100-year-old says Kerala floods worse than 1924 deluge
Thiruvalla (Kerala), Aug 27 : A bishop now 100-years-old says the floods which have devastated Kerala are far worse than the one which choked the state way back in 1924.
The 1924 floods were not as horrific as the present one, says Philipose Mar Chrysostom, the senior most metropolitan of the Thiruvalla-headquartered Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church.
Ever since monsoon rains began lashing Kerala on May 29 this year, a total of 417 people have died and more than a million were forced to take shelter in relief centres following unprecedented destruction.
The 2018 floods have been described as the worst to hit Kerala after 1924. The bishop was born in 1918 and his house was on the bank of the Pampa river in Thiruvalla.
When the 1924 floods came, he recalls seeing the river in spate, washing away houses and domestic animals. Thiruvalla, the district headquarters of the now Pathanamthitta district, is located about 120 km form Thiruvananthapuram.
"In comparison, the current floods are much more devastating... I have painful memories of witnessing houses with helpless inhabitants and cattle being washed away in the Pampa almost a century ago," said the bishop.
"There were no relief camps and no one to prepare or deliver food to the homeless then. People huddled in groups in school or church buildings or temple grounds."
One day, his father, a Vicar, and his assistant took a small boat on a rescue mission. The boat capsized and his father fell into the river. He was saved by the assistant.
The bishop added that although more devastating in its magnitude, the present devastation had brought people together by breaking the barriers of creed, race and politics.
"This is a good sign... of the essence of humanity reaching out to one another."
Even though he is officially retired, the bishop remains active and leads an occasional prayer session.
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
