On the BBC's World Service this week, there was a feature on the problems of water shortages in India. The World Service is an ultra pro-metric programme which translates everything it possibly can into metric.

In this allegedly metric country of India, the talk was all of the 16" pipes that were now in urgent need of repair and the one gallon plastic containers that were being handed out to rural dwellers to help them collect their water

"The World Service is an ultra pro-metric programme which translates everything it possibly can into metric."

Tony, you're exaggerating. I listen quite a lot to the BBC World Service in my car and I can assure you that the proportion of metric to imperial is about fifty-fifty.

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In this allegedly metric country of India, the talk was all of the 16" pipes that were now in urgent need of repair and the one gallon plastic containers that were being handed out to rural dwellers to help them collect their water
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Following on from Conrad's assertion, who used the Imperial measures - the BBC reporter or a local Indian resident? If it was a resident, what proof do we have that the statement was not "sanitised" for BBC use?

If a 16" pipe is in urgent need of repair, it's probably been around since before India metricated. Pipes can last a long time.
Alternative explanation: Pipes imported from US.
I've been to India and I can assure you that people naturally think in metric there.

re: "I've been to India and I can assure you that people naturally think in metric there"


"Sahib, I have this vorter carrier and it say: 'one gallon'. What is that in our beloved and esteem-ed metrical measurements?'

"Oh, 4.545 litres, correct to three decimal places, mate"