The Brandenburg Gate is a neoclassical monument in Berlin, Germany. It was constructed between on the orders of the Prussian King Frederick William II in 1788 and designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans. after the successful restoration of order during the early Batavian Revolution. It was built near the City Gate that was the start of the road from Berlin to the town of Brandenburg.

This gate was built to represent peace replacing the eariler simple guardhouses. It has also played different important political roles in Germany. When the Prussian lost to the Battle of Jena Auerstedt in 1806, Napolean used the gate for triumphal procession. After the Prussian’s comeback in 1814, they defeated Napolean and then redesigned the gate as a Prussian triumphal arch.

In late 20th century, when the revolution of 1989 occurred and the wall was demolished, the gate symbolized freedom and helped in unifying the city of Berlin. For all the murdered jews in the revolution, the German Federal Parliament decided to build a memorial for them which was then designed by Peter Eisenman. This memorial was named Holocaust Memorial.

This memorial consists of a 19,000 m square site covered with 2711 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern. There exists an underground place which holds the name of approximately 3 million Jewish Holocaust victims. It’s construction was finished in December, 2004.

Address:
Brandenburg Gate : Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Holocaust Memorial : Cora-Berliner-Straße 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Mehrauli Archaeological Park which is in Delhi is one of the only places where you would find not one but many monuments of historical importance.The land which spreads over 200 acres hosts about hundred monuments from multiple dynasty that ruled over Delhi including Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, Lodhi Dynasty and the British Raj.

One of the main attractions is Tomb of Balban which was built in 1287 CE as it was the first time for such a true arch and dome to be constructed in India.Some of the notable monuments of the park are :

• The bastion of Lal Kot fort, Mehrauli.
• Balban’s tomb, Mehrauli, ca 1287 CE
• Tomb of Khan Shahid, Balban’s son, Mehrauli.
• Entrance to Tomb of Khan Shahid, son of Balban
• Steps of Rajon Ki Baoli
• Walled mosque adjacent to the Baoli
• Gandhak ki Baoli, another stepwell beyond Rajon Ki Baoli.
• Dargah of Sufi saint, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, beyond Rajon Ki Baoli.
• Tomb and wall mosque in Mehrauli Archaeological Park.
• Bagichi Ki Masjid, Mehrauli.
• British Agent, Sir Thomas Metcalfe’s Guest House at Dilkusha close to Quli Khan’s tomb.
• Pavilion tomb and grave platform, Mehrauli Archaeological Park.
• Tomb in Mehrauli Archaeological Park.
• Ruined homes near Balban’s tomb

Address: 
Anuvrat Marg, Opposite Qutub Minar Metro Station, Christian Colony, Mehrauli, New Delhi, Delhi 110030

Address:
Netaji Subhash Marg, Lal Qila, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, Delhi 110006

The last two years have been difficult for residents of India’s eastern city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu State. Monsoon rains have failed for two years and the city has braved a heat wave compounded by water scarcity.

On 19 June 2019, the state government announced that Day Zero—or the day when the city reservoirs were empty—had been reached. Local officials then announced that they would transport 10 million litres of water daily by train from 200 kilometres away to provide enough water, especially for the poor, to survive.

Chennai’s water stress is not unique to the city. From Cape Town, South Africa to Iran’s port city of Khorramshahr, individuals and communities in numerous countries worldwide have in recent years been suffering from water shortages.

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Mirror To Mirror with Former BBC Correspondent Krishan Tyagi

Pakistan never recognised that Jammu & Kashmir enjoyed a special status in the Union of India through Article 370 and Article 35A in the Constitution of India. Pak government, establishment and media call the Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir “Maqbooza Kashmir” (Occupied Kashmir) using the formal phrase “Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK)”. But the moment the Modi government decided to abandon those provisions, Pakistan decided it is a violation of some agreement with Pakistan! Pakistani establishment claimed the Article 370 could not be removed unilaterally by India.

As the Indian parliament passed the resolutions to abrogate Article 370 (and Article 35A as a consequence) and reorganised the region into two Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladhakh, Pakistan reacted sharply. Pakistan’s national assembly in a joint session condemned India for unilaterally changing the status of Jammu & Kashmir. Pakistan downgraded the diplomatic relations with India by sending the Indian envoy back home; the trade with India has been completely stopped; the train and bus services between the two countries have been stopped; Pakistani air space has again been restricted for Indian planes; and most importantly, Pakistan is taking the matter to the United Nations Security Council and International Court of Justice, if possible. Prime Minister Imran Khan has phoned world leaders and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has visited Beijing seeking China’s support at the UNSC in order to make India withdraw its measure in relation to Jammu and Kashmir.

There has not been much of a reaction from the Indian government to the unilateral measures taken by the Pak government. The only response from the Indian government that we saw during the week was that the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Ravish Kumar asked Pakistan to review its decision to downgrade the ties with India.

However, the Indian media as well as Pak media have been taking great interest in the developments in Pakistan in the field. The Indian media in general dismissed the Imran Khan government’s attempts to garner international support against India as desperate and fruitless efforts. For instance, Palki Sharma Upadhyay at WION News, India’s global news channel, wished Pakistan “Good Luck” in its efforts. On the other hand, as expected Pak media has been very supportive of their government.

