More than the devastation caused in Nainital town, Sher-ka-Danda landslide of September 18, 1880 needs to be remembered not only by Disaster Managers but also by the masses for prompt and detailed post-disaster investigations, and enactment of not only mitigation but also monitoring measures undertaken during the British Raj. 18 सितम्बर 1880 को नैनीताल में […]
General articles
Earthquakes warning from Uttarakhand – implications for UP and NCR
The inaugural Inaugurating the only functional regional earthquake early warning (EEW) system of the nation together with Uttarakhand Bhookamp Alert, a mobile application for accessing the earthquake warnings and other earthquake risk reduction related information, at Uttarakhand Secretariat in Dehradun in the forenoon of August 4, 2021, the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reiterated the […]
Risk transfer for promoting risk reduction
Disasters often result is loss of lives, livestock, assets, property and infrastructure that often have severe adverse impact on the quality of life and livelihood strategy of the affected population. These at the same time disrupt industrial activities, commerce and routine business of the government. State has to therefore intervene for bringing forth narmalacy by […]
Disrupted bridges and missed opportunities
We encounter bridges so frequently, and in such diverse variety that we often take these for granted, and do not often pay particular attention towards their existence, leave apart appreciating their role in socio-economic development of our region, and adding comfort, and convenience to our routine lives. But then, imagine a world without bridges. But […]
June 2013: The Kedarnath saga
Kedarnath or Shree Kedarnath as it is reverentially addressed by the locals, is amongst the four Hindu sacred shrines located in Higher Himalayan region of Uttarakhand; others being Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. Not that this region has only Hindu shrines; there is Hemkund Sahib that is revered by Sikhs. Then the region also houses the […]
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 […]
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 […]