Social Media Freedom

In Need of Privacy

All about state sponsored encroachments to fundamental rights.

It has been a few years after the famous Puttaswamy judgment, and Indians are still uncertain about their own privacy. How long will this uncertainty prevail? No one can predict the answer, because the acts of the government themselves are boosters to organized data thefts and they appreciate the manipulation of the citizens' privacy. The justification for the same is nothing but national security and interest. The neo government policies regarding data such as the concepts of 'data is new oil',' data is public good' catalyzes the state sponsored encroachments.

It was Srikrishna commission, which suggested a rampant regulation over citizens' personal data, and envisaged the government to make use of it in the national interest. The term ‘national interest’ has later got defined as the interest of a particular group.  Nevertheless, a newly published economic survey also masked the worst effects of least protected personal data by quoting the national interest. 

While Puttaswamy judgment put a stay over the unnecessary surveillance of the personal data and asked the state to make statute over the same, it also enlisted the circumstances when state can deny it's citizens from having the right to privacy. On a legitimate legal need, governments can make rules over an inherent natural right to privacy, provided possible alternatives are envisaged. Right to privacy comes under articles 21, 14 and 19 of the constitution of India. 

Upcoming regulations over social media and the ongoing data thefts are least appreciable, especially when it comes from the government of a socialist, democratic republic. Fake news spread is an ethical issue rather than a technical or administrative drawbacks. The check should begin from grassroots, ie. individual. Until then, no rule or technology would be able to completely prevent fake news. Moreover, even before the arrival of social media platforms, fake news spread was a problem in India. This fact further reduces the chances of having the fake news spread curbed by means of technology change or law.  

Being a social animal, men found it difficult to stay isolated from the outer world. Although some of us are supporting the move of government in Kashmir, it will not be that very easy to withstand when the same situation arrives in our part of the country. Imagine a boss who always dictates do's and don'ts for you, and punish you hardly on failure of the same. He will even intrude and examine your most personal matters on a regular basis. You will be sick and tired of him, won't you? This would be the actual picture of India if such laws come in action. 

We need no more laws, but a better administration and awareness. Let the lessons of well behavior spread from top. A revolution must come from the masses and not from aristocracy. If a democratic government fails to fetch the interests of people then what makes it different from the British rule?

Earth Time

Some Geography of Recent Times

 

The meanings of geographical terms we recently noticed in news.

The human population is increasing at such a rate that the earth is no longer capable of bearing the extraordinary consumption pattern of humans. The pressure so exerted on the earth is catalysing catastrophic changes, which hits back humans, like global warming and climate change. The least developed and developing economies of the world are the worst affected ones. 

Some geographic terms, which are new to us and are in one or the other way, making an impact on our daily life are being discussed here. The context is nothing but the over exploitation of natural resources.

SOIL PIPING

When water erodes the layer beneath the surface of the ground and creating underground tunnels we call it Soil Pipe. This usually begins as small pores underground and are enlarged with increase erosion, in some instance these hole may be even large enough for a person to crawl through.

 

In areas where there are cracks in the soil present, or less resistance to erosion, presence of ground opening when trees are uprooted, holes created by animals etc can result in soil piping as water passes through them. River banks are prone to this phenomena.

HUNGRY WATER

The widespread damage caused by the 2018 floods in Kerala can be attributed to the ‘hungry water’ effect caused by the surge of sediment-starved water from the upstream reaches of a river.

Dams and reservoirs trap the sediments eroded from rocks and soils, leaving the river starved of its sediment load. This starved river water will be having high amount of potential energy. Thus gained potential energy of the hungry water released from dams will scour the river banks downstream, uprooting trees or riparian vegetation and damaging bridges and other engineering structures.

CORAL BLEACHING

Normally, coral polyps live in an endosymbiotic relationship with algae called Zooxanthellae, crucial for the health of the coral and the reef. The coral - the cluster of shells made of Calcium Carbonate, by a microorganism known as coral polyps. They provide shelter for Zooxanthellae. Coral bleaching occurs when coral polyps expel algae that live inside their tissues. 

The algae provides up to 90 percent of the coral's energy in return to the service provided by it. Bleached corals continue to live but begin to starve after bleaching. Some corals recover.

The leading cause of coral bleaching are rising water temperatures, clogging and siltation of water, pH variation of water, pollution of various kinds, bottom trolling, anthropogenic activities etc.

