Mr. Hanumanth Rao, Mr. Dharma Rao and the entrepreneuring engineers

So the past few days I've been meeting with some retired engineers who used to be the Chief engineers of Andhra Pradesh. Both of these men come from different specialties and yet they have both decided to lend their expertise to the problem of the Polavaram Dam.


The area effected by the dam

Mr. H. Rao is an engineer who specializes in irrigation, so things having to do with water projects. He was in favor of the Polavaram Dam, but took the initiative to come up with an alternative plan to help avoid legal issues that the other Dam presented.

What he came up with was a series of barrages which would inundate less people, be created in a shorter amount of time, cost less money and would produce more energy than the current project. However, his project was cast aside because it would still displace about 60 villages, but this is a lot less than the 330 in the currently proposed project.

Also he was super fun to talk to and was cheery.


Brad, Ashlee, Mr. H. Rao, Drew, Myself and Mr. Bharath

The next day we went to meet with another Engineer, this time Mr. D. Rao (no relation to the first). Here was an engineer who became interested in the project after he saw all of these other plans for the dam which would displace many people, so he tried to think of an innovative way that would get rid of that problem while still achieving the aims of hydroelectric power and water transference to other areas of the state.

His idea was to have two tunnels which would have turbines to produce hydroelectric power. They would go from areas of high elevation to areas of lower elevation and would create the energy using gravity. Also there would be filters to ensure that the local wildlife would not be negatively affected by the tunnels and could be rerouted to natural routes.

This plan would mean no displacement for the tribal people, would still create energy, would take less time and cost less to make and would still divert the water to areas that need it. This plan was even the one that was recommended by the Supreme Court's panel who were looking at alternatives for this project. It was really interesting to hear about this! It seems like it might be hard to maintain (turbines only last about 15-20 years) but it would help solve some of the bigger issues at play.


Me, Rem, Mr. D. Rao, and Drew

It was very fascinating and informative to hear both of their plans for the project and how they would go about it. We're going next week to Rajamundry to see the actual site and meet with different officials. We'll see how it goes!

Leia Mais…

Polavaram Dam: A Public Health Problem

So a few weeks ago I went on a trip to Chatti near where the states of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and Cchattisgard meet. It was a super fun trip and I was able to meet and learn about the Koya people.

They are a tribal community here in India that is being threatened by the building of the Polavaram Dam. The Dam in the current project would be a high dam that would displace somewhere around 312 villages and affect over 400,000 people, the majority of them tribals. One thing to know about tribal people here in India, they have special rights because of their lifestyle, but those rights are only attached to the land. If they lose the land then they lose their rights and their way of living and culture will most likely disappear because they cannot replicate those lifestyles in other areas.

In addition to this, the large water reservoir would create more exposure to water-borne diseases since while that area has deep rivers, does not have many other water sources besides those.

Another issue, (besides the obvious displacement of thousands of people) is that all of this project, the approvals, the construction, has gone on illegally. And it will affect tribals in two other states as well. You can see where the problems come in.

Another issue is that of the placement of the dam. It is placed in the most population-dense area of Andhra Pradesh: the delta area and the city of Rajamundry. If there was to be a massive flood that the dam couldn't hold, and if the dam broke at all, then within a few hours 5 million people could die as a result of the flow. This is a major problem that despite being addressed by a few key experts, is being ignored by those who are in charge of the project and the politicians who are tied to those campaigns and other "contributions."

And then there's the other issue of the Koya people themselves. They are some of the most amazing people I have ever met. They are so friendly and kind and willing to work with and help progress themselves and others.


At the Kulu Pu festival


With the Kids from the Village


Cute little girl


Wonderful people and their celebrations of life


I LOVE this picture. That girl was so nice and we had so much fun playing and talking.


I can just tell that this woman exudes wisdom!


The committee who we met who help fight for tribal rights


Where the Sabari and the Godavari Rivers meet. It would be submerged under the current dam project


A Koya village head in Orissa


The boat that travels between Orissa and Andhra Pradesh

Overall, it's a really interesting and complex issue and I'm glad that I'm able to help provide services to an organization who is campaigning for tribal rights and promoting education about this project. Let's hope that things turn in favor of the tribals!

Leia Mais…

Update on health

So... for the past two weeks I have been sick as a dog. The problem with the sickness, was that I would throw up multiple times, be sick for a few days and then seem to get better. I'd even be able to keep down a meal or two. As is evidenced by my posts here, here and even a bit here. Progress seemed to be made! But alas, things were not better, and I kept getting worse.

