Rainfall triggers serpent infiltration, 85 rescued so far this month
The spike, according to wildlife experts, is linked to heavy rainfall and unplanned construction, which is driving snakes out of their natural habitats into homes, residential sectors and even government institutions.
Anil Gandas, a city-based wildlife rescuer who has conducted thousands of rescues since 2011, said this has been his most intense month in recent years. 'The majority of the calls are from the Dwarka Expressway stretch, especially sectors 107, 108, 84, 112, 110A, 99A, 101, 102, and 106. These areas were once agricultural land but are now under heavy construction. I have already rescued 85 snakes this month and expect the numbers to rise further till October.'
According to Gandas, snake rescue numbers this year have risen steadily: 13 in January, 8 in February, 7 in March, 16 in April, 29 in May, 38 in June, and 85 so far in July. The trend, he warned, is expected to continue till the end of the monsoon season.
Snake rescues have also been reported from government institutions. At the Government Senior Secondary School in Dhankot, a common kukri and an Indian rock python were safely removed earlier this month.
In one particularly striking rescue at Surya Vihar in Dhanwapur village, 13 kraits—including 11 hatchlings and two adults—were found inside a dried-up water tank in a house, he said. 'This was a rare and risky case. The presence of a snake family inside a home could have turned dangerous had it not been reported in time,' he added.
In another case, Deepak Ahlawat, a resident of Sector 109, had a scary experience when a common krait, one of India's most venomous snakes, was found curled up inside his kitchen cabinet. 'It was late evening, and I had just walked into the kitchen when I noticed something moving. I froze. It was a snake—just inches from where I keep my utensils. I immediately called for help,' he said. 'Had I not seen it in time, it could have been fatal. It was a narrow escape.'
In Daulatabad, Kavita Sharma found a snake inside her bedroom, hidden near the bed. 'I was about to lie down when I saw a movement from the corner of my eye. When I turned on the light, I couldn't believe what I saw—a snake right next to the bed. I screamed and rushed out,' she said. 'We always hear about these incidents, but when it happens in your own home, it's terrifying.'
Among the species rescued this month are spectacled cobras, common kraits, Indian rock pythons, rat snakes, Indian sand boas, red sand boas, wolf snakes, and common kukri snakes.
Forest officials have confirmed that over 100 snakes have been rescued from the Dwarka Expressway zone alone this year and have been released into the Aravalli Forest.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) Ram Kumar Jangra said a coordinated response mechanism is in place. 'We have created a network of volunteers, officials, and NGOs who respond to alerts. Anil Gandas leads most rescue operations and is familiar with all the vulnerable areas. Our team's contact numbers are available with residents, and we are on standby,' he said.
Last year, Gandas carried out more than 1,200 snake rescues in Gurugram. This year, if the current pace continues, that record may be broken. Officials have urged residents to avoid handling or provoking snakes and to immediately contact professional rescuers in case of a sighting.
Wildlife experts say the spike is a clear signal of ecological imbalance and a need for better habitat planning in developing areas. Gurugram residents have been advised to seal water tanks, inspect storage areas, and call professionals in case of sightings instead of attempting to remove the reptiles themselves.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scroll.in
43 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
Why Indians were discouraged from migrating to Cuba in the early 20th century
On a summer morning in 1926, twelve exhausted Indian men disembarked from the SS Croya at the British port of Liverpool. They had boarded the steamship in Cuba, disillusioned by their life on the Caribbean island. As subjects of the British Empire, they had the legal right to reside in Britain, but their intention was to return to India as soon as possible. 'They planted themselves on the landing stage and upon being approached by the police explained they hoped to be able to work their way home on a boat to India from Liverpool,' wrote GW Coster, a clerk at the West Derby Union, in a letter to the local Board of Guardians. Since the men, all from Punjab, were destitute, the Board of Guardians was obliged under local law to care for them until they found employment or secured funds to sustain themselves. Another option for the board was to sponsor their repatriation to India. While providing food and accommodation, the board reached out to the High Commissioner for India for guidance. Since the men were eager to return home, the High Commissioner recommended their repatriation and agreed to share the cost of the voyage with the Guardians. However, this incident raised alarm among officials managing Indian affairs in London. 