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Critical Infrastructure Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness 5Th Edition Robert Radvanovsky Online Ebook Texxtbook Full Chapter PDF
Critical Infrastructure Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness 5Th Edition Robert Radvanovsky Online Ebook Texxtbook Full Chapter PDF
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Critical Infrastructure
Typeset in Garamond
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
From Bob
This book is dedicated to my loving wife, Tammy, who has always
supported and been patient with me, especially while this book was
being written. She has encouraged me to continue
my research on this topic. She is my rock.
From Allan
This work is dedicated to my wife, Angela, and those who make great
efforts to continuously improve the overall critical infrastructure
protection domain. My particular thanks to Martin and those who
work across the academic, professional, and practitioner communities
to keep our communities and societies safe and secure.
Contents
vii
viii ◾ Contents
8.3 The Shift and Change Government and Regulation ..................... 163
8.4 The Blurred Line between Government and Business ................... 164
8.5 The Rise of the Networked Machines—The Internet
of Things (IoT).............................................................................. 164
8.6 Trends in the Alignment of Interdependencies .............................. 165
8.7 The Emergence of the Key Sectors—Energy, Transportation,
Telecommunications, and Financial .............................................. 168
8.8 Comparing the Topography of Interdependencies with Flat/
Hierarchical Networks .................................................................. 170
8.9 Conditions for the Perfect Storm ................................................... 173
8.10 Authors’ Note .................................................................................174
9 Te Evolution of Physical Security 176
9.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 176
9.2 Core Offices Tested ....................................................................... 179
9.3 Resetting the Role of Physical Security .......................................... 180
9.4 The Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Perspective ............... 181
9.5 Picking an Appropriate Approach .................................................. 184
9.6 The Security Goal in Critical Infrastructure Protection ................ 188
9.7 Establishing the Overall Context and Organization ...................... 191
9.8 Establishing the Infrastructure Underpinning the
Organization ................................................................................. 192
9.9 Robustness and Assurance ............................................................. 195
9.10 Applying Architecture to Physical Security.................................... 198
9.11 Some Technical Specifications and Performance Measurement
to Continue ................................................................................... 203
9.12 Impact Shifts with Strategic Level Architecture .............................204
9.13 Conclusion .................................................................................... 205
10 Paradigm Shift of Nationally Sensitive Information,
and Networks 208
10.1 Introduction ............................................................................... 208
10.2 How COVID Impacted Organizations....................................... 209
10.3 The Impact on Critical Infrastructure Workforces ..................... 211
10.4 Challenges in Administering the Critical Infrastructure
Workforce ................................................................................... 212
10.5 Challenges Due to Changes in Available Infrastructure
for the Critical Infrastructure Workforce .................................... 214
10.6 Securing the Mobile Workforce .................................................. 216
10.7 The Challenge of Enabling Information ..................................... 218
10.8 Challenges Faced with Critical Infrastructure Information ........ 219
10.9 Why Does Critical Infrastructure Information Require a
Clearance?................................................................................... 221
10.10 Individual Certifications vs. Industry Certifications ................... 222
Contents ◾ xi
Due to the ongoing and rapidly changing Internet resources, the authors have pro-
vided a secondary source of reference material should the primary web page URL
no longer exist. The entire purpose of this is to maintain a sense of consistency
throughout the publication, as well as to provide information as a “snapshot in
time,” providing useful resources at the time while writing this book.
We hope that you will find these alternative resources useful and informative.
An example of the alternate reference material may be as follows:
http://cipbook.infracritical.com/book5/chapter_number/reference_number
xii
Preface
This fifth edition represents a culmination of research activity that has gone on over
the past several years and builds upon previous editions. The intent of presenting
the materials in this book is to represent the significant strides and changes made
in understanding the fundamentals behind securing, protecting, and safekeeping
the operations of our world’s infrastructures—their relevant industries, their land-
marks, as well as their national assets—that are considered critically vital to the
continued economic success and operation of our society.
From the time that the first edition of this book was conceived to the present
day, the importance of identifying what is critical to our society—worldwide—has
evolved into new perspectives to many countries throughout the world. As nations
explore their response to the critical infrastructure protection challenge, we have
seen a shift from the hard postures of robustness and force protection to more
fluid postures associated with resiliency and the establishment of redundant infra-
structure. While this effort continues, the domain is also seeing increased attention
being paid to the interaction between the physical, cyber, and various forms of con-
trol and automation systems that are integrated into this infrastructure. While most
will recognize the strides being made in communications technology, communities
may well want to be prepared for a paradigm shift, as quantum computing and pro-
cessing is now visible on the horizon. Similarly, the boundaries between physical,
cyber, and procedural controls is becoming increasingly blurred, as new technology
enables both those protecting infrastructure and those attacking it. What is becom-
ing more apparent is that if certain nations want to retain their competitive advan-
tage or position in the world’s international hierarchy, they need to become far more
resilient and creative in their thinking so that they can identify new opportunities
for efficiency. Otherwise, their current efforts to protect their infrastructure will
have the unintended consequence of stifling their industries and economic engines,
causing the nation to ultimately fail in its overall goal to protect its international
position, citizens, economies, and sovereignty.
xiii
xiv ◾ Preface
Facing this challenge will require the full security domain (not just govern-
ment, industries, or individuals) to break the silos that continue to permeate the
security industry. This will require updates in the doctrines of all security domains
(including physical security and information technology) as well as a significant
effort in modernizing the training materials and approaches used to develop those
communities.
Since the initial inception of this book, there have been significant strides in
efforts of safeguarding the operations of our world’s infrastructures. This edition
represents further developments since the fourth edition of this book appeared.
Introduction
This book is divided into 12 chapters, each of which deals with a specific evolu-
tion within the critical infrastructure domain. These chapters are intended to stand
alone but present information and build on the fifth edition.
xv
xvi ◾ Introduction
and frequency, and diversity of the issues. Additionally, this chapter identifies an
even greater holistic approach in encompassing multiple disasters occurring at the
same time (e.g., pandemic and flood).
xix
xx ◾ Authors’ Notes
this book. This will ensure that those references are “frozen in time” and will not
be changed or altered in any fashion whatsoever. We consider this a value-added
feature to this book, and invite you to review those website references now in case
they become unavailable over time. You may access this information via a dedicated
website at http://cipbook.infracritical.com.
Acknowledgments
Some materials used in this book were taken in part or in their entirety from several
very reliable and useful sources. Any information that may appear to be repetitive in
its content from those sources was taken to provide a more introspective perception
of what defines critical infrastructure assurance.
