India's Water Issues (WARNING: Academic Content)

Gutter in the Tambaram market

       
         It has been nearly three weeks since our arrival in India. In our intense, 6-week study period at Furman, we read several articles on some of the issues that India is facing with respect to its water supply. Although I was able to assimilate the information in the articles and learn from the material presented to us in lectures, I feel that I have a much better understanding of the India's major hydrological challenges now that I have spent several weeks living in India. The following blog is dedicated to my personal reflections on India's water supply.
          Even before we arrived in India, Dr. Suresh and Dr. Khandke repeatedly warned the students in the India study away group to only consume bottled water. When we got to MCC, I began to understand why our professors were concerned about the quality of the tap water. It was around 4 AM when we began to groggily unpack our belongings into our rooms. Having not brushed my teeth since our layover in Germany, I was eager to freshen my breath, so I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste from my backpack and made my way to the bathroom. My brain was on autopilot as I squeezed toothpaste onto my toothbrush and ran it under the water flowing out of the faucet. After brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth out with tap water, I urgently began to spit into the sink with machine gun-like rapidity - the water possessed a foul, metallic taste. It was then that I realized my mistake and discovered that my professors weren't kidding when they warned us about India's questionable water quality.
          For me, this incident with tap water at the sink in our dorm room set the hydrologic tone for the trip. From that point on, I have tried to be more observant of water in India. Over the course of our time in India, I have noticed that I constantly feel dirty - it seems like its impossible to get clean, even after taking a shower. This is due in large part to the fact that the tap water in many parts of the state of Tamil Nadu can be considered hard water. Water is classified as hard water if it has high dissolved concentrations of group two metals like calcium and magnesium. When taking a shower, these ions in the water react with the organic acids of soap to form insoluble salts that form a slimy scum on the skin. As a result, the high ion concentration of the water makes it difficult to achieve a cleansing lather and one's skin remains partially dirty. In addition to this constant feeling of uncleanliness, a more humorous indicator of the abnormal water quality is how "poofy" everyone's hair has become after continual exposure to the water in India.
          However, the water on the campus of MCC is sanitary and potable in comparison to the water that I saw in the Tambaram market. While walking through the market place, I was shocked by the amount of trash that littered the streets. Everything from old candy wrappers to to rotting fish heads could be seen laying in the gutters. I was stood aghast as I watched a little girl in the market squat walk up to one of the gutters, squat down, and deposit the contents of her moving bowels in the stagnant drain water. It was also alarmingly common to see men publicly relieve the pressure on their bladders on the side of the street. India's water quality is literally shitty.
          After I witnessed firsthand the egregious conditions of the water in the Tambaram market, the dire state of India's water supply began to sink in. It is imperative that the water quality of Tambaram and the rest of India is improved. I suddenly felt very academic and snobbish after my summer working with the River Basins Research Initiative and conducting a research on dissolved organic carbon in the headwaters of streams in the upstate of South Carolina. Although my summer research was very interesting, I feel like not knowing the source of dissolved organic matter in a stream is a first-world problem in comparison to the dire water quality issues that India is facing. A slightly high pH value or a curiously abnormal conductivity reading in the Upper Saluda River seems trivial considering the fact that there are towns in India that have stagnated water bodies contaminated with human waste.
          Prior to coming on this study away trip, I had a tentative interest in pursuing hydrology in graduate school. After witnessing the horrid conditions of water in India, this feeling of interest has been confirmed and intensified. I feel an urgent need to help improve water quality. Going to school in Greenville, South Carolina, where high quality water is readily available from the tap, I have taken clean, drinkable water for granted. Witnessing the water conditions in India has made me more appreciative of water in the United States and has motivated me to develop ways in which water quality can be improved in countries like India.
          However, hydrologists can only do so much in improving the quality of water. There must be stricter Governmental regulations on public defecation and greater enforcement against littering. It will be interesting to see what policies the Indian government implements to improve sanitation throughout the nation.      
                  
          

10.19-22 - "Looming" large in the land of silk

I wasn't sure how to attack...

          Things were pretty laid back at MCC this past Wednesday and Thursday. I kept up my post-lecture routine of going for a run around campus. I'm just now starting to get used to the thick humidity. I have a feeling the air in South Carolina is going to feel thin and crisp when I return stateside in December. While on my run, I saw a mongoose dart into the woods, which brought back childhood memories of watching the cartoon adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. We also ventured over to the athletic fields to play ultimate frisbee. Multiple MCC students stopped to watch us play as they were walking by. A large group of Americans running around and tossing a disk must have been an exotic sight. We'll have to teach the students how to play eventually.

          Teatime is one of the best parts of the day. Every afternoon around 5 PM, our cooks put out a thermos of hot, subtly sweet tea. The tea is accompanied by an assortment of Indian cookies including "Good Day" and "Nice Time." Oreos are also served occasionally. Instead of "milk's favorite cookie," Oreos in India are marketed as "the world's most popular biscuit."