'The High Commissioner desires to bring this case to notice as he is anxious not to be faced with a succession of cases of the kind, and that everything possible may, therefore, be done to prevent their recurrence,' wrote the Assistant Secretary to the High Commissioner in a letter to the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department. Years earlier, colonial authorities in India had warned subjects against migrating to countries like Cuba in search of manual labour, but such advice was often ignored. From the 1880s, the British government frequently received repatriation requests from Indians stranded in Cuba, as well as claims from Indian families for the assets of relatives who had died on the island. Cuba also drew the Empire's attention due to complaints from the United States and Canada that Indian subjects were using it as a transit point to enter those countries illegally. In addition, reports from the 1910s suggested Cuba was becoming a hub for Indian revolutionaries. British discouragement Informal Indian migration to Cuba can be traced to the late 19th century. Inspired by the relative success of the Indian indenture system in the West Indies, Spanish plantation owners in Cuba petitioned colonial authorities to allow former indentured labourers from places like Trinidad and Jamaica to move to the island. With pressure building in Cuba to abolish slavery, Indian labour was seen as a viable alternative. In 1881, a proposal to bring Indian workers from the Caribbean was submitted to the colonial authorities in London. But the government of India's Home Department strongly opposed the idea. In a note to the Secretary of State for India in 1881, the Home Department wrote: 'It is difficult to see on what grounds the Government of India could justify any abandonment of its objections to emigration to Cuba. Slavery still continues there under another name, and will not be finally abolished for many years to come. The treatment of slaves in Cuba has always been particularly inhuman have been so hardened that they are not likely to make good masters to coolies.' The note highlighted the poor treatment of emancipated slaves and Chinese indentured workers in Cuba, concluding: 'If we were anxious to extend emigration to foreign colonies, Cuba would probably be one of the very last places we should choose for the purpose.' The Home Department reminded that the British government had consistently resisted sending Indian labour to Cuba. 'In the first place, we have no real security for the proper treatment of our Indian subjects (of the coolie class) except under our own flag,' its note said, 'Secondly every attempt which we make to guard their interests involves us in lengthy, unsatisfactory, and sometimes irritating, correspondence.' Some Indians did reach Cuba via French territories like Martinique but these were people from French-ruled parts of India and there was little the British could do to stop them. Cuban attempts to recruit Indian labour continued after slavery was officially abolished in 1886 and persisted even after Spain lost control of the island to the United States following the Spanish-American War in 1898. After Cuba gained full independence in 1902, recruiters painted it as a land of opportunity for Punjabis seeking work in the Western Hemisphere. Some were told that Cuba would serve as a convenient transit point to the United States and Canada. But, of course, those assurances were belied. Many migrants who found their way to the island faced severe hardships and turned to the British diplomatic mission in Havana for help. In 1913, the Indian government's Department of Commerce and Industry asked provincial governments to discourage migration to Cuba. 'Labour conditions in Cuba are not suitable for Indians,' the department warned, adding that migrants expecting to move on to other countries often found themselves blocked by immigration laws or the overall 'undesirable character' of Cuba. Authorities at Indian ports were instructed to inform potential migrants of the risks. Tiny community British intelligence began tracking Indian movements to Cuba around 1917, amid fears that Ghadar Party revolutionaries were using the island as a base to reach out to compatriots in the West Indies. Two such revolutionaries, Mangu Ram and Harnam Chand, were arrested from a sugar plantation near Guantanamo for labour agitation and espionage. At the request of British officials, Cuban authorities deported them to Florida. Other Indians arriving from Panama also came under surveillance, suspected of being part of what British authorities called 'a seditious movement to overthrow British rule in India'. In April 1917, a secret foreign office memo noted that there had 'recently been a tendency among Indians, some at least of whom are reported to be disaffected, to collect in Cuba'. The memo cited an earlier letter that suggested efforts to establish 'an Indian colony' on the island and called for increased surveillance in Havana, a task given to the British Legation. Later that year, Stephen Leech, head of the legation, reported to Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour that he had found no evidence of Ghadar activity in Cuba. 'It is chiefly in the eastern end of the island, and especially at Guantanamo, that Indians have been wont to reside,' he wrote. Leech added that most Indians in Cuba had arrived via Jamaica from Panama, where they had worked as watchmen during the construction of the Panama Canal. He estimated the Indian population in Cuba at no more than 150 to 200 people. He said the Cuban secret police were actively assisting him in 'watching and reporting on Indians'. Gateway to America As the Ghadar movement waned, another wave of Indian migrants began arriving in Cuba – Punjabis hoping to eventually enter the United States or Canada. But immigration was heavily restricted. The US imposed strict quotas on Indian immigration through the 1924 Johnson-Reed Act. Canada, meanwhile, only permitted Indian immigrants who arrived via a 'continuous journey' from India – a nearly impossible route to take. By 1925, many Indians who believed they could reach North America through Cuba found themselves stranded and turned to the British Legation in Havana. 