Disasters man-made

Rakesh Lohumi

The havoc, wreaked by heavy rains in various parts of the country, right from the coastal Kerala and Odisha to the Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, is a fallout of the reckless, unregulated and excessive anthropogenic activities being carried out in utter disregard of environmental norms. It is a grim reminder that Mother Nature will sooner or later, make us pay the price for tinkering with the fragile ecosystems which sustain all kinds of life

Thousands of kilometres of roads and hundreds of homes have been damaged or destroyed by floods that have ravaged Kerala during the monsoon Frequent spells of heavy rain is common during monsoon and so are the associated events like floods and landslides, the two most common natural disasters. However, in recent years man-made factors like largescale deforestation, chaotic urbanisation, reckless mining, construction of roads, power plants and other intensive human activities have increased the frequency and destructive potential of such events manifold. There has been an explosion of buildings in and around cities and towns. The scarcity of suitable space is forcing development into ecologically significant areas and the concrete jungle is usurping every inch of land. Even drains, creeks, khads and rivers have not been spared the onslaught.

An aerial view of the flood-hit areas of Kerala The destruction of natural environment and the consequent loss of vegetative cover, leads to increased run-offs as storm water flows quickly over impervious surface. The narrowing of the natural channels, which efficiently carried away the storm water, and the man-made drainage woefully inadequate, the urban areas are becoming prone to floods. The low-lying areas are frequently inundated during rain as the run-off overwhelms the drainage system in no time. The impounding of rivers and diversion of flow for hydropower generation has aggravated the problem of floods in the South where states are embroiled in unending river disputes.

With the Centre and most of the states not keen on taking the recommended remedial measures to restrict and regulate human activities in ecologically sensitive areas the situation is worsening progressively. The country anxiously awaits the arrival of monsoon as its predominantly agro-based economy is heavily dependent on rains but it also brings along destruction and misery.

Death toll in Kerala floods rises to 375 . Damages pegged at Rs 19,000 crore Every year large parts across the country bear the brunt of flood fury, landslides and other rainrelated events. In recent times major floods have ravaged Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Gurugram, Bangluru and Srinagar, while hill states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have been repeatedly witnessing a spate of devastating landslides.
This season the monsoon unleashed its fury on Kerala, which witnessed worst floods since 1924. The state remained marooned for weeks together as incessant rain forced the authorities to open gates of 35 of its 39 dams for the first time in the history and over 375 persons have perished in the deluge so far. Odisha also reeled under floods but the situation was not as bad as Kerala.

Environmentalists maintain that while heavy rain is a natural phenomenon, the massive damage on the ground is entirely on account of man-made factors. Over the past decade, there has been large scale deforestation and ecologically sensitive hills have been encroached, cut open, and a lot of unauthorized constitutions have come up. This is the main reason for spate of landslides and disruption of natural drainage.

In both the states the human interventions that significantly altered land use, interfered with natural drainage and degraded the natural environment. The Kuttanad area , the heart of backwaters famous as rice bowl of Kerala, was completely submerged and all the crops destroyed.

Road blocked by a rockfall Environmentalists maintain that while heavy rain is a natural phenomenon, the massive damage on the ground is entirely on account of man-made factors. Over the past decade there has been large scale deforestation and ecologically sensitive hills have been encroached, cut open, and a lot of unauthorized constitutions have come up. This is the main reason for spate of landslides and disruption of natural drainage. The exposed hills are eroding and quarrying is adding to the increasing load of sediments which is choking the streams and rivers causing widespread flooding. Even reservoirs are getting silted up.

