generalspeaking

Natural Calamities

Pakistan, Russia, both suffering dreadful catastrophic environmental miseries. Each on a scale so broad and all-encompassing that it is extremely difficult for their governments to cope.

In the case of Pakistan, flooding that has caused a large death toll, and the migration of millions of people from their homes. Where arable land and their crops have been inundated by mass floods, and where livestock has perished. The country, which maintains a costly nuclear program, and which, for a relatively impoverished nation, spends hugely on proxy militias in spreading terror in Afghanistan and India, cannot mount an effective response to the disastrous floods and appeals to the international community, particularly the United States, for assistance.

Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan have suffered greatly under the effects of an extended drought. Their crops have been imperilled, and great difficulties have ensued for an economy that was weakened by the global financial crisis. And now, huge spontaneous forest fires have exacerbated that record drought, with millions of hectares of land being burned. Fifty people have lost their lives as a result of the forest fires.

There are currently about 589 forest fires covering an area of 196,000 hectares. Russia has been the world's third-largest exporter of wheat. That will change. By decree issued by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin an export ban on wheat has been imposed. The country will have to conserve whatever wheat crops it can manage to save, for its own consumption.

Countries hitherto dependent on importing wheat from Russia, like those in the Middle East, will have to look elsewhere. And the price of wheat and wheat products is rising as a result of tighter world supplies.

Fires are spreading to western Russia where the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 polluted the soils with nuclear waste. That will be a huge concern for the potential of the release of radioactive particles into the atmosphere with the contaminated soil burning from the uncontrolled fires.

The defence ministry has ordered the evacuation of munitions from depots around Moscow. Smoke from the burning forest fires is so intense in Moscow that people are finding it hard to breathe. And there is no escape from the stifling thick black particles in the air.

Wildfires are erupting so quickly emergency fire services are unable to keep up; as soon as old fires are successfully extinguished, others flare up. There are 162,000 emergency workers desperately attempting to extinguish the fires. In a 24-hour period, 373 new fires have appeared.

Russia also took steps to remove radioactive material from its Sarov nuclear weapons research facility. Similarly, in Pakistan, flooding is coming perilously near to areas where there are nuclear installations. These are scenarios rarely envisioned when countries dedicate themselves to stock-piling munitions and building nuclear installations.

Man proposes, nature disposes.

Labels: Environment, Nature, Russia

posted by Pieface @ Friday, August 06, 2010