The heavy rain and subsequent flash floods in northern India have brought tragic consequences, with at least 41 people losing their lives. The states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab have been particularly affected, as incessant rains triggered landslides and flooding, causing widespread destruction and displacement. The situation remains critical as authorities strive to provide relief and mitigate further risks in the affected areas.
Delhi, the capital city of India, recently encountered its wettest July day in over four decades, as confirmed by local authorities. The heavy downpours prompted the closure of schools in the region, with many remaining shut even days later.
India is no stranger to the devastating impact of monsoon rains, which often lead to floods and landslides across the country. With climate change exacerbating weather patterns, extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent and intense.
In Jammu and Kashmir also, four persons, including two soldiers, died in J&K due to rains, which triggered landslips and flash floods in the past 24 hours. In Kashmir, rainfall forced the administration to temporarily suspend Amarnath yatra for three days. The rains also suspended traffic on Jammu and Srinagar highway. Floods in Himachal Pradesh also hit several hydro projects affecting the power supply to the valley.
That said, it is certainly troubling that just two days of rain bring us to the brink of flooding.This has created a deeply disturbing situation in the Valley. We are, time and again, reminded of our hapless vulnerability to flooding whenever there are two or more days of uninterrupted rain in a warmer season. More so, in Srinagar whose new-found susceptibility to flood threatens to put a question mark on its viability as a summer capital. That is, unless we conceive and execute a course of action that drastically reduces this vulnerability.
If anything, it highlights how little has been done by way of infrastructure building to protect the Valley from flooding. Less than two days of rain creates flood-like conditions. What it means is that in the past seven years, we have not been able to increase the capacity to brave one more day of rain. The legitimate question to ask is what were the previous governments doing in these years. Or what has the dredging of Jhelum and the repairing of its embankments done in terms of enhancing our capability to resist the flood.
Now, what if the Valley once again experiences the uninterrupted rainfall for a few days? Considering the Valley’s erratic weather, such a prospect isn’t unlikely. What is doubtful is the administration’s ability to face up to this. And largely because the previous governments have built little defense against an extended incessant rainfall. Could Jhelum carry now more water than it did a few years earlier? Not at all. Similarly, could the spill channel carry the excess discharge than it did in 2014? The answer is again no. This is a dangerous state of affairs to be in. One can only hope that the current administration understands the enormity of the challenge and sets about in right earnest building our defences against a repeat of the 2014 scenario, which could be sooner than we are prepared for.
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