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Transition to Seismology Scouting

A Bangladeshi breakfast: paratha (bread), mumlet (egg), bhaji (vegetables), moog dal (mung beans).

With the scouting done, we just that the installation of the final two GPS sites to do. Since we started drilling the hole for the antenna rod at Kalenga, we went there first to finish the installation. This time, the new road surface had dried enough for us to go over it. We arrived and went to work, becoming an experienced team for the installation. As promised, they had built us a ladder, a rickety one, but functional. After competing the job, we were surrounded by kids when we returned to the ground from the installation. We once again

Looking down on Sanju and Keith installing the grounding rod among schoolchildren.

handed out chocolates to all the students and teachers, had tea and went on our way.

It was still afternoon, so we drove to Chunarughat where the seismic team had just finished installing a station in the college where we reoccupied. We all had tea, some fresh pineapple, snacks and caught up. They went off to another site, while we went to scout two sites farther along that were on tea plantations. We had had problems

Handing out chocolates to the students at Kalenga.

getting permissions as some were large corporations with headquarters in Dhaka. We headed to the first one, the Chundeecherra Tea Estate. We found the office and explained the situation. As first we were dismissed, but Sanju persisted, making friends with the assistant, who called the manager back and we were invited to his bungalow. We went there and discussed the project, and had tea and snacks. The Tea Garden and bungalow – a term meaning a house in the Bengali style – date from 1876. He

Having an afternoon tea with the manager of the Chundeecherra Tea Estate.

needed to confirm with his higher ups in Dhaka, but had been won over to allowing our deployment. In fact, later we received approval to place seismometers in any Tea Garden belonging to the National Tea Company.

He directed us to the next Tea Garden, although we got lost before finding the right place. While we call these places Tea Gardens, they can be miles of tea plants in every direction, major operations to run. We had trouble

A CNG on the bad road to Kalenga.

finding the correct entrance. We again showed up at the manager’s house and were welcomed with tea and snacks. Sanju did his magic again, making friends and persuading him to allow us to install the seismometer at his bungalow. This tea company is privately held and the manager gave approval pending confirmation with the owner, his uncle. A productive day.

A buffalo on the way to the last station.

The next day we went back to install the last GPS station, again bringing chocolates for the students. The drilling was slow as the concrete was hard and the batteries didn’t last. We sent our driver to recharge them at the nearest town with electricity.

He went with the principal on his motorcycle. After finishing the job we took our last group photos and had tea and cookies with the teachers.

The brightly colored walls of a classroom with a scene from the 1971 War of Independence above “Rain Rain Go Away”

Again we went to stop at a Tea Garden for permission. This was at Finley’s a large multinational company. We were turned away at the gate. Sanju did not give up. He persisted and argued with them for a long time, although it seemed fruitless. He then tried going above them calling the local chief of police and elected representatives. He would not give up. Eventually the assistant manager came out and spoke to us. We explained our situation. He had previously spoken with the scouting team. He agreed that we needed to speak to the Chief

Sanju attaches the batteries on the roof while a teacher gives the class an outdoor lesson in English.

Operating Officer of Finlay. He would be in the next morning at 9. We had succeeded in getting out foot in the door thanks to Sanju’s determination. And with all of the GPS stations completed, we could turn our full attention to scouting the seismic stations for the one day before Keith leaves to return to the U.S.

The next morning we arrived and were let through the gate. We drove to the COO’s office and waited until he was free. Again we explained what we were doing, reassured him, as the others that the seismometers only listen to earthquakes from around the world. They do not interfere with anything or cause earthquakes. His concern was not being able

After finishing the last station, the three of us posed together on the roof.

to provide security to watch the instruments, but we reassured him that we usually left them unattended. He tentatively agreed pending some paperwork. We headed to the offices of the managers of the individual Tea Gardens we would be installing in. We drove past miles of tea to the first. When we showed the manager to location, he pointed out that it was not in Finlay’s but another Tea Garden beyond their property.

We were served tea at the front of the school.

We headed off farther into the hill. The roads got progressively worse, although the road cuts showed some good geology. Finally, we hit a rut we could not drive through and walked the last mile. After waiting for him in the gazebo to finish his shower, we again had tea and snacks. We got an agreement and chose a site in his yard next to the satellite dishes (after reassuring him it would not affect reception). Another site successfully done. We walked back and then got a ride the last part of the way

Crowds of kids followed us as we packed up our van to leave.

from his jeep, carrying the head of another tea company. We drove to the other site on Finlay’s property, but the manager was not home. He would be back in 2 hours at 4. We left and went to pick up some gift bags of tea that Sanju’s father had left for us. It was on top of the next anticline. After several wrong turns, and more cups of tea, we got our packages. It had only taken an hour and a half to get there. On the way back, we got a call from the manager, he would meet the COO tonight to discuss the seismometers, so no need to come today. We had done what we could today. This part of the trip was a success.

Science for the Planet: In these short video explainers, discover how scientists and scholars across the Columbia Climate School are working to understand the effects of climate change and help solve the crisis.
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