सियाचिन ग्लेसियर : स्मार्ट (Self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology ) ग्लेसियर?
Smart
glaciers
Prem
B Bisht, Feb. 11, 2016
Masi
kagad chhuyo nahin, kalam gahi nahi haath….मसि कागद छुयो नहीं कलम गही नहि हाथ.
Kabir das
Kabir das
While
writing this article, I remember the above mentioned line of Kabir. It is
apparent that his couplets were not written by him but his followers. His couplets are still prevalent in the
society that needs to be corrected even after more than 500 years. Similarly, in the context of proposing a probable solution for reducing the tragedies from the Glaceir avalances, land slides after cloud bursts, eventhough I have not worked on
the area but propose the following.
Avalanche in Siachen and deaths of soldiers
After the avalanche in Siachen glacier of 3rd Feb, whole country has become highly sensitive about this issue as well as about the working conditions of the Army in India and its neighbourhood. Besides 10 soldiers we lost in the recent disaster, over hundred were lost by our neighbour in Gayari. It is proposed here that one of the solutions is to give alarm by more than 24 hours or even more to the inhabitants of such risky hills (including Himalayan range, border roads, or even Badrinath route). These routes are very often blocked by the land erosion that comes after heavy rains or as a result of global warming. Timely monitoring by the type of sensors described below can save the priceless lives as well as loss of property in some cases.
Avalanche in Siachen and deaths of soldiers
After the avalanche in Siachen glacier of 3rd Feb, whole country has become highly sensitive about this issue as well as about the working conditions of the Army in India and its neighbourhood. Besides 10 soldiers we lost in the recent disaster, over hundred were lost by our neighbour in Gayari. It is proposed here that one of the solutions is to give alarm by more than 24 hours or even more to the inhabitants of such risky hills (including Himalayan range, border roads, or even Badrinath route). These routes are very often blocked by the land erosion that comes after heavy rains or as a result of global warming. Timely monitoring by the type of sensors described below can save the priceless lives as well as loss of property in some cases.
The smart pipes, smart bridges, smart
tapes, smart port- why not smart galciaers, smart hills?
Self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology or, briefly
SMART is the budge word of today. When you can have optical fibre running across
the meditarian/ atlantic, why not along a few slops of glaciers?
Photonics
One
of the fast developing areas of science and technology in which physics and
electrical engineering departments are working throughout the word is known as
PHOTONICS. In recent years, FIBER Optics
has revolutionased the high speed internet and telecon and mobile phone
technology. Neck to neck are the
developments in sensor technology with fibre optics.
Nobel Prize by Braggs and fibre Bragg Gratings (FBG)
Father
– son got the Noble Prize in 1915 for an equation known as Bragg’s law (nλ = 2d sinθ) while
working with X-rays. For wavelengths of
the order of visible or near IR raidations, similar structures can be made in
fibres. If we send a light beam at 90
degrees , depending on the spacing of the Bragg structure, some portion of
light can return or pass. The behaviour
depends on the stress/ deterioration caused by any external parameter
(temperature, stress, gas leak etc.).
This kind of sensing is known as fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensing and
is popular in various areas as mentioned above.
Solar operatted batteries can be used and usual maintenance can help
this kind of project.
Install FBG across the hillocks/ glaciers and monitor them
Nothing
stops from throwing (installing) some
FBG lines on the blue glaciers (that re harder than concrete but break
occasionally) and monitoring their health from this economic technology to safeguard our invaluable soldiers who are already under severe stress at such
high battle fields. Both India and
Pakistan or even other countries should look for this technology and lay down
some of these lines across hills near
such glacier posts and ,hills that are prone to soil erosion. As a test cases, this technology must be
quickly checked in hillocks near the cities, research centers etc. Scientists might have to take their position out of their comfort zones , i.e.
labs or class rooms! Yes, some things are difficult, very difficult.
Some defense lab must take up this project and implement as fast as possible.
Glaciers for sports and Army activity
If
you google for “glaciers deaths” you will realise that glaciers have become
integral part of the sports and, of course army after the well sought positions
of Siachen were taken by Indian army during and after 1984.
Surviving with Chocolates
Surviving with Chocolates
None
of the two countries' citizen want their sons to be stationed at 18-24000 feet above
the sea level. Here, barely the living becomes a battle with oneself. Soldiers stop eating food as for Indian way of cleanliness after the natures' call becomes difficult! The
avalanches make this thought process even miserable.
Best wishes,
Prem
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