Fighting desertification: how about some regional cooperation?

There we were – journalists and experts from different countries, discussing, exploring a common problem: Desertification, Drought and Land Degradation (DDLD). It was eating up our land, pushing us at equal risk of losing food security. Yet there were absolutely no words on how we could fight it – together!

Feeling the moving sand: the sand is constantly shifting, which means, the effort to create a green cover must also remain constant.

I was in  Inner Mongolia from 22^nd to 25^th. If you didn't know this already, the land of Genghis Khan is actually divided into two parts: outer and inner Mongolia. While Outer Mongolia is an independent, sovereign country, Inner Mongolia is actually a province within China. I was in the latter part, in its biggest city called Chifeng (locals pronounce it as ‘Chrifong’) where the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) organized a media workshop on desertification, drought and land degradation (DDLD - an issue that affects over 1.5 billion people globally) in collaboration with the government of China and Xinhua News Agency. Altogether, there were journalists and experts from 10 Asian countries.

On the first and the third day of the event, activities were held indoor. We heard a team experts throwing light on a number of matters related to DDLD: the what, why, where, when and how.  But the 2^nd day was set aside for a field trip.  The trip took us to three specific spots where the forestry department of Mongolia, the locals and the federal government of Beijing were running some ‘combat desertification’ projects with the best possible tool:  aforestation. The three projects sites were Qihetang (pronounces ‘Xihetang’) n Linxi County, Sudu in Wengniuta County and Taipingdi in Songsan County.

Everywhere we heard the same story:

World Environment Day: Can You Feel the Pain of an Islander?

"Everyone talks about disasters and rescues. Everyone has a plan, except us. Where shall we go? We have nowhere to escape" - Leeza, a resident of Malé

I met Leeza, a journalist with a local TV station in Malé , a year ago. We were in Bangkok, attending a media workshop organized for journalists who cover trauma and crisis. During the event, each one of us narrated one of the most traumatic event in our journalistic career - one that left its scar on our mind and heart. When it came to Leeza, it was the 2004 tsunami. People died, properties were lost and as a journalist she sat through hours of that footage, feeling numb. "The numbness didn't come from seeing the destruction, it came from the realization that this is what awaits each one of us. That if a disaster strikes, we have nowhere to go. We just stay here and die,"- said Leeza, tears welling in her eyes. We all were tearful as well. We felt that pain, piercing right through our heart.

Aerial view of Maldives. Credit:mainaurmrsshukla

A year has gone by since then. The world has witnessed quite a few natural disasters since then: earthquakes, bush fire, droughts, floods. In my own country, we have seen a devastating cloudburst and a series of cyclones. In each of these disasters, many lives were lost, but many were also saved. But the number of deaths were always the highest in places where people were surrounded by nothing but water. Typhoon Hayan in the Philippines was one example that claimed over 5000 lives(including relatives of one of my very close friend Paulina who lives in Tacloban). Between reading and writing about them, one voice came back like a wave of stormy water and hitting me, "where will we go?"

Badaun Rape and Murder: Lets Stay Angry

If you have been following the news from Asia in the past few days,  you may have heard of the latest act of violence against women that has horrified India: 2 teen age girls abducted, raped and then hanged in a village called Katra Sahdatganj of Badaun - a district about 220 km north-east of New Delhi. The girls were cousins and had gone out to relieve themselves in the bush because their home didn’t have a toilet, when they went missing. 

The heart-wrenching story told by one of the girl’s father reveals that the girls were abducted in 27th May (Tuesday) evening. The father went to the police that night, pleaded with them to find his girls, but the policemen on duty refused to either listen or act. In fact, one of them mocked the man who is from a 'lower caste' and said ‘go and check, you may find your girls hanging from a tree’. Next day, just as the policeman had said it, the father – and the rest of the village – indeed saw the girls’ bodies hanging in an orchard.

Since the news came in the light, protests and condemnations have poured in from all quarters.  A number of political leaders have visited the girls’ family and expressed their sympathy. The media has been camping in the village and has been reporting many more cases of rape and abduction of women that have taken place in that area. The latest words of condemnation have come from the United Nations which hassaid, ‘Violence against women is a human rights issue, not a women's issue’.

Now, besides the obvious lack of security for women and good governance, the horrible rape and murder also point out another of India’s ugliest truths: women are increasingly falling prey to sexual predators due to lack of sanitation facilities.

Dehorning Rhinos to End Poaching : Theory of the Absurd!

