The Hudhud Cyclone at Vishakhapatnam

Vishakhapatnam the port city, beautiful city and excellent tourist spot with its breathtaking beaches and greenery and a haven for tourists and now after the devastation caused by the Hudhud cyclone, the initial place of welcome to tourists, the airport remains as a mute witness to the disaster caused by the storm. Even with all the warnings issued by the Government and the Disaster Management Department fully geared up, one still wonders what went wrong to cause such a major scale catastrophe. The Government has to retrospect on the reason behind the huge damage caused to the airport, all the factors that went into causing the damage should be deeply studied and remedial steps taken so that the structure can withstand any sort of natural calamities it is exposed to in the future.

The first thing that comes to the notice with regards to the damage caused to the Vishakhapatnam airport is that probably the structure was not designed to withstand the required wind speed which is a consideration which should not have been overlooked especially in the coastal areas. Structures can be designed to withstand a wind speed of more than 200 Kmph also; the destruction caused by the Hudhud cyclone was at a wind speed of 170-190 Kmph, so if the wind speed was considered during the construction of the airport such major damage could not have been caused. It is very important that in coastal areas the structures are constructed in such a manner that the roof is properly connected to the body of the structure and the body to the foundation, the connections between the roof to the wall provide uplift resistance which is very important for the roof to be intact during cyclones. In high cyclone prone areas it is always better to go with a hipped or pyramidal roof compared to a gable roof, as it offers more resistance to wind with its increased slope. The other major damage caused during gusty winds and cyclones is the widespread breakage of glass panes due to the high wind pressure and effect of flying objects. To overcome this problem it’s advisable to opt for thicker glass panes, smaller size panels and by pasting paper or plastic strips across the panels.

If all these precautions were taken during the construction of the airport structure the damage caused to the Vishakhapatnam airport probably would not have been so severe. The Hudhud cyclone and its after effects should be taken as a lesson learnt and any future constructions in the coastal areas should be constructed in such a manner so as to withstand wind speed during severe storms and cyclones.

Overcoming the Power Crisis

The solution to power crisis can be making use of alternative sources of energy like solar and wind energy. Especially in a country like India were frequent power cuts is common, the power cuts during the summer season vary from anywhere between 4-12 hours a day, the rural areas experiencing the highest power cut of around 12 hrs a day. It’s time that someone gave a serious thought to the solution for this crisis. By adopting solar energy, the rural people can benefit as they have an abundance of sunlight and space, they can install these solar panels on their rooftops or even near their fields for agricultural purpose and generate their own power. In this manner they will be fulfilling their needs and any excess power can also be sold to the grid at a fixed rate, by this they along with the government will be mutually benefited.

The only hurdle to more people adopting alternative sources of energy might be due to the lack of awareness and sufficient economic resources. The government by taking certain steps can help in creating awareness among people by conducting campaigns in different areas and at the same time they can also help the common man by providing the required solar panels and other resources at a subsidized rate or by providing loans at a cheaper interest rate. With the ever growing population in India meeting the demands of basic necessities has become a task, in such a scenario promoting alternative sources of energy should be taken up in a big way to meet the demand. In a country like Germany, one can see that all the rooftops are covered with solar panels where solar energy is hugely used; this shows the practical thinking of the Germans. It is high time that people in India think practically and put this into action.