'Many Indians are arriving with the intention of proceeding to United States,' wrote the chargé d'affaires in a telegram to the government of India's Foreign Department. 'Owing to United States Immigration Law this is not possible and they are here absolutely destitute: recommend no others should be allowed to come and as charitable or other funds are not available render any assistance here beg authority to repatriate them..' In response, a policy was enacted requiring Indian passports to clearly state: 'Not available for the United States of America without a visa from an American Consular Officer.' Similar restrictions were considered for countries like Japan, but it was realised that this was not going to deter people from attempting the voyage. Still, officials recognised that migrants were circumventing the rules: 'Indian British subjects have been trying to evade the U.S. immigration laws by proceeding by easy stages towards the United States,' the Foreign Department noted. 'They leave India without giving any idea that their ultimate destination is the States... and proceed, say, to Japan and thence to Mexico or, as in this case under consideration, to Cuba.' Eventually, it was agreed that the British mission in Havana would fund the repatriation of the stranded Indians and recover the costs from the India Office. Stricter scrutiny A year later, when the group of 12 Indian men reached Liverpool, the High Commissioner for India received a bill for 220 pounds for their passage to Bombay on the SS Karonga. One member of the group fell ill and died in a local hospital and was cremated in Liverpool. The High Commissioner's office paid half the cost of the tickets, while the local Board of Guardians covered their half plus the 17-day accommodation expenses, totalling 40 pounds. A man named Keharsingh Gurditsingh, who joined the group after arriving separately in Liverpool, managed to find work as a motor driver and stayed on in Britain. Following this episode, colonial authorities imposed stricter scrutiny on those suspected of planning to reach North America via Cuba. News of the hardships faced by Sikhs and other Indians on the island spread through Punjab, effectively closing this migration route. According to a January 2025 brief from India's Ministry of External Affairs, a small component of the Indian community in Cuba today consists of descendants of migrants who moved there from the West Indies in the early 20th century. Most settled in Guantanamo province and have since been fully assimilated into the local population. The Ministry noted it has no official record of these individuals.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
This 5-Step Kitchen Cleaning Routine Is A Game-Changer - Try It Today!
After spending hours chopping vegetables, stirring gravies and serving meals, the idea of cleaning the kitchen sounds like a punishment. But what if we told you that you can restore order in maximum five minutes? Yes, really! We have a simple, tried-and-tested routine that will not just make your kitchen look cleaner, but also feel more pleasant to walk into the next morning. No endless scrubbing, no staring at crusty counters with dread. Just a light-lift reset that suits every Indian kitchen - whether you are working with a compact apartment space or handling a joint family meal station. With sharp organisation, a dash of habit-building and some nifty tips, this clean-up can become as routine as brushing your teeth. Ready to try it? Also Read: 5 Mistakes You're Unknowingly Making While Washing Dishes Here's A 5-Step Formula For A Fast-Forward Kitchen Cleaning Season: Step 1: Start With The Sink Dump all used utensils straight into the sink. Avoid stacking them haphazardly on counters. Turn on the tap and let hot water run for 30 seconds. This loosens up grease and dried food. Quickly rinse and load them into the dish rack or dishwasher if you use one. Leave the tough ones like the pressure cooker or kadai soaking with a few drops of dish liquid. Why this is important? The sink is like your kitchen heartbeat. If it is clean, the whole space feels sorted. Also Read: How To Prevent Grease Build-Up In Kitchen: 5 Easy Tips For A Sparkling Kitchen Photo Credit: iStock Step 2: Wipe The High-Touch Zones Take a damp microfiber cloth and swipe across the kitchen counters, stovetops, fridge handles and microwave buttons. Use diluted white vinegar or a spray cleaner for a quick disinfecting effect. Quick tip: Keep one dedicated cloth for the kitchen to avoid cross-contamination. Step 3: Tidy Up Visible Clutter Put away leftovers, sealed packets, spice jars and oil bottles in their rightful place. If you use a spice box (masala dabba), close it and tuck it back into the drawer. Stack containers or bags vertically to save space and make it look neat. Bonus hack: Assign one basket or tray to hold small daily-use items like tea bags, salt box and spoons. Step 4: Floor Flash Clean Run a dry mop or kitchen wiper across the visible part of the floor. If there are spills, use a tissue or damp cloth to spot clean. Sweep crumbs into a corner or dustpan. No need for full mopping unless absolutely needed. Why it matters? A crumb-free floor instantly lifts the room and prevents insects and germ build-up. Step 5: The Final Touch Light a small agarbatti or open a window to bring in fresh air and erase the foul kitchen smell. Turn off appliances, push chairs in and align the kitchen towel neatly on the handle. Refill the water bottles or filter tank so it is ready for tomorrow. These are the small details that make your kitchen feel like a place you love, not just use. Also Read: Smelly Kitchen Cloths And Sponges? No More! 5 Best Ways To Fix It Photo Credit: iStock How To Make Daily Kitchen Cleaning Feel Effortless? 