CHANDIGARH: The Himachal Pradesh government has urged the Centre to carry out in-depth studies, through institutions such as the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Geological Survey of India (GSI), on the causes of natural disasters in the state. Since 2018, the state has witnessed 148 cloudbursts, 294 flash floods and over 5,000 landslides.
Sources said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had recently ordered the formation of a multi-sector team comprising experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indore, to study the reasons behind the recent cloudbursts and flashfloods in Himachal Pradesh.
A meeting of the Multi-Sectoral Central Team (MSCT), constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs to investigate the increasing incidents of natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh, was held in Shimla on Thursday.
Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) KK Pant said that Himachal Pradesh's geographical conditions are different from other states, making it necessary to revise the norms related to disaster recovery and rehabilitation in the region. He stressed the need for institutions such as the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to conduct in-depth studies on the causes of natural disasters while being stationed in the state.
He highlighted the importance of assessing disaster-prone areas and focusing on early forecasting of such events. He said that emphasis should be laid on pre-disaster planning rather than post-disaster response in order to minimize loss of life and property. He also called for the installation of advanced sensors to improve data collection across the state.
Pant said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has also been advocating for a detailed study on the increasing incidents of cloudbursts since 2023. He further emphasized the need to set up a flood forecasting unit in the state, with the support of the Central Water Commission, to enhance hydrological monitoring and study glacial lakes.
Dr Neeraj from DGRE-DRDO and Atul from GSI participated in the meeting virtually. The MSCT team urged DGRE-DRDO to provide data related to high-altitude regions and asked GSI to focus more on the issues of sudden floods and landslides, which were the two major natural disasters occurring in Himachal Pradesh.
Special Secretary (Revenue-Disaster Management) DC Rana gave a detailed presentation on various natural disasters in the state. He said that since 2018, Himachal Pradesh has witnessed 148 cloudbursts, 294 flash floods and over 5,000 landslides. He said that districts such as Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur and Mandi were extremely vulnerable to such events.
He apprised the MSCT team that during 2023 alone, the estimated loss due to natural disasters in the state was nearly Rs 10,000 crore. Apart from this, the state incurs a loss of Rs 1,000-2,000 crore annually due to such events. He said that climate change was a major factor behind the increase in cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides.
Senior officials from various departments of both the central and state governments were present in the meeting.
On Tuesday, a cloudburst caused large-scale damage in Kaurik and Ranrgik villages of Kaza subdivision. Similarly, an incident of cloudburst was reported in the Leo nullah in the Hungrung valley of Kinnaur district on July 22. Not only these two tribal districts but the entire state is witnessing a shift in agro-climatic zoning and an adverse impact on crops and fruits.
Leader of the Opposition and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur’s assembly segment of Seraj in Mandi has suffered widespread destruction and losses to the tune of around Rs 1,000 crore. He feels that climate change can be one of the reasons for this large-scale devastation and there is need for experts to examine this disturbing trend.
Meanwhile, a delegation led by Union Health Minister JP Nadda, BJP MPs and MLAs from Himachal along with former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday met Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari to seek central assistance for restoration of the damaged infrastructure this monsoon.
Nadda, who had visited the rain-ravaged parts of Mandi and Kullu district on July 7, apprised Shah about the havoc wreaked by rains on June 30. He sought assistance for reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure from Shah, who assured all possible help.
The delegation also called on Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to seek liberal financial assistance for reconstruction of the damaged roads and bridges, which had suffered damage running into several hundred crores of rupees. Gadkari assured that the road infrastructure would be restored on a war footing.