India & Natural Disaster Management

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 26 Jun 2013 19:31

SwamyG wrote:Chaankaya:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spee ... 742806.cms
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-new ... 79359.aspx

I first saw that news in NDTV. They were listing the different amounts from different states. And there are several news articles.

Anna I am referring to Press releases by CM UK. He even releases news of his meeting with NaMo. Not a squeak about Akhilesh munificence. Highly unlikely if amount was received , that too from an ally. I dont know whom to give benefit of doubt, both are equally

xposting

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 26 Jun 2013 19:32

Some terrifying images

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ds-newsxml

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 26 Jun 2013 19:32

The area in Tibet is where Brahmaputra flows. It will have impact in Assam and BD. We will get news sometime soon.

If it is maansarovar area also then Indus and Sutlej would get it and we will see it in HP and Punjab. Although dams may mitigate to some extent. general flooding will be there.

Gihar flood news would be expected also and we will see how new embankments on Kosi and Ganga holding up since Nepal is also facing same rain fury.

We need to be ready for more bad news.

xposting

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 26 Jun 2013 19:33

Bade Garu, I am sure we will see some scholarly research in the field. Megha Tropiques is an important development but I am dismayed to note that ISRO has failed to provide advance warning/ information on such event. Generally we get flash priority messages rleaued to District HQ through NDMA and local IMD. It seems there was some warning from IMD to DC Rudraprayag but somehow he could not gauge the severity of the situation Perhaps he did not tour the area to get first hand info.

xposting

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 26 Jun 2013 19:34

Landsat-8 imagery of the Kedarnath Area , before and after the disaster.

Whole Mountanside seems to have been wiped-out. See the flattened town. had no chance against such fury from both east and west valley channels.

http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2013 ... kedarnath/

juxtaposed side by side , old one on left.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 26 Jun 2013 19:35

Only Gujrat, TN and Puducherry Cm showed concern for citizens from their states. Other CMs were either sleeping or refused to meet even relatives of victims, forget about organising any help.

UK CM refuses Heli offer giving some inane excuses. His administration fails entirely and Army had to take matters in their hand to provide relief.

Bihar CM NiKumma is giving TV interview as to what is the best way of thanking congoons in saving his govt. He entirely forgets to make any reference to UK tragedy. How many Biharis are stuck of dead is not his concern . What help??

MB in WB is in her own slumber and Patnaik is itellectually moronic. None have made as much as a little squeak about this.
UP minister ridicules UK admin but forgets about providing any relief.

It is a known fact that Pilgrims from all over the country visit Badrinath and Kedarnath , more so from these mentioned state.

Except Tn , I have not heard anything in Newspaper/TV from CM of southern states.

Something from Assam and Rajasthan and Haryana and Punjab.

Pappu comes back from Spain to relieve pain of UK and does a sorti and photo op. Congis go gaga over this

Make your own investigation as to who is better.

xposting

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 26 Jun 2013 19:36

Well SwamyG , I checked all press releases given by CM relief fund.
There are mention of NaMo, Gahlot (Cheque by SisRam Ola) , Karanataka and Jayprakash Associate Ltd and there is a mention that other states have promised help

http://cm.uk.gov.in/upload/pressrelease ... se-859.pdf for 18/6/2013

I again checked Press Release till 25/6/2013 and I did not find mention of it.

Anyway

xposting

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 26 Jun 2013 19:49

NDMA guidelines on Minimum standards of relief.

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic ... Ue8b15NeOg

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 26 Jun 2013 19:59

Some pictures of Kedarnath

http://timesofindia.speakingtree.in/spi ... inal/16150

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 26 Jun 2013 20:19

CIA funded article. Read with a notion to augment our needs, rather from their needs.

http://www.livescience.com/23119-climat ... rcity.html

Many politically unstable areas of South Asia are "water-stressed," meaning the areas are facing water scarcity due to poor infrastructure or simply lacking enough water to meet demand.

