Himachal people in trouble – uttamhindu.com

A red alert has been issued for heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh. The Meteorological Department has 10 districts in the state namely Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Orange alert has been issued for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan, Una. The department has predicted moderate rain at most places and heavy to very heavy rain at a few places during this period. Not only this, the Meteorological Department has also issued flash flood warnings in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur. The department has said that heavy to very heavy rainfall can cause flash floods in these areas. According to the Meteorological Department, Himachal Pradesh has received 752.1 mm of rainfall since the onset of monsoon on June 24, while the average rainfall during the entire monsoon season from June to September is 730 mm. According to Aditya Negi, Deputy Commissioner, Shimla, about 46 people have died in rain-related incidents in Shimla district in the current monsoon season and the district has suffered a loss of Rs 1,286 crore. He said that more than 115 houses and buildings have been damaged. According to Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, keeping in mind the safety of the people, more than 100 distressed buildings including about 50 buildings in Shimla have been evacuated. SS Randhawa, Principal Scientific Officer, Himachal Pradesh Council of Science Technology and Environment, said construction, excessive soil moisture, seepage and overburden appear to be responsible for the landslide in Shimla town. Randhawa has been appointed as the coordinator of the committee constituted to study the causes of the landslide. He has visited Krishna Nagar, Fagli and some other landslide sites in Shimla. Randhawa pointed out that after the snowfall season in winter, the summer season almost did not come and immediately the rainy season came, which made the situation worse because the moisture present in the soil had no way to dry. Former chief architect of the state Nand Kishore Negi says that ‘we have disturbed the natural balance. The present situation is the result of our collective failure and we need to handle it. He told that the old natural drainage system has been destroyed and buildings have come up on the drains. Earlier there were constructions in 30 percent area and 70 percent area was vacant, but now the situation is reversed and the amount of water in drains has exceeded the carrying capacity.

According to a report, 21 out of 23 hydel projects in Himachal Pradesh have been found guilty of not following dam safety norms. This has been revealed in a report presented in this regard by Himachal Pradesh’s Directorate of Energy to Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena. Saxena has spoken of taking legal action against those who violate the norms. He said that opinion is also being taken for taking criminal action in this matter. The release of water from the Pandoh, Malana and Pong dams is believed to have caused flooding in low-lying areas of Punjab and Himachal (parts of Kangra). According to sources, despite requests from the administration of some districts, excess water was not released from most of the dams in time. What is worrying is that the alleged violations also include four government projects – Larji on Beas in Mandi, Jadon on Giri in Sirmaur and Sawda Kuddu on Pabbar in Shimla and Sainj in Kullu. According to the data, only the 800 MW Kol Dam in Bilaspur and the 1,045 MW Karchham Wangtu project in Kinnaur followed the norms prescribed in the Dam Safety Act and Central Water Commission guidelines. Chief Secretary Saxena said that we will take legal action against those who violate the rules. We are seeking opinion on holding him accountable for criminal liability.

Apart from the above, the situation has also worsened due to the construction of around 25,000 illegal buildings in Himachal Pradesh including Shimla. Illegal felling and felling of mountains etc. have also increased the crisis of the people of Himachal and along with nature’s havoc, human negligence has also played an important role in aggravating the crisis. Like Himachal Pradesh, the people of Uttarakhand are also facing crisis. The causes of the crisis are basically those of Himachal Pradesh.

Keeping in view the plight of the Himachalis, the Supreme Court has indicated setting up of a special panel to assess the carrying capacity and master plans of the Indian Himalayan region in 13 states and union territories, while hearing a public interest litigation. Describing the issue as important, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said the bench intended to nominate one expert each from the three expert institutions and give their views on affordability.

The residents of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand including Himachal Pradesh are facing a serious crisis at this time. Along with nature’s fury, human negligence, corruption and selfishness and politics have all played a significant role in making the crisis intolerable. Nature has come knocking and warned the people of Himachal Pradesh that if they do not take care of themselves now and continue making illegal constructions, illegal felling and tampering with the mountains, then their present as well as future will be in trouble.

The people of Himachal have to stop tampering with nature from now onwards in order to secure the future of their future generations. Politicians will also have to rise above political gains and losses and take practical and concrete steps while giving priority to the future of the people of Himachal Pradesh. Realizing that the negligence of the present will destroy the future, there is a need to make practical and concrete policies and take steps to secure the future at both the social and political levels.

– Irwin Khanna (Chief Editor, Dainik Uttam Hindu)