Now the secrets can be unveiled
Buried underground, for years sealed.
Indian nuclear power plants use a different matter
Not ending in an ‘ium’ but still a heat generator.
It looks no different and thus comes as a shock
Containment dome et al, but what is, is not.
Renewable energy it is touted to be
Tis true it is mined and harnessed differently.
The containment dome protects the energy source -
Windbags that generate hot air in variable force
Dr Homi Bhaba was the first when he did decree
8000 MW of Nuclear energy by Nineteen Eighty.
43500 MW by 2000 predicted the AEC
That was in 1969 without a nuclear plant generating energy.
The nuclear power plants now produce electricity
On windbags that promise 20,000MW by 2020.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Understanding nuclear parlance
One could say that the advance of technology has lead to the progress of language. Language has had to evolve, learn new forms of contortions to accommodate what science is discovering and technology is developing. Language has happily explained the origins of the universe with just two words ‘Big Bang’, while technologies like email, SMS are now used as verbs.
Every industry generates words, terms and phrases that identifies it. The Nuclear Industry is no different, terms like ‘going critical’, ‘heavy water’, ‘light water’, ‘fission’ paint a picture of a monster straining to break free.
Besides these terms there are some phrases that are used on specific occasions – like a nuclear accident. These expressions are used by nuclear experts and people in power when there are demands for information and a call for clarification, not that the phrases provide information or clarify the situation. They obfuscate, are patently constructed to ensure that no information can be sourced though it all with the hope that by not enlightening the public things will settle down to blissful ignorance.
Usually when a nuclear accident occurs there is deathly silence from the nuclear power plant operators and the government. This is because they not only are grappling with the situation but also are trying to put together words that will ‘make everything seem all right’. However even though no two nuclear accidents are the same the phrases and quotes that are given during this period have remained constant over time and place.
The first peep that comes out from an official is that ‘everything is under control’. This could be an obvious attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of everyone; it could also be an expression of shock and incredulity of those unwilling to accept the situation. The nuclear operator would have also informed the local authorities and the Emergency Control Room operated by the Department of Atomic Energy (in India). The operator and government get into the act now. When they begin to realize the gravity of the situation the next statement is bandied out which is ‘radiation is minimal’ which in fact acknowledges the gravity of the situation but attempts to play it down. The second day of the incident would have got the press a little more interested and there would be reporters snooping around the area. The PR department of the nuclear facility or agency hired would now be working overtime in damage control - the next statement would be something to indicate that there is actually no risk and that everyone knows the drill, so the press statement would have the term ‘exposure was within safety limits’ . The value of this statement lies in that there are no radiation figures, the information actually gives out nothing except an acknowledgement that there has been a leak and some people have been exposed. There would be reports by now about risks to workers, environment and people unfortunate enough to be living in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant which would result in statements like ‘risk is slight’ and ‘no immediate cause for concern’. This is as near a confession as one is going to get from the government and nuclear operator. The next step after this would be evacuation.
Fission is not an easy thing to control, research has found that more complex the technology more is the chances of accidents. There have been innumerable articles and books that correlate complexity of technology to accidents. Charles Perrow in his book Normal Accidents: Living with High Risk Technologies has argued that normal engineering approach to safety fails because the complexity of a system makes failures inevitable.
In almost every country the nuclear industry is the spoilt brat that has grown into an indolent uncaring adult living off others. If society asks the parents about the adult everything is done to protect the brat lest their method of parenting is questioned. With such incidents the government stands exposed of endangering the lives of its people and wasting tax payers money; therefore does everything it can to hush things up.
However, there are times when such incidents reach the Parliament and a question is asked about the safety standards in nuclear power plants. Agence France Presse in November 21, 2002 quoted Vasundhra Raje, the Junior Foreign Minister’s as saying in the Parliament ‘There is absolutely near total compliance by all these plants... There is no question of compromising (the) safety of workers at nuclear plants." There couldn’t have been a greater attempt at obfuscation than this, that too in the hallowed halls of the Indian parliament. What does ‘near total compliance mean? And why is there ‘near total compliance’ and not full compliance?
Today there is a search for new symbols words and phrases that would warn people 5000 years hence not to approach entombed nuclear waste and facilities. This is because language would have changed to a great degree. This search is an obvious recognition of the longevity of the problems that nuclear energy creates. With the current numbers of nuclear reactors and the promise for more it is certain that one will get the opportunity to hear these phrases at regular intervals. The symbols that will be placed for future generations will not tell the story of generation that used a dirty technology as vividly as the piles of highly dangerous radioactive waste it leaves behind.
