This is a piece that was published on 19th June under Delhi Musings column in the National Herald. Monsoon had yet to arrive in Delhi then. And apparently not much was being done to prepare the city for it. In a veiled criticism of the government the new LG was scathing in his criticism of Delhi government. He lamented that monsoon-related issues have been dealt with in a ‘crisis management mode’ in the past. He was indicating that workable, long-term solutions haven’t been sought till now. Taking inspiration from that scientific solution of the supreme leader on fighter jets escaping enemy’s radars under a cloud cover, the LG offered a solution. And yes it was seeped in scientific logic from a similar school. Apparently, he directed officials to initiate an exercise of creating sink holes of six to eight inches diameter and line these up with perforated pipes. Some science this.
Dilliwalahs were left wondering if this is a worthy idea. And they even pondered as to why rain water harvesting units have been made mandatory in Delhi in plots above a 100 square meters. Why are commercial, office complex owners and Resident Welfare Associations are being threatened with stiff penalties for non-compliance of the rain water harvesting diktat? There were other questions too that they were pondering about. Questions such as ‘whether the ground water recharge in privately owned plots governed by different scientific principles?’. Or is it yet another case on the lines of Einstein discovering gravity? For the time being it is six to eight inches holes Dilliwalahs – some science this…read on