The potential impacts of climate change on water scarcity could further inflame political tensions, finds a new report, "Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Security," released today (Sept. 12) by the National Research Council (NRC). Funding was provided by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 26 Jun 2013 20:37

Dos and Dont Website for anyone going to Himalaya or such trying pilgirmated and other tough Regions is need of the hour

***

1st Phase - Rescuing stranded
2nd Phase - Providing various facilities to stranded and taking stock of situation in the affected aread

3rd Phase - Rehabilitation

65 villages have been devastated. These people have seasonal business/naukri and they go down to foothills for other sundry works when the pilgrim season is over.

Patanjali Yogpeeth is charting out a plan, a package for rehabilitating such families and villages. First thing first is to provide them Grains/Flours/Pulses/Rice/Edible Oil/Masala/Essential medicines/Tarpauline/other rehabilitation material.

I offer my pranam to Ramdev and Balakrishna maharaj for taking the relieve work very systematically. They also know locals and have good rapport with people in higher and interial himalayas of Uttarakhand.

Learnt bread and other packed/processed food is rotting.

Many PSUs, RSS, NGOs are organizing very well planned relief work.

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 26 Jun 2013 20:56

After grand photo-op, Congress trucks for Uttarakhand stall - NDTV

But they are stranded en route with fuel running out. The drivers say nobody from the party or the government has contacted them with either assistance or directions. They claim they have no money to pay for meals or fuel. "Should we start selling these items, then," asked one of them.

Its the real nature of Congress, first they stalled trucks for 3 days for RG to flag off, now they are nowhere to go.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 26 Jun 2013 21:01

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 780742.cms

Geologist explains why Uttarakhand tragedy was man-made

Disaster management needs to be build into development

NEW DELHI: A day after Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna dismissed as "childish" suggestions that the flash floods in the state were man-made, one of the most respected Himalayan geologists in the country voiced a different view. Padma Shri awardee KS Valdiya told TOI that while "heavy rain and cloudbursts were natural, the tragedy that followed was entirely man-made".

Valdiya, an honorary professor at Bangalore's Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, said the heavy loss of life and property in the deluge was a result of "criminal oversight" over the decades of the state's geological features and water channels by various authorities.

"These features are well-mapped and documented. But engineers and builders choose to overlook them," said Valdiya, who comes from the state and has been studying the region for close to 50 years.

The geologist identified four major ways in which constructions flouted scientific norms. First, he said, the seismic faultlines of this earthquake-prone state were not kept in mind while building roads.

"These tectonic faultlines, which are active and see back-and-forth movements, have been cut in many places by roads. More dangerously, roads are built along the faultlines at many places. As a result, tiny seismic movements in the faultlines weaken the rocks at the base of the roads, making these stretches susceptible to cave-ins and slides," Valdiya said.

The second area of rampant neglect, the expert pointed out, was drainage. "I have never seen road engineers provisioning for draining out all rainwater that can possibly enter the stretch. Where one to two metre bridges are required, they build small culverts. At places where drains have been provided for, these are usually filled with debris."

Buildings have been constructed over old drains and streams, blocking the natural pathways of rainwater, he said. "One of the reasons for the devastation at Kedarnath was that people had constructed houses on the west stream of the Mandakini river that had been dry for decades. When the river returned to its old course following the deluge, these constructions were washed away," he added.

Valdiya said another type of transgression, similar to the previous one, was construction taking place on river flood ways. A flood way is the area covered by the river at the time of its biggest flooding in the past 100 years.

"In places along Alakananda/Ganga such as Karnaprayag and Rishikesh, constructions have taken place on the lower terraces which are part of the flood way. Sooner or later, water would get to these places," the expert said.

Lastly, Valdiya said roads have been built over the debris of previous landslides because it's costlier to build paths higher up on the hills where the rock is firmer.

"Sadly, the department geologists are often no more than rubber stamps, okaying everything the engineers say. Independent geologists are never consulted," he said.