The authors, editor, and publisher thank the following organizations for their
contributions of references and materials:
xxi
Chapter 1
Introduction to Critical
Infrastructure Assurance
and Protection
1.1 Introduction
Critical infrastructure protection (CIP) is a topic that is now beginning to span
generations. The basic concept of critical infrastructure protection finds its roots
in concepts such as vital point protection that can cast back several thousand years
with the protection of key shelter points, food stores, and other features such as
water sources. Those involved in the planning of conflicts extended this to such
infrastructure as food, water, ammunition, fuel, and equipment. Civil infrastruc-
ture followed the same course, with the need for protecting vital points gradually
expanding from vital points to the protection of distributed infrastructure (such as
transportation, telecommunications, water, and other networks) to a more holistic
protection of critical services described in previous editions. Some will remember
the Year 2000 (Y2K) issue as an emerging crisis that was one of the first clear
examples of this expansion, involving the surveys of several critical infrastructures
(such as the electrical grid) in preparation for the possible disruption of services
that included power, communications, financial services, and transportation. For
others, the issue began shortly after the attacks on September 11, 2001. Over the
past two decades, the paradigm of how we address issues associated with our criti-
cal infrastructures has changed from an effort of protecting assets (robustness) to a
focus on the promotion of resilience and the capacity to meet demand. This book
will focus primarily on changing networks from an asset-based approach to an even
more capacity-based approach. Changes made within the food industry (the rise of
DOI: 10.4324/9781003346630-1 1
2 ◾ Critical Infrastructure
door delivery services) illustrated some of the adjustments that needed to be made
to sustain the capacity during the recent pandemic, with mixed results.
This journey began with the mad dashes on Y2K changes, when the situation
became dire enough that airline executives had to board aircraft to fly across zero-
hour in order to demonstrate that their planes were still safe. While Y2K caused
concerns at a technical level, it represented a narrow band on the overall threat
spectrum. The attacks of 9/11 broadened the focus to include terrorist attacks,
while natural disasters around the world, including Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy
at home, broadened it even further. Populations have become less confident that
critical services can be protected and delivered at all times.
Since the last edition, the threat spectrum continues to evolve. The various
categories of events continue to broaden. We see “lone wolf attacks”1 and similar
attacks continue to occur at many venues. Of note, mental health issues, which
may be at the root of some of these attacks, have gained new status as a result of
some of these tragic events. We continue to witness increasing numbers of small
groups driven by political and other ideologies, forcing conflicts both at home
and abroad. These conflicts are often exacerbated by the nature of the dialog
permeating through social and news media. We have also observed an increase in
both the overt and surreptitious involvement of state actors who engaged in intel-
lectual property theft, economic espionage, information operations, and other
activities even to the point of laying the groundwork for attempts to disrupt our
infrastructure via cyber and similar means. While outside of the scope of this
work, one might even argue that we are now seeing a version of the conflict in
which state actors focus their combined political, economic, and military might
in both the physical and logical domains.
While human factors have expanded, so have the challenges associated with climate
change. Changes in the environment have strained the infrastructure’s ability to meet
demand. Catastrophic events, ranging from severe drought to severe inundation, that
have challenged communities as “century-level events” are occurring more frequently.
Populations are now guided to maintain reserves of key resources (food, water, medi-
cine) to sustain them as traditional emergency responders may be delayed, or unable to
provide, immediate support. Combined with increasingly severe events, our ability to
reliably predict these events has been strained by decisions that reduced the amount of
available data to the instability of weather events.
The breadth and depth of the challenge continues to increase, drawing in more
communities as we attempt to address complex issues. While the issue of critical
infrastructure protection has involved significant resources, originally these focused
on narrower groups of technical and government teams. However, this has now
broadened to include other security domains, such as traditional and social sciences
examining sources of conflict and the sources of changes within complex systems.
As these groups have expanded and evolved, so have the methods used to examine
this domain and its associated challenges.
Critical Infrastructure Assurance and Protection ◾ 3
An examination of the community now engaging this challenge shows that not all
the changes have been positive. While governments, academic institutions, and private
sector entities have continued to take up the challenge, an increasing politicization of
issues continues, notably through those that have tainted scientific and critical issues
in order to promote political and other interests. The security community has not been
immune to this. In short, the issue of critical infrastructure protection, which once
resided in the public domain, has expanded to become its own business line. And, like
any other business line, there are those who continue to attempt to serve the public
interest, while others have identified the issue as a potentially lucrative source of funds.
As a result, the data, information, and intelligence associated with climate change have
become tainted through communications and spin-doctoring, meaning all conclusions
must be put under a far more critical eye.
Over the past decade, various levels of government have been held responsible
for the protection of their own infrastructure. As the world moves inexorably toward
a global-centric network, we are seeing levels of government, along with the private
sector and even individual citizens, having responsibilities that take a more global
approach. It is not unusual for individuals to call service centers halfway around
the world to assist them with their networking difficulties. At the same time, global
supply chains require that private entities become much more aware of events
around the world that can affect the resilience of their supply chains. This means
that local efforts that were seen as manageable, if somewhat uncomfortable, have
grown exponentially into international “monsters.” As a result, the previous process
associated with critical infrastructure assurance has grown in scope from consistent
testing and evaluation of local infrastructures to one that is at its beginning of
understanding the vast influences that operate at a much more global level. This has
changed the playing field—significantly—from one where the edicts coming from
national capitals are now the second step in a much grander process that involves
balancing of international interests and priorities with national responsibilities.
This financial risk is also different from that of the government. The govern-
ment operates on a fiscal year that allows for budgets to be reset to a starting point
and also has a significant ability to determine its level of debt, although the past few
years have seen pressure on government financial controls to reduce waste and limit
spending, resulting in a similar decline in resources in, or even elimination of, some
activities. The private sector does not have this. Budgets are linear in that if money
out is greater than money in, then eventually the company will first go into debt,
then insolvency, and then finally cease to exist. This has a profound effect on how
organizations look at their budgets and new requirements—the government may
see issues in terms of “costs of doing business,” while the private sector may interpret
those new measures as another step on the road toward “going out of business.”
