LEARN, ADAPT

 

 

 

AN UNTOLD misery has been heaped upon cities in north India as torrential rains continue to batter the region, causing severe damage and killing people. Himachal Pradesh is the worst hit in the rain fury as it deals with raging waters that are not sparing roads, bridges and houses. Many lives have already been lost and the disaster is set to assume bigger proportions given the vulnerability of the hilly areas amid possibilities of extreme weather events. The extensive damage caused by the flash floods in Himachal as well as other States in northern India has yet again exposed the inability of authorities to deal with disasters. Despite the plans and policies put in place to counter nature’s fury, disaster management continues to remain a weak area in the country. Scenes in Himachal show that nature’s fury can spoil even the best of infrastructure. Broken bridges, washed-out roads, heaps of cars stuck in mud, debris of collapsed structure in towns like Manali, Kullu, Mandi and many other villages stand testimony to the ravage of a natural disaster and also the perils of unplanned infrastructure development in ecologically-vulnerable regions. HP Chief Minister Mr. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has pegged the losses in the State at Rs 3,000 crore so far as he blamed widespread heavy rains not seen in past 50 years for the havoc. The blame on nature itself is the reminder to the society about the dangers of extreme weather events which have become a new normal due to climate change. The threat is for real and will continue to wreak havoc in the future. The need of the hour is to come out of the age-old strategies and devise a new model to tackle climate change-induced disasters.

 

The rising frequency of such events is an alarming indicator of the perils of climate change. The world has been getting enough warnings with the heavy intensity of natural disasters. There have been extensive losses which the society is yet to come to terms with. India has seen it all during the floods in Uttarakhand in 2013 and Kashmir in 2014. What is happening in north India is almost a rerun of those disasters. The way ahead is adapting to the reality and put in place mitigation measures to contain large-scale devastation. The present episodes again show that hilly regions are the most vulnerable to rain-induced disasters. And it is not just nature’s fury that is causing significant losses. Reckless infrastructure development in the hills is a major factor that is being conveniently brushed aside while blaming nature for the devastation. Ecologists, scientists and climate experts have been red-flagging unregulated construction activity in hills and valley. The desire to copy everything urban in the hilly and rural areas is proving to be a nemesis of the region.

 

Development in the name of plush infrastructure and huge roads cutting through mountains is playing a major role in causing colossal losses during heavy rains. There is a clear line that cannot be breached i.e. respecting the geographical conditions and ecology of a certain area. The four-lane highways might look extremely attractive and lure tourists to the hills but their endurance on the fragile ground also needs to be seen before going for the urbanisation of the region.

Adaptation is the only way ahead in addressing the challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather events. The need has already been emphasised in the report submitted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It underscores formation and implementation of significant adaptation strategies to minimise losses caused by natural disasters. Adaptation also entails bringing a behavioural change in communities and reassessment of tourism carrying capabilities of the hills.