Sunday, August 30, 2009
The concept of life
Chandrayaan-1 mission was earlier a two year mission, now likely to be reduced to about one - CNN, BBC, The Hindu . Juxtaposing, something similar is happening with the country’s buildings too, some failing during their service and some overused - CNN, BBC, The Hindu . Not aiming to demean the creativity, hard efforts and marvellous work by the engineers; consideration of this ‘working life’ too lightly by them, could have its bearing on the culture of casualness. Perhaps, as casual a consideration, towards the ‘working life’ of creatures who work at the construction sites.
Friday, August 28, 2009
The impact of current drought on building masons in India
The after-effects of a natural rain drought is such that it starts affecting a common rural building mason straight away. Earlier half-dependent on his crops and half on nearby people, he now starts to migrate to cities or other places looking for work which would earn. He could have changed his profession, which he many a times does, but now the scale of a new economy and construction boom in India provides him work requiring almost the same skill set, thus a more relevant source of livelihood - mind this, just the livelihood.
To tackle this near chronic problem some programmes backed by the government are already in place, but they lack the support and vigour they need to address the scale within which they exist; so egalitarians are disenchanted. Now it seems, one surrogate alternative that everybody has accepted is that managing the country’s economics shall improve lives. The Indian policy makers have declared that they have heaved a respite sigh, because the estimated GDP is around 9% expected this year, and the failure of agriculture because of lack of water i.e. the rains would lead to only 1% reduction to the above GDP. In other words, the high GDP will absorb the drought shock, and the failure of agriculture because of lack in water improvement policies of the country would not stunt country’s growth again this year.
The claim from above is that people will lead better lives, but which kind of people, is yet to be clarified. For the GDP, of which more than fifty percent mainly comes from the service sector and twenty another from manufacturing, is it a straight forward answer that more than eighty percent population of the country affected by this drought will benefit? Building workers are a major chunk of them. However, it seems that although policies aim for equality, the polity is concerned about its vote bank. Arguably, I will still term this populist news that the government quickly declared 246 districts (out of around 500) in the country as drought affected and special measures are needed, as something positive. The states have been informed to do their best bit and the centre would pay along with. Store enough food in the granaries and guarantee 100 man day labour job. Keep the poor man alive... I call this positive (though not really comparable to the humanist claim for better living conditions), because doing or saying something is way better than keeping mum, as has been in the past. Also, it is a little better that hurrying up with relief trucks.
One obvious way is by channelizing the GDP earnings towards these people suffering. But, for how long will the numbers work in favour? One fundamental way to arrest this seemingly chronic problem could be by improving the skills, capacities and living conditions of these workmen. These improved skills shall then also be helpful for constructing the badly needed quality water management infrastructure, so to say, to manage drought and floods, which must come in place sooner rather than later. In other words, asking for radical improvements in the way water is managed, as well as expecting improvement in the capacities of the construction workforce, is a dire need of today.
To tackle this near chronic problem some programmes backed by the government are already in place, but they lack the support and vigour they need to address the scale within which they exist; so egalitarians are disenchanted. Now it seems, one surrogate alternative that everybody has accepted is that managing the country’s economics shall improve lives. The Indian policy makers have declared that they have heaved a respite sigh, because the estimated GDP is around 9% expected this year, and the failure of agriculture because of lack of water i.e. the rains would lead to only 1% reduction to the above GDP. In other words, the high GDP will absorb the drought shock, and the failure of agriculture because of lack in water improvement policies of the country would not stunt country’s growth again this year.
The claim from above is that people will lead better lives, but which kind of people, is yet to be clarified. For the GDP, of which more than fifty percent mainly comes from the service sector and twenty another from manufacturing, is it a straight forward answer that more than eighty percent population of the country affected by this drought will benefit? Building workers are a major chunk of them. However, it seems that although policies aim for equality, the polity is concerned about its vote bank. Arguably, I will still term this populist news that the government quickly declared 246 districts (out of around 500) in the country as drought affected and special measures are needed, as something positive. The states have been informed to do their best bit and the centre would pay along with. Store enough food in the granaries and guarantee 100 man day labour job. Keep the poor man alive... I call this positive (though not really comparable to the humanist claim for better living conditions), because doing or saying something is way better than keeping mum, as has been in the past. Also, it is a little better that hurrying up with relief trucks.
One obvious way is by channelizing the GDP earnings towards these people suffering. But, for how long will the numbers work in favour? One fundamental way to arrest this seemingly chronic problem could be by improving the skills, capacities and living conditions of these workmen. These improved skills shall then also be helpful for constructing the badly needed quality water management infrastructure, so to say, to manage drought and floods, which must come in place sooner rather than later. In other words, asking for radical improvements in the way water is managed, as well as expecting improvement in the capacities of the construction workforce, is a dire need of today.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
A thought on common reporting of infrastructure and building projects across India
I stumbled upon this blog last night. Basically, it is a take-on and an encapsulation of the short decadal history of Bandra-Worli Sea link. The article’s concerns are obvious, and it stands apart from the usual ones going gaga over the structure.
An important need is reflected by such article, and many similar which we frequently come across on newspapers and mass print magazines. Written with personal passion, cavernously universal concern, with a sprinkle of sensationalism, and a little lack of engineering insight - today’s reporting reflects the need for quality articles which provide non-biased reports of such intricate engineering projects abundant across the country.
On other hand, such projects are rarely highlighted as an achievement, which are executed by engineers and workmen under hostile and difficult site conditions; many risking and many loosing their lives, to say the least.
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