Bus stuck on a sinking road The state may have been spared the devastation if it had implemented the report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP). Set up by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry the panel headed by Madhav Gadgil had categorised the Western Ghat region into three zones based on ecological sensitivity and made detailed recommendations to regulate activities of various sectors to conserve and protect the three zones. It also spelt out a broad framework for establishment of the Western Ghats Ecology Authority to manage the ecology of the region and to ensure its sustainable development with the support of all concerned states.
The panel noted that reservoirs especially in the steep valleys are silting up prematurely due to the massive encroachments and deforestation of catchments after Idukki dam came up. It recommended that no new dams based on large scale storage be permitted in Ecologically Sensitive Zone-1. It also called for an indefinite moratorium be imposed on new environmental clearances for mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zones 1 and 2 in Goa.
Maximum people have been killed in landslides in the severely affected districts like Idukki, which along with Kuttanad region was under focus in the Gadgil panel report which also spelt out measures for protecting the ecologically fragile areas by involving the local community.
The panel also observed that operations of hydropower plants are in tune with the power needs rather than the downstream water needs. Daily flow fluctuations created by peak and off-peak operations of reservoirs in dammed rivers led to upstream–downstream conflicts in many river basins.
Similarly, diversion of flows into another river basin after power generation is creating problems of daily flood in the recipient basin and drought in diverted basins. These are turning into management issues which need to be addressed at a basin level.
As always, instead of collectively facing the situation, the government of Kerala and Tamil Nadu were engaged in a blame game and the indifferent attitude of the Centre also did not help. The matter was taken to the apex court. While terming the flood situation in Kerala as "grave” , the Supreme Court the asked states and Centre not to treat the issue as "adversarial".
Besides Gadgil Panel, eminent agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan had also submitted a plan underlining the need for declaring Kuttanad as a Special Agricultural Zone (SAZ) and formulating an integrated scheme for tapping the bio-mass potential of an area in a scientific way. In his view the government authorities and civic society should work together to evolve a strategy to harvest rainwater and prevent flooding. Surplus water should be saved in aquifers, wells, ponds, reservoirs and other storage structures to cope with water scarcity later.

Vehicles damaged by landslides in Shimla Regarding mitigation of farmers distress in Bihar, Assam and West Bengal and other flood prone states, Swaminathan wants a Flood Code put in place for action to be taken to make up the loss caused by floods. The code will enable the states to make advance preparation for growing alternative crops on land that gets submerged during monsoon once the flood recedes. It will help farmers to have at least one crop.
Much like Kerala flood destruction in Odisha was also accentuated by human interventions like development or slum encroachment and unplanned urbanisation which make large stretches impervious which increases surface run-off and reduces ground absorption. Drainage system in many urban areas of the state has collapsed in many urban areas and this resulted in flooding in major cities like Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

The new thrust on the widening of roads in the PPP (public private partnership) mode has been mainly responsible for the sudden spurt in landslides as environmental safeguards are given a go by the companies who have to complete the project within stipulated time-frame. The problem is compounded when projects are assigned to companies which do not have any experience of constructing roads in hill terrain.

The hill states of Himachal and Uttarakhand also face the monsoon fury as heavy rains triggered a spate of landslides, debris flows and flash flood, mainly due to man-made factors.
The huge loss of human lives and the extensive damage cussed to public and private property was a consequence of reckless, unregulated and excessive constructions activity on precipitous slopes. This became evident on August 13 when a few hours of heavy rain brought life to a grinding halt in most parts of Himachal. Maximum damage by landslides, debris flows and waterlogging was caused in areas where work on roads, particularly the four-laning projects, buildings and other construction activities were going on.
Unscientific and indiscriminate cutting of the hills and improper disposal of huge debris have been mainly responsible for rock falls, landslips and mudslides which buried houses, vehicles, roads and other public and private property. In all 19 people were killed, hundreds of houses and other buildings damaged and 923 roads were blocked across the state during the August 11 downpour.

