Invest in Extreme and Natural Hazard Warnings in Uttarakhand

Disaster-Resilient Development Model Needed in Himalayan Region

- Prof. Anil Gupta Chief, ICARS, IIT-Roorkee at Greater Noida Campus

India has demonstrated global leadership in disaster reduction; however, there are critical areas where it must learn from others and its own mistakes as well. The recurrence of Himalayan disasters may have natural origins, but the devastation they cause is often attributable to human errors. The Dharali flood on August 6 is not fundamentally different from previous incidents that have marked the history of Uttarakhand and the Himalayas as a whole. Each major disaster has been studied, documented, and lessons learnt—but ironically, these lessons have frequently been ignored too.

While India has significantly improved its disaster response capabilities due to the commitment of national and state leadership, reflected in the seamless coordination of national, state, local, and lateral agencies, serious questions remain regarding the prevention and risk mitigation aspects of disaster management.

Historically, the Himalayas and states like Uttarakhand have been prone to events such as flash floods, landslides, and cloudbursts. However, recent years have witnessed not only an increase in the frequency of such disasters but also a multiplication of their destructive impact on infrastructure and human life.