1. Keep a cleaning caddy within arm's reach: Think of this as your kitchen's emergency tool kit. A small basket or tub under the sink, stocked with essentials like a microfiber cloth, multipurpose spray, dish scrubber and gloves, makes cleanup less of a chore and more of a quick reflex. 2. Make it a nightly ritual before you call it a day: Before you hang up your apron, run through this 5-minute routine. It sets the tone for a smooth morning and creates muscle memory. You will start noticing that your kitchen never truly gets messy anymore. 3. Share the load with family or flatmates: No need to play kitchen martyr. If you live with others, involve them in this mini-routine to make it an easy affair. Also Read: How To De-Clutter Your Kitchen Counter - 5 Steps Towards A Tidy Kitchen The Bottom Line: Cleaning your kitchen everyday prevents mess from growing monstrous. Plus, it trains your mind to associate cleaning with calm. And the best part is that you wake up to a kitchen that welcomes you with open arms. Advertisement About Somdatta Saha Explorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day. For the latest food news, health tips and recipes, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and YouTube. Tags: Kitchen Cleaning Tips 5-min Kitchen Tips Easy Kitchen Cleaning Ideas Show full article Comments
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
3 hours ago
- First Post
History Today: When India was shrouded in darkness in the world's largest blackout
On July 30, 2012, India experienced the largest blackout in history — 660 million people went without electricity as cascading grid failures hit half the country. The outage revealed vulnerabilities in energy management and prompted sweeping reforms in India's power sector read more A teacher (C, top) conducts a lesson for students in the light of kerosene lamps and a candle during a power-cut inside a house in Kolkata, July 31, 2012. File Image/Reuters As part of Firstpost's History Today series, we take a look at July 30 when India saw a blackout of an unprecedented scale in history. The date also witnessed a moment of US national identity solidified in law, the first World Cup climax in Uruguay, and a violent flashpoint in Reconstruction‑era New Orleans. India's record-breaking blackout On July 30 and 31, 2012, India experienced the largest blackout in world history — two consecutive days of nationwide grid collapse that plunged more than 600 million people into darkness, representing nearly half the nation's population and approximately 9 per cent of the global population at the time. The blackout began at 02:33 am IST when a cascade failure initiated in the Bina-Gwalior-Agra 400 kV transmission line, which short-circuited and disconnected critical load pathways in the Northern Grid. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This grid supplies electricity to nine states, including heavily populated hubs like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. A man stands in front of an electric pylon installed at a power house in the northern Indian city of Allahabad, July 31, 2012. File Image/Reuters Overdrawing and stress from maintenance outages weakened inter-regional connectivity; once the western corridor was severed, load shedding triggered widespread auto-tripping of lines — depriving nearly 300 million people of power within hours. A second, far more catastrophic collapse occurred around 01:00 pm IST, impacting not only the Northern Grid but also the Eastern and North-Eastern grids, thereby encompassing 22 of India's 28 states. This event stranded communities in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, plus northeast states like Assam and Tripura. The blackout affected up to 620‑680 million people, a record unmatched globally. A core driver was chronic overdrawing of electricity by states exceeding their drawal schedule — Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand notably ignored dispatch guidelines. These overruns destabilised system frequency and triggered automatic shutdowns across transmission lines. Over 300 intercity trains stalled for hours; the Delhi Metro halted all train operations, leaving passengers stranded underground for up to five hours before emergency evacuation. Traffic lights failed, resulting in gridlock in major cities. Airports including Indira Gandhi International Airport ran on backup power but operations severely slowed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Heavy traffic moves along a busy road during a power-cut at the traffic light junctions in New Delhi, July 31, 2012. File Image/Reuters Hospitals had to rely on generators; water treatment plants were offline, leaving millions without clean water; over 200 coal miners in eastern states were trapped underground before rescue teams succeeded. Small businesses and offices without backup systems were forced to close. While some industrial players — steel mills, refineries, factories — used captive power, the overall disruption eroded productivity and investor confidence. The Indian power grid, comprising five regional grids (Northern, Eastern, North-Eastern, Western, Southern), relied heavily on a few interconnection channels. Employees manually fill containers with diesel during a power cut at a fuel station in New Delhi, July 31, 2012. File Image/Reuters India's electricity demand in 2012 exceeded supply by 9-10 per cent, exacerbated by a weak monsoon that reduced hydroelectric generation (hydro accounts for approximately 12 per cent of total output) while simultaneously increasing agricultural electricity needs for irrigation. Additionally, around 25-27 per cent of generated electricity was lost to theft or transmission/distribution inefficiencies. The Bina-Gwalior line's protective relay malfunctioned under overload, disconnecting crucial pathways. The Government of India's Ministry of Power quickly set up a seven-member Enquiry Committee, chaired by SC Shrivastava, which submitted its report by August 16. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It identified four primary failures: Weak inter-regional transmission links, Overloading of the Bina-Gwalior line, Dispatch coordination failures amid states exceeding drawal limits, Protection relay malfunction at Bina-Gwalior Authorities managed to restore 80 per cent of power within 15 hours, prioritising critical infrastructure first. Restoration to full service extended to August 1 in some states through coordinated load sharing and emergency diesel generators. Post-blackout reforms were sweeping: Upgrading State Load Dispatch Centres and enforcing strict drawal schedules, Penalizing defaulting states and strengthening grid discipline enforcement, Enhancing oversight by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) and Power Grid Corporation of India, Launching smart grid pilot programmes, digital control systems, and automatic frequency restoration mechanisms. The federal government also accelerated a US$400 billion infrastructure reform plan, adding generation capacity and improving transmission resilience. Passengers sit on a platform for their train to arrive as they wait for electricity to be restored at a railway station in New Delhi, July 31, 2012. File Image/Reuters More than ten years on, India continues to invest in grid modernisation, renewable integration, and disaster resilience. But the 2012 blackout remains the starkest benchmark of systemic failure. 'In God We Trust' declared US motto On July 30, 1956, US President Dwight D Eisenhower signed Public Law 84‑851, officially designating 'In God We Trust' as the national motto of the United States — and mandating its placement on all US paper currency beginning in 1957. Although the phrase had appeared on select coins since 1864 and originated in a Civil War-era theological petition, its legal enshrinement reflected Cold War-era sentiment — drawing a symbolic contrast between American religious heritage and Soviet atheism. A protester wearing tags on his bag reading 'We The People' and 'In God We Trust' is seen the day before a legislative session begins in Olympia, Washington, US January 10, 2021. File Image/Reuters Congress adopted the resolution unanimously. Since then, courts have upheld its use as permissible under the First Amendment. It remains an enduring symbol of national identity and religious heritage in public life, on currency and within many public institutions. Uruguay wins first World Cup On July 30, 1930, host nation Uruguay completed a dramatic turn-around to defeat neighbour Argentina 4-2 in the final at Estadio Centenario, Montevideo — becoming the first FIFA World Cup champions. Despite going down 1-2 at half-time, Uruguay scored three second-half goals through Pedro Cea, Santos Iriarte, and Héctor Castro, sealing legendary status for 'La Celeste' before a crowd of nearly 70,000. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Uruguay winning team poses for a photograph during the 1930 FIFA World Cup. Image/Panoramic via Reuters The victory triggered a national holiday and cemented Uruguay's early football dominance, complemented by Olympic golds in 1924 and 1928 — often recognised by FIFA as equivalent world championships. Argentina also celebrated its prowess in a tense match highlighting South American football rivalry. The 1930 final remains a milestone in global sports history and a cultural touchstone across Latin America. New Orleans massacre On July 30, 1866, in New Orleans, a peaceful gathering of mostly Black freedmen and allied Republicans — meeting to draft a new Louisiana constitution at the Mechanics' Institute — was brutally attacked by a white mob of ex-Confederates, police officers and local officials. Witnesses reported 38 deaths (34 Black freedmen and four white Republicans) and over 146 injuries, though unofficial counts estimated up to 200 deaths and even more wounded. Political Cartoonist Thomas Nast drew this political cartoon, 'The Massacre at New Orleans,' criticising US President Andrew Johnson for his role in permitting the violence to unfold in New Orleans on July 30, 1866. Image/US Library of Congress The riot spotlighted the violent resistance to Black political enfranchisement and Reconstruction-era reforms. This atrocity helped galvanise Northern support for Congressional, rather than Presidential, Reconstruction — leading to more stringent protection of Black civil rights in 1867–68. With inputs from agencies