With the continuing threat to supply chains, and servicing critical infrastruc-
ture, we are currently witnessing the implementation of national requirements in
both Canada and the United States.3 The executive order, presented by President
Biden, is a clearly stated message for those operating critical infrastructure and
certain government services, to ensure their operations are in order. Canada’s C-26
bill (an Act respecting cybersecurity, amending the Telecommunications Act, and
making consequential amendments to other Acts), was presented for first reading
on June 14, 2022, and focuses on what appears to be a regulatory structure focusing
on cybersecurity, including supply chains.
Several factors are pressuring global supply chains back onshore. Economic
losses due to China’s restrictive policy on “zero COVID”4 has had a severe ripple
effect on many countries, not just Canada and the United States. Conflicts, particu-
larly between Russia and Ukraine, have resulted in movements (nearly nationalistic)
supporting one side of the conflict or the other. Fuel costs have placed exceptional
pressure on the maritime, rail, and trucking industries. Similarly, companies that
handle LTL (less-than-truck loads) for courier companies also have had to change
their operations in response to increasing fuel costs.
Over the past two years, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic, another
aspect of critical infrastructure protection became apparent. While traditional
doctrine tended to accentuate the importance of key personnel (those with special
knowledge or delegations), the pandemic soon illustrated that certain groups of
employees needed similar consideration. For example, the stock person may not
hold the same level of delegated authority, or certain kinds of advanced skills; how-
ever, the loss of all stock persons (or enough to affect operations) had a similar nega-
tive effect on corporations or the ability of those corporations to deliver services.
The fact that certain managers needed to step in to perform those roles only illus-
trates the importance of those roles in the overall ability to maintain operations.
We have also learned that these impacts do not necessarily have to part to be
of the actual event. Anyone who has gone to a restaurant in a major city would
likely have noted that there is a key shortage of wait staff and cooks that resulted
either from change in priorities (in terms of quality of life for the staff), or through
6 ◾ Critical Infrastructure
States) and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Canada), regulatory enforcement
is conducted through tribunals that differ significantly. Within the domain of criti-
cal infrastructure protection, it is far more likely that an organization would face
an administrative action (such as an Administrative Monetary Penalty, or AMP)
imposed through an inspector under regulation, rather than a criminal charge;
although the latter may still remain available, this option would be used only under
the severest of conditions.7
The concept of jurisdiction is also important, particularly when looking at
issues that involve international operations—such as shipping. In these cases, the
mechanism by which the state generates its requirements often involves participa-
tion in groups of various sizes and whose decision-making processes are guided by
consensus that is taken back to the various national governments. Depending on
the nature of the international group within which the nation-state is participating,
the laws and regulations that it passes may be constrained in terms of operating
within the constraints of the consensus of the international group or body.
This leads to the second function, which is the protection of people, property,
and operations under its care. This often operates hand-in-hand with the first func-
tion, as many regulations are intended to provide a level of protection for society
against activities that would appear to run afoul of public safety concerns or societal
norms. Generally, public safety will look more toward people and property, with
operations being included as part of the suite of business risks. The nation-state
will operate bodies that are designed to protect those persons that are abiding by
its requirements in most legitimate forms of government, and against significant
events such as natural disasters, fire, etc.
This level of constraint may also have an involuntary aspect. Over the past
decade, the world has seen an increase in international bodies becoming involved
in settling national disputes. Organizations such as the United Nations, Gulf
Cooperation Council, and other similar bodies have taken on an increasing role in
determining what constitutes acceptable national behavior. We see this in interna-
tional bodies sanctioning actions that range from trade restrictions to enforcement
through military intervention. As we move toward more international operations,
these international bodies are taking on increasing roles in overseeing the deci-
sions of their individual members. This has been particularly evident in situations
associated with the financial sector in Europe, where the European Union (EU)
essentially dictated what financial controls the Greek government was to put in
place in order to receive bailout funds. Similarly, the United Nations and other
international bodies have taken a significant interest in the state’s response to the
migration of persons, making comments on the states’ response and, one might
argue, leading a two-front campaign—one being legal and the other being in the
court of public opinion. This can be further complicated as certain issues which
are being addressed at global levels (such as migration due to climate) are at or
near the root of many national issues, such as migration, disease, the movement of
invasive species, and even, for some nations, the potential for resettlement. While
8 ◾ Critical Infrastructure
this dynamic is still evolving with respect to critical infrastructure assurance and
protection doctrine, the fact that international bodies appear to be becoming more
active should at least be in the back of the researcher’s mind when looking at
potentially evolving challenges.
disrupted and, in the off chance that they were disrupted, that the infrastructure
was designed and managed to restore the necessary level of services as quickly and
effectively as possible.
Other examples will tend to follow the same suit, because it is the lack of criti-
cal services that poses the risk to society. Some might argue that the population is
concerned only about protecting critical infrastructure insofar as that protection
ensures the availability of the service to the public.
This leads to the concept and definition of CIA. The definition of CIP focuses
on protecting the nodes and conduits of any given infrastructure that delivers ser-
vices to its community through force protection. Although CIP tends to focus on
an all-hazards approach, it tends to operate at a very basic or local level—say, one
facility, one road, etc. CIA, on the other hand, tends to focus on a layer higher than
CIP, which includes the necessary arrangements to shift production around within
the network or surrounding networks so that demand is met, even if a local node
or conduit is disrupted.
If we were to take our two power-based examples, we would see the difference in
the approach. CIP would tend to focus on a very granular level—power production
facilities would be protected against various types of physical attacks or hazards.
CIA looks at the entire power grid, ensuring that the system can detect disruption,
shift capacity to meet demand, and ensure that services are being met—often trans-
parently to the consumer. In this context, it might be argued that CIA is the holistic
view that is actually sought by most CIP professionals.
The answers to each of these three questions will have a profound impact on the
methods needed to protect the infrastructure and ensure delivery of its services.
This in turn will have an impact on the various methodologies and measures that
are available to those seeking to accomplish the same. It should not be looked upon
as a purely administrative process guided by checklists and prescriptive formulas.
SECTORS INCLUDE:
Agriculture and food production
Banking and finance
Chemical production
Critical manufacturing
Communications
Emergency services
Critical Infrastructure Assurance and Protection ◾ 13
Energy
Government facilities
Information technology
Nuclear energy and facilities
Postal shipping
Public health and healthcare
Transportation and logistics services
Water and wastewater treatment
K EY R ESOURCES INCLUDE:
Defense industrial base
Commercial facilities
Dams
National monuments and icons
The critical infrastructure sectors within the national strategy contain many
physical assets, but only a fraction of these could be viewed as critical according
to the DHS and Public Safety Canada definitions. For example, out of 33,000
individual assets cataloged in the DHS national asset database, the agency consid-
ers only 1,700, or 5%, to be nationally critical.19 Of the 33,000 assets listed in the
DHS database, only a small subset is defined as critical infrastructure sectors.20
Because federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector, often
have different views of what constitutes criticality, compiling a consensus list of
nationally critical assets has been an ongoing challenge for both DHS and Public
Safety Canada.
