably wouldn't realize the agony he is causing by choking up an arterial road in peak traffic, since he is perhaps being driven! And everybody else on the road has to put up with the ordeal of having to traverse a 20 minute distance in 2 hours. Add to the mess the pain of incessant honking, which adds on to the noise and unbeknownst to us augments our stress levels. Another major problem is the noise pollution that people in houses need to bear. An arterial road goes past their apartment building and they have to bear the noise of vehicles, sirens and honks all day and all night. This is a slow poison which has the capacity to increase stress levels and cause a whole slew of physiological as well as psychological problems!

What can be done? Well thankfully, a lot. In terms of urbanization, Mumbai is not the pioneer, nor is India, for that matter. So we have loads of precedents to fall back on. So, for the public transport infrastructure, decidedly we need wider roads, although not at the expense of trees and mangroves. We need more trains and more buses, or even more double decker buses! As far as road congestion goes, we can adopt rationing on the basis of number plates, as has been done in Brazil, which has the world's worst traffic congestion record. Or even adopt a penalty system for vehicles with single occupancy during peak hours, as has been done in Singapore. Another idea could be imposition of a prohibitively high tax on the third vehicle entering a household - a modification of the high purchase tax regime of Hong Kong. And as for the noise, well, putting up sound barriers or noise absorbent boards along arterial roads and expressways is a practice followed all over the developed world, to shield residential areas from road traffic noise. Surprisingly that mechanism is totally absent in India. Provincial parks and anointed green zones are essential in Mumbai, to check pollution levels as well.

All in all, strong and immediate steps need to be taken to preserve Mumbai's sanity. Or the very things that attract people to Mumbai and keep them there could turn to haunt them and perhaps even shoo them away!

Tiger

This has been one helluvan eventful weekend indeed! And yes, Tiger has been in the middle of it all as well. There are just 1411 left, the hoarding claims, and today's papers spoke of 2 more that succumbed. So, 1409 pieces of our National Animal! I just wonder. If this is the fate of our national animal, what could be the fate of all other species in India?

Hoardings, TV ads scream out - 'SAVE THE TIGER'. The idea is to spread awareness amongst our people, about the plight of the tiger. But you know what? Those who need to know, know. The poachers know that the numbers are dwindling. But Chinese medicine demands a killed, mutilated tiger. And how does it matter? Some random animal is killed for medicine. After all, a human being would be cured, only to go on and pillage the environment further. Ok, I may sound harsh. But there are always alternative routes to co-exist, right? If Chinese medicine exterminates a species in totality, tomorrow, this same tiger-parts driven cure would need to move to something else. Why not move to that something else before Stripey loses its mom?

But I guess, we can blame this on the very nature of humanity. I allude to the movie Avatar - (pop culture drives points across more effortlessly). So, the huge red bird, in the movie is a predator and slays the smaller birds, which are the Navi peoples' mounts. So, the princess makes a comment, that the red bird never looks up, since it is never the prey. And this point is used by our hero to tame the red bird and win the peoples' respect as the movie pulls on. So, my point is, that the human race has never been plundered and preyed upon by a more superior species. And yes, this feeling of invincibility has made us nonchalant towards others we share our environment with. Every other entity is inconsequential in the human side of things. And unless something comes to sting us personally, we don't bother about anyone else. Tomorrow, if an arcane tribe develops a medicine for H1N1 or HIV, that needs human liver oil, I wonder about the consequences!

So, what can we do? Honestly, I don't know. The poachers clearly don't care. China is too huge a market. Chinese are known for their scant regard towards anyone but themselves. Laws are lax. Poaching is not punished with severe penalties. The money is huge in the grey market for tiger parts. Here is some perspective. A newspaper report says that 10 grams of tiger parts sells for $30. 10 grams of Silver costs $5! In front of the bullet, the ferocious tiger is powerless. We faced a similar situation early on vis-a-vis the ivory of the tusker. But then ivory was banned, and the problem subsided. Does anyone have the guts to ban Chinese medicine that needs tiger parts? Does anyone have the guts to take on these international cartels and nip the market at its source? A mass movement by you and I, to spread awareness is good. We care. Granted. But this issue is like terrorism. Nabbing the terrorists and punishing them, is just a symptomatic cure. The issue is in the source, and unless terror funding and terror perpetrators and planners are picked up and taken out, the problem shall prevail. Till then, Save the Tiger, Save nature - from us...

