Indian Express, December 26
The sound of a rough, menacing sea worries Thasan Gnanprakasam the least these days. The 67-year-old fisherman casts a worried eye towards the sea ahead, about 2 km from the sparkling row of ‘tsunami’ houses where he lives. The sight of the blue sea is hidden. When he wakes up and steps out to breathe the salty air, it is the sight of domes of nuclear reactors that greet him. This is Thasan’s new worry.

The Tamil Nadu Government is worried about the delay in the signing of the new Russia-India intergovernmental agreement for four more reactors for the Rs 14,000 crore Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant near the sea side, about 85 km from Tirunelveli town. When finally commissioned, the plant will supply 2,000 MW to the country, including about 800 MW to Tamil Nadu. But the 1,500-odd Idunthakarai inhabitants - who shifted to their new colony after their village was washed away by the tsunami three years back - fear a possible nuclear leak.

Tirunelveli District Collector, G Prakash, told The Indian Express that the colony had been built by an NGO for 450 families, after consultations with the Gram Sabha and the beneficiaries. Moreover, the authorities also stuck to the prescribed nuclear safety norms while building the residential colony close to a nuclear power plant, he added.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board prescribes an exclusion zone around a nuclear power plant of a radius of 1.6 km. The Tsunami colony is 1.8 km away, about 200 metres outside the exclusion zone.
(more…)

Pune, Nov 24 (IANS) A series of mild tremors, measuring up to 4.3 on the Richter scale, were experienced in parts of Maharashtra Saturday afternoon, the Meteorological Department here said.

Koinu region in the state experienced a slight intensity earthquake at 16.28 hours (IST).
Its epicentre was located at 17.0 degrees North latitude and 74.0 degrees East longitude.
It was followed by two more tremors in the same region.

By Anis Ahmed

DHAKA (Reuters) - Grieving survivors and rescuers picked through the rubble left in the wake of a super cyclone that battered Bangladesh as the death toll reached over 2,200 on Sunday and a government official declared the disaster “a national calamity”.

Mohammad Abdur Rob, chairman of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, said the overall death toll from the cyclone could reach 10,000.

“Based on our experience in the past and reports from the scene I would guess the death toll may be as high as 10,000,” he told Reuters.

Bangladesh officials also expected the death toll to rise as the search for hundreds of people missing after Thursday night’s storm intensified.

Military ships and helicopters were trying to reach thousands of people believed stranded on islands in the Bay of Bengal and in coastal areas still cut off by the devastating storm.

The disaster ministry had recorded 2,217 deaths by Sunday evening, but local media put the figure at more than 3,000. A much improved disaster preparedness plan has been credited with saving scores of lives.

Local officials in affected areas say the death toll given by the ministry is far below the real numbers.

“Some 2,000 people have died in my area alone,” said Anwar Panchayet, chairman of Southkhali, in the district of Bagerhat.

More…

Dhaka, Nov 15 (DPA) A powerful cyclone buffeted the southern Bangladesh coast Thursday after its peripheral winds touched off high waves and floods on the country’s islands, officials said.

Nearly a million people living in coastal villages were moved to safe locations as forecasters expected the storm to batter the coast with winds of more than 200 km per hour.

Disaster management officials said over 50,000 Red Cross volunteers and members of civil defence groups were put on alert ahead of the cyclone’s landfall.

A red alert was sounded as the country’s interim government closed airports, seaports and ferry stations.

More…

Irwan Firdaus, Associated Press

Indonesia’s deadly Mount Kelud spewed fresh clouds of smoke Monday, and the temperature of its crater lake soared.

Scientists said an eruption now could be much stronger than the last time the volcano blew its top in 1990.

At least two more of Indonesia’s approximately 100 active volcanoes also were emitting smoke, with one—Anak Krakatau —spitting glowing stones and lava as well, illustrating the powerful seismic forces under the archipelago.

More…

A.K.Gupta, ZNet

The Revolution, Gil Scott-Heron prophesized, will not be televised, but at least the apocalypse will. It will be televised and googled, blogged, vlogged and 24-7 entertainment. It will be a CNN special; it will star fleeing celebrities and a cast of millions; it will be sponsored by that delightful cockney-accented gecko (and a multitude of oil companies).

Empowered by our media-rich environment, we can chronicle nonstop the minutiae and magnitude of mega environmental disasters.

How times have changed.

More…

15 killed in rain-hit TN, schools closed tomorrow

Chennai (IBNlive.com): Broken trees, flooded roads and countless umbrellas - Chennai was a victim of continuous rainfall on Sunday.

Thirteen people have died so far and the warning of more rains has shut down schools and colleges across the state.

What’s worse, there is no respite at least for the next two days - that’s according to the Met department. And while the rain meant a respite from the heat, not many were happy with the downpour.

(More…)

Rehabilitation expert Mihir Bhatt trades notes with US Senator HILLMAN FRAZIER who had a key part in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts

Mihir Bhatt, director, All India Disaster Mitigation Institute, India’s leading action research organisation working in five states, met Mississippi State Senator Hillman Frazier, who played a key role in addressing the impact of Hurricane Katrina in the US, with a direct focus on citizens and budgets. Frazier discussed ways to improve Indo-US collaboration in reducing risks in communities.
(More…)