We are all used to listening about how "Katrina" caused so much damage in New Orleans, "Dennis" in Florida etc. We are not used to hearing how Mumbai was paralysed by "Pyarr" or how people of Chennai got their water from "Vaali". Strange as it might sound cyclones in Northern Indian Ocean do have names. Actually they started naming them from mid -2004.
Naming storms is very convenient for everybody - meteorologists, government, news media and the general public. Now people in India can talk reminiscently of how "Laila" gracefully showered just before the crop season.
Just like any other ordeal in South Asia , naming cylcones cannot be done without playing politics. Cyclones in North Indian ocean are not named alphabetically as in the Atlantic ocean. Eight countries (Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Srilanka and Thailand) each contribute names for cyclones. The nations are then arranged in an alphabetical order. The cylones are then sequentially named according the names given by these nations.
For a list of cyclone names click here
This form of naming is not unique to Northern Indian Ocean. The Western Atlantic cyclones use the same method for naming cyclones. Why can't keep it simple by naming them according to English alphabetical order.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
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