Keeping with general perception of increasing frequency and magnitude of disasters, world witnessed 7931 natural disaster incidences in the previous 20 years, i.e. 2003-22, registering an increase of 36.9% over the preceding twenty year period ending in 2002 (1983-2002). 37-40% incidences during both these periods occurred in Asia. But then, negating the perception of steadily decreasing … [Read More...] about Disasters: 2003-22 vs 1983-2002
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Joshimath like ground fissure reports
From the appearance of stray ground fissures and ensuing cracks in some houses that could well be brushed aside as being construction defects, Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand is presently faced with a serious situation wherein a portion of the town is witnessing active ground subsidence that is reflected in distress of the overlying structures. Despite the cause of suddenly … [Read More...] about Joshimath like ground fissure reports
Ground subsidence around Joshimath
Habitations have come into existence, primarily as a consequence of basic human urge to socialise and stay together, perhaps for safety and security, more than anything else. It is around these settlements that humans started various livelihood chores including agriculture, hunting and gathering. Settlements in the hills Agriculture being the primary economic activity in the […]
Joshimath: Crumbling under its own weight
संता – भाई पिछले काफी दिनों से अखबार और टेलीविज़न के साथ-साथ सोशल मीडिया पर बस जोशीमठ ही छाया हैं। आखिर ये माजरा है क्या? बंता – हाँ भाई, हमारे कई और शहरों की तरह जोशीमठ भी पुराने भू-स्खलन के मलबे के ऊपर बसा है, और यहाँ काफी लम्बे समय से भू-धँसाव हो रहा हैं। संता […]
संता-बंता और आपदा में लापता
A number of persons routinely go missing in various disaster incidences and there exists no standard mechanism for declaring these as being dead and accordingly issuing Death Certificates. This adds to the trauma of the affected families and often also delays relief disbursement. Registrar General of India has to be approached every time for notifying the procedure for doing so. It is therefore required that a dedicated SOP be put in place for routinely declaring missing persons as being dead and issuing Death Certificate.
संता-बंता और आने वाला बड़ा भूकम्प
High risk posed to UP & NCR from future Himalayan earthquake calls for augmenting earthquake safety initiatives & promoting warning app of Uttarakhand.
पंडित जी और रामू मल्लाह
कहाँ तक तो शायद किसी को नहीं पता, पर गंगा किनारे बसे उस गाँव के पंडित जी थे काफी पढ़े-लिखे व ज्ञानी। लोगो का मानना था कि उन्होंने छोटी उम्र में ही वेद-पुराण सब कंठस्त कर लिये थे। फिर ज्योतिष व ग्रह-नक्षत्रो की चाल पर भी उनकी गहरी पकड़ थी। कुंडली और हाथ तो जाने […]
संता-बंता उवाच और मोदी जी के मंत्र
Outlined in 2016 AMCDRR in New Delhi 10-point agenda of PM Modi is pertinent in every respect for making India disaster resilient.
SAMANVAY accomplished
In case we wish us to excel, be it in any field; first and foremost we have to critically review what the counterparts are doing and shed our inhibitions, and most importantly not hesitate in accepting where the counterparts have fared well and accordingly reprogram our strategies to optimise productivity. Even though not many in […]
SAMANVAY 2022 – Day 1
Despite disaster management being the primary responsibility of civil administration, it is often overwhelmed by disaster incidences by virtue of their magnitude, impact and geographical coverage. Long drawn rescue and relief operations together with inclement weather conditions and disrupted transport network force the civil administration to resort to the support of various specialised agencies. Having […]
Earthquake early warning – An illusion
After a series of earthquakes in the recent past in western Nepal and Pithoragarh, the earthquake early warning (EEW) system operated by USDMA in Uttarakhand has been the focus of most seismic safety related debates. Obsessed with the glitter and fancy of early warning most disaster risk reduction (DRR) enthusiasts often tend to consider it the ultimate […]
Santa-Banta on landslides
संता – भाई रोज सुनते रहते हैं, आखिर यह भू-स्खलन होता क्या हैं ? बंता – Land यानी आम भाषा में कहे तो चट्टान, पत्थर, मिट्टी व मलबा। यह सब जब Slide करे या ढाल पर नीचे आये, तो उसे हम Landslide या भू- स्खलन कहते हैं। संता – वो तो ठीक है, परन्तु यह मलबा नीचे […]
For the cause of geology
The Darwinian dictum of survival of the fittest doesn’t apply just to the animal kingdom. It is as much applicable to all the fields where there is competition for staying relevant. Darwinism in academics In the academic arena, growth of any discipline is a function of its student enrolment, which is often tailored by […]
Avalanches around Kedarnath
In September 2022 avalanche activity was observed repeatedly in the mountains to the north of Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. Presence of pilgrims and others in large numbers facilitated pictographic and video records of these, and stories projecting these as posing a major hazard to the township and pilgrims became viral on social media. A […]
Skewed mitigation and increasing flood risk
Despite the situation being continuously exacerbated by climate change and unplanned urbanisation, most vulnerable of the 1.81 billion flood affected persons fail to get prioritised under risk reduction programs due to skewed selection criteria. The study Flood exposure and poverty in 188 countries – an article published recently in Nature Communications by Jun Rentschler, […]
