Sunny Dua
A medium intensity earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale hit Jammu and Kashmir last Tuesday and its epicentre was well within the State. Thankfully, nothing at all happened. However, given the rising number of earthquakes hitting J&K State and past history, there’s nothing much that we are doing as precautionary measures or post disaster preparedness. Since entire State falls in seismic zone, it is very likely that natural or a man-made disaster could catch us unaware and affect badly.
We have already experienced how earthquakes, cloudbursts, floods, infernos, snow avalanches, flash floods, droughts and landslides have hit various parts of this northern state leaving humans completely shattered. We have lost soldiers, civilians, Pashmina goats, other livestock and infrastructure to these disasters but have learnt no or little lessons. Despite such heavy losses, critical areas continue to remain insignificant for all of us and whatever mess in the shape of illegal constructions or encroachments we can create to make cities dense and unsafe, that we are doing unabated.
Nearly one thousand people had died in devastating earthquake of October, 2005 in J&K alone. The Kulgam snowstorm had consumed about 175 lives besides perishing hundreds of livestock. Ladakh and Doda Cloudbursts were followed by flash floods, Uri Earthquake, Srinagar floods and incessant rains that washed away entire sleeping Sadal village in Udhampur are some of the examples that not only shake us but reiterate warning signals asking humans to not to interfere with nature.
Choglamsar, Leh where flash-flood swept away everything that came its way was the place where people had constructed houses along the dry water course presuming that this channel will never get flooded. Something similar is the status of Jammu city and likewise places in other districts of entire Jammu and Kashmir State where people are busy raising constructions presuming that no natural or man-made disaster will ever hit them. The situation contrarily is quite alarming.
Almost all nullahs and water courses in city and peripheries have been trained, altered, squeezed, blocked, encroached or completely diverted. Biggest example of one such site is Thangar nullah that has been reduced to half of its water intake capacity and even diverted from Sunjuwan site. This is likely to create havoc during incessant rains for the simple reason that water can retain its course at any given point of time. Many more such sites that are vulnerable are being encroached upon unabatedly posing a threat to human lives.
In all 13 districts of J&K out of 100 in the country have been identified as multi hazard districts while almost all districts of Kashmir valley and erstwhile Doda district fall in Seismic Zone-V and the rest of the districts fall in Seismic Zone-IV thereby making people prone to disaster strikes especially that from earthquakes, floods, snow avalanches as well as incessant rains or cloudbursts that cause flash-floods. The Government orders asking people to go in for framed structures besides seek advices of structural engineers have also fallen to deaf ears. And in the name of preparedness very less is on our side despite State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) keeping itself on tenterhooks.
Whatever we are building or weaving in terms of haphazard constructions on nullahs and river beds is such a nasty cobweb that getting out of it alive won’t be possible despite rescuing agencies staying at tenterhooks. While the Government is required to fulfil people’s housing and allied needs in much better way keeping in view all security and safety aspects, people are also required to learn to say no to disorganized and illegal constructions that become basis of any disaster.
It was only last year that Governor N N Vohra had batted strongly for raising of more State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) battalions for deployment in Jammu, Srinagar and Ladakh regions. Since most parts of the Kashmir Valley including Srinagar, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Budgam, Anantnag, Pulwama, Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar come under Seismic Zone V, where around 50 per cent of the population of the State lives in most congested villages and towns more such battalions especially dedicated towards disaster management were definitely needed.
However, as doctors say ‘prevention is better than cure’, we must also try not to raise unsafe concrete jungle and instead adopt safety standards while constructing houses, apartments or commercial blocks. Data available indicates that Ladakh region and Jammu Division come under the Seismic Zone IV. While low-lying areas of the Kashmir valley, especially Sonawari, Awantipora, Srinagar, alongwith parts of Jammu are prone to floods, upper catchments of all the tributaries of the Jhelum, Indus, Chenab and Tawi rivers are prone to flash floods.
Now when we know what kind of natural disaster we are bound to face what Jammu and Kashmir needs is an all-hazards approach in which managers must develop processes such as communication and warning or sheltering rather than developing single-hazard or threat focused plans. All processes must be mapped to specific hazards or threats, with those into business looking for gaps, overlaps, and conflicts between processes.
Those into disaster management including Air Force, Indian Army, State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), J&K Fire Department besides Home Guards & Civil Defence continue to upgrade their saving skills, equipments, infrastructure, manpower and knowhow only to ensure that they could retrieve whatever possible out of the disaster struck sites yet we need to stay prepared for ourselves. All educational institutions in the State besides thickly populated areas are required to carry out safety drills beforehand.
Very recently Air Force Station Jammu organised a conclave on synergising the civil – military operations towards Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) wherein forces displayed their fearlessness in saving lives. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) men had also displayed their motorcycle mounted fire extinguishers capable to reach narrow streets of old cities of Jammu and Srinagar besides densely populated areas besides Air Force personel showed how rescue equipments from the helicopter like the rescue hoist, winching using rescue cradle and bambi bucket can save lives yet a preparedness on our part is more significant than these post-disaster measures.
The Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station Jammu, Air Commodore Shashi Kant Mishra Vayusena Medal (Gallantry) who was present also hoped for improving the synergy between all the agencies by understanding each other’s constraints and strengths and utilizing them towards building up a safer future for the residents of the State. In the given situation instead of completely banking upon such preparedness, draft policy of J&K State Disaster Management clearly envisages laying emphasis on hap-hazardous constructions that at any time of point could prove to be biggest cause of man-made disaster in waiting and even biggest hurdle in carrying out all rescue operations.
Treat this as a Warning!
Follow our WhatsApp channel