Valdiya has written extensively on ways to avoid landslides in Uttarakhand. "But scientific engineering has very low priority in the state," he lamented. Unfortunately, the state pays with human lives and huge property losses because authorities do not pay attention to basic scientific principles.

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 26 Jun 2013 21:22

Nobody will speak about large dams constructed obstructing natural flow of rivers including that of Ganga, Hydel power projects and construction overburden thrown into flowing rivers. Rampant unchecked mining, unchecked blasting and tunnelling of hills.

Some Geologists are also chamchas of corrupt rulers

Ashok Sarraff · Post by **Ashok Sarraff** » 26 Jun 2013 21:32

From IBN: Kedarnath shrine was under snow for 400 years: Scientists

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kedarnath-sh ... 3-243.html

They point out that the period between 1300-1900 AD is known as Little Ice Age when a large portion of the earth was covered by the snow. It is believed that during the period Kedarnath temple and neighbouring are was covered by snow and became a part of glaciers.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 27 Jun 2013 00:00

Rock saved Kedarnath Temple[edit]
As the floods waters were carrying stones and boulders with it, one large rock that carried upto the temple and settled at the rear side of the Kedarnath Temple. This caused an obstruction to the debris and water which were coming down the mountain side, diverting the flow to the sides of the temple and effectively the main force of the flash flood was taken away from the temple, thus minimising the damage.[citation needed]

can someone post the pic of this rock.. this is very interesting.

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 27 Jun 2013 01:15

Smiling Sonia Gandhi and Vijay Bahuguna, Uttarakhand govt's insensitive ad blitzkrieg causes public outrage

At a time when Uttarakhand has been ravaged by floods and landslides, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna's stewardship of the state has come under scrutiny.And it's not just the state administration's below-par response that has caused public outrage.The advertisement blitzkrieg launched by it as part of an image makeover drive has only ended up adding salt to the wounds of the affected families.Like its relief operations in the state, the Bahuguna government could not even get the ads right as they were marked by spelling errors and have been described as "downright crass and insensitive".The first advertisement, carried by news dailies on Monday, contained photographs of a smiling UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister Bahuguna. Only Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in the mug-shot, did not betray any emotion

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 27 Jun 2013 03:04

Folks please dont post political news in this thread.

Try to stick to
- News about rescue efforts, unique stories, heroic episodes,
- News about geology, climate
- Disaster response by services, police, medics, self help orgs, lack of medicines etc..
- Recommended course of action for future (learning phase)

How to decide if the news is political or not?

Any news report that has a polticial party, leader or worker named, identified etc.

Trying to stay with in the forum guidelines and still function.

SriKumar · Post by **SriKumar** » 27 Jun 2013 04:29

SaiK wrote:
Rock saved Kedarnath Temple[edit]
As the floods waters were carrying stones and boulders with it, one large rock that carried upto the temple and settled at the rear side of the Kedarnath Temple. This caused an obstruction to the debris and water which were coming down the mountain side, diverting the flow to the sides of the temple and effectively the main force of the flash flood was taken away from the temple, thus minimising the damage.[citation needed]
can someone post the pic of this rock.. this is very interesting.

Here it is, it is at the bottom edge of the picture, right in the middle of the edge. In the picture, the rock is just behind the shikhara, and just as wide.
http://southnews.in/events/500-missing- ... -kedarnath

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 27 Jun 2013 04:48

Ajay Shukla:

http://www.business-standard.com/articl ... 016_1.html

Our Last recourse

Ajay Shukla

The Indian Air Force has imaginatively employed its new C-130J Super Hercules aircraft - six of which were purchased in 2010 from the United States for Rs 3,835 crore - to revive flagging rescue and relief efforts at Dharasu, in flood-hit Uttarakhand. With fuel running out for the Indian Air Force's Mi-17 helicopters that were flying relief missions from the small, 1,300-metre Dharasu airstrip, the C-130Js' game-changing ability to land on tiny airstrips was brought into play. Fully fuelled C-130Js flew in from Hindon (near Ghaziabad) and landed in Dharasu, each one unloading 8,000 litres of aviation fuel from its on-board tanks for use by the Mi-17s. On their return journey, the C-130Js ferried medically distressed people, making this a two-way air bridge.

