Monday, October 22, 2007

How to commit suicide (1)


Compare what we have (ie the photo above), with what is recommended:-

Placed below is an extract from the National Institute on Disaster Management website (http://www.nidm.net/Landslides4.asp)

"Mitigatory Measures (against landslides)"

In general the chief mitigatory measures to be adopted for such (landslide prone) areas are

Drainage correction,
Proper land use measures,
Reforestation for the areas occupied by degraded vegetation and
Creation of awareness among local population.

The most important triggering mechanism for mass movements is the water infiltrating into the overburden during heavy rains and consequent increase in pore pressure within the overburden. When this happens in steep slopes the safety factor of the slope material gets considerably reduced causing it to move down."

Having said that, it is all too easy for us to blame the Govt or the Municipality for inaction but the bitter truth is that I have seen newly constructed box drains within the municipal limits being destroyed by callous dumping of stones, bricks and construction material by people like you and I.

What better way of committing suicide?

praful rao



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