Committee recommends monitoring of slopes around Joshimath
Observation pillars were erected on the identified vulnerable slopes around the Naini lake after devastating Sher-ka-Danda landslide of 1880 and these were monitored using theodolite till 1997 to assess the threat posed to the lake city and undertake mitigation measures, besides sounding a warning when required. Monitoring unstable slopes But then Joshimath in Chamoli district […]
Janmashtami cloudburst around Dehradun
The article posted a week ago, focused on failing risk perception of the people of the region – various factors were put forth therein as inducing these people to knowingly take risk. But then, these people routinely struggle to make the ends meet, and are for that matter left with little options to choose from. […]
Failing risk perception instincts
Doesn’t repeated flood-induced losses in the hills indicate our failing risk perception and avoidance instincts? If so, we have to dig deep to set the things right. Risk Risk refers to expected or anticipated losses to a given element at risk from an identified hazard over a specific time period. It is important to note that the […]
Geologists for sustainable development
Buildings can certainly be constructed in the hills without slope modification utilising natural gradient of the slope, and thereby curtailing the cost of site development as also managing the menace of debris disposal besides making the end product aesthetically pleasing and utilitarian. Roads in mountainous terrain Roads cannot however be constructed without preparing a continuous flat […]
Swimmer’s body illusion
Sometime back I resolved to do something about my sedentary lifestyle and bring back my body in shape. Needless to say that Doctor’s advice for physical activity so as to normalise blood – sugar level had been the driving force. So I contemplated taking up some sport. Joggers however seemed scrawny and unhappy. Moreover friends around had […]
Mental resolve and success
It all started from the Dutt ji’s tea shop that was out of bounds for students at Sainik School, and the motive was not too complicated; the innocent mind just wanted to get big hurriedly, and acquire a macho and rebellious image. Made for each other There is no hesitation admitting that it did help […]
Traffic woes of Dehradun
Not going into the environmental implication of obliterating the canals, as also accompanying depleted storm water drainage capacity and increased occurrences of waterlogging, the endeavour resulted in wider roads – width of most roads in Dehradun city having been more than doubled since the creation of the state. Together with this a number of flyovers […]
Apada Prahari for disaster resilience
Believe it or not – Mother Nature does often warn us of an impending hazard. So, the consequent disaster can’t really be dubbed as being Nature’s wrath – culpability of our ignorance can’t be shifted solely to Mother Nature. We have to accept our culpability in letting the hazard take disastrous proportion. Mother Nature warning […]
आपदा प्रतिरोध्यता के लिये आपदा प्रहरी
आप माने या न माने पर ज्यादातर आपदाओं से पहले प्रकृति हमें स्पष्ट या परोक्ष रूप में चेतावनी देती हैं – प्रकृति मौका देती है हमें कि हम समय रहते उसके इशारों को समझे व अपनी सुरक्षा का प्रबन्ध करें। 1998 का मध्यमहेश्वर भू-स्खलन 1998 में रुद्रप्रयाग जनपद की मध्यमहेश्वर घाटी में हुवे भू-स्खलनों के कारण […]
प्रकृति के संकेत और आपदा प्रहरी
छोटी हो या बड़ी, हर किसी आपदा के बाद उससे हुवे जान-माल के नुकसान के साथ ही हमारे समाचार माध्यमों द्वारा देश-दुनिया के बीच परोसी जाने वाली मसालेदार व झंझकोड़ कर रख देने वाली मानवीय त्रासदी की खबरें हर किसी को यह सोचने पर विवश कर देती हैं कि काश कुछ कर के इस आपदा को […]
ऐसी भी क्या जल्दी है
गर्मियों में लोगो का पहाड़ो की ओर रुख करना स्वाभाविक है, और तापमान में अचानक व अप्रत्याक्षित वृद्धि होने पर आने वाले लोगो की तादात में बढ़ोत्तरी होने में भी कुछ अस्वाभाविक नहीं हैं। यहाँ उत्तराखण्ड में चारधाम यात्रा के नाम से जानी जाने वाली बद्रीनाथ, केदारनाथ, गंगोत्री व यमुनोत्री की यात्रा हर साल मई व अक्टूबर […]
ATIL plaguing Uttarakhand
Yes, agricultural terrace induced landslide is what is meant by ATIL and you have heard it right. Idea might sound insane but then, backed by experience, common sense, insight and intuition, it shouldn’t be way far off the bullseye. Having witnessed ATIL caused devastation way back in 1998, it was hard to believe then that […]
You can’t relax in a hurry
Be it tourism or pilgrimage – time, energy, money and resources spent on it are not really justified if one is unable to relax and enjoy, and gets back home traumatised, drained out and tired. Weekend pilgrimage Weekend tourism has been trending, but then the concept seems getting extended to pilgrimage as well. So, […]
Neglected terraces & enhanced landslide risk
Might sound bizarre, but you are soon to realize the logic as also the seriousness of the issue and if not addressed effectively it is to pose a major threat for the hilly terrain of Uttarakhand. Terracing: Agriculture + Terracing is one of the techniques often utilized even today for treating the landslide. It reduces […]
पलायन, खेती-बाड़ी और आपदा
हो सकता हैं और बहुत मुमकिन है कि अभी आपको यह सब किसी सिरफिरे का फितूर लग रहा हो पर सच मानिये और विश्वास करिये – यह विषय अत्यन्त गम्भीर होने के साथ ही पहाड़ में रह रहे लोगो के भविष्य से जुड़ा है। हमारे सीढ़ीदार खेत भू-स्खलन से प्रभावित पहाड़ी ढाल को सीढ़ीदार स्वरुप […]