Different television channels have joined their government in severely criticising the present Indian government’s measure to absorb “disputed Jammu and Kashmir” into India; condemned “Indian atrocities on Kashmiri people”; and used abusive words for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

On the Pakistani television news channel 24 News,one of the senior most Pak journalists, Najam Sethi who also believed that India has acted inappropriately, presented a very realistic assessment of the options available to the Pakistan establishment in its opposition to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution in relation to Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Sethi reported that there was no positive response from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the US or China to PM Khan’s phone calls and FM Qureshi’s visit to Beijing. These countries at present have very strong trade and investment relations with India, and it is not in their national interest to annoy India. China particularly at this moment is not very happy with Pakistan. Turkey is the only country that has supported Pakistan on the issue. Basically, Pakistan doesn’t have much of international support.

Najam Sethi also talked of the UN Resolutions on Kashmir proposing a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. Generally the people in Pakistan think the plebiscite was supposed to take place in the Indian region of Jammu & Kashmir only. Because the plebiscite did not take place, Pakistan calls Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir, as mentioned, “Indian Occupied Kashmir” and the area under its own control “Azad Kashmir (Free Kashmir)”. Mr Sethi informed the 24 News viewers that according to the concerned UN Resolutions, the plebiscite was to be held in the whole of Jammu & Kashmir, INCLUDING THE KASHMIR UNDER PAKISTANI CONTROL.

However, as mentioned in the review, even Mr Sethi, a very mature journalist, omitted the extremely important detail of the UNSC Resolution 47, adopted on 21 April 1948, wherein the proposal to hold a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir was made. The Resolution had recommended a three-step processfor the resolution of the dispute between India and Pakistan. In the first step, Pakistan was asked to withdraw all its nationals from Kashmir. In the second step, India was asked to progressively reduce its forces to the minimum level required for law and order. In the third step, India was asked to appoint a plebiscite administrator nominated by the United Nations who would conduct a free and impartial plebiscite. These steps were sequential, meaning the second step was to be taken up on the completion of the first one, and the third step was to be taken up on the completion of the second one. Mr Sethi kept quiet on the fact that the plebiscite did not take place because Pakistan did not fulfil the first condition. It never withdrew its nationals from Kashmir. So, the reality of the UN Resolutions on Kashmir is that they could not be acted upon because Pakistan did not keep its part. The responsibility for the non-implementation of the UN Resolutions lies with Pakistan.

Even more importantly, the fact is that the present state of Pakistan is not the state of Pakistan that was a party against the state of India in the UN Resolutions relating to Kashmir in 1948-1949. THAT STATE OF PAKISTAN NO LONGER EXISTS. More than half of the population of that State of Pakistan transformed itself into another State called Bangladesh in 1971. So, a smaller part of that State cannot claim itself to be the inheritor of the erstwhile State of Pakistan, the party to the dispute with India, even if it calls itself Pakistan. In that Resolution, present day Bangladesh, the then East Pakistan, was a joint claimant as a part of Pakistan. The present day Pakistan can only pursue that claim if Bangladesh joins it in pursuing that claim.

So, all the UN Resolutions relating to Jammu and Kashmir, where the State of India and the then State of Pakistan were the parties to the dispute, are null & void after the transformation of East Pakistan into Bangladesh.

But, no one including Indian political leaders and Indian media has ever told Pakistan.

Courtesy mirrortomirror.com

Rainwater is amongst the purest water one can get distilled as it is by the sun. However, in a rainwater harvesting system, the water comes in contact with several surfaces, such as the roof or gutters. Its flow becomes possibly mixed with leaves or dust.

To get water fit for use at the end of the harvesting process, apart from keeping these surfaces clean, we can filter the water before storage. Ideally a water harvesting filter with inbuilt Sand and Aggregate filter is long lasting and requires less maintenance. See the link below for the design of such a pit.

However when there is a space crunch you can use a modular pipe filter to be directly connected to the piping system from the roof to the borewell or dugwell to be recharged. For maintenance of that system you must refer to the manufacturer’s brochure.

Link to the Water Harvesting Filter Pit details:

Domestic Water Harvesting Ideas by Prof. Manohar Khushalani

Recharge Pit with Desilting Weir- Design Manohar Khushalani

This Recharge pit can be used where the volume of water is large and there is not enough space to accommodate a desilting tank. The other advantage is that the surface water runoff can come from all four sides of the pit as the desilting weir can be all around the pit.

Important: The number of borewells depends on the volume of water. Minimum one , maximum two, Three borewells can be used only in exceptional circumstances. Under no circumstance, the borewell should be deeper than the firsr acquifer. This is to ensure that people dont use it for pumping out water from deep acquifers.

High Capacity Recharge Pit Designed By Manohar Khushalani

This Ground Water Recharge Pit is for Societies with many flats or in institutional areas. Size is Indicative depending on the size of the catchment. More than one Pit can be used if necessary. Water to such a pit should be cleaned through one or more Desilting Tanks. See the previous article on Desilting tank

Important: The number of borewells depends on the volume of water. Minimum one, maximum two, Three borewells can be used only in exceptional circumstances. Under no circumstance, the borewell should be deeper than the first aquifer. This is to ensure that people dont use it for pumping out water from deep aquifers.

If there is only direct surface runoff to the harvesting pit from surrounding areas see the next article on built-in desilting weir

Water Harvesting: Recharge Pit with built in Desilting Weir | Manohar Khushalani

For Pipe Filters (Not Recommended in large Catchments) See the link below

Water Harvesting: Pipe Filters where there is a space crunch | Manohar Khushalani