(I sent this for publication and got silence - thats why i have a blog)
Every industry generates words, terms and phrases that identifies it. The Nuclear Industry is no different, terms like ‘going critical’, ‘heavy water’, ‘light water’, ‘fission’ paint a picture of a monster straining to break free.
Besides these terms there are some phrases that are used on specific occasions – like a nuclear accident. These expressions are used by nuclear experts and people in power when there are demands for information and a call for clarification, not that the phrases provide information or clarify the situation. They obfuscate, are patently constructed to ensure that no information can be sourced though it all with the hope that by not enlightening the public things will settle down to blissful ignorance.
Usually when a nuclear accident occurs there is deathly silence from the nuclear power plant operators and the government. This is because they not only are grappling with the situation but also are trying to put together words that will ‘make everything seem all right’. However even though no two nuclear accidents are the same the phrases and quotes that are given during this period have remained constant over time and place.
The first peep that comes out from an official is that ‘everything is under control’. This could be an obvious attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of everyone; it could also be an expression of shock and incredulity of those unwilling to accept the situation. The nuclear operator would have also informed the local authorities and the Emergency Control Room operated by the Department of Atomic Energy (in India). The operator and government get into the act now. When they begin to realize the gravity of the situation the next statement is bandied out which is ‘radiation is minimal’ which in fact acknowledges the gravity of the situation but attempts to play it down. The second day of the incident would have got the press a little more interested and there would be reporters snooping around the area. The PR department of the nuclear facility or agency hired would now be working overtime in damage control - the next statement would be something to indicate that there is actually no risk and that everyone knows the drill, so the press statement would have the term ‘exposure was within safety limits’ . The value of this statement lies in that there are no radiation figures, the information actually gives out nothing except an acknowledgement that there has been a leak and some people have been exposed. There would be reports by now about risks to workers, environment and people unfortunate enough to be living in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant which would result in statements like ‘risk is slight’ and ‘no immediate cause for concern’. This is as near a confession as one is going to get from the government and nuclear operator. The next step after this would be evacuation.
Fission is not an easy thing to control, research has found that more complex the technology more is the chances of accidents. There have been innumerable articles and books that correlate complexity of technology to accidents. Charles Perrow in his book Normal Accidents: Living with High Risk Technologies has argued that normal engineering approach to safety fails because the complexity of a system makes failures inevitable.
In almost every country the nuclear industry is the spoilt brat that has grown into an indolent uncaring adult living off others. If society asks the parents about the adult everything is done to protect the brat lest their method of parenting is questioned. With such incidents the government stands exposed of endangering the lives of its people and wasting tax payers money; therefore does everything it can to hush things up.
However, there are times when such incidents reach the Parliament and a question is asked about the safety standards in nuclear power plants. Agence France Presse in November 21, 2002 quoted Vasundhra Raje, the Junior Foreign Minister’s as saying in the Parliament ‘There is absolutely near total compliance by all these plants... There is no question of compromising (the) safety of workers at nuclear plants." There couldn’t have been a greater attempt at obfuscation than this, that too in the hallowed halls of the Indian parliament. What does ‘near total compliance mean? And why is there ‘near total compliance’ and not full compliance?
Today there is a search for new symbols words and phrases that would warn people 5000 years hence not to approach entombed nuclear waste and facilities. This is because language would have changed to a great degree. This search is an obvious recognition of the longevity of the problems that nuclear energy creates. With the current numbers of nuclear reactors and the promise for more it is certain that one will get the opportunity to hear these phrases at regular intervals. The symbols that will be placed for future generations will not tell the story of generation that used a dirty technology as vividly as the piles of highly dangerous radioactive waste it leaves behind.
(I sent this for publication and got silence - thats why i have a blog)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
L K Advani and footwear
Sitting on pedestal, enroute to his cherished seat
Advani looked down and saw no shoes on his feet
‘How unclean,I put my foot in the mouth frequently’ said he
‘From Babri to Jinnah to kandahar that’s what I leave to posterity’.
There was no glass slipper for he was no Cinderella
But in the crowd there was one kind fella
Who though luckless and ignored by the BJP
Threw L K Advani a slipper for free.
Advani looked down and saw no shoes on his feet
‘How unclean,I put my foot in the mouth frequently’ said he
‘From Babri to Jinnah to kandahar that’s what I leave to posterity’.
There was no glass slipper for he was no Cinderella
But in the crowd there was one kind fella
Who though luckless and ignored by the BJP
Threw L K Advani a slipper for free.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Financing climate change
Twill get cold in summer
And rain clouds will fill desert skies
Fingers then point at things like the Hummer
As people mouth plaintive why’s.