The critical infrastructure sectors are now being reviewed in the context of both
critical infrastructure protection (protection of assets) and critical infrastructure
assurance (protection of capacity). We see this evolution very clearly within the
Information Technology Sector as we look at the application of NIST Cybersecurity
Framework (CSF)21 that began its implementation with the security and privacy
controls described in NIST SP 800-53, Revision 4.22,23,24 NIST then published
NIST SP 800-160, Volume 1,25 specific to systems security engineering. The former
NIST SP 800-53, Revision 4,26 was then brought in-line through Revision 5 to
align more closely with NIST SP-800-160, Volume 1.27 As this shift was happen-
ing, NIST SP 800-160, Volume 2,28 has refined that systems security engineering
approach but focuses on developing cyber-resilient systems.
While CIP has been the focus, the concept of CIA has been approached largely
through the concept of resilience, which aligns much more closely with the concept
of CIA at the networked level and which has a profound impact at the local level
by allowing a greater degree of flexibility than the former CIP models.29 This shift
may afford greater flexibility for business, but it also opens up the need for improved
oversight by those authorities as it allows for better or expanded use of administrative
and procedural controls.
14 ◾ Critical Infrastructure
Notes
1. “[A]cts of terrorism carried out by radicalized individuals who prepare and commit
violent attacks on behalf of foreign terrorist organizations without first traveling
abroad to meet with and receive training from other members of the terrorist organi-
zation” (p. 5; URL: www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1221386/download).
2. FEMA Emergency Management Institute. (2007). U.S. Department of Homeland
Security Federal Emergency Management Agency, Principles of Emergency Management
Supplement, p. 5, released September 11, 2007. http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/
edu/08conf/Emergency%20Management%20Principles%20Monograph%20Final.
doc (alt URL: http://cipbook.infracritical.com/book3/chapter1/ch1ref10.doc).
3. www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/02/24/executive-
order-on-americas-supply-chains/ (alt URL: http://cipbook.infracritical.com/book5/
chapter1/ch1ref1.pdf ).
4. The term “zero COVID” is actually a strategy to control and suppress the contagion as
much as possible to achieve a zero-contamination rate. Although it may be extremely
difficult to achieve, the objective of this strategy is to minimize contagion by reaching as
close to zero as possible. Many countries, such as China, have implemented such a strat-
egy. URL: www.isglobal.org/documents/10179/7943094/26_ISGlobal+COVID19+y+
COVIDCero+o+Maxima+Supresion+EN/0a4e83bb-6257-4f5d-8960-16c323b464b2
(alt URL: http://cipbook.infracritical.com/book5/chapter1/ch1ref2.pdf).
5. National Archives (United Kingdom), Cabinet Papers 1915–1978, the International
Monetary Fund and Bretton Woods Conference. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cabi-
netpapers/themes/bretton-woods-conference.htm (alt URL: http://cipbook.infracriti-
cal.com/book3/chapter1/ch1ref4.pdf ).
6. The Port of Churchill sat on a great circle that was one of the shortest to the European
market. The port had been identified as being strategically important in the opening
of the Arctic to economic activity but had continued in decline. The divestment and
ultimate closure of the port, including some commentary on the impact, can be found
at www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/port-churchill-layoffs-1.3694830 and www.
cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/churchill-port-closure-thunder-bay-1.3697342.
7. Criminal courts involve the police laying specific charges with the state (used generically),
then laying a charge and introducing evidence to support that charge in the court. This
evidence must provide beyond a reasonable doubt that the individual is, in fact, guilty
within administrative law, the Administrative Monetary Penalty is laid through the
inspector’s department or agency, and the onus is on the individual to contest it through
an administrative tribunal which bases its decision on a balance of probabilities. While
administratively less burdensome, one might also have concerns regarding the shift in
the presumption of innocence that would shift between the two systems—the criminal
system requires the state to prove guilt, while the organization must defeat a penalty in
administrative court or continue to face the impacts of the enforcement action.
8. www.usfa.fema.gov/a-z/critical-infrastructure-protection.html (alt URL: http://cip-
book.infracritical.com/book3/chapter1/ch1ref1.pdf [old] and http://cipbook.infrac-
ritical.com/book5/chapter1/ch1ref3.pdf ).
9. U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines risk as “a function of
the nature and magnitude of a threat, the vulnerabilities to that threat, and the con-
sequences that could result.” https://emilms.fema.gov/is_0870a/groups/22.html (alt
Critical Infrastructure Assurance and Protection ◾ 15
Demand, Capacity,
Fragility, and the
Emergence of Networks
2.1 Introduction
The concepts described in this chapter have evolved significantly since the first
edition and continue to evolve as new and emerging factors continue to impact
infrastructure. These factors include well-debated issues such as climate change,
migration of populations, integration of new technology, increasing regulatory bur-
dens, and economic factors. What has been apparent is that an increasing number
and frequency of infrastructure issues are highlighting the fact that infrastructure,
and even whole communities, can be impacted through interdependencies and dis-
ruptions within the networked environment.
DOI: 10.4324/9781003346630-2 17
18 ◾ Critical Infrastructure
The fact is that a given infrastructure at the local level is there to provide some
level of contribution into the system. The sum of these contributions, the ability to
coordinate how those services are delivered, and the means of delivering them to
their intended recipients may be best described as the capacity of the system.
These three elements (safety, security, and economic well-being) are important
because they operate similarly to the fire triad (heat, oxygen, and chemical reac-
tion). If the infrastructure can generate a significant amount of the service but
cannot identify where it is useful or deliver it to those points, then the system has
essentially failed. At the same time, a well-coordinated and well-maintained grid
that does not have anything sent through it is still failing to meet the final goal.
The ability of the system to produce, distribute, and deliver can be described as the
system’s capacity.
The symbiosis that exists between the ability to generate capacity and the abil-
ity to distribute that capacity has become much more evident, particularly when
looking at the fringes and expanding edges of society’s networked infrastructure.
