Nov 19 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

`Go low-tech during disasters'

Sumeet Keswani

Kathmandu





Low-tech methods need to be combined with high-tech devices for effective communication in times of disaster. This measure was suggested by an IMD official at a conference on climate change here. A low-cost flood early warning system monitored by local communities was also showcased.The conference on `Mountain people adapting to change' was held here from November 9 to 12 by ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) to bridge scientific data, policies of the eight countries that contain some part of the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) and local practices in the region.
The north-western Himalayas have recently seen a series of natural disasters. The 2010 floods in Pakistan, the 2013 flash floods in Uttarakhand, the recent floods in J&K -all have underlined the need to understand the impact of climate change on the region and find ways to mitigate it. The lead time in predicting mesoscale weather systems -which can lead to flash floods -is 10 to 35 minutes, said Anand Sharma, director, IMD-Dehradun, and a panelist at the conference. Communication though can be improved.
“We had given a warning 72 hours in advance for the Kedarnath floods. But pilgrims who were already on their way couldn't be contacted, with no power and poor cellphone networks,“ Sharma said.“I have been suggesting using tonealerts and hand-winding radios. They need no power or cellphone networks.“
Mats Eriksson, director, climate change and water, knowledge services, at SIWI (Stockholm International Water Institute) suggested a bottom-up approach. “The communities need to reach out to know what they need to do.“
With this in mind, ICIMOD, along with CICERO (Centre for International Climate and Environmental ResearchOslo) and Aaranyak, an environmental research organization in north-east India, has come up with a communitybased flood early warning system (FEWS). A sensor on a transmitter installed on a riverbank detects rising water levels and sends an alert to a receiver installed with a community living upstream. Locals then warn people living downstream and the district authorities.
Eight such systems, each of which costs $800, were installed in the Jiadhal and Singora rivers in Assam. In 2013, one of these sent a critical alert to villages before being washed away, said Nand Kishor Agrawal of ICIMOD.
The correspondent was at the conference on invite by ICIMOD

Lessons from a disaster

As life slowly acquires a semblance of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, the extent of damage caused by the floods is unfolding. People who had abandoned their marooned houses or were evacuated are slowly getting back and assessing the damage as the water level recedes. A long haul is ahead. According to industry body Assocham, the loss in terms of damage to trade establishments, hotels and restaurants, horticulture, the handicrafts sector, transport infrastructure and communications facilities may add up to Rs.5,700 crore. While traffic on the arterial Jammu-Srinagar highway has been restored partially, most other road systems are still in limbo. The ambitious Jammu-Srinagar-Baramulla railway line project has suffered setbacks. The death toll cannot be reliably determined as yet, given the number of persons who have been listed as missing. A major source of worry pertains to the possibility of spread of diseases after the water recedes. Livelihoods, including in the tourism and farming sectors, need to be restored. The number of people rescued by the armed forces and the National Disaster Response Force is close to 2.5 lakh. The armed forces and the NDRF have played a stellar role here. The Army alone deployed around 30,000 troops. Some questions have been raised about the level of coordination among different agencies, but overall it has been a creditable effort so far.

While looking at the challenges of relief and reconstruction that lie ahead, this is also the time to consider the lessons for the State from the extreme event. While there is agreement over the fact that the level of rainfall was unprecedented, intense and rather sudden, leaving little room for timely warnings, the environmental factors that underlie the tragedy need to be given a hard look. Ecological degradation caused by unplanned development and urbanisation, and failure to preserve wetlands, has played a role. Wetlands act as a sponge, and their loss is bound to have serious repercussions. A report by the Bombay Natural History Society has mentioned that the Wular lake, once spread over 20,200 ha, has shrunk to 2,400 ha. The Dal lake in Srinagar has been reduced to almost half its earlier size, to 1,200 ha. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, over the last century more than 50 per cent of the lakes, ponds and wetlands of Srinagar have been encroached upon. The banks of the Jhelum have been overrun, reducing its drainage capacity. The story is the same with the Tawi in Jammu. Flash floods in this river washed away some 400 buildings and inundated scores of colonies, many of them in breach of the Jammu Master Plan. This, then, has been a costly environmental wake-up call for Jammu and Kashmir — as it was for Uttarakhand a year ago.

Keywords: Jammu and Kashmir floods, J&K flood relief work

ep 10 2014 : The Economic Times (Delhi)

Kashmir Floods Need Special Response





Long-term damage when a valley gets flooded

Buildings in Srinagar are submerged two-storeys deep.These floods are more severe than anything in recent memory in the place. In the hills or on the plains, heavy rains or a cloudburst can cause huge damage but the water will soon drain away . It will take much, much longer in a valley , where the only way out for the water is into the ground. This means that even buildings that withstood the initial impact of the rains would eventually give way , as they stay under water for an extended period.This could mean that rehabilitation in flood-ravaged Kashmir would be of a different order of magnitude as compared to that after the periodic floods that other parts of the country are used to. The nation must gear up for a huge, prolonged effort, even after the immediate relief measures are over.The government has initiated action. But it is not enough to leave everything to the government. Even for immediate relief, in which boats, rafts, chlorine tablets to make the available water fit for drinking, medicines for waterborne diseases and temporary shelters have to be procured and delivered, there is every reason for non-state agencies to chip in. Political parties and their youth and volunteer wings should mobilise themselves and launch into action. They are the most readily available vehicles for organised action available to channel the readiness of those who want to help into useful action on the ground. Parties should understand that the end to which they pursue power, the common good, right now means helping floodaffected people in Kashmir.
Companies have corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to spend this year. The government should notify Kashmir flood relief as CSR-eligible. People in Kashmir should plan and design the habitat that will have to be rebuilt, to minimise flood damage in future. Expertise from around the world should be drawn in to do this planning. Individual components of the plan should then be taken up by those who want to chip in. Relief and rehabilitation in Kashmir is a challenge the nation must rise to.