Warning from the Heavens

Kashmir, for last two days, seems like a locale for all the furies of nature to unleash. On Saturday, April 19^th, tremors early in the day, as if set the stage. Just afterwards rains lashed, winds blew, and a storm of heavy hail  threw the life out of gear. The darkness at noon was so scary, the winds were so dangerous, and the storm of hail so furious that people were literally frightened. The advisories from concerned government departments sent to all individuals on their phones only confirmed the sense of alarm. This shift in weather, so swift and scary, has left a deeper message. Something has seriously gone wrong, and its effects are now here to stay with us. Just the next day, April 20^th Sunday, winds again blew, rains once more lashed and the message was loudly, and furiously dropped. The luxury to ignore the message is no longer available.

The way this pattern of weather is impacting us on multiple levels calls for multilayered thinking; not just thinking, corresponding actions are also needed.   First, look at the immediate effects. Such a turn in weather suddenly poses threat to life. The vehicles and pedestrians moving on roads are under serious threat. The live electric wires, heavy tree branches are a threat to life. In the first instance concerned departments should undertake a risk audit and do the needful. If that is not done, it means the officials in these departments would be culpable for any loss of life.

Another area of danger is the landslides, particularly on major roads. The new infrastructure built on roads like the National Highways connecting Srinagar with other areas of J&K, has added a degree of vulnerability. There also a risk mitigation plan is needed, and that plan needs execution before yesterday.

One more area of concern is water logging. We have seen how the city roads get inundated just after a while once the downpour starts. We need to find smarter and more efficient ways of dealing with this problem, than just smart sloganeering on large bill boards.

Finally, big picture. The climate change is a real thing now. We have committed enough sins       and the time to face punishment has come. The least we can do is to repent. And that is by not   committing more sins against our environment.