          This past Friday was one of the best days of the trip so far. We finally got a taste of Indian village life got the chance to interact with the locals. We left MCC early in the morning and traveled to the famous silk selling town of Kancheepuram. The girls spent the morning shopping for their Diwali sarees. After the final selections were made, we stopped at a local vegetarian restaurant for lunch. Suresh recommended that I order the dosa and I was shocked when the massive, crepe-like creation was placed in front of me. After several awkward attempts at mastication and deglutition, I resorted to the break-and-dip method. 

          Lunch was followed by a stop at the small village of Cheyyar, where we got to go on a tour of the place where the silk becomes sarees. It was amazing to see the expert weaver skilfully operate the loom with machine-like precision. The saree that the weaver was working on when we arrived was being made of bright pink silk and gold thread. Apparently, sarees of this quality can take up to 50 hours to complete and sell for around 2,500 rupees ($500).

          The next stop in the village was a pottery/brick making area. After the potter gave a demonstration of his craft, he let Tori and Alexa try their hands at the wheel. I could tell that the locals who had gathered around to watch were thoroughly enjoying the spectacle based on their toothy smiles and hearty laughs. It was  nice to hang out with local Indians who were genuinely interested in interacting, not pandering for handouts like the people in the city.

          We drove from the village to Suresh's in-laws house for a quick snack and then went to watch a live dance drama performance arranged by Suresh's father-in-law. The rooftop performance was colorful, lively, engaging, and enjoyable. 

          Throughout the day, we saw hoards of men dressed in white standing in the streets, waiting to hear the results of the municipal elections. I was impressed by the intense commitment to political activism. Even when we were driving back to MCC at midnight, hundreds of men lined the streets of every town we passed through. 

         Saturday was a dramatic change of pace from the relaxing village vibe - we traveled into the bustling heart of downtown Chennai. I was expecting the city to be brimming with trash and refuse, but the wide city streets were surprisingly devoid of trash. Immense construction projects were underway including a gigantic cricket stadium and impressive music auditorium. I was Sony, Adidas, and Nike stores as well as BMW, Mercedes, and Audi dealerships. We eventually rolled up to the largest mall in Chennai. With Diwali next week, we were essentially shopping at a mall in New York the week before Christmas - lots of people! It was impressive to see an urbanized center and I was finally able to see why India has one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

                  

            

10.18.11 - Home again

You can only sit in your seat for so long...

          On the final day of our 5-day trip, we visited a massive temple composed of four superstructures and an inner sanctum. The most interesting aspect of the temple was the large pond at the center. This body of water enables rainwater harvesting and provides a place for people to bathe and wash their clothes. however, the water has seen better days - it was a nasty greenish-brown color and several fish were seen floating belly-up. The next stop was a mangrove forest, where we got to go on guided boat rides through the vegetation. Some of us forgot that we were in India since the forest was similar to Florida.
          I got a glimpse of the Indian sense of humor when we were ordering ice cream at a restaurant after boating. Eric said, "none for me," and the waiter responded, "'non for me' is not a flavor - we have only chocolate and vanilla." With our stomachs full of naan and ice cream, we began our 4-hour bus ride to MCC. Tori had the brilliant idea of stowing herself in the luggage bins near the ceiling of the bus. Luke, Alexa, and I soon followed. It was nice to arrive back at MCC. This place is starting to fell more like home away from home. 

10.17.11 - The Largest Mine in Asia

Neveli Lignite Mine

          We had a 50 km drive to get from the hotel to the Neveli Lignite Mine (NLM). Although the trip should have taken about an hour, weaving around tractors, buses, goats, cows, and pedestrians extended the drive into a 2-hour ordeal. The mine was an amazing sight. Sometimes I get the feeling like I'm in Middle Earth, not India. Bilbo Baggins already gave us a tour of Auroville and the barren, excavated landscape of the massive mine eerily similar to Mordor. So far, there have been no signs of Orcs. Not only was the site much larger than I anticipated, the operation changed my perception of mines. The directors of the mine utilized sustainable practices including aquifer water recycling for hydroelectric power generation, afforestation of mined areas, and construction of retention ponds and groundwater recharge areas. This was my favorite stop of the trip so far.
          After the tour of the mine, our group stopped at a roadside drive-in restaurant. Several of us ordered the scezhuan fried rice. When I was the bright orange color of the grains on my plate, I knew my capsaicin tolerance was going to be tested. Suresh said the dish was 7 on  a 1-10 scale of hotness. I was thankful for the nearby Arun ice cream shop!

