Now they are covering it. Now they are realizing the magnitude of the problem. Perhaps, even not yet.
How stupid it is to say that just 5people have died due to this tragedy. Analyze this, 2.5 million people surrounded by water from all around for last 7 days and only 55 fatalities? More than this would be the no. of people who would have been dying every day in this region due to natural causes. What happened to them? Perhaps they have stopped dying seeing realizing that it might be more painful to die in these conditions. Or, they would die sooner? These journalists! I wonder if the dumbest of the population join this profession or the most casual ones? Not to say that many great brains too are there in this industry.
I am trying to visualize the situation of these people. One morning, they wake to find surrounded by water or, might be they were woken up during the night itself by increasing water level. And, they assume they are facing another of regular annual flash flood from the nearby stream. They take normal precautions, go to usual high grounds. And, to their surprise, they realize water level is increasing and current is rather too fast than any of instances they remember or have ever heard from any of their elders. And, this is when there is no rain. They reach their tipping point. And, suddenly, they come to know that they are amidst the main course of a river. The river they have always dreaded. The river, which has become part of the regional folklores due to great devastations it had caused in the past. Now what do they do?
Just yesterday I finished reading a classic having this region as the background, Parti Parikatha by Phanishwar Nath Renu. A must read for anybody having genuine interest in literature. The novel ends with implementation of Multi-purpose project at Kosi River. Part of the project was to divert the main course of river to the river to a channel, which the river had abandoned many years, may be centuries ago. I have no idea if that actually was the case. Unfortunately, Renu did not write any follow-up otherwise it would have come out that the project did not get completed in the form it was envisaged. The actual dam, which was supposed to come upstream, somewhere in Nepal, was never built. Only a barrage was built to control the flow of river into the plains. And see, the barrage is still intact. Now the river has breached its banks and enforcements a few kilometers upstream. And, the river has changed its course from there. Notably, 85% of the water is flowing through this breach. I am not sure what corrective action can be taken now and how successful that would be. Perhaps, we’ll have to live with the changed course of this river. Geography and maps would change now. For a few decades or centuries, that is to be observed.
I have no idea whether the change of course actually happened then and it is reversal of that or it is the actual inaction of the story. But, then, the population was prepared for the change of course. Now, they are not.
By the Kosi is a very interesting river. It has the distinction of having Mt. Everest and Mt. Kanchenjuga in its catchment area. It carries the largest volume of debris during its course of flow, from the Himalayas to the Ganges. It creates the largest of alluvial cones by any river. And, much more.
28.8.08
26.8.08
A different world
Just now I have switched channel to watch a movie. I has already started. I don't know its name. I don't care. It would be better than the tirade they are showing on all news channels. I am not surprised though, I am ashamed. How can somebody ignore the plight of such a huge population. Even animals care. We, humans, don't. We are commercial animal. We care for things, which pay. Hence, we show only those news, which, we think, will sell. After all who would be interested in watching plights of people of Bihar. They do not belong to this world. Through out the day, I was following all, so called, news sites and other general information sites. No update. Perhaps they don't care. That's journalism for us. The new age journalism, covering news, which sell. Commercial news. I'm convinced that these people are dumb, of the highest order. If you treat a part of population like this, what can you expect them to treat you in turn. 2 Million people, drowning, many doomed to die. Die slowly. Die seeing others die before them. And, they are not on our radar. What are all these innovation in connectivity for if we can't connect to our own people? Or, perhaps, we don't want to connect to them. The sense of commercialization is too strong to care for we, the people.
Anyways, it has happened that river Kosi, the age old sorrow of Bihar, has changed its course. It has changes its course by almost 92Kms. Within a few couple of days. I hope many of us would understand the gravity of this. The river is now flowing through a channel, though which it used to flow at least 120 years ago. Flooding, rather severe flooding, is not new to this part of the world. But a river, that too Kosi, changing its course back to where it was more than a century ago, is something, which is not just flood. I am trying to visualize how one would have reacted after realizing this. I am sure many of the suffering people would not have seen this river in their life time, rather may not be in generations. After all, how many people of Purnia would travel to Saharsa and see this river. This happened and that is how we have reacted.
I am sure that after a few days, all these phony news channels would line-up there to show heart-breaking stories of suffering, challenging each other supremacy in covering in depth. Showing some obscene graphics and comparing this with some out of the world examples.
Anyway, my condolences to all who are suffering. I don't know how can I be of any help to them. Long back we tried to help one those kids, Prakash, who was left without parents. He stayed with us for a a couple of years. We arranged for his education and he used to help our mother, who was suffering from strange disease, in taking care of household. He went to visit some of his relatives and did not come back. There was another guy too. He had lost his mother. He stayed with us for a almost a year before his father turned up and took him back, promising that he would take his complete care. Both these kids left so deep impression on us, especially on my mother, that we decided no to drain us emotionally any more. These guys told us about the horror of flood and plight of life after the flood in that area. We would never be able to comprehend. And, these news channels would ensure that we never would.
We hope these guys would be doing well. I am hoping that one of these knowledge channels, NGT or Discovery or History, would show the significance and extant of the tragedy in this year's flood. I wonder if these flood would ever be controlled. Or, Kosi would remain the angry old lady, firm on destroying everybody where she was not treated well in her youth.
Anyways, it has happened that river Kosi, the age old sorrow of Bihar, has changed its course. It has changes its course by almost 92Kms. Within a few couple of days. I hope many of us would understand the gravity of this. The river is now flowing through a channel, though which it used to flow at least 120 years ago. Flooding, rather severe flooding, is not new to this part of the world. But a river, that too Kosi, changing its course back to where it was more than a century ago, is something, which is not just flood. I am trying to visualize how one would have reacted after realizing this. I am sure many of the suffering people would not have seen this river in their life time, rather may not be in generations. After all, how many people of Purnia would travel to Saharsa and see this river. This happened and that is how we have reacted.
I am sure that after a few days, all these phony news channels would line-up there to show heart-breaking stories of suffering, challenging each other supremacy in covering in depth. Showing some obscene graphics and comparing this with some out of the world examples.
Anyway, my condolences to all who are suffering. I don't know how can I be of any help to them. Long back we tried to help one those kids, Prakash, who was left without parents. He stayed with us for a a couple of years. We arranged for his education and he used to help our mother, who was suffering from strange disease, in taking care of household. He went to visit some of his relatives and did not come back. There was another guy too. He had lost his mother. He stayed with us for a almost a year before his father turned up and took him back, promising that he would take his complete care. Both these kids left so deep impression on us, especially on my mother, that we decided no to drain us emotionally any more. These guys told us about the horror of flood and plight of life after the flood in that area. We would never be able to comprehend. And, these news channels would ensure that we never would.
We hope these guys would be doing well. I am hoping that one of these knowledge channels, NGT or Discovery or History, would show the significance and extant of the tragedy in this year's flood. I wonder if these flood would ever be controlled. Or, Kosi would remain the angry old lady, firm on destroying everybody where she was not treated well in her youth.
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