This is just one recent example of military equipment and personnel becoming the instrument of last resort for overwhelmed administrators in disaster situations. The Gujarat earthquake in 2001; the Kashmir earthquake in 2005; the Ladakh flash floods in 2010; the Sikkim earthquake in 2011; and multiple flood relief operations highlight that the military is the only effective disaster response force in the country. And that the vast sums spent on the military and its equipment are not just insurance for some far-fetched threat of external aggression but real capability for situations that all too frequently move beyond the capacity of the other instruments of state.

Every one of India's military units has an official plan for "Aid to Civil Authorities" that is as carefully formulated as its plans for war. This spells out exactly what that unit will do when the government asks for help during flood, earthquake or breakdown of public order. When officially requisitioned by what the army still cheerfully calls "the civil administration", all its equipment is deployed to assist the people.

India's armed forces have proved equally useful during transnational natural disasters, such as the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. The Indian Navy put 30 vessels to sea in just 48 hours, providing desperately needed relief in coastal India, and across the region including Sri Lanka and Indonesia. So quick and effective was the navy's response that the US Pacific Command, which arrived later, openly acknowledged for the first time that the Indian Navy was the only regional force with the resources and will to exercise power across the Indian Ocean.

This careful planning and ability contrasts starkly with the bumbling ineptitude of local administrations, state disaster response forces and the National Disaster Management Authority, which wags say is a full-fledged disaster itself. If the Uttarakhand government seems overwhelmed, the reason - as is evident from the April 23 audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of the Uttarakhand Disaster Management Authority - is that the state has utterly failed to prepare for natural disasters. The Uttarakhand Disaster Management Authority, created in 2007, has never held a meeting; almost half the posts in the district emergency cells remain unfilled to this day.

A fatalistic Uttarakhand chief minister, Vijay Bahuguna, told CNN-IBN's Karan Thapar in an interview that there could be no actionable programme for the plethora of disasters - cloudbursts, glacier collapses and flooded rivers - that Uttarakhand might face. In his defence, he argued that no Indian state meets the norms of disaster management. This is factually true, but logically irrelevant.

Trying to show up Mr Bahuguna, Gujarat's chief minister arrived in Uttarakhand, putting together a surreal cameo performance entitled, "No Gujarati Left Behind" (I made up the title, but the rest is true). Ignoring the responses of other agencies, Narendra Modi and his crack team brainstormed till the wee hours, and then dispatched (according to one Times of India report, at least) 80 Toyota Innovas, four Boeings and a fleet of luxury buses to pluck a claimed 15,000 stranded Gujaratis from the sliding mud and swirling waters of Uttarakhand and transport them to safety. But while Mr Modi may rescue Gujaratis in an election year (why? I thought he was projecting himself as the leader of all Indians?), the rest of the citizenry must rely on the armed forces.

True, India's geography makes it essential for the military to play this role. It is equally true that even countries with functional governments call upon their militaries when situations legitimately escalate: remember Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans? But few countries do so as often as India, except perhaps Pakistan - and we know what that has led to. It must also be noted that the remoteness and vulnerability of so much of this otherwise teeming country are unquestionably the failure of the Indian state. When things go bad - whether in terms of security or natural disasters - there is always the military!

To remember what we often forget, the military must be nurtured as an important wing of government, our last recourse in dire need. The cold-eyed mandarins in New Delhi must commit the resources and attention that this instrument needs, remembering that this is not "non-productive expenditure", but a living organisation that must be continually replenished.

