A fresh danger is looming after the deluge that swept away more than 1,500 people on the Nepal-Tibet border. There are fears that a newly formed lake of rising water could burst its banks in Tibet. China has warned there is a “high risk” that a lake which formed after the recent landslide may breach its banks, causing a second flood downstream.
Till today, an estimated 2.5 million cubic metres of water has accumulated at the barrier lake near the Nepal-Tibet border, official Chinese television said. This barrier lake, which was created at the confluence of Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, had started to overflow on Thursday. In Nepal, authorities have alerted people living near Bhotekashi river to leave the area as the water level is rising. The flash flood in Bhotekashi river on August 26 caused devastation in eight districts of Nepal. The death toll is rising and more than 1,500 people, including 290 Indians, are reported missing.
Questions arise: Why did the flash flood occur? Where did the glacier break and at what height? Was there negligence on part of China in alerting Nepal about the flash flood? Are the dams being built by China on the border dangerous for both Nepal and India? Nepal’s National Disaster Management Authority has issued alert saying that the flow of Lhende river 18 km away from Rasuagarhi border has stopped, creating an artificial lake, which can break anytime. China claims, the glacier broke because of an earthquake, but the US Geological Survey says, the flash flood was not the result of a 4.4 scale earthquake, but because a glacier broke and fell.
USGS says, the glacier first broke and one of its parts fell from 5,200 metre height to a depth of 1,200 metres. The tremors are being attributed to an earthquake. China is trying to mislead about why the glacier broke. It did not share real time info with Nepal because the flash flood came 45 minutes later. China’s second mistake is its illegal construction of Xiaokang villages in Tibet’s eco-sensitive zone. These modern, spacious settlements feature robust infrastructure (roads, power, and communication) and are designed to house both civilians and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel for rapid mobilization in border areas. Another reason for the glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is indiscriminate mining being carried out by China in Kerung, Tibet.
The Tibetan plateau holds immense reserves of strategic materials, including copper, lithium, gold, chromium, zinc, and lead, and Chinese companies are aggressively exploring these high altitude deposits. This has resulted in diversion of Trishuli river’s natural route. Nobody knows exactly how many people have died in the deluge. 393 bodies are yet to be identified, and the toll has crossed 538. India, on its part, has provided quick humanitarian assistance to Nepal by sending two plane loads of relief and rescue materials. The world is praising India’s pro-active role in relief work. This is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s style of working, when disasters strike, whether in Nepal or Turkey. Indian rescue teams, doctors and relief material were the first to reach the spot. Modi’s experience of rescue and rehabilitation after the 2002 Gujarat earthquake has come in handy.
Why protest for reforms in reservation?
Union Minister J. P. Nadda had a meeting yesterday with leaders of Reservation Reforms Movement. These leaders, including Harsh Dubey, Ranbahadur Singh Chauhan and Mrityunjay Pathak, had staged a big protest at Jantar Mantar on August 21. The movement leaders said, the meeting was positive and another round will be held on September 7. Harsh Dubey said, his team wants the government to introduce reforms in reservation, so that those who really deserve it get support from the state.
An impression was earlier created that these activists want an end to caste-based reservation system. A perception was created that these activists are from upper castes like Brahmin, Thakur, etc. who want an end to reservation. After hearing their views, this apprehension has been removed. The protesters say, they want reforms in reservation. Clearly, there is scope for reforms everywhere, but these reforms should benefit only those who really need reservation. The main point is that there must be no injustice to any caste or class.
Prepare for 2036 Olympics right now
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing Khelo India dialogue, said, youths in India must start preparations right now for 2036 Olympics. He suggested that players from the age of 5 till 15 years must be identified now so that they can be trained for 2036 Olympics. Modi explained why India ranks far below in Olympics medal tally. He said, Indian players do not participate in more than half of the games in Olympics.
For example, in 2012 Olympics, India participated in only 13 games and stayed away from 20 other games. Modi is right. India stays away from many of the games that feature in Olympics. Most of our medals are won in wrestling, boxing and some other disciplines. If we prepare our players for other disciplines, there is scope for increasing our medal tally.
Modi is right when he says that to achieve this, we must create an ecosystem. The problem is that most of our sports federations, particularly state level sports bodies, are in the hands of those who pay little attention to coaching, training and sports infrastructure. Their only focus is on how to run their shops. They have nothing to do with players or games. They use their positions in sports federations to get their own work done. They place themselves as contenders for tickets in elections.