Confucius and Climate Change

The weather is beautiful. The skies are cloudy, the winds are cool. The atmosphere is absolutely intoxicating. The fresh smell of rain-soaked mud, the pitter-patter sound of raindrops, everything 'perfect' in the eyes of a romantic.

Would have been perfect, if only such a weather had existed in July, rather than October in Mumbai.

2009, was declared a drought year. Cut to June- July 2009. Crops failing for want of rain, pictures in newspapers of farmers looking skywards, expectantly, all portrayed an image of the India of the 1950s. It looked rather sad, since those vivid images were a stark contrast to the image of emerging India that we generally perceive.

Cut to October 2009. A deluge in South India. A catastrophe that has not been encountered for over 100 years. Villages submerged, people dead, crops devastated, the rice bowl of India affected adversely. Before I was to leave Hyderabad, I was not too kicked about leaving behind a perfectly cool climate, to come to Mumbai, which I knew would be in her 'midsummer blues'. But I was also relieved to finally be able to travel at a time when there would be no flight delays thanks to bad weather in Mumbai. And surprise surprise, all such expectations were killed, when we were told that BAD WEATHER in Mumbai had delayed the incoming flight. All of us were stumped, since it is rather uncharacteristic for 'bad weather' to prevail in clear skies October! But then again, this whole confused weather pattern is unprecedented. Right from the frigid winter of 2007, in Mumbai, to the current rain patterns, it is bizarre! As though the Earth were screaming for help, by sending these incomprehensible signals.

And as though on cue, we have this whole impasse on the climate change dialogue. Confucius once said, " He who does not economise will need to agonize" Seems apt in the light of our current climate issues. I'd put in a post earlier (of outcomes and interests) on how expecting the emerging world to co-shoulder the climate change burden in a 50:50 manner along with the Americas and Europes of the world was almost certain to lead to a deadlock, with no amicable solution emanating thereof. And now, the UN General Assembly meeting has achieved just that, with everyone playing the penguin game - one where everyone waits for another to take the lead. In a classic case of what psychologists call 'mistaken attribution', the focus was more on WHO was responsible and WHO was not doing what was to be done, than on a clear idea on WHAT needs to be done to tackle the challenge as a global community. Here are some statistics in the map to prove why such circumlocutory behaviors are circumspect! The logic / rationale behind the developed world blaming their laggard approach on the lack of 'co-operation' from the emerging world is absolutely not justified.

The fact remains that the world is screaming for action. We need to act before it is too late. Mumbai, on the west coast of India is served by the South-west monsoon winds from June to September. Geography lessons in the lower classes had taught us that India has 3 main seasons - summer, winter and monsoon. And we also had specific months when these seasons would prevail. But imagine a classroom conversation of the future, if we don't take the cries of nature seriously -

"Teacher when do we have summer in India?"

"I can't say with certainty".

"Teacher how do crops grow?"

"Only with the blessings of God, since rains are never dependable"

What can we as the next generation do? Well, the usual stuff that we already know of, cut auto emissions, since that is the one portion of the emission story that is clearly in our hands. And on another level, we must use climate change idealogies as a guiding factor while choosing our elected leaders.

Trends on Tuesday : I Love the Earth

I opened up the papers today and almost every page had a mention of Global Warming, its ill effects, steps taken to mitigate it and so on. I did a quick googling just to ensure today was not 'Earth Day' and not, it isn't Earth Day today. Then what's with all this hullabaloo?? And then I realized, it's a trend - and finally a trend worth its while!

Ok, first of all, Global Warming is a reality. Mumbai had winters touching 6 degrees in 2007. Last year winters hovered around30 degrees! 2005 saw Mumbai submerged. Ever since, we have seen scanty rainfall. Enya made an album called 'A Day without Rain', we seem to be moving towards a decade without rain. The met has predicted 87% rainfall, which spells doomsday for our agrarian economy. Do we then assume that the Rain Gods have effectively 'paani pherofied' (borrowing the traditional Hindi phrase) on all our growth plans? Certainly, we need to revise GDP estimates based on the degree of rainfall. If MRF rainday is missed, the BSE Sensex reacts badly! Given that almost the whole world, thanks to the recession, is betting on Chindia to lead us from darkness to light, doesn't it make more sense to ensure that we take care of the environment, and put a stop to these wild climatic swings?

Now, climate change and mitigation is the most hotly debated topic these days. Not just in political circles or on BBC, but also in grad schools, B Schools, and believe you me, even across coffee tables! Although everyone feels passionate about wanting to do something to protect the planet, no consensus seems to be arrived at as regards how we may go about doing so! A few key issues spring to mind though.

