The heavy downpour in Uttarakhand and the aftermath, which usurped
hundreds of lives and left thousands stranded, is one of the worst
natural calamities. The death toll, as we rush to the Press, is reported
officially to be around 680 but it might climb to thousands when you
will be reading the article. Around 10,000 personnel of Armed Forces on
war footing for six days with 46 choppers including the advanced Mi-16,
Mi-17, Mi-26 and the newly acquired C-130J Super Hercules are yet to
approach nearly 50,000 people stranded in different parts of the 40,000
km inundated area.
The flood has once again exposed the preparedness of the country for
natural disasters. The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Vijaya Bahuguna,
in an interview with CNN, rightly confessed that the state disaster
management committee did not meet in last six years and that the team
was not prepared at all to handle the situation. The CM went on saying,
“The government of India and those who are writing stories also have no
force to deal with disasters like this.”
THE CALAMITY
The dual cloud burst and subsequent crumbling of Kedar Dome on 18
June caused a major rupture in the Charbari Lake which is at the
distance of just 5 KMs from the Kedar Nath temple. The locality
registered a record rainfall of 340 mm in the locality that day while,
usually, the rainfall more than 150 mm a day is termed a heavy one in
climatology.
This hazardous downpour made many believe that it was a man-made
disaster and was nature’s way to avenge its exploitation. They have some
points too. If you go through the map of flood hit areas, you will find
it fully covered with sky touching mountains and the vegetative cover
on mountains, which are comparably less on these ones, slows down the
speed of rain before touching the ground or rather soak it midway. Also
the global warming has affected the ecosystems of Himalaya most
adversely in 100 years. Hence, the glaciers naturally release higher
water in Himalayan rivers.
Unregulated expansion of giant hydro-electric projects and the
incessant construction of roads in the area have also played their role
in making mountains feeble hence causing landslides. Some say it was the
failure of Bahuguna’s government which amplified the adversity. On the
other hand, the Union Home Minister, Shushil Kumar Shinde, brushed aside
these allegations saying it was natural.
THE PREVENTION
Whatever the reason for this calamity may be, the fact is that all
are busy passing the ball in their rival’s court and considering
themselves not responsible. Ironically, what if the global warming is
responsible for this disaster? The crisis started centuries ago. Can
anyone claim that the world has ever taken a single step since then to
reduce the same or not our each move amounting to its magnitude? Similar
talks had been made after the Nargis, the Hurricane Sandy, the Neelam
and other such disasters. These topics are only to be talked about. What
was and still is in our hand to minimise the wreckage is to put bridle
on our so-called development model ignoring norms and the standards of
the eco system.
The former Deputy Director-General of the Geological Survey of India,
VK Raina, said in a statement that the natural calamities such as cloud
bursts, flash floods et al cannot be prevented but deaths and damages
could be contained by implementing the laws appropriately. Pertaining to
note here is that the Ministry of Environment and Forests, on 18
December 2012, issued a notification declaring the entire watershed
between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi, along the Bhagirathi river as
eco-sensitive zone and banned all construction activities in the area at
the stretch of 135 KMs. But the state government had opposed this move
strongly saying this will hamper the development and economic growth in
the area.
In the name of urbanisation and development, the locality is
registering an increase in its population on a regular basis ignoring
the environmental threats. Who guarantee that the same would not happen
when the area has been converted into a city with millions of residents?
We undoubtedly need development but not at the cost of our precious
lives. Or ultimately one can say the Indians sacrifice their lives
generously even for some petty causes like cold waves, heat waves,
bushfires, road accidents et al then why this hullabaloo if the same is
done for a relatively greater cause?
THE RELIEF WORK
No relief work is taking place in the area in an organised way. What
the Armed Forces are doing is to rescue or airlift stranded people and
help them reach relatively safer places. The situation at Jolly Grant
Airport, Sahasradhara helipad and at local hospitals is far beyond to be
confined in words. The rescued people, after having spent two or three
days without any food and grain, are forced to expend up to Rs 200 for a
biscuit pack worth Rs. 5. Some have bought a petty water bottle against
Rs. 100. Nutan Shukla of Bareilly paid Rs. 5000 for one time meal for a
group of five persons. The helicopter companies also charge per hour
for the operation.
Since the relief work is not carried out in an organised way, it is
hard to say who is doing what in this regard. But, a group of locals has
been seen active at Jolly Grant Airport and nearby areas with eatables
and so. Also the Shiromani Gurdawara Prabandhak Committee has set up a
Langar (mass distribution of foods) outside Jolly Grant Airport. On
being asked, a national secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, wishing
anonymity, said that the state unit has to take initiative and the
Markaz (centre) is in touch with them. Hopefully, the operation would
start soon. Mualana Abdul Hameed Nomani, General Secretary of Jamiatul
Ulema Hind, while talking to the Radiance said the state unit of JUH is
doing “something” but he did not explain what this “something” is.
Likewise, the All India Shi’a Personal Law Board has set up a relief
fund for the victims and Maulana Firangimahli of All India Muslim
Personal Law Board has urged every individual to participate actively in
rescue and relief operation. To the social organisations and other
NGOs, what this scribe wishes to say is that leave the rescue at Armed
Forces as only they can do it in a better way but do make yourselves
available for the rehabilitation of those rescued.
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