10.16.11 - Chillin' in Pondicherry

A little brotherly love in Pondicherry

          We left the Dune this morning and made the short drive down the road to the gorgeous city of Pondicherry. As we were walking down the beautiful, tree-lined streets of Pondi, I was surprised to see a large Indian elephant decorated with ceremonial paint and ankle bracelets. It was a well-trained elephant - she used her trunk to deftly pluck rupees from the outstretched hands of visitors. She also used her trunk to "bless" people outside of the temple. It's not everyday you get bonked on the head by an elephant! I was filled with awe when we rolled up to our sea side hotel in Pondi. I felt like I was in France. Fresh, warm croissants and a rich , robust buffet greeted our hungry stomachs. The guys and I spent the afternoon exploring Pondi. Throughout India, public display of affection is not uncommon. Multiple combinations of males and females can be seen holding hands. Apparently, touching is a way of showing friendship. We had to enjoy some of the Indian brotherly love. After cooling off in the hotel and watching some of the India/England cricket game, the day was capped off by a cozy dinner on top of the hotel. The red snapper was delicious and Jupiter could be seen high above the bay of Bengal.  

10.15.11 - "Well, that was weird."

The Auroville Orb

          We finally saw our first victim of India's wild and crazy roads. A man was sitting dangerously close to the shoulder of the road that went from the Dune to Pondicherry. I thought he was a crazy beggar at first, but then I saw the wrecked moped on the opposite side of the road, the large gash on his leg, and the blood gushing out of the wound. I'm  honestly surprised that I haven't seen this sort of tragic incident more often. Stephen wasn't able to set a wake-up alarm and complained about missing out on breakfast. He was able to laugh at the ridiculous nature of his 1st world problem when he saw the terrible plight of the wrecked and wounded biker on the side of the road.
          We spent the day in Auroville, an experimental community established in 1968 by a French woman known by community members as "The Mother." This cult-like community exists as a social experiment that emphasizes cooperation, discourages competition, and promotes spirituality. A civil engineer with an uncanny resemblance to Bilbo Baggins gave us a personal tour of the property. This Frenchman showed us the "Master Plan" - a planned community expanding concentrically from a central point. In this case, the central point is a giant, gold plated ball that looks like the offspring of EPCOT and the Death Star. I was extremely irritated thinking about all of the money that was wasted on this huge, garish monument that could have been used to construct schools, purchase food, or improve water quality. By the end of this strange day, I was referring to the residents of this weird community as "Aurovillains."

10.14.11 - A really gneiss day (WARNING: Academic Content)

Monolithic stone temple

          We spent most of today temple touring in Mamalla Puram. It was amazing to witness the intricate structures and mind astounding to think about the degree of creativity and the amount of labor necessary to create them. The most impressive thing that I took away from visiting the temples was an insight on the construction process. Apparently, ancient Indians knew their geology. These ancient peoples utilized the folliation planes of the metamorphic rock (gneiss) by strategically chistleing square holes into the rock, hammering in small pegs of wood, and soaking the wood pegs in water. The expansion of the soaked wood resulted in a force that pried the rock cleanly apart along the folliation plane. Brilliant.
          Our next stop of the day was the Shore Temple, which overlooked the Bay of Bengal. The two shrines that constitute this seaside temple are constructed of granite. Since the temple is subject to the sea breezes, weathering on the windward side of the temple is especially pronounced. Saltwater from the sea sometimes comes in contact with the walls of the temple. When the water evaporates, salt crystals precipitate, expand, and force the rock apart. The sea side of the temple was noticeably more weathered as a result of this combined mechanism of chemical and physical weathering. Inside the shrine dedicated to Vishnu, one could find a large basalt pillar , which was imported from the Deccan plateau in Andhra Pradesh. It looked like this specimen of igneous rock contained the darkly colored minerals amphibole and pyroxene. Apparently, this rock is used as a phallic symbol.
          Two of the other notable rock types that I observed in the area near the shore temple were laterite and charnockite. Laterite is a rock that is typically found in hot, tropical climates like southern India.This rock is rich in iron and aluminum and has a characteristic red color due to the presence of iron oxides. The process by which laterite is formed (laterization) occurs when intense chemical weathering underneath the parent rock leaches all of the major ions, leaving behind mostly iron and aluminum. As a result of its dense chemical composition, laterite is frequently used in India as a house building medium in the form of bricks. Charnockite is named after Job Charnock, who is the man who first discovered this rock. Charnockite is a metamorphic rock that is classified as an orthopyroxene granite. This darkly colored mafic rock contains the minerals amphipole, pyroxene, and plagioclase. I was surprised by the high specific gravity of this rock.
          After our last temple stop at the Shore Temple, we hopped back on the bus and made our way to the Dune Eco Resort. We enjoyed many types of  authentic Indian snacks including "good day" and "nice time" biscuits. In India, biscuit = cookie. Suresh pointed out some interesting land forms along the way including man-made pits designed to catch excess water from the ocean. When the water evaporates from the pits, salt is left behind as a useful precipitate. Upon our arrival at the Dune, we were welcomed with coconuts with straws and presented with flowery necklaces.