Three days of nonstop rains in the state have left a trail of death and devastation, killing 52 people and damaging roads, bridges, and railway tracks, as well as destroying standing crops.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Uttarakhand late on Wednesday to assess the situation in the rain-soaked state. Three days of nonstop rains in the state have left a trail of death and devastation, killing 52 people, damaging roads, bridges, and railway tracks, and destroying the standing crop. On his arrival at Jollygrant Airport at midnight on Wednesday, Shah was greeted by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt, and Uttarakhand BJP president Madan Kaushik.
.jpg "Uttarakhand floods: Man-made activities have turned the Land of God into a constant victim of floods")
Six more bodies were recovered on Wednesday in rain-soaked Uttarakhand, bringing the death toll in the Himalayan state to 52, while Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, and areas of north Bengal were also pounded by torrential rain, causing landslides and forcing the closure of National Highway 10, the main road connecting Gangtok to the rest of the country.
In Uttarakhand, rain-related accidents wounded 17 persons and took the lives of five others.
A trekking team of 11 who departed Uttarkashi but did not arrive at their goal of Chitkul in Himachal Pradesh, and three porters who went missing while accompanying an ITBP patrol near the India-China border, are not included in the official figure of missing individuals. The Kumaon area of the state, which has been most hit by the rain, has also reported 46 damaged dwellings.
Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Chief Minister of Kumaon, extended his visit to the devastated areas of Udham Singh Nagar and Champawat districts to assess the situation. He travelled by road since his helicopter was unable to take off from Haldwani owing to mechanical issues. Dhami, accompanied by Union Minister of State for Defence and Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt and State Disaster Management Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, traversed wide expanses of marooned fields in Udham Singh Nagar district on a tractor and evaluated agricultural damage. He also made his way through the streets of Champawat to get a firsthand look at the devastation caused by nearly three days of nonstop rain.
The recent floods in Uttarakhand have wreaked havoc on both people and property. They also caught many people off guard since they were unexpected. According to experts, the floods are a warning sign of the impending climate disaster in the Himalayas. They argue that if the mountain range’s great natural riches are to be preserved for future generations, we must respect the terrain.
The weather cleared across Uttarakhand on Wednesday, allowing rescue efforts to pick up steam and allowing pilgrims to return to Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri. However, the yatra to Badrinath could not be restarted since the national route leading to the shrine was blocked at numerous spots by landslides.
Let’s have a look at some of the factors leading to such flash floods in Uttarakhand
(1) Unplanned development is harming the mountains’ ecosystem- In ecologically sensitive parts of India, none of the environmental regulations is being applied, and development continues unabated. On rivers, a total of 427 dams are scheduled to be erected. Among them are around 70 projects constructed or proposed on the Ganga, all of which will generate approximately 10,000 MW of power. This development has impacted 80% of the Bhagirathi and 65% of the Alaknanda. To cut mountains and make room for dam building, dynamite explosions are necessary. On a Richter scale, such blasts are equal to a magnitude 4.0 earthquake, which might exacerbate landslides.
(2) Temperature variation between day and night- During the 1960s, the temperature on the mountains was the same during the day and at night. However, during the previous decade, the day temperature has risen significantly in comparison to the night temperature, creating the conditions for cloud bursting and flash floods.
(3)Tourism management is lacking- According to official records, the Uttarakhand government spends Rs. 70 crores each year to manage tourism in the state. In addition, an extra relief fund of Rs. 23.4 crores were established in 2012. Despite this, there isn’t a single clean toilet here. Every year, around 3 million tourists visit Uttarakhand, however, there are only 2 lakh beds available as part of the accommodation arrangement (out of which 75 per cent are in Dharamshala and 25 per cent are in hotels)
(4)The number of cars is increasing at an exponential rate– According to statistics provided by the Uttarakhand State Transport Department, 83,000 cars were registered in the state in 2005-06. In 2012-13, the amount increased to over 180,000.
The share of automobiles, jeeps, and taxis, which are the most popular modes of transportation for visitors arriving in the state, grew the most. In 2005-06, 4,000 such cars were registered, but by 2012-13, the figure had risen to 40,000. It is a well-known truth that there is a direct correlation between a rise in tourism and an increase in the occurrence of landslides.
(5)Insufficient fund- Every year, worshippers donate Rs. 165 crores to the Badrinath-Kedarnath temple administrative committee. However, the committee claims that they lack both finances and people. Only 4,000 soldiers have been sent to duty. And just 100 police officers are trained in emergency medical procedures, while no one is equipped to deal with a natural disaster. In reality, in a frank interview with CNN-IBN, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahugun stated that the state’s disaster management council had not convened in six years and that the state was unable to deal with such a massive calamity.
Major calamities that struck the State to date:
- Kedarnath Flood- The catastrophic Kedarnath Flood caused widespread devastation in the Kedarnath Valley and adjacent regions of Uttarakhand. Heavy rain and cloudbursts on the huge glacier lake produced the flash flood. The Kedarnath Temple, which is situated on the banks of the Mandakini and the legendary Saraswati rivers, remained unaffected. The primary cause of the Kedarnath Flood Tragedy was massive cloudbursts. The region around the Kedarnath Temple experienced unimaginable devastation as a result of its proximity to the environs of the Chorabari Glacier.
REASONS:
- Mandakini River Overflow,
- Cloudburst, and Heavy Rain in Kedarnath
- Chorabari Lake’s overflow
- Nanda Devi Glacier outburst- The Nanda Devi glacier separated near Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. The glacier breach, which brought back terrible memories of the 2013 Kedarnath disaster, wreaked widespread destruction in the highest regions of the environmentally vulnerable Himalaya.
According to scientists, this winter’s low snowfall in Uttarakhand may have had a significant role in the glacier explosions. Uttarakhand is a wake-up call not just for the state’s rulers and people, but also for planners and decision-makers across the country.
Also Read: WhatsApp Chat leaks “Casual Banter” for Arnab, “Prima Facie evidence” for Aryan