Tailpiece: I remember, during the 2002 J&K elections, which are widely regarded as a turning point for that troubled state, a 20-minute sortie that I flew in an Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter, which was conveying a polling team and an electronic voting machine from Doda to an isolated village high in the Pir Panjal. This was done so that 11 voters in that village could cast their ballots. On the evening of polling day, the Mi-17 went back to pick up the polling team. More than any flowery statements on India's democracy, this astonishing military effort to determine the democratic choice of 11 voters represents for me the triumph of India's electoral exercise.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 27 Jun 2013 05:06

SriKumar wrote:
Rock saved Kedarnath Temple[edit]
As the floods waters were carrying stones and boulders with it, one large rock that carried upto the temple and settled at the rear side of the Kedarnath Temple. This caused an obstruction to the debris and water which were coming down the mountain side, diverting the flow to the sides of the temple and effectively the main force of the flash flood was taken away from the temple, thus minimising the damage.[citation needed]
can someone post the pic of this rock.. this is very interesting.Here it is, it is at the bottom edge of the picture, right in the middle of the edge. In the picture, the rock is just behind the shikhara, and just as wide.
http://southnews.in/events/500-missing- ... -kedarnath

Amazing! mystic! fantastic!

Another thought, there are other smaller boulders that also helped to hold the larger boulder from behind. The arrangement of rocks really helped protect and divert the water pressure away from the temple, except perhaps some eddy currents.

Also note the angle of temple construction and the boulder.. both are parallel to each other. something to talk about for future architectures, that should respect natural forces.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 27 Jun 2013 05:42

Using crisis mapping to aid Uttarakhand

The international experience in recent years has proved that ‘crisis mapping’ can make a difference to disaster situations.

One such Uttarakhand flood relief effort, that aims to make use of ‘digital volunteers’ in India and other parts of the world to aggregate information from diverse sources and make it more useful and actionable has been launched by Hemant Purohit, a Crisis-Response Coordination researcher at the Ohio Center of Excellence in Knowledge-enabled Computing (Kno.e.sis), Wright State University.

And there exists an International Network of Crisis Mappers, which includes members with different skill sets, and experience in the use of tools covering crowdsourcing, mapping, use of aerial and satellite imagery, geospatial platforms, advanced visualisation and computational and statistical models.

What the volunteers are doing is to monitor different channels of information on Uttarakhand, including official sources, blogs, social media, non-governmental organisations, public networks and the news media to generate ‘situation reports’ and also update with vital information an online crisis map set up by the Google Crisis Response team (http://google.org/crisismap/2013-uttrakhand-floods? gl=in). The map has information on rescued people, cleared areas, people stranded, relief camps, medical centres, road networks and so on.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 27 Jun 2013 07:53

Uttarakhand havoc not due to cloudburst: Experts

Facing criticism that it didn't predict the cloudburst that ravaged Uttarakhand, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said Wednesday that cloudburst was not to blame for the disaster that has killed hundreds.

Rather, it were the intense rains in the Kedarnath-Badrinath sector that unleashed the death and destruction.

"Uttarakhand didn't get hit by a cloudburst. It were the intense rains," Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological office in Shimla, told IANS.

Explaining the reasons for the deluge in Kedarnath-Badrinath mountains, he said landslides were caused by heavy rains, caused by the clouds from the Bay of Bengal.

A simultaneous tropical storm system generating over the Mediterranean escalated the rains. {??}

"Thus, clouds from both the east and west gathered over the Kedarnath-Badrinath area and caused heavy rains. These triggered landslides and the havoc," he said.

Hundreds have died in the natural calamity since June 15. Thousands of others have been hit, and many are still stranded in remote hills.

According to meteorological terminology, a "cloudburst" occurs when a cloud empties out its water content at speeds of over 10 cm per hour for more than an hour at one place.

When this happens, the clouds are at an altitude of 12-13 km.

According to the Met office in Dehradun, the rainfall figures of June 14-17 in Uttarakhand showed that it was a gradual build-up.

On June 14, Dehradun had a rainfall of only 5 cm and Tehri 3 cm.