ENSO

ENSO elaborates to El-Nino and Southern Oscillations, which is a group of phenomenon associated with the ocean water temperatures and the atmospheric air circulation in the central and eastern tropical Pacific ocean. On periods ranging from 3 to 7 years waters of the tropical Pacific ocean undergo warming or cooling of about 1°C to 3°C.

ENSO occurrence directly affects rainfall distribution in the tropics and can have a strong influence on weather across the United States and other parts of the world. El Niño and La Niña are extreme phases of the ENSO cycle; between these two phases is a third phase called ENSO-neutral.

El-Nino

A warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures (SST), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.  Over Indonesia, rainfall tends to become reduced while rainfall increases over the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The low-level surface winds, which normally blow from east to west along the equator (“easterly winds”), instead weaken or, in some cases, start blowing the other direction (from west to east or “westerly winds”).  In general, the warmer the ocean temperature anomalies, the stronger the El Niño (and vice-versa).

La-Nina

A cooling of the ocean surface, or below-average sea surface temperatures (SST), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.  Over Indonesia, rainfall tends to increase while rainfall decreases over the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The normal easterly winds along the equator become even stronger.  In general, the cooler the ocean temperature anomalies, the stronger the La Niña (and vice-versa).

Neutral

Neither El Niño or La Niña. Often tropical Pacific SSTs are generally close to average.  However, there are some instances when the ocean can look like it is in an El Niño or La Niña state, but the atmosphere is not playing along (or vice versa).

CLOUD BURST

A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions. A cloudburst can suddenly dump large amounts of water e.g. 25 mm of precipitation. 

 

However, cloudbursts are infrequent as they occur only via orographic lift (pushing of clouds by hindrances in their paths such as hills or mountains. Eg: Western Ghats in Kerala) or occasionally when a warm air parcel mixes with cooler air, resulting in sudden condensation. At times, a large amount of runoff from higher elevations is mistakenly conflated with a cloudburst.

LANDSLIDE

A landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope. Landslides are a type of "mass wasting," which denotes any down-slope movement of soil and rock under the direct influence of gravity. 

 

Usually cloudburst can result in landslides in ecologically sensitive slopes. As the long duration rainfall can cause loss of binding between the surface soil and the bedrock of slopes.

Did we miss something?? 

APPENDIX

Dept of Risk and Disaster Management

The Hindu

National Weather Service

usgs

Can BS VI be a comprehensive solution?

            

Can BS VI be a comprehensive solution?

Statistics show a drastic decrease in the sales of small passenger as well as freight vehicles in India, the largest fall in the decade(around 20% less sales than July 2018).

Recently Bharat Stage VI norms announced. Its purpose is to reduce pollutants such as sulfur dioxide,  nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emitted from the outlets of vehicles. 1 April 2020 is likely to be the dead end for manufacturers to move onto new designs according to BS VI norms. However, how far the newly announced norms can provide a solution to the environmental issues we already have in India is an important question. Also, we have to think about the increasing usage of permit expired vehicles. Even though the companies are brainstorming to make new model vehicles which are supposed to be capable of producing around 40ppm less SO2, 70% and 25% less NOx for diesel and petrol engines respectively, and less amount of PM2.5 and PM10, the current in-use vehicles (those will account for the lion's share of total vehicles even after the introduction of newly designed ones) emit huge amounts of these pollutants. Over and above this, the number of expired vehicles and damaged vehicles evading the laws is increasing day by day. From this it is clear that the effectiveness of new norms will be visible not any sooner. 

As newly designed vehicles themselves would be much greater in cost and require clean fuel - costlier than the currently available fuel- middle-class men will find it difficult to afford new vehicles at least for the next few years by which the further updated norms will be released. Most of India's automobile consumers falls in the middle-class band and hence the effectiveness of new norms would be further delayed. In a nutshell, new norms are required along with properly aware people, and products must be made affordable for the common man. The current GST hike, insurance premium hike etc suggest that only upper middle class and high class may purchase cars in India. This is unfortunate.

Appendix

1. Bharat Stage Emission Standards

2. Auto Sales Fall

A Few Words For You...

Dear all,

We are in a part of time which is not by any chance passive. Each dawn breaks with the sounds of hot news ringing in every corner of the country. In Fact we are living in a world unnecessarily sensationalized and coloured with various interests. The biased nature of media often  deny us from knowing the truth. Zero Hour will bring you a comprehensive picture of the week's most important matter in spotlight and initiate discussions on the same. I welcome all readers to take part in the discussions on daily affairs of India and the world surrounding her. Indeed it's the responsibility of each individual to be aware of the present, learn lessons from past for building up a better future!

"You can not escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today"
-Abraham Lincoln