A milestone .. STH wins the Manthan Award

Please refer the earlier blog.

STH was presented the Manthan Award in the evening ceremony on 19Dec2009 at NCUI auditorium, New Delhi -  for the innovative and imaginative use of the blog/ SMS in bringing the serious problem of landslides in the Darjeeling - SIkkim Himalayas to a world audience; also for initiating a community basic early warning about heavy rain using the SMS.

Praful Rao

STH at the Manthan Awards South Asia 2009 (MASA 09)

Digital Empowerment Foundation (http://defindia.net) is a Delhi based which hosts the Manthan Awards (http://manthanaward.org).  The Manthan Award is a first of its kind initiative in India to recognize the best practices in e-Content and Creativity and now includes all the SAARC countries.
STH has been shortlisted for the awards by DEF as such 4 STH members ie (Praful Rao,President along with Aachal Tamang, Bhushan Chhetri and Hemkar Rana) are in Delhi attending MASA.

Praful Rao

A quote from Carl Sagan

"Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
It is up to us."
- Carl Sagan (1934-1996)
American astronomer

An Eye in the Sky :TRMM

The Tropical Rain Measuring Mission is  a joint space mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) designed to monitor and study tropical rainfall.
The website (http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov) is one of the MUST SEE stop overs of STH and is used along with that of India Meteorological Department (http://imd.gov.in) to send out SMS alerts on heavy rainfall warnings.
The photo above shows Cyclone "WARD" as it brews off the coast of Tamil Nadu today - IMD has already issued a severe weather warning for the area.

Praful Rao

Cyclone AILA in photographs

AILA slideshow

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A distinct honour..collaborating with Prof Leszek Starkel

Prof Leszek Starkel, is a legendary figure amongst geomorphologists whose interest in landslides in this part of the world spans many decades. He was our main speaker last year in Darjeeling and exactly a year later he was with us on 21Nov2009 during our workshop in Kalimpong.

While interacting with him during the day's proceedings, Prof Starkel invited STH to  to co-author an article with him for a scientific journal. He has since reached home (Krakow, Poland)  from where I recd the letter below :-
"Thank you so much for your  invitation and interesting discussion during workshop in Kalimpong. I hope that the joint paper will be realized. Next week I will write you details about structure of paper and needed records on rains, landslides etc.

with best regards
Yours,
Leszek Starkel"


Praful Rao

The link between rainfall intensity and global temperature (from Dave's Landslide Blog)

One of the most interesting aspects of the global landslide database that we maintain at Durham is the way in which it has highlighted the importance of rainfall intensity in the triggering of fatal landslides. Generally speaking, to kill people a landslide needs to move quickly rapid, and rapid landslides appear to be primarily (but note not always) triggered by intense rainfall events (indeed in the reports the term "cloudburst" often crops up). So, a key component of trying to understand the impacts of human-induced global climate change on landslides is the likely nature of changes in rainfall intensity, rather than that of rainfall total. Put another way, it is possible that the average annual rainfall for an area might decrease but the occurrence of landslides increase if the rainfall arrives in more intense bursts.

(For those interested the full article can be read here)

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Comment by Praful Rao

Even though STH does not have accurate data to support the above article, it is true that in 2009 we had high intensity rainfall on 5 occasions (shown in earlier blogs) - and 4 of these "extreme events" caused severe landslides in the Darjeeling district.

Images from Landslide Hazard Workshop at Town Hall, Kalimpong :21Nov2009

A strike in the Darjeeling district on 20Nov2009 , necessitated rescheduling the entire workshop for the next day - luckily for us the venue (Town Hall) was free and so we could go ahead with the workshop - with some changes as 2 resource persons were not available on 21Nov2009.
The resource persons on 21Nov2009 were :-
a) Prof Leszek Starkel
b) Prof Jeta Sankrityayana
c) Dr Vimal Khawas
d) Wg Cdr Praful Rao (retd).

I am glad to tell you that despite all the many hurdles and the last minute changes that were required, the workshop was a success.
I will be posting the outcome document of the workshop in a few days.


Praful Rao

In the next week...

Last year exactly at this time STH conducted a workshop on Landslide Hazards at Southfield College, Darjeeling. I have the proud priviledge of announcing that we are again organizing a workshop on similar lines, this time at Kalimpong. Whereas sceptics (I was also one) may debate the ultimate result of conducting these sessions, I am now convinced that these workshops, meetings and awareness camps have to carry on relentlessly... it is only then that somewhere, sometime the community first and then people in the media and govt circles will start thinking about prevention and the many other aspects of this little known disaster form.

Praful Rao

At the Second India Disaster Congress, Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi

I had the unique privilege of attending the 2nd India Disaster Management Congress at Vigyan Bhavan between 04Nov-06Nov2009 ( those interested on details of the Congress can read it here).

What I am extremely glad to report is that during the question hour of  thematic sessions on "Mass Movements (Landslides and Avalanches)"- Plenary Hall, 05Nov2009, thematic session on "Involving Communities, NGOs in Disaster Management"- Plenary Hall, 05Nov2009  and that on "Early Warning and Disaster Communication" on 06Nov2009 (Hall no 5) I could raise the following issues :-

a) The increase in the incidents and severity of landslides in Darjeeling and the need for a holistic and sustained strategy to manage landslides in the district. ( During thematic session : Landslides)

b) Compensation for land loss (esp to farmers) due to landslides. ( During thematic session : Landslides)

c) Possibility of the Govt machinery issuing "Heavy Rainfall and Landslide Alerts" through SMS broadcasts. ( During thematic session : Early Warning and Disaster Communication )

d) Insurance of land against landslides. ( During thematic session : Communities, NGOs in Disaster Management )

Praful Rao

Comment by Praful Rao
My regrets for not posting more photographs - the security during the meeting often deterred  one from using cameras. However, more photos should be available on the NIDM website.