Strengthening eco-fragile J&K’s disaster preparedness

Owing to its unique topography, Jammu and Kashmir being a multi-hazard prone Himalayan region is vulnerable to natural disasters especially earthquake, floods, landslides, windstorms and soil erosion. It has been a matter of concern that our response to natural disasters in the past has been activated after these hit the region! However, with the passage of time, the government has been taking serious measures to prevent and manage natural disasters.

A silver lining is the Finance Department’s concurrence to the creation of a dedicated Directorate of Disaster Management in Jammu and Kashmir. The decks have been cleared and the proposal is awaiting Cabinet nod which is imminent. The objective of a separate Directorate for Disaster Management is to streamline and strengthen disaster preparedness, response and mitigation strategies across J&K. As per the proposal, the Directorate will prepare disaster management plans, coordinate emergency response activities and disseminate disaster risk reduction strategies. In this scenario, the role of the existing J&K Disaster Management Authority needs to be redefined.

This assumes significance as most parts of J&K fall under the high seismic Zones IV and V making it vulnerable to earthquakes. Besides, the flat topography of Kashmir makes it one of the most flood -prone regions in the Himalayas.

At least on the environmental conservation front, there is coordination between authorities in the J&K’s dual power system. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has been stressing on the need for preserving the environment and urging people to make judicious use of resources to combat climate change. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is a nature lover, has been vocal on the need for greater awareness on environment conservation and action to mitigate climate change.

Rapid melting of glaciers has led to creation of glacial lakes in various places of Kashmir upper reaches. The Geological Survey of India has identified over 540 glacial lakes spread in an area of 2550.79 hectares in J&K while Ladakh has around 3200 glacial lakes spanning 9965.34 hectares. GLOF is a type of flood occurring when water dammed by a glacier or a moraine is released suddenly. When glaciers melt, water in these glacial lakes accumulates behind loose naturally formed glacial or moraine dams made of boulders, gravels, pebbles, sand, clay and ice residue. Unlike earthen dams, the weak structure of the moraine dam leads to the abrupt failure of the moraine dam bounding the glacial lake.

Glaciologists state that the reduced snowfall in Himalayas increases glacial lakes posing risk of lake outburst floods. J&K has the highest combined exposure to potential glacial lake outburst flood with 556 lakes that include very high and high danger lakes. GLOF can be disastrous for downstream populations due to sudden outburst of a glacial lake dammed by loose moraine material.The glacial lake outbursts can be catastrophic with risk of destroying downstream infrastructure, resulting in fatalities and affecting livelihoods of mountain communities.

CM Omar took serious note of the rising threats of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods and landslides and his maiden budget this year, proposed Rs 15 crore allocation for GLOF risk monitoring, early warning systems, and mitigation strategies. Additionally, under the National Landslide Risk Mitigation Program (NLRMP), Rs 15 crore has also been earmarked for risk assessment, monitoring, and engineering solutions to stabilise landslide prone areas. Government has also constituted the Focused Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Monitoring Committee (FGMC), led by Principal Secretary Home department to review the current status of glacier and glacial lakes in the Union Territory. Omar maintained that these initiatives will enhance disaster preparedness and build a climate-resilient J&K.

Who can forget the devastating floods of September 7, 2014! It was horrific to see most of Srinagar’s central area inundated as Jhelum swelled and breached the embankments which were shattered like a pack of cards. Omar, in his first stint as Chief Minister, firsthand saw the devastation caused by floods. And a decade after the deluge, Omar still remembered the horror and in his budget speech this year, stressed that 2014 floods highlighted the need for proactive disaster mitigation. Omar established a Rs 39 crore Disaster Mitigation Fund, the first-of-its-kind dedicated flood mitigation measure for prevention, early warning systems, and preparedness for floods.

J&K is prone to earthquakes and falls in high seismic zones. A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake rattled J&K on October 8, 2005, causing massive destruction in the region. The haphazard construction especially in eco-fragile areas poses high risk to the region during earthquakes. We should not dispel the warning by Roger Bilham, a seismologist and professor of Geology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, United States, that a major quake with magnitude 9 in the Richter scale can hit J&K and cause landslides and subsequent major destruction. But Bilham has not given any special timeframe.

This calls for proactive measures to minimise damage during earthquakes. We have to safeguard important infrastructure besides houses. Prone to natural disasters, Chenab Valley houses huge dams including Dul Hasti in Kishtwar, Baglihar in Ramban, Though the Government has been organising awareness programmes on disaster management, there is a need to train common people to deal with natural disasters as first responders. Government must ensure to conduct Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of all future developmental projects.

We need to ensure sustainable development to prevent damage to our fragile environment. We have to strike a balance between development and environment to save ourselves from nature’s fury!

The author is Executive Editor, Greater Kashmir.