Saturday, March 29, 2008

When the floods come...

There is a story on Israeli tenacity, that goes like this::

“Scientists predict that in a month's time an enormous natural catastrophe will be visited upon the earth as a result of which the whole surface of the globe will be covered with water. Thereupon the Pope issues from Rome an encyclical exhorting his flock to make use of the remaining days of grace to seek salvation in Christ and to hope for resurrection. The chief Mufti of the grand mosque on Mecca issues a fatwa to all the true believers in Allah and His prophet Mohammed assuring them that they will go straight to Paradise where great pleasures await them. And the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem calls upon all his brothers, the Children of Israel, saying, “We have four weeks to learn how to live under water."

I was reminded of this when I read this interview ( via Sepia Mutiny)) of Lee Kuan Yew. Minister Mentor, Singapore, in which he discusses the possibility of the island getting flooded due to global waming and then adds nonchalantly: “ we are already in consultations with Delft in Holland to learn how we can build dikes!”

While many of the countries keep talking about global warming or wishing it away, it is typical of Singapore to take a pragmatic approach and start preparations to tackle the eventuality.

2 comments:

braindrain said...

Raj,
Last week there was a news report in The Hindu about a sect in Russia staying in a cave to escape the imminent catastrophe that is expected to clear earth of its inhabitance. The D-Day is 27th April. Not much time left folks!!

Raj said...

brain drain, we'll know for sure on the 28th, or maybe we won't....