Communities (which may range from settlement to economic bases of operation)
are expanding into environments such as the north. Similarly, the demand for tech-
nology is spreading outwards into increasingly remote locations. For those seeking
a clear example of the challenges that can arise, one only needs to look at the 2017
events that damaged the transportation network to communities such as Churchill,
Manitoba. In this specific example, the main ground transportation route (a rail
line) suffered catastrophic damage to the point where economic interests and even
the community’s survival has been called into question.1
The concept of capacity is now also being linked to the concept of assurance.
Assurance, generally speaking, is the trustworthiness that something is going to
perform as expected given a set of competitive or adversarial conditions. Those
assets or services that operate only in very stable and tranquil environments may
need only a lower level of assurance. Those intended to operate under difficult or
even contested environments, like conflict, need to offer a higher level of assurance.
As a result, those that are offering the capacity to meet demand are now being
increasingly challenged about the level of assurance that their capacity will be able
to meet that demand in what appears to be an increasingly competitive environ-
ment. Acceptance, in an engineering context, is not only about meeting accepted
requirements from one set of conditions, but about meeting the same accepted
requirements under more difficult or stringent conditions.
the edge of the organization’s responsibility or mandate, the concept of CIP urges
this approach to be carried on throughout the organization and into progressively
larger systems.
One of the more evolving issues of late has been the concept of supply chain
risk management. In this context, the local impact now must now be looked at not
only in terms of its impact on operations and simple performance, but also in terms
of how people interpret the trustworthiness of the assurance case. An example of
this concern would be the recent introduction of Executive Order (EO) 14017,2,3,4
which focuses on supply chain security; EO 14028,5 for improving the nation’s
cybersecurity and utilizing standards such as the NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-
161;6 and NIST IR 8762, which reinforces the Executive Orders’ implementations.
These are being reviewed more closely in the context of both suitability of services
and acceptance in design.7,8
Some care has to be taken here to ensure that the quality of service is maintained
at a manageable level. What if the final product (e.g., a fuel) fails to reach that level
of quality for it to be usable in the system? This aspect of integrity is somewhat dif-
ferent from the traditional “nothing added, nothing deleted, and only authorized
changes made through well-formed or defined processes” and is more closely in line
with the traditional views of quality assurance and quality management.
1987 disruption in Canada on the movement of grain and the loss of exports of coal
from certain areas of the western United States, the impacts moved through the
system quickly, but in a matter of days and weeks. These can be described largely
in terms of their root being economic in nature (one being a labor dispute and the
other being a collapse of an economy). The example of Churchill, Manitoba, illus-
trates two factors that have almost immediate impacts. The cessations of operations
by the private sector interest had an impact on the supply chain, and the economy
within the surrounding area. It cascaded quickly to other events, such as the closure
of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) office in the town due to a lack of
need for operational support. The damage to the rail line also has an immediate
impact that will last some time (before repairs can be affected), but which is also
related to the first impact. The question will be whether there is adequate economic
demand for a restoration of full services without the seaport. Consequently, it is
not enough to simply look at these impacts as being completely isolated from each
other. One might propose looking at the impacts more in terms of the same prin-
ciples as supportive and destructive waves—where two impacts collide and create a
far more significant or difficult situation.
We are also witnessing two levels of impact, particularly within life safety envi-
ronments. The first of these is the impact that we all see—the fallen bridges, dam-
aged roads, and so on. These are not new and are well worn. The next level of
impact; however, is associated with the level of trust that the infrastructure will per-
form as expected. For example, people used to be able to count on being able to at
least go to an emergency room if they needed medical attention and there were no
other options. In Canada, conditions now exist where hospitals have actually closed
their emergency rooms for certain periods of time (or even weekends) because of
staff shortages.9 The demand for emergency services hasn’t changed; however, where
the system is offering capacity to meet that demand, it is now finding that the added
demand being placed on it is overwhelming what locations remain open.10
Impacts based upon trustworthiness may not be within the span of control of
the companies actually providing the capacity to meet demand. A recent outage
in Canada involving a major telecommunications community impacted a number
of services, including 911 emergency services and certain financial organizations.
These companies were not in a position to directly address the impacts, however,
there is an argument that the public confidence in their services has been eroded
as a result of the event. People had trust in the 911 service because that service was
supposed to be always available by law. As the service wasn’t available, additional
pressure has been placed upon the industry for increased assurance that similar situ-
ations will not arise in the future.
Generally, at the local level, four classes of impacts are observed. The first are
delaying impacts that essentially slow the inward flow of something into the system.
This concept is seen when warehouses are filled—at some point, the warehouse is
full, but we still need to store the material. The second involves the concept of lag.
This category of disruption describes the condition where something else is slowed
22 ◾ Critical Infrastructure
down because the necessary amount of inputs is not being received. Finally, at the
other end of the spectrum, the system will attempt to balance itself through either
the third class, push (seeking to find new demand), or the fourth class, pull (seeking
to find surplus capacity that can be aligned against unmet demand).
While the concept of push, pull, lag, and delay may operate independently at a
conceptual level, greater care needs to be taken to identify conditions where a single
event can lead to multiple impacts. Currently, many networked environments have
been making significant efforts to “fit more capacity into the same space,” so as to
be getting the best return on investment with respect to the use of infrastructure.
This is clearly evident when looking at issues in the transportation system (more
efficient switching systems, intermodal systems, freight forwarding), electronic
networks (increasing bandwidth, compression technology, and multiplexing), and
centralization.11 The impact here is that the current model (push-pull-lag-delay)
now operates at multiple levels. The disruption of a node or conduit may not just
impact something coming into the system, but it is becoming increasingly likely to
impact movement in the opposite direction. This is not new but is becoming far
more apparent. The other aspect comes from the fragility that is inherent in fringe
communities or communities that have not matured to the point where they have
robust, resilient, and redundant infrastructures. This can come in the form of new
communities but also in terms of new activities within communities that place
additional demands on that community. One might postulate that we will see sev-
eral working examples of this in the expansion into the North.