Money does Pandora’s Box open
tis cause of climate change too
Sippin’ a coke with bags full of shoppin’
Energised by coal, but out of view
The high incomes and easy loans,
through energy created by subsidised coal
Fuel larger cars and bigger homes
And on the climate they take their toll.
And rain clouds will fill desert skies
Fingers then point at things like the Hummer
As people mouth plaintive why’s.
Money does Pandora’s Box open
tis cause of climate change too
Sippin’ a coke with bags full of shoppin’
Energised by coal, but out of view
The high incomes and easy loans,
through energy created by subsidised coal
Fuel larger cars and bigger homes
And on the climate they take their toll.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Air travel
Promise hangs heavy in the air
In a space where people mill, sit or stare
Conversations between departures and arrivals now on hold
Raising latent desires to break from the fold.
Announcements collide and fill the room
Resulting in emotions of relief, hope, joy and gloom
Time trickles by, everyone seems aware
A 2 hour trip is becoming an unending nightmare
A confident voice guides people to gate number three
I leave the sorry faces who ask ‘why not me?’
I promise my return is going to be by train
Waiting is what makes speed all in vain.
In a space where people mill, sit or stare
Conversations between departures and arrivals now on hold
Raising latent desires to break from the fold.
Announcements collide and fill the room
Resulting in emotions of relief, hope, joy and gloom
Time trickles by, everyone seems aware
A 2 hour trip is becoming an unending nightmare
A confident voice guides people to gate number three
I leave the sorry faces who ask ‘why not me?’
I promise my return is going to be by train
Waiting is what makes speed all in vain.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Indestructible
The prognosis was not very good
I staggered out, dying for a cigarette
I am indestructible
I have lived a full life
Killing different parts of me
I am indestructible
I never saw a glass half empty or half full
I always had a bottle at hand
I am indestructible
The future was never of interest
I never heard of a tomorrow
I am indestructible
My circle of friends is large
It is true that ‘all the world is a stage’
I am indestructible
I staggered out, dying for a cigarette
I am indestructible
I have lived a full life
Killing different parts of me
I am indestructible
I never saw a glass half empty or half full
I always had a bottle at hand
I am indestructible
The future was never of interest
I never heard of a tomorrow
I am indestructible
My circle of friends is large
It is true that ‘all the world is a stage’
I am indestructible
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Is 26/11 = 9/11 ?
Mathematics and numbers have been used to explain the inexplicable, to make sense of what isn’t, to provide coordinates for those lost. The recent Mumbai attacks have also spawned a mathematical model – that of equating the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai to the events of 9/11.
This unnecessary ‘me – too’ Indian mentality keeps raising its ugly head at increasingly frequent intervals. The need to show the world (be it with the Chandrayan Lunar Mission) or to transform a city into something else, or to constantly proclaim that Indians have joined the Forbes list indicates that we really have nothing to flaunt in our show-cases. The need to get validation from others or to validate ourselves amongst our own people means that we are still snotty nosed kids.
To even try to equate 9/11 to the 26/11 attacks of Mumbai is to do injustice to India. Unless off course we Indians think that our country has done more than its fair share to destabilise the world, prop up puppet dictators, over throw democratically elected regimes and invade countries. Maybe we haven’t done things on an international scale but as a country we have not fared too badly either.
9/11 was a result of those disaffected by Americas global footprint. There are enough reasons nationally for 26/11 to have occurred - L.K Advani and Babri Masjid, Modi and the Gujarat Pogrom, the ongoing humanitarian disasters of Kashmir and the North East, warped development and economic growth strategies provide enough grist for the mill. (There is now another reason – the Pak army doesn’t want to deal with outlaw Pakistanis helping Bin Laden so they schemed to get the Indian army on alert which would mean that they would have to shift their focus from the Afghanistan border to the Indian one)
As has been seen in the past the media plays the role of whipping up sentiments, they are almost as good as Goebble. In some ways they are better, they not only provide information that gives rise to these sentiments but are also kind enough to provide a vent for them. After the 26/11 attacks print and electronic media have gone out of their way to make hay – besides interviewing all and sundry media have begun initiatives like ‘Citizens Against Terror’, ‘Declare war on Terror’, online polls and debates ranging from new anti-terror laws to ‘How can India maintain unity in its fight against terror?'. While others use 26/11 to suggest draconian laws and put forth their ideas of the need for higher levels of nationalism.
What the media has been doing is that it is feeding off public outcry, the greater the outcry the more the media gives in. Thus instead of creating informed debates and generating information that provides solutions to a frustrated public who could then make informed demands, the media provides crumbs and manufactures events, debates and crisis.