The impact of ruthless felling of trees and vertical cutting of hills for the ongoing Parwanu–Solan highway fourlaning project was visible in numerous landslides.
As many as 65.5 hectares of forest land was diverted and a minimum number of 21,585 trees, 1604 seedlings and 10,221 saplings that had to be removed for the project. However, on the ground many more trees have been brought down continuing to landslides.
The problem has been aggravated due to lack of proper retaining structures both on the mountainside and the valley side. Badly designed and poorly executed, the project provides a perfect example of how not to construct a road in hill terrain. The company assigned the project on BOT (build operate and transfer) basis has not been able to clear the debris brought down by landslides two years ago.
The new thrust on the widening of roads in the PPP (public private partnership) mode has been mainly responsible for the sudden spurt in landslides as environmental safeguards are given a go by the companies who have to complete the project within stipulated timeframe. The problem is compounded when projects are assigned to companies which do not have any experience of constructing roads in hill terrain.

Instead of constructing bridges and boring tunnels the roads are being widened by cutting the hills which has become the standard practice with the availability of heavy earth moving machinery.
Mechanical excavation enables cutting of the hills in quick time but it destabilises the strata and generates huge debris. The natural drainage is obstructed and altered making the hills prone to landslides and it takes decades for the excavated hills to settle down.
Improper disposal of debris also create problems as it flows down during rains along with storm water and chokes drains, khads and streams which overflow or even change course to cause devastating flash floods downstream.

Landslides and flash floods have also ravaged Uttarakhand . The state witnessed the worst Kedarnath disaster in 2013 but not much has changed. It was then pointed out that the disaster could have been averted if the state had not opposed the Centre’s decision in 2010 to declare 100 km stretch along the Bhagirathi river from Gangotri to Uttarkashi an 'Eco Sensitive Zone'. The state’s plea was that it would affect infrastructure development and also restrict the number of tourists and hurt the state's economy.

Hills are also being ripped apart by builders for construction of multi-storied structures in blatant violation of building laws and slope density norms which prohibit construction on slope of more than 35 degree.

Pursuing vote bank politics to the hilt successive governments, irrespective of the party in power, have rewarded the offenders by implementing policies to regularise illegal structures. The previous Congress regime even amended the state town and country planning act- to-regularise all the unauthorised structures on “as is where is” basis.

The high court has quashed the amendment but the new BJP government is not at all keen on implementing the judgement and construction activity is continuing on a war footing. With the government reluctant to enforce building laws the hills have been burdened beyond their carrying capacity. It is not surprising that Shimla, which has maximum unauthorised structures, witnessed maximum damage by landslips.
A number of vehicles were buried, roads blocked and buildings damaged by these landslides. Some houses in Dhalli area have developed cracks as the hill, overburdened by monstrous concrete structures, has started sinking. This is an alarming indication that the fissured and fragmented rock strata has started to crumble.

Towering buildings have come up in and around Shimla, particularly areas like Kachhighati, on similar strata and may face a similar fate. Landslides and flash floods have also ravaged Uttarakhand and the factors that accentuated their impact are the same. The state witnessed the worst Kedarnath disaster in 2013 but not much has changed. It was then pointed out that the disaster could have been averted if the state had not opposed the Centre’s decision in 2010 to declare 100 km stretch along the Bhagirathi river from Gangotri to Uttarkashi an 'Eco Sensitive Zone'. The state’s plea was that it would affect infrastructure development and also restrict the number of tourists and, thus, hurt the state's economy.

Irretrievable damage has already been caused to the environment and it is high time that the state government enforces the various orders of the NGT and the High Court in letter and spirit to prevent further degradation.

Besides, a comprehensive environment policy to restrict human activities in the ecologically fragile higher hills is also required. As ecosensitivity increases with altitude higher areas should be categorised as eco-sensitive zone were only site specific projects and those meant for the benefit of local people like roads and other public conveniences be allowed.