• GDP calculations should be modified to correctly reflect the environmental footprint. Only then will steamrolling economies have enough incentive to not grow at the cost of a damaged Earth
• The developed world cannot expect the growing economies to stand up and chip in monetarily for all the damage caused thus far by the world as a whole! Asking India to stop power generation from coal, is impossible to implement. We have way too much coal and not enough money to close down all those thermal power plants and make a fresh 'clean' start. That too with almost 70% of India without 100% access to electricity. These fledgling economies, if asked to bear the brunt of the damages wrought by the developed world in the past, would either refuse, fuelling conflict thus leading to status quo, or would end up paying, and grossly neglecting emission control in their own countries - There is only so much you can do with available money, right? - I'd written a bit on this point before here
• There have to be sops for industries, essentially entrepreneurs to go ahead and invest in renewable energy. A friend of mine recently bought a humongous SUV. I asked her why she didn't choose a hybrid. She said that the hybrids were expensive, and she had no incentive other than the greater good of humanity to buy a hybrid. She'd pay more, and the amount she'd pay in taxes would be higher too! So why should she spend on a hybrid, when she'd rather use the extra cash to pay down the mortgage? Well, our industries would have a similar idea, if Government, and markets did not actively encourage investment in renewable energy. The Indian Government's decision to invest 1 trillion rupees into renewable energy initiatives looks like a step in the right direction.

So, climate change and the associated aspects seems like the newest trend of the 21st century. Hope we keep the steam and save this planet. Save trees, cut emissions, use car pools, save the tiger, Heal the world....

Green at the time of Global Warming....

Oh yeah! Global warming is a reality! News and the works go on and on about melting glaciers, polar fissures and so on. Sea levels are rising, and just the other day, there was a mention about tremendous water levels in Venice!!!!!

Can't blame anybody! The heat is everywhere. Global economic meltdown, Terrorism, explosions, violence, anger! The effect has to find an expression somewhere. And so the environment is taking the hit, I mean heat!

Emphasis is moving to greener energy and ecological conservation. One analyst had remarked that reformed banking and manufacturing as also sops for internal investment helped the west tide over the Great Depression. Innovation, and new ideas helped break the gloom loop. And now, in this molten economy, the analyst noted, the world looks to the West for innovation, for something new to tag on to. And the answer may lie in the 'Green Revolution' of a new kind.

Obama spoke of revolutionizing government buildings the other day and making them more energy efficient, more green. And now, British Airways has a section at the bottom of the booking page - Offset the carbon emissions for these flights
You can help minimise the impact of your flying by offsetting your carbon emissions. The total carbon emissions from your itinerary are X tonnes and the cost of offsetting your emissions is Y.
Your money will go towards UN certified emission reduction projects.
* Please be aware that once your carbon offset contribution is paid, it cannot be refunded.

Go Green???? Indeed!!

International conFLAGration

The other day, there was a heated debate on BBC about oceanic waters and the vast territory that is covered by sea. In school we learnt that over two thirds of the earth is covered by sea and so, the earth is called the blue planet. This debate spoke of an event that happened a year ago, wherein Russia sent two submarines into the Arctic Ocean bed, and planted a titanium flag down there. An official report is here...

Anyway, the panel comprised of people from all countries that border the Arctic Ocean. Everyone conceded that the issue is of great importance, since in the light of the energy crisis, new places for exploration are a necessity. And what better place than an ocean floor, that has remained snow capped for so long!! The Russian representative in the debate was vehement in saying that nothing should be read between the lines in the whole action, since Russia just wanted to show that its subs could go pretty deep down and stay there for a while as well.

So far maritime issues are generally dealt with on the basis of a tacit, implicit agreement of goodwill between all parties involved. But the issue of how to divide unexplored sea bed and the natural treasures it holds, can actually keep simmering and no one would be able to make out when it breaks out into a boil!

The funniest thing however, was the timing of this debate. India had launched Chandrayaan, its moon mission, and had successfully planted the Indian flag-bearing Moon Impact Probe near the Shackleton crater on the Moon's South Pole on 14th November 2008 - India's presence on uncharted territory and here there was a renewed debate on a flag planted on the Arctic sea bed a year ago - Russia's so called claim on uncharted territory. Shakespeare said, " What's in a name"... I ask, " What's in a flag?".... Time will tell, a hundred years later.........