Victory over landslides: A lesson from Uttarkashi to make W. Ghats safer

The August 5 disaster in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand should be a grim reminder of how unregulated human activities in the name of development can invite the wrath of nature.

- NIRAD MUDUR

It was caused by a cloudburst leading to massive flash floods that almost wiped out the entire Dharali village, killing at least five and burying or washing away scores of others, besides bringing down and swallowing properties.

Specifically, it needs to be a lesson for the government, the authorities concerned and the public in Karnataka, where a crucial part of the Western Ghats—considered a biodiversity hotspot—has been rendered fragile.

While using the term "wrath of nature", however, it must be remembered that nature by itself has no emotions like humans do. But nature reacts unconsciously to human actions, based purely on the laws of nature and logic. For instance, how difficult is it to foretell that a building would collapse in a heap if its foundations are rendered weak?