Namaste!

My initial impression of Gujarat State was of concern for the health of our lungs, not just K and I, but theirs and yours too - as will be explained.

Here is my diatribe.

As we left Maharastra and crossed the border there was an immediate change of setting. Gone were the tail end of the hills and instead was the start of the pillars of chimneys, a very unnatural phenomenon. We were now entering the INDUSTRIAL ZONE. Never before, have I ever seen anything like this in my life and I had hoped that something like this did not exist, I was horrified. The structures that I saw raised more questions than answers. There were miles upon miles upon miles of a concentrated collection of producers. These were not at all like the factory units in the UK, these looked like factory shacks in many instances, huge monstrosities with misplaced corrugated sheeting for walls and roofing. There were tall or short, fat or thin metal chimneys jutting out here and there and dominating the horizon. Each chimney in turn spewed out a constant thick black or brown smoke as though they all had something to demonstrate, I imagined them piping tunes in a strange Disney fantasy twist. There is a game that was popular when I was a child, it was called Mouse Trap, it was a board game that had various domed cages, ramps and stairs and mechanical contraptions of sorts placed upon the game board, many of these industrial units reminded me of this because of their awkwardness, crudity and clumsiness in design. I do not neccesarily expect industry to be pretty but I do expect it to at least look reasonably safe in it's construction and not like a badly maintained rollercoaster come magnified tin shed come inhumane or environmental deathtrap. Even though I wore earplugs I could imagine the decibels of hissing, grinding, clunking and churning within - and no I was not getting confused with having a bad tummy. The volume of units in turn brought heavy traffic, mainly trucks and tankers with their liquid cargoes. They also brought migrant workers who live in slums or blue tarpaulin towns huddled together in small strips of land. This in turn brings more rivers and ponds of rubbish as these people have no facilities for waste disposal. The smog created was insane, the blue sky had turned into a hazy brown and my nostrils were periodically filled with the smell of sulphur, vinegar or yeast.

Well its a dirty job and someones gotta do it.

Gujarat is one of the fastest growing states in India with a GDP 2.47 times India's average. It's major industrial products include Textiles, Engineering, Chemicals,Petrochemicals. Drugs & Pharmaceuticals. Dairy, Cement & Ceramics. Gems & Jewellery. In Vadodara is one of the best petroleum refineries in India. There are advantages in all this, a demand is being met, a demand that has been created, the rewards are cash flow and improved infrastructure, everybody is a winner. Jobs are created and people are fed and lives are improved. Well one would hope.

Not in our backyard.

Well, another positive is that this is NOT in our backyard because most of the industry has set sail to other lands. Well that is until you start realising that your neighbours smoke blows over the fence.

I wonder what protective environmetal laws there are here, I also wonder whether there is the infrastructure to audit the industry. How accountable are buisnesses? How polluted is the air quality and water supply? Are people aware of the occupational hazards and is there any risk assessment?

Perhaps I should spend some time and look this up on the web..... I am sure that there are answers out there.

I need a break for a moment.