On June 15, the figures jumped to 22 cm in Dehradun, at Purola 17 cm, at Devprayag 13 cm, at Uttarkashi 13 cm and at Tehri 12 cm.

However, the next day rainfall was 37 cm in Dehradun, 24 cm in Mukteshwar, 22 cm Haridwar and 21 cm in Uttarkashi.

It was 18 cm in Mukteshwar, 22 cm in Champawat, 28 cm in Haldwani, 17 cm in Nainital and 12 cm in Ranikhet on June 17.

"The pattern of rain shows a sudden rise and heavy rainfall over the four days," an IMD official in Dehradun said.

"It also shows that the heavy rain covered a larger area over the four days, creating a catastrophe at Kedarnath, Badrinath, Joshimath and other nearby areas," the official said. {Overhead water tank got bigger in area and hence more water to flow after collecting over 4 days}

Moreover, the cloudburst is highly a localised phenomena and a freak disaster. It takes place at the foot of the typically steep hills and it recurs at a particular place, he said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has blamed the IMD for lack of warning on cloudburst.

"The IMD warning was not clear enough. It only said there would heavy rains and snowfall in the upper ridges. We were not warned about any cloudburst," Bahuguna told a news channel.

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 27 Jun 2013 10:49

I wish govt of India arrange single seater recon aircraft or Drones with hi-res camera to survey disaster affected areas, capable of broadcasting live images of area, surveying from different angles and different resolution and using imaging techniques like Infrared images etc etc.

No politician/CM/PM henceforth should go on aerial survey. Instead such recon ac and drones will give live feeds, if required 6-8 hours a day during the time of crisis to all the states' disaster relief cells or whosoever is involved/affected states.

Besides, satellites can also be used for area specific surveys. Still, If any state's politicians/CM/PM want to carry out a survey should launch their own drones and survey sitting in their offices/camps.

This should be done with immediate effect.

Stop using public money for survey, especially luxury surveys, when you have better options. + This will also save people's/state's resources, less problems to local.

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 27 Jun 2013 11:35

People should not be dependent on IMD or state weather forecasting (if any) machinery for forecasting weather.

Plenty of affordable weather prediction apparatus are available in international market + there hundreds of android apps available that can provide necessary info on fingertips. These can be installed at all such places where bad weather can create chaos.

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and ... nd-1133952

People should be trained.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 27 Jun 2013 11:37

yes but murugan-ji, all those apps need data - and that data only comes from a few sources

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 27 Jun 2013 12:48

Even if it comes from only one source why not go for it? Why not generate our own data by investing in developing buying such system. This would be a better investment than flying uselessly, aimlessly in people funded luxury aircraft mostly without an iota of knowledge about disaster relief and experience? Why dont we let experts in such fields take up aerial surveys and take first hand view of what is happening from above. Their survey will actually benefit in a big way not by selected politicians and sometimes morons.

LM-ji
I use eWeather HD with my android device. it cost me 200 rupees. It gives fair amount of weather forecast. Prediction of rain is 70% turns out to be true. They use satellites and feeds from local weather stations to predict rains, windspeed, wind direction, even geomagnetic storms, barometric pressure, temperature, even it predicts expected amount of precipitation. If in the US, it takes help of doppler radars for accurate prediction. Why not invest more in these fields for our own instead.

eWeather
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... JDbG9jayJd

**

If weather balloons can be launched to monitor weather, I am sure drones can do it for larger area being highly mobile and because it can be controlled easily.

**

They can also show PM looking at sat pictures of affected areas, sitting with experts and understanding with gloomy face and show it to public for political mileage or to show that they care for people, genuine.