		EDITOR'S MAIL EDITOR'S COMMENT FRANKLY SPEAKING REALPOLITIK ISI WEB DRUG MENACE IN PUNJAB FARMERS' LOAN WINDOW ON M.P. HIMACHAL AGONY LOOKING BACK SIGNS OF THE TIMES PAKISTAN TODAY DRAGON DRILL IN TIBET MODI'S DIPLOMACY GLOBAL AFFAIRS REVIEW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HITS & MISSES DIARY BOOK BAZAAR BOOK BAZAAR CHANGING TIMES THIRD SEX YOGA IN DAILY LIFE A SPRITUAL GURU ART OF LIVING Issue:August' 2018 Subscribe Now	PLAYING WITH MOTHER NATURE Disasters man-made Rakesh Lohumi The havoc, wreaked by heavy rains in various parts of the country, right from the coastal Kerala and Odisha to the Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, is a fallout of the reckless, unregulated and excessive anthropogenic activities being carried out in utter disregard of environmental norms. It is a grim reminder that Mother Nature will sooner or later, make us pay the price for tinkering with the fragile ecosystems which sustain all kinds of life Thousands of kilometres of roads and hundreds of homes have been damaged or destroyed by floods that have ravaged Kerala during the monsoon Frequent spells of heavy rain is common during monsoon and so are the associated events like floods and landslides, the two most common natural disasters. However, in recent years man-made factors like largescale deforestation, chaotic urbanisation, reckless mining, construction of roads, power plants and other intensive human activities have increased the frequency and destructive potential of such events manifold. There has been an explosion of buildings in and around cities and towns. The scarcity of suitable space is forcing development into ecologically significant areas and the concrete jungle is usurping every inch of land. Even drains, creeks, khads and rivers have not been spared the onslaught. An aerial view of the flood-hit areas of Kerala The destruction of natural environment and the consequent loss of vegetative cover, leads to increased run-offs as storm water flows quickly over impervious surface. The narrowing of the natural channels, which efficiently carried away the storm water, and the man-made drainage woefully inadequate, the urban areas are becoming prone to floods. The low-lying areas are frequently inundated during rain as the run-off overwhelms the drainage system in no time. The impounding of rivers and diversion of flow for hydropower generation has aggravated the problem of floods in the South where states are embroiled in unending river disputes. With the Centre and most of the states not keen on taking the recommended remedial measures to restrict and regulate human activities in ecologically sensitive areas the situation is worsening progressively. The country anxiously awaits the arrival of monsoon as its predominantly agro-based economy is heavily dependent on rains but it also brings along destruction and misery. Death toll in Kerala floods rises to 375 . Damages pegged at Rs 19,000 crore Every year large parts across the country bear the brunt of flood fury, landslides and other rainrelated events. In recent times major floods have ravaged Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Gurugram, Bangluru and Srinagar, while hill states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have been repeatedly witnessing a spate of devastating landslides. This season the monsoon unleashed its fury on Kerala, which witnessed worst floods since 1924. The state remained marooned for weeks together as incessant rain forced the authorities to open gates of 35 of its 39 dams for the first time in the history and over 375 persons have perished in the deluge so far. Odisha also reeled under floods but the situation was not as bad as Kerala. Environmentalists maintain that while heavy rain is a natural phenomenon, the massive damage on the ground is entirely on account of man-made factors. Over the past decade, there has been large scale deforestation and ecologically sensitive hills have been encroached, cut open, and a lot of unauthorized constitutions have come up. This is the main reason for spate of landslides and disruption of natural drainage. In both the states the human interventions that significantly altered land use, interfered with natural drainage and degraded the natural environment. The Kuttanad area , the heart of backwaters famous as rice bowl of Kerala, was completely submerged and all the crops destroyed. Road blocked by a rockfall Environmentalists maintain that while heavy rain is a natural phenomenon, the massive damage on the ground is entirely on account of man-made factors. Over the past decade there has been large scale deforestation and ecologically sensitive hills have been encroached, cut open, and a lot of unauthorized constitutions have come up. This is the main reason for spate of landslides and disruption of natural drainage. The exposed hills are eroding and quarrying is adding to the increasing load of sediments which is choking the streams and rivers causing widespread flooding. Even reservoirs are getting silted up. Bus stuck on a sinking road The state may have been