Natural Disasters In Uttarakhand
2013
June 2013 - Multi-Day Cloud Burst in Uttarakhand
In June 2013, a multi-day cloudburst centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand caused devastating floods and landslides in the country's worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.Though some parts of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in India experienced the flood, some regions of Western Nepal, and some parts of Western Tibet also experienced heavy rainfall, over 95% of the casualties occurred in Uttarakhand. As of 16 July 2013, according to figures provided by the Uttarakhand government, more than 5,700 people were "presumed dead".
Reasons For The Disaster
Heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc on the region because of the fragile nature of the Himalayan range and poor soil stability in its steep slopes. But it is man-made factors that have compounded the scale of the disaster. Unabated expansion of hydro-power projects and construction of roads to accommodate ever-increasing tourism, especially religious tourism, are also major causes for the unprecedented scale of devastation, say experts.
Historical Sites affected by the flash floods
Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath , well known as the Char Dham, were devastated by the flash floods. The rescue team was able to reach Kedarnath only after 4 days!
Steps Taken By the Government
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced Rs. 1,000 crore for disaster relief measures in flood-devastated parts of Uttarakhand where 102 persons have over 10,000 personnel of the armed forces, 18 helicopters and a transport plane of the Air Force have been deployed for relief and rescue operations in the state where thousands have been stranded at tourist spots and pilgrim centres.been killed and thousands left stranded at tourist spots and pilgrim centres.
Steps taken by local community
Our focus is to rehabilitate the natives by rebuilding their lives and livelihood. This includes post disaster rehabilitation, rural development and environment preservation as follows:
- Assistance to the village natives in terms of food, shelter and medicines.
- Construction of environment friendly housing.
- Building of necessary infrastructure viz. schools, community medical centre etc.
- Temporary infrastructure viz. rope bridges, etc. followed by permanent structures.
- Assistance to help buy new livestock for sustainable income.
- Introduction of new farm practices and produces like green houses, horticulture and vegetable farming.