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 27 Jun 2013 13:04

E.g. Right Now my eWeather shows
Joshimath - updated 1 minute ago
35° C Mostly sunny
Feels like 43° C
Chance of Precipitation 55%
Amount of Precipitation 6.5mm
Pressure 731mmHg
Humidity 56%
Wind 9km/h E, Light Breeze
Weather Station - Palam
Measure 59 mins a go
Weather Forecast Provided Foreca.com
Geomagnetic storm index 2
etc

***

Btw, every taluka places are supposed to have an observatory and weather cock equipped with other appratus + all the near major riparian towns + at all the major dams. These can be networked and data can be made available on websites.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 27 Jun 2013 13:26

yes but sirji - who is gathering the data and pulling it together for disemination? its not your app-wala's -they source it from some agency - most likely being the met service

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 27 Jun 2013 13:30

Lalmohan wrote:yes but sirji - who is gathering the data and pulling it together for disemination? its not your app-wala's -they source it from some agency - most likely being the met service

It is obvious I know, I mentioned it too that the provider of Data acquire from Palam, New Delhi. But are we discussing who is providing data or using available data. Why dont we use it properly, that is the point and not how scanty data is and who provide it. Why dont we strengthen the available resources.

We are supposed to be pioneer in software and very good in satellite etc, cant we make it available to general public more efficiently and allow only experts to take up aerial surveys. That is all we are discussing.

If foreca.com provide our govt data in such a nice presentable pleasant format for Rs. 200, why not our state/district/taluka level administration. Who stops us from displaying these data at various spots everywhere?

We can also make people aware about barometric pressure humidity, danger levels of pressure, windspeed, precipitation at such spots, FM/MW/SW/Private/Govt radio stations can be given direct link to weather stations, they can easily broadcast weather bulletins simultaneously at a certain interval.

Instead of displaying hoardings by chamcha sponsored birthday wishes to politicians, why not a weather prediction/status digital boards at town centres?

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 27 Jun 2013 14:31

How other people monitor our weather:

http://www.mountain-forecast.com/

Click the link, their system will pick up your location and will give weather forecasts for mountain locations near your place.

For Himalaya, click Greater Himalaya from drill down menu, if searching manually.

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 27 Jun 2013 14:58

This can be called as sincere efforts. Weather forecast available to mankind for free.

This is for Kedarnath. Forecast at different elevation is given.

http://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Kedarnath

Such info can also be used.

Giving people info about such sites will also help.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 27 Jun 2013 15:24

SaiK wrote:
Rock saved Kedarnath Temple[edit]
As the floods waters were carrying stones and boulders with it, one large rock that carried upto the temple and settled at the rear side of the Kedarnath Temple. This caused an obstruction to the debris and water which were coming down the mountain side, diverting the flow to the sides of the temple and effectively the main force of the flash flood was taken away from the temple, thus minimising the damage.[citation needed]
can someone post the pic of this rock.. this is very interesting.

This was pointed out on 22nd when I noticed the Boulder and then there was A tv Report .

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 5#p1474265

I could get footage of TV report which showed the boulder.
http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 1#p1474271

This was indeed a miraculous escape. The picture posted by Srikumar has been circulated widely now, I Think. It is very clear. The Boulder is buried about 8 feet in debris and about 4-8 feet shown above he ground. This inference is based on the fact that there is platform which is about 8 feet high all around the temple. Then temple itself is about 80 Feet wide (read somewhere, can confirm exact dimension later) and has 12 feet thick wall and 80 feet high. I think boulder must be about 16 feet and 20-30 feet lodged behind and could be part of cracked kedar dome . Though these things may be clear. It could be quite fascinating to calculate the amount of water and the force required to roll such a boulder.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 27 Jun 2013 18:09

no close up shot, and all of them are at distance. that video is not a video but a collection of photos.

someone should get close up shot, near enough to get a measure of both the boulder and the temple width, and the inner space between the temple and the boulder. more data on these could reveal more exciting data.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 27 Jun 2013 18:49

I remember seeing a TV programme on this as well. It has reporter walking up to that Boulder.
The dimension is only approximations and based on what I was reading about the temple so far.
But this should certainly be studied. I will post some data if I get it.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 27 Jun 2013 19:06

Built in the pre-medieval Katyuri spire style, an off-shoot of the Nagar architectural classification, the imposing 85 ft high, 187 ft long and 80 ft wide (with 12 ft thick walls), Kedarnath temple is constructed on a 6 ft high platform, and dominates the town.

