Nightmare Waiting to Happen

What the people of Kathmandu witnessed on Saturday was undoubtedly one of the most tragic natural phenomenon to occur since the 1900s. Thepowerful earthquake , 7.9 on the Richter scale destroyed the capital of Nepal. It shook several cities across northern India, and was felt as far away as Lahore in Pakistan, Lhasa in Tibet, and in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The death toll is expected to be around 3300, rising with each and every passing second.

Unlike any other earthquake, this particular earthquake could have been foreseen to some extent. Despite being warned well in advance, the Nepal Government failed to take up any measures to prevent destruction to land or property.

How it all happened?

Billions of years ago, India was a separate island which struck Asia thus becoming a part of it. This collision continues even till this date occurring at a pace of 1-2 inches per year and has given rise to a few of the highest peaks in the world. As the plates push against each other, friction generates stress and energy that builds until the crust ruptures, Every few decades, this very phenomenon sets off a few of the most devastating earthquakes in this region.

The National Society for Earthquake Technology reported that ever since 1255 in the region- known as the Indus-Yarlung region-experiences an earthquake averaging in about 8 magnitude approximately every 75 years. The previous such earthquake happened in 1934 when close to 10,000 lives were lost in the eastern parts of Nepal.  

Hospitals Fail

This earthquake has not only destroyed both life and property, but has also exposed the massive loophole in medical facilities such as hospitals in Nepal. It is astonishing to find that a country with a population of approximately 27.8 million people has only 2.1 million doctors and only about 50 hospital beds for every 10,000 people(according to a WHO report). While Nepal's healthcare facilities are limited, they quickly become much worse outside its major cities. Remote regions have only very basic medical centres that are ill-equipped to handle serious injuries.

Although predicting the exact date and location of the earthquake is almost impossible, this incident clearly points out the negligence of the Government System in Nepal. Only about a week ago, over 50 seismologists and social scientist from all around the world came to Kathmandu to try and figure out how to help the poor on but in vein. Scientists said that it was 'a nightmare waiting to happen'. None of them expected a phenomenon of such high magnitude as early as Saturday. 

Cholera Outbreak?

Another major issue is that Nepal is already facing the problem of cholera. Thus, doctors fear that the outbreak of cholera( due to unavailability of fresh water) may end up killing more people than the earthquake itself. It has been estimated that nearly 20% of the population of Nepal is at risk for infection by cholera.  Every year, there are reports of cholera outbreaks from rural and urban locales, including parts of the country that are remote and difficult to access. The hill districts of the mid-western and far western development regions are particularly at high risk due to inadequate public health facilities and poor water and sanitation conditions.

Due to overcrowding of hospitals all around the country, people are forced to make tents outside the facilities including around nearby sewers. These are the very sewers in which people cook lentils on kerosene cylinders.

Despite all this, the Nepalese government has taken very small steps to help the distressed masses.

What you can do?

Well praying does help, but sometimes better things can be done. There is no point sitting and feeling sad about what has happened. Donate even the least possible.

https://secure.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.9274575/k.FD90/Nepal_Earthquake_Childrens_Relief_Fund/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp

Crime is Crime

Picture this. You are a vendor. You toil day in and out under the sun to earn money for your family. Now one day, a boy, who probably can't afford to pay for a fruit, quietly pockets one. What would you do? Scream at him, make a scene? Or give a lecture on morals and righteousness? Would you take pity and let him go? Well, whatever your reaction be, here in India, we kill him.

It is a rather sad irony that people who commit much heinous crimes, escape easily while those who have committed such petty thefts are the ones that end up losing their life.

Four years. It took the Indian Judiciary four long years to execute Ajmal Kasab. The Supreme Court is not to blame for such a delayed decision. Yes, there may have been a number of incidents to look into. This may perhaps be one of the quickest judgments on a case of such a large scale. A rather great achievement for the Indian Judiciary.

However, today, it gives me great discomfort to unfold the newspaper, and to see the very first headline read out, “15 year Old Boy Beaten to Death for Stealing a Mango”. Moreover, this was a murder committed by a vegetable seller who had absolutely no knowledge of law. What gives such people the rights to take law into their own hands? And that too till death? And for a crime as small as stealing a fruit?

“All crime is a kind of disease and should be treated as such”

-Mahatma Gandhi

Yes, crime is crime. Be it stealing a fruit or killing over hundred people. Crime is crime and must be treated alike. Yes, it would have been different if the boy had been sentenced to death by a court of justice. But the fact that steams me is that today, ordinary people like a fruit vendor have decided to kill whosoever they want.

Now, who is to blame? The police? Or the Judiciary? Or the Prime Minister of the country for not providing enough food/money for all?  How is it possible for a man who's lost his cool to just kill anyone he wishes to? But wait, ever more  astonishing was the fact that there was no passerby who could muster the guts and stop the injustice from taking place. And then it is these very people who will be criticizing the governing powers the next day. People must be taught that the "Ache din" that were promised to us cannot be only the government's initiative, it has to be a people's initiative too.

The story of the boy has no relation to the Indian judiciary. But it is a fact that the culprit escapes without any punishment; merely a few years of imprisonment. While an international terrorist was given 4 years to defend himself, the poor child was left to die at the hands of a rather ruthless vendor. This incident clearly shows that today, people do not care about the law. Or rather they do not fear the law. The consequences are minimal and they take advantage of this very fact.

India today, is not the great country we call it to be. And it will never become the great country we want it to be, unless such unmindful people are taught a lesson. Law is a powerful weapon that should be wielded only by those who have the capacity to do so, and not merely every alternate vendor from whom an innocent, perhaps starving boy has a stolen fruit.