Wednesday, July 22, 2020

How Dharavi, Asia’s biggest slum, fought against COVID-19

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Inshiya Nalawala

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How Dharavi, Asia’s biggest slum, fought against COVID-19

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Global Views 360

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July 22, 2020

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A still from Dharavi, Mumbai

A still from Dharavi, Mumbai | Source: M M via  Flickr

Imagine a place where 8-10 people live in 100 square feet structures. A place which squeezes close to 6,50,000 people, 5,000 small factories, and about 15,000 single-room workshops in just 2.5 square kilometer area. Welcome to  Dharavi, the biggest slum of Asia situated in the heart of fashion, entertainment, and commercial capital of India, Mumbai.

When the first COVID-19 case was discovered in Dharavi, it caused massive panic among the citizens as well as officials. Social distancing is virtually impossible to achieve in Dharavi, which is a maze of narrow congested lanes with tenements on either side of it and where 80% of the population use community toilets.

With their fingers crossed, people were speculating about Dharavi turning into a graveyard. These fears turned out to be misplaced and three months later Dharavi won praise from the WHO for effectively restricting the spread of coronavirus. According to the official data, the COVID-19 case doubling rate improved greatly, from 18 days in April, to 43 days in May, to 108 days in June, and 480 days in July.

Mr. Kiran Dighavkar, Assistant Commissioner of the top civic body of Mumbai, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that their undertaking of an aggressive strategy of 4T’s - Tracing, Tracking, Testing & Treating, is the key to Dharavi’s successful fightback against the pandemic. The fightback plan was aptly coined "Mission Dharavi".

Extensive screening and testing of residents was done to detect the symptoms for coronavirus in "fever camp" which were set up by medical workers in different parts of the slum everyday. Many buildings such as schools, wedding halls, and sports complexes were overtaken by the civic authorities and were repurposed as quarantine facilities. A 200-bed hospital was also set up in record 14 days.

The BMC commissioner, I S Chahal said “Proactive screening helped in early detection, timely treatment and recovery.” Close to six hundred thousand people were screened, 14,000 people tested and 13,000 quarantined in nearby institutions, schools, marriage halls, and sports complexes. Furthermore, continuous monitoring of people’s movement using drones helped reinforce containment measures and scaled progress swiftly.

To further strengthen the measure, locals of the community emerged as “COVID Yodhas” (warriors) to address the concerns, a senior official said.  Many well endowed citizens and NGO’s provided Free meals, ration, PPE gear, oxygen cylinders, gloves, masks, medicines, and ventilators to residents and doctors.th July

On 8th July 2020 Dharavi recorded a total of 2,335 COVID-19 out of which 1,735 patients have recovered and there are only 352 active cases at present. Only 82 deaths were recorded in Dharavi till 8th July as against more than 4500 in the whole of Mumbai.

This phenomenal success has given the world a yet simple and effective technique in curbing the spread of the deadly virus. World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a virtual press conference in Geneva, acknowledging the efforts of various nations and Dharavi to contain the virus, said that “There are many examples from around the world that have shown that even if the outbreak is very intense, it can still be brought back under control”. Further, he added, “And some of these examples are Italy, Spain, and South Korea, and even in Dharavi -- a densely packed area in the megacity of Mumbai -- a strong focus on community engagement and the basics of testing, tracing, isolating and treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission and suppressing the virus.”

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February 4, 2021 4:50 PM

What is at stake when an Arctic town hit record high temperature

The Russian Arctic region of Siberia has front row tickets to an approaching climate change rollercoaster ride as it experiences soaring temperatures.

The mercury climbed to 38⁰C (100.4F) in Verkhoyansk, Siberia in June 2020 creating the new record of highest temperature in the arctic region and beating Fort Yukon, Alaska, which recorded 37.8⁰C in June 1915. The forecast for the coming weeks was also a whopping 10⁰C higher than last year. This region is also known for experiencing the coldest temperatures, reaching as low as minus 60⁰C during winters.

Concerned scientists claim that the Arctic is heating with double the speed of global average. “Such heat-waves aren't necessarily new to Siberia, but that climate change is increasing their severity and length,” says Sergei Semyonov of the Yu. A. Izrael Institute of Global Climate and Ecology in Moscow.

The heat waves are occurring due to a ‘heat dome’ effect in the Arctic region. This phenomenon happens when the Air is pushed and compressed, creating a very high mass of air into one location. This heavy air prevents clouds from forming, keeping the weather sunny, and pushes warm temperatures down to the surface which creates a virtual dome in which heat is trapped for a long duration.

This has led to devastating consequences for the environment of the arctic region. The forest areas of Sakha Republic, Russian Federation are witnessing rampant Wildfires. In Siberia, a major diesel oil spill incident happened due to the melting of Permafrost and caused contamination in the Ambarnaya River.

Permafrost serves as a foundation for almost the entire Northern Hemisphere’s landmass and is also responsible for trapping twice the amount of carbon found in the atmosphere. This is a cause of concern, not only for the Arctic, but for the entire globe as it would amount to release of more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Global warming is further fuelling the increase in temperatures of the frigid regions. May 2020 was reportedly the warmest month, according to the climate report of Copernicus Climate Change Service. As a result, snow in these areas melted earlier than it was supposed to. In 2012 as well, around 97% of the ice sheets in Greenland turned to slush due to extensive warming and in 2016, the warm climate in Norway resulted in rainfall instead of snowfall.

From these observations, it would be fitting to state that our planet is undergoing ‘Polar Amplification’, meaning, quicker warming of the poles. Snow cover helps in reflecting the sunlight back in the atmosphere. However, with the gradual warming of Earth, the amount of snow is declining and more heat is being captured instead of being reflected. Melting of snow and icy bodies contributes to sea level rise, increasing the probability of floods in low lying coastal areas.

These events are indicative of the degrading health of our planet which to a large extent are caused by our reckless actions. If we persist with business as usual, the survival of the human race may be as endangered as that of the Siberian tigers.

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