A JOURNEY IN LUCKNOW

The Hussainabad Imambara is a major tourist attraction of Lucknow. The monument was built by Mohammed Ali Shah in the year 1837. The tombs of Mohammed Ali Shah and his mother are located over here. The walls of the monument are decorated with Arabic verses that have been carved beautifully by efficient craftsmen. The structure has an imposing white colored dome and many pillars or minarets. The whole structure is bordered with thousands of little bulbs, which give it a royal look. Absolutly gorgious are also Asafi Mashid and the close by Chhota Imambada. I also visited the laughing horse not giving me one smile that day.

INDIAN TRAINS - TRAVELLING COMFORTS

Indian Trains – Some valuable information for tourist

This is a report from Greeshma Gopal Giri about the experiences of Valsala Balakrishnan a regular night train traveler. …. And they are indeed conforming to my less frequent night train trips. In this case not the western view but the Indian view is reflected, but in correlation


“Dirty compartments, stinking toilets, creeping and crawling creatures, filthy bedrolls, untouchable bed covers are standard (exception may be Kovai Express)
In most trains you simply cannot escape the stinking loos. Also cockroaches and rats roam around sending you scurrying for cover. Besides it is a good idea to carry your own bedding, else you could be offered filthy blankets, pillows and bed sheets. Passengers have filed complained multiple times, but they have apparently fallen into deaf ears


Take Alleppey Express (Tr No 6042) which leaves from Chennai each day. After the train reaches the platform, the beddings kept on the platform are kept in bundles on the extremely dirty surface ( spitting on the floor is a sign of still being alive in India and experienced with passionate high frequency and astonishing bass tones after deep rouspring…. I know this from the office I am working, but at least they spit in the pissoir)
When the swine flue scare had gripped the country, the railways had made some attempts for fogging the trains. But this was limited to the trains that travelled to the affected areas. After the fears died the fogging stopped too.
The Egmore – Rameswaram Express and the Pearl City Express are no different, cockroaches and rats pop up from every corner. When asked rail authorities reel out statistics of cockroaches and rats killed.”

We reserve tickets in sleeper class for a better journey and have some rest in the night. During the day we can somehow manage, but after the lights are switched off the rats come out, they even bite the baggage.

GLACIER MELTING AND THE PREDICTABLE CONSEQUENCES

The over centuries collected ice of the Himalaya is melting with a continuous rising speed. This will provoke catastrophic inundations. If the glaciers are melted India and China will be targeted by catastrophes: desert building and lack of drinking water.
At the higher altitudes of Central Asia the catastrophe is preparing. Scientist from over the world are observing the phenomena , sending out warning overheard by the Population: The glacier of the higher mountains are melting with a constantly rising speed, some of them will have been doomed to disappear in a couple of years. The one believing this is a locale problem is incorrect. Not only the cause is of global nature but also the effects of the melting process will bother the live of billions of people, by treating the sweet water supply of India and China
The glacier of the Himalaya and the Tibetan highlands are the biggest ice reservoirs of the heart beside the poles.
Tousend of valleys at high altitude are filled up with ice. The water born from the ice collects in big lakes, being the source of the rivers. Estimation counted 15,000 lakes with a common surface of 112,000 sqm. 9000 of theses are ending in lakes. Nobody knows the amount of water is stored in the frozen valleys. Satellite observations just give an imppression of the surface but no idea of the depth of the lakes.



Scientist estimate that the lost of ice mass is between 2 and seven per year. The length of the glacier is reduced by 60 to 70 m per year. . Conform to Achim Steiner, excutive director of the Environmental Program of the United Nations (UNEP the glacier on Chinese territory will by reduced by 2/3 in 2050. Some scientist believe by 2050 all glacier will have been disappeared.
This is not only due to global warming but also due the progressing industrialization of India and China emitting a huge amount on particulates rising to high altitudes and forming giant brown clouds (ABC’s) absorbing the infrared rays rising from the earth enhancing the green house effect. Additionally are the glacier covered with rubble and boulders reflecting the impacting sunrays a lot more than the reflecting ice?

Translated from an article from Roland Benn in Merian

The melting of the ice will form giant sees of melted ice. Only in Nepal and Bhutan there are 4997 of such lakes and are regular limited by the end – moraine of the moving ice. These lakes are now rising with a speed that the deposits of the moraine will not be able to withhold them and are coming to the point of bursting.
The result would be that enormous quantities of water coming from altitudes as high as 4000 m will burst into the lower valleys, several hundred thousand of people would than be in great danger
Scientist of UNEP recently detected 44 sees being at the critical point UNEP regional director Surendra Shrestha stipulated that the volume of the Tsho-Rolpa-See in Nepal as risen by a factor of 6 since the early 50’s. If the dam would break the water mixed with rubble will cause a flood catastrophe in an area of 100 km.