spared the devastation if it had implemented the report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP). Set up by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry the panel headed by Madhav Gadgil had categorised the Western Ghat region into three zones based on ecological sensitivity and made detailed recommendations to regulate activities of various sectors to conserve and protect the three zones. It also spelt out a broad framework for establishment of the Western Ghats Ecology Authority to manage the ecology of the region and to ensure its sustainable development with the support of all concerned states. The panel noted that reservoirs especially in the steep valleys are silting up prematurely due to the massive encroachments and deforestation of catchments after Idukki dam came up. It recommended that no new dams based on large scale storage be permitted in Ecologically Sensitive Zone-1. It also called for an indefinite moratorium be imposed on new environmental clearances for mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zones 1 and 2 in Goa. Maximum people have been killed in landslides in the severely affected districts like Idukki, which along with Kuttanad region was under focus in the Gadgil panel report which also spelt out measures for protecting the ecologically fragile areas by involving the local community. The panel also observed that operations of hydropower plants are in tune with the power needs rather than the downstream water needs. Daily flow fluctuations created by peak and off-peak operations of reservoirs in dammed rivers led to upstream–downstream conflicts in many river basins. Similarly, diversion of flows into another river basin after power generation is creating problems of daily flood in the recipient basin and drought in diverted basins. These are turning into management issues which need to be addressed at a basin level. As always, instead of collectively facing the situation, the government of Kerala and Tamil Nadu were engaged in a blame game and the indifferent attitude of the Centre also did not help. The matter was taken to the apex court. While terming the flood situation in Kerala as "grave” , the Supreme Court the asked states and Centre not to treat the issue as "adversarial". Besides Gadgil Panel, eminent agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan had also submitted a plan underlining the need for declaring Kuttanad as a Special Agricultural Zone (SAZ) and formulating an integrated scheme for tapping the bio-mass potential of an area in a scientific way. In his view the government authorities and civic society should work together to evolve a strategy to harvest rainwater and prevent flooding. Surplus water should be saved in aquifers, wells, ponds, reservoirs and other storage structures to cope with water scarcity later. Vehicles damaged by landslides in Shimla Regarding mitigation of farmers distress in Bihar, Assam and West Bengal and other flood prone states, Swaminathan wants a Flood Code put in place for action to be taken to make up the loss caused by floods. The code will enable the states to make advance preparation for growing alternative crops on land that gets submerged during monsoon once the flood recedes. It will help farmers to have at least one crop. Much like Kerala flood destruction in Odisha was also accentuated by human interventions like development or slum encroachment and unplanned urbanisation which make large stretches impervious which increases surface run-off and reduces ground absorption. Drainage system in many urban areas of the state has collapsed in many urban areas and this resulted in flooding in major cities like Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The new thrust on the widening of roads in the PPP (public private partnership) mode has been mainly responsible for the sudden spurt in landslides as environmental safeguards are given a go by the companies who have to complete the project within stipulated time-frame. The problem is compounded when projects are assigned to companies which do not have any experience of constructing roads in hill terrain. The hill states of Himachal and Uttarakhand also face the monsoon fury as heavy rains triggered a spate of landslides, debris flows and flash flood, mainly due to man-made factors. The huge loss of human lives and the extensive damage cussed to public and private property was a consequence of reckless, unregulated and excessive constructions activity on precipitous slopes. This became evident on August 13 when a few hours of heavy rain brought life to a grinding halt in most parts of Himachal. Maximum damage by landslides, debris flows and waterlogging was caused in areas where work on roads, particularly the four-laning projects, buildings and other construction activities were going on. Unscientific and indiscriminate cutting of the hills and improper disposal of huge debris have been mainly responsible for rock falls, landslips and mudslides which buried houses, vehicles, roads and other public and private property. In all 19 people were killed, hundreds