I went on a trip to visit the site of the Polavaram Dam and see the Koya people (more on them later) and seemed to get somewhat better. I wasn't eating much because it was a lot hotter there and the traveling throws off my schedule. But since coming back last Wednesday (one of the reasons why I'm so behind on my blog) I have gotten progressively worse.

It's generally not a good sign when I've lost 10-15 pounds... in 2 weeks. That's NEVER healthy by any stretch of the imagination. So I kept trying to take care of myself, keep it easy, and limit my diet to juices, vitamins and rice (or chipati). Pretty bland, but safe. Unfortunately this didn't prevent me from getting really sick on Sunday. This proved to be the encouragement I needed to finally go to the doctor.

So, today I had my first-hand experience of the Indian Health-Care System. Or at least the private healthcare system. So I went to the lovely Apollo Hospital in my part of town and spent the day navigating the different aspects of the hospital. First we got checked in and did the usual waiting for a doctor. Then when I actually got in to see a doctor he started asking my symptoms, how long they had been going on, etc. Then he did a blood pressure reading (boo... not normal for me) and started palpating my abdomen which was not fun because whenever I said something hurt he poked it again. :(


Getting my blood pressure taken, ignore the grossness

So after that initial examination he sat down and started writing out a. prescriptions and b. tests to be done..... 5 tests to be exact. And 3 prescriptions. X.X

And he wanted me to go see a specialist. Yeah... no bueno. So I saw the specialist in what was one of the most unpleasant and violating experiences of my life and got another 3 prescriptions, none of which seem pleasant.....

After this I went downstairs to do testing. Only to find out that in order to do the ultrasound testing I need to a. have an empty stomach (check-the whole throwing up thing takes care of that) and b. have a full bladder (not check.....) so instead I went and had my blood drawn (which always makes me freak out) and then go upstairs to wait and get water to fill me up.

That was a fun experience going up and sitting and chatting with Melissa. She's become my pseudo-mom/super good friend since coming here. It's just a bonus that she's my country director. We're kindred spirits. :)

So after waiting, we FINALLY were able to go downstairs and wait in line for the ultrasound.

While waiting we saw this picture:

Did you know that in India it's illegal to ask to know the sex of the baby or to promote finding out the gender because so many female fetuses are aborted? Sad but true....

So... the ultrasound requires a full bladder.... which stinks when someone is SHOVING something hard all over your tummy and organs. That lady was MEAN.

So finally after all of the poking and prodding and stripping of my dignity, I'm finally about ready to leave. I wait for my prescriptions and a friendly family says hello



And because of the violation from today I treated myself to my first Cadbury Chocolate Bar.


Mmmm

So after all of that, I found out that I have to come back tomorrow to get an "official" diagnosis since my lab results weren't going to be back until too late for a doctor to look at them. So we decided to leave and took our printouts that we had and had lunch before going back to the house.

It was funny because on the way back we were stopped at a light and beggars came up to us. But instead of being the normal, I'm lame or a child, it was the third gender beggars. These are the men who dress as women and there's some other connotation to it that I'm not quite sure, I think they're supposed to be a God's consorts or something. Either way, they're pretty interesting. They came up to us and were like, 10 Rupees! And so Melissa starts joking with one going, No! You give ME ten Rupees! And so they're joking back and forth and finally before we leave because the light turns green, he/she puts a rupee in Melissa's hand and blows her a kiss. It was by far the funniest thing all day.

We get back and Melissa needs to get ready to pick up Mindy from the airport (one of our Help International board members) and I get to catch up with everyone from the day. It was funny because I had THREE different people go, "so, are you pregnant?" And the answer is NO. I am 100% not pregnant. But it took a few minutes of teasing to convince them otherwise. After looking through my test results and the ultrasound tech's write-up, I looked up the condition she put up and it was Cholelithiasis which means gallstones. Woohoo! An answer!

And what did my mom ask about this morning? "Make sure to ask about your Gallbladder!"... Moms always know.

So yeah, I'm on a ton of pills right now and I've still got another round of doctor's visits, but the end is near. There is a diagnosis!


Yay pills....

So I'll make sure to definitely update on the outcome of this saga and the next step from here tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Leia Mais…

Progress

So... today was the first day that I really felt human. Yay stomach sickness!

So remember how I ate beef the other night? Yeah... I spoke too soon when I said I kept it down.
Which was a shame, it was quite tasty... if a bit chewy.

