As far as natural disasters are concerned J&K, Uttarakhand and the Himachal Pradesh are on the same pedestal and therefore government of these states should work together to mitigate problems faced due to increase in the number of natural catastrophes like flash floods, landslides, etc, which have become common in recent times.
Though, every monsoon season the cases of flash floods and landslides surface in good numbers in the Himalayan region with many precious lives lost the incidents have seen a sharp rise in the last over one decade with Himachal witnessing fiery fury of the nature God with flash floods and landslides killing 108 people this monsoon so far, while 36 are missing. The recent flash flood in Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand has also snatched away many lives while scores of people were still missing.
The situation in J&K was also dismal as landslides and stone slides have taken away many lives including a devotee of Mata Vaishno Devi, SDM Ramnagar and his son, two other persons in their 20s, when a landslide hit their tent near Shiv temple in Reasi district. What is important to consider in these incidents is that the catastrophes when seen heedlessly seem to be something natural but when things are considered scientifically all these incidents have been happening due to human interference and therefore can be termed as manmade rather than an act of God. It is good that reportedly the Himachal Pradesh government is working on a three-tier policy to check haphazard construction near the banks of rivers and nallahs, as well as flash floods and landslide-prone areas to contain such disasters. It has been reported that the aforesaid government is also ensuring safety norms and strict regulations to regulate the construction of houses in rural areas. As the situation in J&K is also similar therefore it is the right time that the government should take a cue from its Himachal counterpart and start a similar initiative before things go out of control.
It is necessary to limit the construction as far as possible and if necessary the construction should be allowed after thorough certification by the concerned authorities as governments can’t afford any delinquency in this serious matter. The governments of all the Himalayan region states come together and work together for ensuring safety and containing disasters like flash floods and landslides.
