Opinion West Bengal governor writes: What global examples show — we can never be too prepared for calamities

Those who think that government’s permission is enough to go against Earth’s vitals hammer and tongs would do well to check whether they have got the permission of Mother Earth for their designs

Waterlogging in Kolkata in wake of Cyclone Remal (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

C V Ananda Bose

May 28, 2024 10:28 AM IST First published on: May 27, 2024 at 12:40 PM IST

Cyclone Remal makes us reflect on the vagaries of nature. The increase in global temperatures is at least in part because of the flaws in modern man’s lifestyle. This adversely affects the climate. Sea levels rise and calamities like floods occur as a result. If the situation continues like this, cities like London, New York, Chennai and Bangkok will be submerged in the sea, warn scientists.

In areas through which the river Mississippi flows in the US, havoc wrought by hurricanes and the floods that come in their wake, is a recurring phenomenon. Katrina’s danse macabre in 2005 was also on the banks of the Mississippi. About 85 per cent of New Orleans was submerged. This same town would have been destroyed by the heavy floods of 1927 when the Mississippi was in spate, but it was saved because of a crucial decision taken by the administration. They used dynamite to open up a new way for the overflowing river to drain into the sea. There was stiff opposition to this decision as many people feared that houses would be washed away by the sudden surge of water. But ignoring all protests, the authorities went ahead with their decision.

The havoc caused by floods is a cause of perennial sorrow for America. It was surprising that a nation with tremendous resources and technological excellence could not put in place the necessary infrastructure to effectively check natural calamities.

Japan is one of the wealthiest and most advanced nations. It has found answers to many of its problems with the help of science and technology and is at the vanguard of the electronics revolution that has swept the world. There is also a huge Japanese imprint on the global automobile sector. Yet, the country has not been able to find a solution to its perennial problem of earthquakes. Japan accounts for nearly 20 per cent of all earthquakes of magnitude 6 and above on the Richter scale.

Also Read | Cyclone Remal causes havoc in West Bengal: 1 dead in Kolkata, streets waterlogged, trees uprooted, trains cancelled

Japan suffered one of its worst earthquakes in 1923. Almost the entire cities of Tokyo and Yokohama were laid to waste, and over 3,00,000 houses crumbled. As the quake hit, deep cracks suddenly appeared on the roads, and hundreds of cars and thousands of people hurtled down them. Tokyo’s buildings collapsed like houses of cards, and gas leaks caused extensive fires, forcing people to run for their lives. People ran towards the rivers to escape the fury of the conflagrations, but the surge of the crowds was so great that many wooden bridges collapsed, unable to withstand their weight.

The number of fatalities in this quake was over 1,40,000 — almost as high as the toll from the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima. Surprisingly, one high-rise building in Tokyo withstood the ravages of the quake — the Imperial Hotel, designed by the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. He had designed it to be a quake-resistant structure.

The fury of the quake opened Japan’s eyes. With sustained efforts on the technology front, Japan has today evolved a mechanism to effectively deal with calamities of this kind. In Tokyo, for instance, it has constructed quake-resistant reservoirs capable of holding drinking water sufficient to meet the city’s needs for 10 days. Similar is the case with storehouses of food for a comparable period.

Each country may have its own tragic story of a natural disaster. The 1985 quake that ravaged Mexico was so severe that its impact was felt in Houston in the US, 1,200 km away. For rescue efforts, canines proved more effective than humans — in sniffing out those trapped in the debris of crashed buildings, trained dogs rendered an invaluable service.

The truth is that despite best efforts, it is not possible to predict all calamities. For example, while the US has a comprehensive earthquake hazards programme named the Parkfield Prediction Experiment that makes use of sophisticated equipment and advanced technology, generally speaking, earthquake prediction mechanisms are far from foolproof.

In China, Pakistan, India and in several other places, we have faced earthquakes and other natural disasters in which lakhs of people perished and vast areas were laid to waste. But we should remember that what we have heard so far was not the roar of the earth but its murmur.

The writer is Governor, West Bengal