Kedarnath Temple is imposing in its style and architecture. Built in the pre-medieval Katyuri spire style, an off-shoot of the Nagar architectural classification, the imposing 85 ft. high, 187 ft. long and 80 ft. wide (with 12 ft. thick walls), Kedarnath temple is constructed on a 6 ft. high platform, and dominates the town. The temple faces south, which is a unique feature, as most temples face east. This temple is very solidly built.

The Kedarnath Temple is believed to have been built by the Pandavas and is almost 1000 years old. The present temple built in 18th century A.D. by Adi Guru Shankaracharya lies adjacent to the site of an ancient temple built by Pandavas.

The inner walls of the assembly hall are decorated with fixtures of various deities and scenes from mythology. Built of extremely large heavy and evenly cut gray Slavs of stones. It evokes wonder as to how these heavy Slavs had been handled in the earlier days.The entrance of the temple has a conical lingam- the main idol, a statue of Nandi - the celestial bull of Shiva, a 'GarbhaGriha' for worship and a mandap for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors.

A conical rock formation inside the temple is worshipped as Lord Shiva in His Sadashiva form.

Inside the temple there is an irregular three-faced linga, representing the hump of LordShiva when he took the form of a bull. It is about 9 ft long, 3 feet wide and 4 feet high. Pilgrims are allowed to touch thelinga, perform worship, abhisheka (bath), and massage the linga with ghee. There are deities of Goddess Parvati and Ganesh in front of the main altar door.

Outside the second door are Lord Krishna, the five Pandavas, their wife Draupadi, and their mother, Kunti. In the temple is a Laksmi-Narayana deity which was installed by AdiShankaracharya. Outside the temple door a large statue of the Nandi bull stands as guard.

http://www.indianscriptures.com/Article ... ?ANO=27607

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 27 Jun 2013 19:26

http://www.abpnews.newsbullet.in/photos ... 9-09-19-08

some photos of shrine.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 27 Jun 2013 19:26

The local institutions which have related expertise say from civil engg for hydrology related studies, geology dept and sciences (CS, math, physics) and the atmospheric sciences should setup a wide area ground network to collect various kinds data continuously and feed in to the data collection networks. The new IITs setup in the region can play a role here for sure. They can even have their own online setups to do local micro-forecasts based on the data they collect along with macro-scale data available from around the world. Something like what was done for Tsunami monitoring (by INCOIS Hyderabad) could be setup for the Himalayan region with a multi institution collaboration, where fall back option will always exist during calamities.

These kind of activities are usually the bread and butter of applied research in US universities that feed in and support local communities making their presence in the neighborhood more relevant.

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 27 Jun 2013 19:26

The Kedarnath Temple is believed to have been built by the Pandavas and is almost 1000 years old. The present temple built in 18th century A.D. by Adi Guru Shankaracharya lies adjacent to the site of an ancient temple built by Pandavas.

http://www.indianscriptures.com/Article ... ?ANO=27607[/quote]

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Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 27 Jun 2013 19:27

Bade wrote:The local institutions which have related expertise say from civil engg for hydrology related studies, geology dept and sciences (CS, math, physics) and the atmospheric sciences should setup a wide area ground network to collect various kinds data continuously and feed in to the data collection networks. The new IITs setup in the region can play a role here for sure. They can even have their own online setups to do local micro-forecasts based on the data they collect along with macro-scale data available from around the world. Something like that was done for Tsunami monitoring could be setup for the Himalayan region with a multi institution collaboration, where fall back option will always exist during calamities.

These kind of activities are usually the bread and butter of applied research in US universities that feed in and support local communities making their presence in the neighborhood more relevant.

+1