So I FINALLY had a morning where I didn't throw up and I was able to eat something!

Huzzah!

So what did I eat?

This:

Glorious, wonderful naan...

And what are those chunks in it? Garlic. Mmmmm.... There seriously must have been at least 2 cloves of garlic in the bread. So. Unbelievably. Yummy.

And the sad thing is that those two pieces of naan are the biggest meal I've had all week... combined. Don't you love sickness? I've felt like a zombie.

And for the record, no it is not related to the E. Coli breakout in Germany *coughMOMcough* I don't even think we get anything imported from Europe besides Nutella. And if there's something wrong with the Nutella, well, them's fightin' words!

So anywho, it's just run of the mill, I'm-in-a-foreign-country-getting-used-to-the-minerals-and-strange-bacteria-sickness. That and lack of sanitation. It's mostly clean right?

Anyways, so today was also the first day I've been out of the house since sunday. (Wohoo!) I went to get stuff to make spaghetti for sunday dinner. (Why are you making sunday's dinner on Thursday?) Well, since spaghetti from scratch takes a bit, I needed to have at least 4 hours to work on it (darn chopping veggies). I won't be at the house that long for the next few days with the exception of sleeping. Tomorrow we're going to Kowdipally to look at the site for CARPED's Quarter Acre Project.

I'm actually really excited to go for a few reasons. a. I'm in charge of this project and need to see the layout of the land before I can go further b. it's getting out of the city c. it's getting out of the house which given the past week is fantastic.

In addition to that, my other project, the Polavaram Dam project, is having a huge meeting on sunday. The guy in charge of it would like me to be there for that and also on monday to see some of the villages. It'll really help to solidify the project and see what we can do to help. Also it's an 8 hour journey, so once again getting out of the house. It's also neat because this is really getting out into the countryside. I'm super excited for it. :)

So today was fun and I felt human again. It was also kinda special because today was Brandon's birthday (Hurray!) and he got to see his (soon-to-be-within-the-week) fiance Sirisha. It was cute. We got him a cake and sang to him and then he went off to hang out with her after he had done all of his meetings and he's going to be with her family all this weekend. They're so adorable. And it was nice to see Sirisha. When I came into the living room she was like CASEY! and jumped up and gave me a big hug. It was much appreciated. :)


Brandon eating the rose


Cutting up the cake for everyone... it wasn't that good. Cakes here are SUPER watery and this one was soggy. :( But cake is still cake and Brandon was happy for the birthday surprise.

I hope tomorrow continues to be better as I recover. One bonus though is that all of my clothes are looser now! I guess that's one way to lose weight? Oh well, off to Kowdipally tomorrow!

p.s. If you are into gardening/sustainable living whatsoever, get this book. It is AWESOME. I've read it cover to cover and it's inspiring. And it's the basis for the CARPED project. :)



Oh, and look it's on sale at Amazon!

Leia Mais…

Days flying by

Wow... I cannot believe that it is Thursday already! Where did the time go?! Have I really been here for 2 weeks tomorrow?

Holy cow.

India is so crazy and so much fun. I find I'm finally adjusting to the weather (yay!) and the spices (mmm) and even arguing with rickshaw drivers over prices and where we're supposed to go. :)

So some summary of the past week or so. I've met with a lot of partners and figured out what I'll be doing (mostly) with them and with the other team members.

So I am the project lead with CARPED for the Quarter Acre project. We're basically going to be showing how a poor family can live off of that small amount of land. But that means building a mud house (that should be interesting), adding a soilet (more on that later), adding an adobe stove and having square foot gardens in the back yard! It should be fun but a lot of work.

I'll also be working on the Polavaram Dam project. I'll be helping to analyze the impact of the dam on the tribal cultures that will be displaced. That should be fascinating.

I'll also be working with the MV Foundation with doing murals on the school walls. That one isn't set in stone yet, but we'll see how it goes!

Things have been so intense lately with meeting after meeting with the partner and solidifying what we're doing. But it's fun to be able to drive around the city and realize I know where I am and recognize roads, landmarks, etc. It's also been fun to get to know the team better. We're a good mix of people and it's been really fun meshing so far.

Oh, and on friday we had our "initiation" ceremony where we were given food and not told what it was before we ate it.

Can you guess what it is? I figured it out and wasn't too happy with it...


But they made it up by giving us cake later. :)


Kinda makes up for the fact that we were served goat brains...

More later!

Leia Mais…