An impact that is becoming far more prevalent across a number of sectors might
be referred to as “load shedding,” a term often coined in the electrical power genera-
tion community. In the electrical generating capacity, this involves distributing pro-
duction capacity so that a loss of production capacity is reduced in severity at one
level. At the same time, however, it introduces several new layers of “moving parts”
that can, if not balanced and managed appropriately, lead to its own issues in terms
of cascading impacts. While the electric grid has seen this in terms of solar farms,
personal generating capability and similar forms or programs, it is evident in other
sectors as well. We are now seeing increases in the number of community gardens,
water supply and purification, outsourced services, and small service providers in
telecommunications. As these distribute capacity while reducing the probability of
a catastrophic failure at one level, they also can come at the price of increased insta-
bility or even vulnerability unless carefully coordinated at levels including techni-
cal, scientific, and regulatory oversight.12
De boot was reeds half vol water, toen een hooge golf langs
stuurboordzijde veegde en ons onder water dreigde te drukken. Met
roeiriem en arm beproefde ik haar kracht te breken. Wij zaten reeds als
in een badkuip en het water klotste heen en weer in de boot. Wij
werkten, dat onze polsen geheel wit waren. „Forscher indompelen,
Koetschoek!” Het gelukte ons werkelijk de boot in de luwte te brengen,
voordat de noodlottige golf kwam, die haar gevuld zou hebben en ten
onder gebracht! In het duister van den avond bereikten wij gelukkig den
oever, zetten de boot schuin, en spanden de wollen dekens als dak er
overheen. Daarna staken wij een vuur aan om onze kleeren te drogen,
en nadat wij onze laatste korst brood hadden gegeten, sliepen wij, dood
vermoeid, ondanks den stroomenden regen spoedig in; het verheugde
ons geen gevangenen meer te zijn op het kleine rotseiland in het meer
Tschargoet-tjo.
Zoo kwamen wij weer in het kleine Leh, de hoofdstad van Ladak terug, en zagen weer
de winterkaravanen, die uit Oost-Turkestan over het hooge gebergte waren gekomen, en
met hun waren naar Kaschmir trokken. Daarna verliepen verscheiden jaren, maar in
Augustus 1906 kwam ik weer naar Leh, om nog eens met een karavaan, dezen keer van
honderd paarden en muilezels en zeven en twintig mannen Tibet binnen te dringen.
Dezen keer ging de weg over de hooge bergen in noordelijk Tibet en een en tachtig
dagen zagen wij geen vreemde menschen. Maar toen wij daarna rechts af sloegen en
zuidelijker [153]streken naderden, kwamen wij Tibetaansche jagers en nomaden tegen,
van wie ik schapen en tamme yaks kocht, want het grootste deel van mijn lastdieren was
onderweg omgekomen. De ijle lucht en de schaarsche, slechte weidegrond, daarbij
koude en wind hadden hen gedood. De temperatuur was tot op 40 graden vorst gedaald.
Na een zwerftocht van een half jaar kwamen wij aan de boven-Brahmapoetra, op welker
troebele golven de Tibetanen, die anders nooit aan scheepvaart doen, met booten
varen, welke men nooit zou aanzien dat het booten zijn. Over een toestel, uit dunne,
buigzame latten vervaardigd, worden vier aan elkaar genaaide huiden van yaks
gespannen, en daarmede is de boot gereed. Maar ze kan een heel gewicht dragen en
glijdt licht over het water.
Toen wij nog een dagreis van Schigatze, de tweede hoofdstad van Tibet, verwijderd
waren, liet ik de karavaan langs den oever verder gaan; ik zelf nam met twee bedienden
plaats in een boot, welke door een Tibetaan handig werd bestuurd, en dreef in snelle
vaart de reusachtige Brahmapoetra af. Een menigte andere booten maakten de schoone
waterweg levendig. Zij waren bezet met pelgrims, die den grooten tempel in Schigatze
wilden bezoeken. Over twee dagen vierden de Lamaïsten hun grootste feest, het
Nieuwjaar. Dan stroomen van nabij en van verre pelgrims naar de heilige stad. Rondom
den hals dragen zij kleine afgodsbeeldjes, of op papier geschreven en in kleine
foudralen bewaarde wonderdoende spreuken, en veel pelgrims draaien kleine
gebedmolentjes, die met lange papierstroken zijn gevuld. Door het draaien der molens
dringen de gebeden, die op de papieren staan, door tot de ooren der goden—zoo
gemakkelijk is in Tibet het bidden! Ondertusschen kan men kalm met zijn reiskameraad
babbelen; als de molen maar in beweging blijft, behoeft men zich niet bezorgd te maken
over zijn tijdelijk en eeuwig heil!
Wij bereikten Schigatze en sloegen in een tuin aan den rand [154]der stad onze tenten
op. Misschien vraagt een mijner lezers, waarom ik dezen keer nog niet eens beproefde
tot Lhasa door te dringen en waarom de Tibetanen, die mij den laatsten keer een leger
van vijfhonderd man tegemoet zonden, het verder reizen naar Schigatze niet
verhinderden? Nu, in het jaar 1904 hadden de Engelschen van uit Indië een veldtocht
naar Lhasa ondernomen, om den Dalai-Lama ontzag in te boezemen. Zij hadden toen
de stad zoo nauwkeurig beschreven, dat ik er verder niets meer had te zoeken en mij
daarom liever naar het onbekende Schigatze begaf. En deze reis van mij volgde zoo
spoedig op den tocht der Engelschen, dat de Tibetanen het niet waagden, mij, den
Europeaan, hinderpalen in den weg te leggen.
Buiten de stad Schigatze ligt het groote klooster Taschiloenpo, waarin 3800 monniken
van verschillenden rang wonen, van piepjonge novieten tot grijze ordepriesters. Zij
loopen allen blootshoofds en met naakte armen en hun kleeren bestaan uit lange roode
stukken stof, die zij om hun lijf binden. De opperpriester heet Taschi-Lama; hij bekleedt
denzelfden hoogen rang en dezelfde hooge waardigheid als de Dalai-Lama in Lhasa. Hij
is allerwege beroemd om zijn heiligheid en zijn geleerdheid, en duizenden pelgrims
wachten uren lang om met een enkel woord door hem te worden gezegend.
Deze Taschi-Lama was toen een zeven en twintigjarige man, die reeds als heel kleine
jongen tot deze waardigheid was verheven. Ik kreeg van hem een uitnoodiging voor het
groote tempelfeest met nieuwjaar. Midden in de kloosterstad is een langwerpige, met
veranda’s, balkonnen en galerijen omgeven hof. In het rond ziet men de vergulde
koperen daken der heiligdommen en grafkapellen, waarin gestorven hoogepriesters
rusten. Overal wemelt het van dicht op elkaar gepakte menschenmassa’s, en al deze
gasten, die van nabij en van verre zijn gekomen, dragen stralende, bonte feestgewaden,
die met zilveren kettingen, koralen en turkooizen zijn versierd. In het midden van een
balkon is de plaats van den Taschi-Lama. Het is met geel-zijden draperieën en gouden
kwasten behangen, maar door een kleine vierhoekige spleet kon ik het gelaat van den
heiligen man zien.