The first time that I heard the government of Assam was planning to dehorn Rhinos to as a means of conservation, I thought it was a joke. And so I laughed. It reminded me of a folk tale where a man ate rice off the floor to prevent stealing of his plates.

Courtesy: Deviant Art

Today, after many weeks , I am still laughing. Because, it seems, the government is indeed serious about severing the rhinos' horns (so what if its not life-threatening?) to keep the poachers at bay. In other words, it is serious about following that man that ate the rice off the floor! 

But, the question is, why would anyone cook up such a plan?

Two words come to my mind: 1) desperation and 2) laziness. Assam - the only natural habitat of the one-horn rhinos has always been a target of wildlife smugglers and poachers.The largest number of the rhinos (2500) are found in Kaziranga national park. And, 41 rhinos have been killed in 2013 by poachers in this Kaziranga park alone. 

Any Time Water - Idea worth spreading

Any Time Water  is a machine that dispenses clean water 24X7 at very low cost. Now that's the kind of  technology we need , right now.

It's only mid - April, but Hyderabad is reeling under a heat wave with the mercury hitting  39 degree celcius. And, adding to the  woes of  locals is an acute shortage of water. How acute is the shortage? Consider this: the government supplies water to every house premise for 1 hour, 3 times a week. Considering every house  has 3-4 apartments which means 3-4 families, this 1-hour of water supply, when distributed among the families, gives only enough water to drink.

And thats what everyone does: store and save the water for drinking.

For the rest - bathing, washing clothes, homes, utensils, water plants, if you have any and bathing pets - you either dig a bore well, or buy from private water suppliers.  In either case, the water either has high level of alkaline or fluoride. In fact, the water supplied by private tankers (they charge INR 400 for about 2000 liters) you don't know where they are bringing it from and how polluted it is. Don't want it? Then sit at home and sulk. Nobody gives a damn!

'Nobody cares.' Well, this is pretty much what I always felt, until I heard of a village not very far from here getting Any time Water.
Now, everyone knows of Any Time Money. But Any Time Water? Well, in a nutshell, its a machine that dispenses water, any time you want!

Here is how it  actually works:

Women who inspire, women I celebrate

Its International Women's Day. Join me as I celebrate some of the most inspiring women in India

You refuse to suffer in silence any longer. You demand for your right. You speak, to be heard, and to be taken seriously. Rising Army of Indian Women Activists, I celebrate you!   

She grows food for me and my countrymen. She toils on that land that she isn't allowed to own, oftentimes. I salute you and I celebrate you,Woman Farmer of my country. And I wish you ownership of that land. Also, I wish you love, respect, recognition and gratitude.

You are the only worker in my country who works 7 days a week with no break, no holiday and a salary so paltry, it can't even buy you food for a week. And when a mishap happens, you are made the first suspect. Despite all that, you keep homes running across the nook and corner of India. I celebrate you, Woman Domestic Help

You do work that are unrewarded, risky, at places that are dangerous - protecting endangered wildlife in forests that are infested with brutal poachers. Few know about you, even fewer want to follow you. I celebrate you, Woman Forest Guard!

She cleans the filth that we create. And then we call her filthy. She is the waste picker. Always from a Dalit community, she is considered by many of my countrymen untouchable, a lesser human. The truth is, as poet Rabindranath Tagore said, "cleanliness is your shadow/its you who makes our world livable". I can't cure the sickness of my society alone, but I can certainly tell you this: You are lesser than none and I celebrate you!

You try to teach people the importance of safe sex. Yet, instead of applauds, you get brickbats. They laugh at you, some even curse you for 'polluting' minds. Truth is, in a country of millions of HIV-positive people, you are an angel at work. And I celebrate you, the Woman Sex Educator!

They don't invest in you. They dismiss your abilities to make profits. But you don't give up. You gather your coins and go about earning your living - successfully. You inspire me, and I celebrate you, Woman Grassroot Entrepreneur of India!

They allege, you are a puppet, that your husband run the office for you. They don't care to know you - who stands her ground and holds on to her authority. I have met so many of you - risking life everyday in most remotest, most dangerous villages of India, and working for the welfare of people. I celebrate you, the Independent Woman Sarpanch (village head)

Indigenous woman, I know many look down upon you. They think - and I have no idea why - you are inferior to them. In fact, some treat you no better than they treat a Dalit woman.  What a shame! You, TRIBAL WOMAN are beautiful, wonderful, closer to mother earth, bear her smell, her broadness of heart and her simplicity - qualities that I yearn to have! I celebrate you!

And then I celebrate the woman who brought me into this world, nursed me, nurtured me, made me who I am. I celebrate you, Ma! 

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