We are all responsible for Uttarakhand Floods 2013
Uttarakhand floods 2013, have left hundreds dead and destroyed whole towns, soon the blame game will begin with everybody trying to take political mileage out of the plight of stranded tourists and locals. As thousands lay stranded in the flood ravaged upper reaches of Uttarakhand, near the holy shrine of Kedarnath and Guptakashi, we city folks are watching it on idiot box and doing our bit by cursing the politicians and babus. But let us stop for a moment and do a bit of introspection also.
Let us go back to our class V text-book and remember what we learned
- Trees hold the soil together and help in controlling soil erosion and floods.
And we have done exactly the opposite of the same in last many decades. In Uttarakhand area right from Rishikesh and upwards, hundreds of dams and power plants are either built or under construction with the plea that this will produce clean electricity and control floods. But in the process millions of trees that take hundreds of years to grow have been axed with no replacement coming.
This has led to massive soil erosion and loosening of soil which is now showing in form of floods devastating whole towns. All these approvals for the dams and power plants were given in total disregards to environmental degradation and the consequences this massive construction in ecologically fragile area will suffer from. Avid environmental crusader Sunita Narain talks about how we are destroying our rivers in this well researched post she wrote some time back. She has been warning for more than a decade that we are not ready for a natural disaster that we are building but no body is willing to listen.
But how are you and me responsible you may question, is this all not the fault of politicians, bureaucrats and industrialists? Well read on
Every time you dump a plastic bag in nature, keep the AC on, burn petrol without need, demand cheap electricity, go for trekking in Himalayas and dump waste in the pristine surroundings, you are contributing to the floods. One wrapper of chocolate may seem insignificant in front of the mighty Himalayas, but when millions of people start doing the same, suddenly we have a mountain of waste bigger than the Himalayas. I do not have any moral rights to preach anybody. At this stage I just want to pray for the safety of people stranded without food and shelter in the devastated areas of Uttarakhand. I only want to pledge once again that I will be a responsible earthling and try to cut my carbon footprint as much as possible. I hope you too will do that otherwise one day we will be remembered as the generation that destroyed the only planet in solar system that had life, unfortunately there may not be anybody to remember that.
Here are helpline nos for relief efforts for Uttarakhand floods
Flood helpline numbers : 0135-2710334 , 0135-2710335 , 0135-2710233.
Nainital & around: 05946-250138.
Uttarkashi: 01374-226126, 226161
Chamoli: 01372-251437
Tehri: 01376-233433
Rudraprayag: 01732-1077
ITBP helpline and control room, Uttrakhand: 011-24362892 and 9968383478
Uttarakhand govt helpline: 0135-2716201, 2710925
And below here is a searchable database for people found during rescue efforts in Uttarakhand 2013 floods, for people found alive.
http://google.org/personfinder/2013-uttrakhand-floods/
http://aamjanata.com/official-data-released-uttarakhand-flood-crisis/
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31 Responses to “Who Is Responsible For Uttarakhand Floods 2013 ?”
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Uttarakhand is the DEV BHOOMI of India and world. One must protect the mother land of Uttarakhand. Regular construction work damages the inner earth crust and so we see this floods, landslides.
such a thoughtful and factual post this is !! Humanity is the biggest enemy of Earth for sure !
Well said , Thanks
We have lerant many things from past disasters but never executed the solutions. when are we?
Well if we have not implemented any change, then we have not learnt anything.
A very well written and timely post….. You have mentioned the clear facts…. We are responsible for everything…. No doubt about it… We are so irresponsible…. Same way we make our city dirty…. If we do not change our attitude how could others save us……
Yes, we need to change, each one of us.
Desi Traveller,i think we ordinary people do care for our environment .Our little efforts to elevate the eco-system do not add up to much because the greed of those who are in power wipes out everything in one swipe.
Hi Indu… Welcome to desi Traveler. Every little step counts, we need to also make our policy makers and bureaucrats fall in line and act proactively and not after any disaster. Thanks
Very Nice Write Up and You clearly has brought out very important points that we do need the Environment and the Natural Resources for our survivability,Its not the nature depended on us rather we are dependent on them..
Thanks Harsha..
We have to blame ourselves and the greed of humans.
How true! And all we do is blame others. When will we learn to look into our doings and try and be a better citizen to our mother environment? It is so disturbing to see all the lives lost and so many in pain…
I am with you on this Arti…
You have quite rightly pointed out the reasons for this flood which is devastating the whole area of Uttarakhand … Its a shame that the environment ministries are not taking enough measure to ensure the safety of local people and approving power projects just for monetary gain ..
Thanks for the information …
Hi Aziz: and if the news reports are to be believed the CM of the state is planning a foreign trip while the state struggles with the devastation. Our politicians !
I have been to all these lovely places, and my heart cries for their present state:(
So sad indeed…
It was a nature’s fury supplemented by exploitation by human being. High time people realize their folly and leave the nature to flourish in their natural habitat.
You are so right Sir.
We always under estimate the power of nature, and we can’t withstand if nature turns against us. Nature proves it sometimes.
hopefully we will learn our lesson before it is too late. Thanks
Awesome info! Will try to share this with as many as I can!
Thanks Prasad! 🙂
Thanks a lot Satish..for spreading the message.
Right!. We are all responsible. For not having good habits of waste disposals, for not treating those hills with the respect they deserve, for not admonishing people when they litter or misuse the habitat,for not questing the govt. when they faltered, for not taking up issues that matter most.
I have visited all those places – Badrinath, Gangotri, Hemkhund, etc and have been shocked by the heaps of waste (especially non-biodegradable kind) thrown by people… You are absolutely right – WE are responsible for much of what is happening to the planet.
this is the sad reality of our generation and we keep on blaming every body else. Let us all do what is within our control and make a little bit of difference.
nice post
In my opinion, we are responsible for the flood, not the nature. I agree with you on this.
But what worries me is the fixing the responsibility or blame. That is only happening and we are doing any thing to avoid these kind of incidents in future.
Politicians will play the blame games, celebrities like Bhajjie will tweet after being rescued and Aamjunta will continue to suffer. So sad
We all need to work to save mother earth, otherwise these disasters will become the norm