India Today News Desk
Uttarkashi, Wayanad, Kedarnath, Chamoli, Kinnaur, and Joshimath are just a few names from a much longer list. Landslides and sinking human settlements have become grim realities in India, with cities and villages in several hilly areas succumbing to nature's fury. But what mostly seem like natural calamities are, in fact, man-made disasters. The latest disaster in this series struck Uttarakhand on Tuesday. Cloudburst-induced landslides and flash floods struck Uttarkashi and claimed at least four lives. Over 50 people are still missing. The financial cost of the calamity hasn't even been ascertained yet, but it's bound to be as high as in past tragedies.
These horrifying incidents of loss of lives, destruction of property worth hundreds of crores, and damage to the environment and ecology stem from a dangerous cocktail of unchecked construction (including government projects) in high-risk zones, riverbed encroachments, apathy towards climate change, failure to anticipate erratic weather patterns, and widespread environmental degradation. All of it, enabled by the usual culprit: corruption, turning hollowed-out hills into ticking time bombs.
However, people and governments are deaf to the alarm bells that are ringing out loud and clear in India. Waking up to the scary reality would be the first step to fixing these discrepancies, adaptability concerns and loopholes. As climate activist Harjeet Singh from the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation puts it, "This tragedy is a deadly cocktail... This devastating loss must be our final wake-up call."
No comments:
Post a Comment