of houses and other buildings damaged and 923 roads were blocked across the state during the August 11 downpour. The impact of ruthless felling of trees and vertical cutting of hills for the ongoing Parwanu–Solan highway fourlaning project was visible in numerous landslides. As many as 65.5 hectares of forest land was diverted and a minimum number of 21,585 trees, 1604 seedlings and 10,221 saplings that had to be removed for the project. However, on the ground many more trees have been brought down continuing to landslides. The problem has been aggravated due to lack of proper retaining structures both on the mountainside and the valley side. Badly designed and poorly executed, the project provides a perfect example of how not to construct a road in hill terrain. The company assigned the project on BOT (build operate and transfer) basis has not been able to clear the debris brought down by landslides two years ago. The new thrust on the widening of roads in the PPP (public private partnership) mode has been mainly responsible for the sudden spurt in landslides as environmental safeguards are given a go by the companies who have to complete the project within stipulated timeframe. The problem is compounded when projects are assigned to companies which do not have any experience of constructing roads in hill terrain. Instead of constructing bridges and boring tunnels the roads are being widened by cutting the hills which has become the standard practice with the availability of heavy earth moving machinery. Mechanical excavation enables cutting of the hills in quick time but it destabilises the strata and generates huge debris. The natural drainage is obstructed and altered making the hills prone to landslides and it takes decades for the excavated hills to settle down. Improper disposal of debris also create problems as it flows down during rains along with storm water and chokes drains, khads and streams which overflow or even change course to cause devastating flash floods downstream. Landslides and flash floods have also ravaged Uttarakhand . The state witnessed the worst Kedarnath disaster in 2013 but not much has changed. It was then pointed out that the disaster could have been averted if the state had not opposed the Centre’s decision in 2010 to declare 100 km stretch along the Bhagirathi river from Gangotri to Uttarkashi an 'Eco Sensitive Zone'. The state’s plea was that it would affect infrastructure development and also restrict the number of tourists and hurt the state's economy. Hills are also being ripped apart by builders for construction of multi-storied structures in blatant violation of building laws and slope density norms which prohibit construction on slope of more than 35 degree. Pursuing vote bank politics to the hilt successive governments, irrespective of the party in power, have rewarded the offenders by implementing policies to regularise illegal structures. The previous Congress regime even amended the state town and country planning act- to-regularise all the unauthorised structures on “as is where is” basis. The high court has quashed the amendment but the new BJP government is not at all keen on implementing the judgement and construction activity is continuing on a war footing. With the government reluctant to enforce building laws the hills have been burdened beyond their carrying capacity. It is not surprising that Shimla, which has maximum unauthorised structures, witnessed maximum damage by landslips. A number of vehicles were buried, roads blocked and buildings damaged by these landslides. Some houses in Dhalli area have developed cracks as the hill, overburdened by monstrous concrete structures, has started sinking. This is an alarming indication that the fissured and fragmented rock strata has started to crumble. Towering buildings have come up in and around Shimla, particularly areas like Kachhighati, on similar strata and may face a similar fate. Landslides and flash floods have also ravaged Uttarakhand and the factors that accentuated their impact are the same. The state witnessed the worst Kedarnath disaster in 2013 but not much has changed. It was then pointed out that the disaster could have been averted if the state had not opposed the Centre’s decision in 2010 to declare 100 km stretch along the Bhagirathi river from Gangotri to Uttarkashi an 'Eco Sensitive Zone'. The state’s plea was that it would affect infrastructure development and also restrict the number of tourists and, thus, hurt the state's economy. Irretrievable damage has already been caused to the environment and it is high time that the state government enforces the various orders of the NGT and the High Court in letter and spirit to prevent further degradation. Besides, a comprehensive environment policy to restrict human activities in the ecologically fragile higher hills is also required. As ecosensitivity increases with altitude higher areas should be categorised as eco-sensitive zone were only site specific projects and those meant for the benefit of local people like roads and other public conveniences be allowed.