In accordance with the recommendations of the XIV Finance Commission (FC) to take note of disaster risk faced by the states so as to bring objectivity in resource allocation, the XV Finance Commission (FC) developed the disaster risk index (DRI) through a quantitative exercise wherein scores were assigned to the probability of hazards striking the states […]
Lessons from June 2013 disaster of Uttarakhand
Small or big every incidence has some lessons in store for us, and intelligent are those who don’t wait to learn from incidences, and instead learn from the experiences gained by others. The lessons alone are however of little use unless these are acted upon. Hope some find their share of action points in the […]
Tradition of groundwater prospecting in Himalayas
Survival in the mountainous terrain, with scarce water availability despite ample rains, would not have been possible without mastering the art of water harvesting. The people of the region therefore observed natural processes related to water, ensured this knowledge being transferred from one generation to other, and experiemented to maximise water availability. Seeking answers to […]
Reminiscence: June 2013 disaster of Uttarakhand
Exactly 8 years have passed, and all that transpired is still fresh, even bit-by-bit; the impact, the devastation, as also the lull that followed. Except for sudden short-lived disturbances weather is generally fair around the middle of June but on Friday June 14, 2013 it was raining from the previous day, and the downpour was […]
Resource allocation basis of XV Finance Commission
The official machinery in our nation carries a lot of inertia that makes officials adhere to precedents. It is in fact a perfect risk transfer strategy where the burden of failure can easily be passed on to those setting the precedent. This makes innovations hard to come by, and this has also been the case […]
Bravehearts of June 2013 Uttarakhand disaster
Media is exceptionally fast at correlating causes, and speculating effects. In the last week of May, 2021 it was sighting of some cracks in the upper reaches of Rishiganga river valley that was correlated the avalanche incidence of February 7, 2021 that caused devastation in the downstream areas, and presently it is the early arrival […]
XV Finance Commission Recommendations
Do you know what is the basis of disaster financing in India? Yes, it is based on the Finance Commission (FC) recommendations. The FC recommendations decide both, the amount to be made available to the states, and the Union, and the ground rules for spending this amount. The FC is constituted at five-year interval as […]
Relief to disaster victims
Based on the previous experience, and knowledge, you might be aware that there exists an institutional provision of providing relief to disaster victims by the state. Only a few would however be aware of the amount admissible under different circumstances, and basis of this assistance. Some of you might have also experienced that in some […]
Traditional knowledge: Groundwater presence
Just imagine that the early settlers in the Himalayan region were aware of the intricacies of Hydrological Cycle, groundwater presence, means of enhancing groundwater recharge, and had even mastered the art of groundwater exploration. Hope this is no testing time for the limits of your imagination. What if I say that by the end of this […]
Avalanche threat: Real or hoax
While it is still a long way for the costal areas to recover from Tauktae, and Yaas cyclones that hit western, and eastern coast of India in quick succession, possibility of an avalanche has been expressed by some vernacular newspapers in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. And believe me, this avalanche threat is not based […]