But it is not only the media, intelligent people like Ratan Tata, Bajaj and heads of various chambers of commerce have also shown scant regard for the situation. They have all used different words for an anti-terror law and ‘stronger leadership’. This does not come as a surprise when Tata has been quoted as saying that those not investing in Gujarat are fools. He then put his money where his mouth was – albeit because of the situation in Singur.
Post 26/11 there is a sense of shame tinged with helplessness, a feeling echoed by Bajaj who said “This is a shame on our government that they cannot provide citizens with the basic security. We are tired of hearing Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Malegaon, Delhi and the commercial capital. This is not acceptable.” And to overcome this feeling people are demanding that India attack Pakistan, others promise not to vote or pay taxes, while others are willing to give up privacy for the notion of safety.
It would not be incorrect to club the current swell of sentiment to that felt after the Babri Masjid, Gujarat pogroms, or when industries are set up without due process.
Suggestions on how to make India a safe place are coming thick and fast, demands for better equipment, more respect and pay for the armed forces, an overhaul of the intelligence system are being bandied around. Maybe an apology from L K Advani for the Babri Masjid demolition and from Narendra Modi for the Gujarat pogroms would reduce some of the reasons given by those bent on causing pain, suffering and upheaval.
This unnecessary ‘me – too’ Indian mentality keeps raising its ugly head at increasingly frequent intervals. The need to show the world (be it with the Chandrayan Lunar Mission) or to transform a city into something else, or to constantly proclaim that Indians have joined the Forbes list indicates that we really have nothing to flaunt in our show-cases. The need to get validation from others or to validate ourselves amongst our own people means that we are still snotty nosed kids.
To even try to equate 9/11 to the 26/11 attacks of Mumbai is to do injustice to India. Unless off course we Indians think that our country has done more than its fair share to destabilise the world, prop up puppet dictators, over throw democratically elected regimes and invade countries. Maybe we haven’t done things on an international scale but as a country we have not fared too badly either.
9/11 was a result of those disaffected by Americas global footprint. There are enough reasons nationally for 26/11 to have occurred - L.K Advani and Babri Masjid, Modi and the Gujarat Pogrom, the ongoing humanitarian disasters of Kashmir and the North East, warped development and economic growth strategies provide enough grist for the mill. (There is now another reason – the Pak army doesn’t want to deal with outlaw Pakistanis helping Bin Laden so they schemed to get the Indian army on alert which would mean that they would have to shift their focus from the Afghanistan border to the Indian one)
As has been seen in the past the media plays the role of whipping up sentiments, they are almost as good as Goebble. In some ways they are better, they not only provide information that gives rise to these sentiments but are also kind enough to provide a vent for them. After the 26/11 attacks print and electronic media have gone out of their way to make hay – besides interviewing all and sundry media have begun initiatives like ‘Citizens Against Terror’, ‘Declare war on Terror’, online polls and debates ranging from new anti-terror laws to ‘How can India maintain unity in its fight against terror?'. While others use 26/11 to suggest draconian laws and put forth their ideas of the need for higher levels of nationalism.
What the media has been doing is that it is feeding off public outcry, the greater the outcry the more the media gives in. Thus instead of creating informed debates and generating information that provides solutions to a frustrated public who could then make informed demands, the media provides crumbs and manufactures events, debates and crisis.
But it is not only the media, intelligent people like Ratan Tata, Bajaj and heads of various chambers of commerce have also shown scant regard for the situation. They have all used different words for an anti-terror law and ‘stronger leadership’. This does not come as a surprise when Tata has been quoted as saying that those not investing in Gujarat are fools. He then put his money where his mouth was – albeit because of the situation in Singur.
Post 26/11 there is a sense of shame tinged with helplessness, a feeling echoed by Bajaj who said “This is a shame on our government that they cannot provide citizens with the basic security. We are tired of hearing Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Malegaon, Delhi and the commercial capital. This is not acceptable.” And to overcome this feeling people are demanding that India attack Pakistan, others promise not to vote or pay taxes, while others are willing to give up privacy for the notion of safety.
It would not be incorrect to club the current swell of sentiment to that felt after the Babri Masjid, Gujarat pogroms, or when industries are set up without due process.
Suggestions on how to make India a safe place are coming thick and fast, demands for better equipment, more respect and pay for the armed forces, an overhaul of the intelligence system are being bandied around. Maybe an apology from L K Advani for the Babri Masjid demolition and from Narendra Modi for the Gujarat pogroms would reduce some of the reasons given by those bent on causing pain, suffering and upheaval.
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