De plechtigheid begon met het binnentrekken der kerkmuzikanten in den hof. Zij
droegen drie meter lange, koperen bazuinen, die zoo zwaar zijn, dat de klankopening op
den schouder van een koorknaap rust. Met dof, langgerekt bazuingeschal blazen de
monniken het nieuwe jaar in, evenals de priesters van Israël het begin van het jubeljaar
aankondigden. Daarop volgden [155]cymbalen, die in langzame, trillende maat klinken en
een getrommel voortbrengen, dat tegen de tempelmuren terugkaatst. Het geraas is
oorverdoovend, maar na de groote stilte in de dalen van Tibet klonk het dubbel feestelijk
en verheffend.
Zoodra het muziekkorps in het midden van den hof heeft plaats genomen, treden
dansende monniken naar voren. Zij dragen kostbare gewaden uit Chineesche zijde en in
de plooien glinsteren geborduurde gouden draken in den zonneschijn. Hun gelaat wordt
verborgen achter maskers, die wilde dieren met geopenden muil en geweldige horens
voorstellen. En nu dansen deze monniken een langzamen rondedans, om—zoo meenen
de vromen—booze geesten te bannen.
Den volgenden dag werd ik zelfs bij den Taschi-Lama ontboden. Door geplaveide,
nauwe straten, tusschen hooge kloostermuren omhoog gaande, komt men door nauwe,
donkere gangen, langs houten ladders, eindelijk in de hoogste verdiepingen van de
tempelstad, waar de hoogepriester zijn particuliere kamers heeft. Ik vond hem in een
eenvoudige kamer, waar hij met gekruiste beenen in een vensternis zat en door een
spleet in den muur op de tempeldaken, de hooge bergen en de zonnige stad in het dal
neerkeek. Hij is baardeloos en heeft kortgeknipt, bruin haar. De uitdrukking van zijn
gelaat is betooverend en zacht, bijna verlegen. Hij stak mij de hand toe en verzocht mij
plaats te nemen; daarna spraken wij geruimen tijd over Tibet, Zweden en de groote,
heerlijke aarde.
De Taschi-Lama is een van die zeldzame menschen, die men nooit meer vergeet, als
men eens tegenover hen heeft gestaan.
[Inhoud]
37. De wilde ezel en de yak.
Indien ik gedurende mijn reizen door Tibet al de wilde ezels had geteld, die
ik heb ontmoet, dan zouden het er vele, vele [156]duizenden zijn. Ginds in
het Noorden of in het hartje van het hoogland of in het Zuiden, gaat bijna
geen dag voorbij waarop men deze prachtige, trotsche dieren niet nu eens
afzonderlijk, dan in paren, of in kudden van verscheidene honderden
ontmoet. De Latijnsche naam van den wilden ezel is Equus Kiang. Deze
naam verraadt zijn nauwe verwantschap met het paard, en de Tibetanen
noemen hem Kiang. De wilde ezel is zoo groot als een middelmatige
muilezel, heeft goed ontwikkelde ooren en een scherp gehoor, aan den
staart een pluim en een rood-bruin vel, maar aan de buik en de pooten is
hij wit. Speurt hij gevaar dan snuift hij luid, heft den kop in de hoogte, spitst
de ooren en blaast de neusvleugels op; hij gelijkt meer op een fraaien ezel
dan op een paard. Maar als men hem op de zoutvlakten van Tibet ziet
rondgaloppeeren, dan schijnt het onderscheid tusschen den tammen en
den wilden ezel grooter dan tusschen ezel en paard en de paarden en
ezels van mijn karavaan zagen er naast de kiangs der woestijnen als
landloopers uit.
De wilde ezels zijn een sieraad van het stille, eenzame Tibet en sedert vele
jaren mijn vrienden. De karavaan trekt over de effen vlakte aan den oever
van een zoutmeer. Daar komt een kudde wilde ezels in een stofwolk
aangaloppeeren. Zij volgen allen het bevel van een leidenden ezel, de
veulens blijven in de nabijheid der moeder. De waakzame, maar
onvoorzichtige dieren hebben wel de karavaan gespeurd maar nog nooit
zulk een verschijning gezien en weten niet hoe gevaarlijk het kan zijn als
men zijn nieuwsgierigheid volstrekt wil bevredigen! Zij beschrijven een
fraaien halven cirkel om ons heen en houden halt naast onzen weg. Nu en
dan snuiven zij en hun pooten trillen van spierkracht en elasticiteit. Als de
karavaan nadert, maakt de kudde rechtsomkeert, loopt achter om ons
heen, en verschijnt weer aan onze andere zijde. En deze manoeuvre
herhaalt zich in zulk een orde, dat het den indruk maakt alsof de wilde
ezels door onzichtbare ruiters bestuurd worden. Zij schijnen onze
vermoeide paarden, die nauwelijks meer voort kunnen, te willen bespotten.
Mijn Kozakken vingen eens twee kleine veulens, die nog niets van gevaren
afwisten. Zij stonden vastgebonden tusschen de tenten en beproefden in
het geheel niet te ontvluchten. Zij slurpten ijverig met water verdunde melk
en wij hoopten dat zij in het leven zouden blijven en ons nog jaren zouden
vergezellen: Toen ik echter zag hoezeer zij de vrijheid misten, wilde ik ze
liever teruggeven aan de wildernis en aan de verzorging hunner moeder.
Maar het was reeds te laat; de moeders wilden ze niet meer aannemen,
nadat ze in handen der menschen waren geweest. Wij moesten hen
slachten om ze voor de wolven te beveiligen. Zoo streng is de wet der
wildernis: een menschelijke aanraking is reeds voldoende om de
betoovering hunner vrijheid te breken. „Wie liet den wilden ezel vrij en
maakte de banden los van den wilden muilezel, aan wien Ik de woestijn tot
woning heb gegeven en zijn woonstede op de zoutachtige vlakte?” luidt het
in het Oude Testament.
