Himalayan blunders: It's time to ask for accountability

Lately, India's news media has been flooded with heartbreaking visuals and stories of rain-activated disasters that have resulted in immeasurable damage to human and animal lives, infrastructure and the economy of Himalayan states.

- LEENA SRIVASTAVA

Headlines scream of the numerous dead and missing, and ascribe these events largely to cloudbursts, extreme weather, landslides, deforestation, infrastructure expansion and lack of early warning systems: the 'what' question, i.e., with a few exploring the question of 'why.' There is also very little discussion on 'who' should be held responsible. Undoubtedly, the vulnerabilities of a young and fragile mountain system like the Himalayas have been exacerbated by a multitude of inexplicable policy measures that have been taken in the face of near-certain and observable climate change. This should focus attention sharply on the issue of accountability, which is important not to pin blame, but to better integrate climate vulnerabilities with the risks added by poorly-planned development strategies, so that we can weigh these against adaptation needs.

The climate vulnerabilities of India, in particular those related to monsoon variability, have caused alarm for more than a couple of decades now. The Climate Risk Index published by Germanwatch places the most climate-affected countries, as per its long-term index (1993-2022), into two groups: One, countries most affected by highly unusual extreme events; and two, countries affected by recurring extreme events. India has been classified in the second group and should expect that a new normal is already emerging in terms of its weather patterns and water flows. Ignoring a probabilistic assessment of environmental impacts based on this new normal would amount to criminal negligence.