Monday, 08 May 2023 | MM Semwal & Arvind Singh Rawat
GUEST COLUMN
BMM Semwal & Arvind Singh Rawat
The Char Dham season began recently on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri temples.The portals of the Kedarnath temple opened for pilgrims on April 25. Dedicated to lord Shia, Kedarnath temple is the eleventh out of twelve Jyotirlingas in India. The Char Dham Yatra is a big event for Uttarakhand’s economy. About 52 per cent of the gross state domestic product (GSDP) comes from tourism and the Yatra season is a major contributor to the State’s tourism. Last year more than 45 lakh people visited the Char Dham shrines and this year more pilgrims are expected to participate in the Char Dham Yatra.
In recent days the government had issued a travel advisory for the pilgrims due to unfavorable weather, particularly at Kedarnath and Badrinath. The importance of pilgrim safety during the Yatra has also been recognised by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.In the last few years especially after the start of Modi era the number of pilgrims visiting Kedarnath has increased.Scientists and environmentalists have brought up the concern of these high-altitude pilgrimage sites’ carrying capacity in light of the number of pilgrims last year (45 lakh).These pilgrimage sites are located inside the whole Himalayan zone, which is classified as a vulnerable zone. Although the government has made new pilgrimage arrangements, still when disaster strikes as a result of natural forces, then humans seem helpless. We have seen that in the Kedarnath Disaster of 2013.In the Kedarnath disaster identification of dead bodies became very difficult for the government and is also a major reason why the data varies between various agencies on the number of people who died. After the 2013 disaster, the government has made the registration of pilgrim’s mandatory for the Char Dham Yatra This arrangement has been made to ensure that crowds do not gather in the Char Dham and that stampedes do not arise. The government aims to ensure that pilgrims have a safe and fulfilling experience and the registration also helps in tracking them. The Uttarakhand government has mandated that every pilgrim coming from other States or abroad for the Char Dham Yatra must go through a mandatory registration process.
This year will be the 10th anniversary of the Kedarnath disaster. No one can forget the suffering, pain and piles of corpses after the disaster. It has been nearly ten years since the Kedarnath floods but the families of many victims are still awaiting a closure as the remains of their loved ones have not yet been found. The government data vary between 5,000-10,000 casualties in this disaster. History shows that we can’t stop natural disasters but we can certainly lessen the losses due to the disaster.
With the formation of Uttarakhand as a State in the year 2000, a separate Disaster Management department was also established here. At that time Uttarakhand was the first State in the country to do so.The real question is what have we learnt from the Kedarnath mishap. One positive thing after the Kedarnath disaster is that the State government has focused seriously on disaster management. The establishment of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) is a major step in this direction.Its need was felt during the Kedarnath floods of 2013. More lives could have been saved had these forces been established earlier. SDRF was constituted keeping in view the objective of quick and effective execution of immediate relief and rescue works in Uttarakhand during any natural or unnatural disaster. Along with this a District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) was formed by the then district magistrate of Rudraprayag Mangesh Ghildiyal.The DDRF team assists the SDRF team in case of any mishappening.There is also Yatra Management Team (YMT) for smooth conducting of Char Dham Yatra.
It has seen that during the disaster community-based efforts reduce risk and create opportunities for local development and sustainable livelihoods. One such initiative of NDMA is the Aapda Mitra. Its main objectives are to create a force of 1,00,000 trained Aapda Mitra volunteers and cover 350 of the most vulnerable districts in all States and Union Territories.Under this scheme in Uttarakhand from every district a number of volunteers from village level is selected and they are sent for a 12 days training to Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) in Uttarkashi and Mussoorie. In Rudraprayag district the first batch of volunteers have completed their training. These trained persons will be the first line of defense in case of any mishappening and can also assist in the management of Char Dham Yatra in the region. There is also provision of life and medical insurance for all trained volunteers and Emergency Responder Kit (ERK) containing minimum essential equipment will be provided to all trained volunteers.
Recently IIT Roorkee in collaboration with the USDMA exhibited Uttarakhand State Earthquake Early Warning System at Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi. This is India’s first regional earthquake early warning system. The Uttarakhand State Earthquake Early Warning System (UEEWS) consists of approximately 170 seismic sensors installed in Uttarakhand. CoEDMM IIT Roorkee, the main server of the EEWS laboratory, continually monitors the incoming data stream for earthquakes events. The service alerts the public when earthquakes with a magnitude of moderate to high are detected. The warning is disseminated through the mobile app, BhuDEV (Bhookamp Disaster Early Vigilante). The app is designed to disseminate earthquake early warnings to the users, so that users can save themselves from the damaging earthquake waves. The app receives warnings through internet connection so users are requested to be connected to the internet all the time. The app uses data only during the earthquake notification.
The government has also set up three Doppler radars in the State, of which one is in Mukteshwar, Nainital, and is fully functional, and construction of two others at Lansdowne and Tehri is going on. Over 105 Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) and various flood siren systems have been installed across the state.
In the last 10 years the government has prepared effectively in the direction of disaster management. Still, there is a need to close the communication gap between the public and the government.These gaps may be bridged with assistance in the form of various workshops, street plays, awareness and training programmes at the university, school, block, and village levels. These programmes will definitely help in aware the public about the government efforts. Effective disaster management requires participation of community and people also need to understand that they themselves need to come forward for effective management. An adaptive response to disasters is essential for coping, recovering quickly, and avoiding long-term damage. Increased planning, reduced effects and a robust recovery are all things we can work on right now. Governments should prepare for long-term climate hazards and avoid confining people and investments to high-risk locations.
(Semwal is head of political science department in HNB Garhwal Central University, Rawat is a senior research fellow in the same department. Views expressed are personal)