Maar wij mogen niet van Tibet afscheid nemen en naar Indië terugkeeren,
zonder nog vluchtig kennis te hebben gemaakt met het geweldig rund, dat
in Tibet’s hoogste bergen leeft. In het Tibetaansch heet het yak en deze
naam is ook in de meeste Europeesche talen overgegaan. Zijn kleur is
steeds ravenzwart, slechts als hij oud is wordt hij grijsachtig. De tamme yak
is echter vaak lichtbruin of gevlekt. Zoowel de wilde als de tamme yak
hebben den eigenaardigen vorm van kop en de weelderige beharing. Van
terzijde gezien, ziet de yak er uit alsof hij een bult heeft; vlak boven de
voorpooten is het hoogste deel van den rug, en vandaar gaat hij schuin
omlaag naar den wortel der staart; hals en nek dalen nog wat dieper. Het
dier is ontzaglijk zwaar, sterk en plomp, dikwijls zijn de punten der grove
horens gesprongen, of door een heftigen strijd met een mededinger
afgestompt.
Daar de yak soms in een koude tot 40 graden onder het vriespunt moet
leven, heeft hij een dichte haarbedekking en een beschuttende vetlaag
onder de huid noodig, en daarvan is hij zoo goed voorzien, dat geen koude
op de wereld hem iets kan hinderen. Als zijn adem als twee wolken damp
uit zijn neusvleugels stroomt, dan voelt hij zich het beste. Merkwaardig is
de krans van een voetlange wollen franje die het onderste deel zijner zijden
en het bovenste gedeelte zijner voorpooten dikwijls zoo welig omgeeft, dat
de haarvlokken tot den grond reiken. Als de yak op steenharden, bevroren
of met puin bedekten ligt, dan dient deze dikke franje hem tot kussen, en
hij ligt er zacht en warm op. [158]
Waar leven deze vleezige reuzen van, daar hier toch eigenlijk niets groeit,
en een karavaan bij gebrek aan weide kan omkomen? Vaak ziet men
dagen lang geen grashalm, pas op 4500 meter hoogte vindt men en ook
heel zelden, kleine armzalige struiken, en om boomen te zien, moet men
nog 1000 meter dieper in het Brahmapoetradal afdalen. En toch zwerven
deze groote dieren daarboven rond en gedijen uitnemend. Zij leven van
mossen en korstmossen die zij met de tong oplikken. Die tong is zoo ruw
als een kartets en van harde scherpe hoornen weerhaken voorzien. Daar
scheren zij ook het slechts een centimeter hooge fluweelzachte gras mee
af, dat langs de oevers van de hoogste bergbeken groeit en zoo kort is, dat
een paard het niet zou kunnen afgrazen.
Dat gebeurde den 9den September. Den 23sten konden de verwanten van
den yakstier van uit de verte een eigenaardigen stoet gadeslaan. Eenige
mannen droegen een langwerpig voorwerp naar den rand van een graf, dat
zij juist hadden gegraven, lieten het er in neer, bedekten het met een pels
en vulden het graf met steenen en aarde. In den eenvoudigen graf heuvel
werd de lat van een tent rechtop gezet, en aan de spits bonden zij den
behaarden staart van een wilden yak. Die onder dezen grafheuvel
sluimerde was Aldat zelf, de dappere yakjager!
[Inhoud]
38. Nuttige planten van Indië.
Verder krijgen wij uit Indië een geheele reeks van specerijen, kaneel,
de bast van de takken van den kaneelboom, peper, die Alexander de
Groote het eerst in Europa heeft binnen gevoerd, gember,
kardamome en sesam uit welker vruchten fijne tafelolie wordt
geperst. Bovendien groeien hier thee, koffie, tabak en nog een kruid,
dat een zegen en een vloek tegelijkertijd is, de papaver. Snijdt men
met een mes zijn onrijp zaadhulsel open dan siepelt er een zacht
melkachtig sap uit, dat bruin wordt en in de lucht verstijft. Dat is
opium. De opbrengst van de opiumplantages in Perzië en Indië gaat
voor het grootste deel naar China. De Chinees is een hartstochtelijk
opiumschuiver. Een kleine opiumbal wordt in den nauwen kop van
de bijzonder samengestelde pijp vastgekleefd en boven de vlam
eener lamp gehouden. De rook wordt in twee diepe teugen
ingeademd, en reeds na het tweede balletje valt de opiumrooker in
een op den dood gelijkenden slaap, vol liefelijke droomen en
heerlijke visioenen. Hij vergeet zijn zorgen en zijn omgeving en
verheugt zich in een korte zaligheid. Als hij ontwaakt is de
werkelijkheid zwaarder en somberder dan ooit voor hem en een
afschuwelijke hoofdpijn is het gevolg. Wie eenmaal tot deze zonde is
vervallen kan slechts in sanatoria worden genezen. In Perzië wordt
het opiumrooken als een schande beschouwd en men geeft er zich
slechts aan over in spelonken. Maar in China rooken mannen en
vrouwen in het openbaar.
En dit rijke land, dat over de vijf millioen kilometer in het quadraat
omvat, dus tienmaal zoo groot is als Duitschland, behoort aan
Engeland; twee vijfden er van zijn vazalstaten, al het overige met
Birma vormt het Indische Keizerrijk. Ceylon is ook een Engelsche
kroonkolonie. Sedert Vasco di Gama in 1498 den zeeweg naar Indië
heeft ontdekt, trad Europa met het verre land in nadere verbinding.
Dit, door zijn natuurschatten, overrijke laagland van Indië, naderen wij nu door
het dal van de Satledsch, die, hoe verder [164]wij omlaag komen, steeds breeder
wordt. Op kleine, wankele bruggen rijden wij over ontelbare zijrivieren, die in
vroolijke watervallen over de steenblokken dansen, zoodat het ver in het rond
dreunt en het borrelende water tot motregen verstuift. Zij snellen alle naar de
hoofdrivier, die eindelijk ontzaglijk zwelt en in zijn wilde kracht, eerbied
afdwingend, verder stroomt.
Simla.
De lucht wordt minder ijl en het ademhalen gemakkelijker. Het tuiten der ooren
en de hoofdpijn houdt op; de koude is ook voorbij. Reeds in het vroege
ochtenduur omgeeft ons milde lucht, en spoedig komen dagen, waarin men met
eenig verlangen de koelte in het hoogland van Tibet gedenkt. Toen ik vele jaren
geleden dezen weg ging, maakte een mijner honden, een groote, harige
Tibetaansche hond, die zeer onder de toenemende warmte leed, eenvoudig
rechtsomkeert en liep naar Tibet terug! Zijn longen en al zijn organen waren
aangepast aan de ijle lucht en ik moest, of ik wilde of niet, hem laten loopen.