The monsoon has brought the hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand very heavy rains. Since August 13, more than 70 people have died in Himachal Pradesh. Shimla has been particularly badly hit, and 21 lost their lives in three major landslides in the area. Per one report, Himachal has encountered 113 landslides over 55 days into the monsoon this year, according to the state’s disaster management department. Per another, 227 people have died in the state (and 38 are missing), and 12,000 houses have been damaged since the onset of the monsoon on June 24 this year. On August 18, the state government declared it a “state calamity”. Damages to people and property due to the rains this season since July have resulted in losses of Rs 10,000 crore, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said.
https://science.thewire.in/environment/recipe-disaster-destruction-himalayan-states/
Experts have said that the heavy rains here are part of a phenomenon called “break-monsoon” conditions.
“This is a typical pattern during the monsoon season every year. During this time, the axis of the monsoon trough shifts northwards and stays stationed over the Himalayas triggering heavy to very heavy rains over the hilly region,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president (Meteorology and Climate Change), Skymet Weather, in a press release.
Unplanned construction and deforestation have contributed greatly to the natural disasters that these hilly tracts have been witnessing of late, experts agree. Earlier this year, buildings and the ground in the hill town of Joshimath in Uttarakhand developed cracks. Residents blamed the excavation work being undertaken as part of the construction of the Tapovan Vishnugad hydel power project as one cause of land subsidence in the area. Researchers have said that the construction of the Char Dham project – an ambitious 900 km-long all-weather road through the state to promote religious tourism – also played a role in land sinking or subsidence in the area. Moreover, the town of Joshimath was located where it should not have been, as per a 1976 report: on an ancient landslide. More cracks have appeared in the vicinity over the last couple of months as well, including on national highways.
AATHIRA PERINCHERY
23/08/2023