Some people say Uttarakhand is mentioned in the media on only two occasions – if there is a disaster, and when the Char Dham yatra begins. Well, the hill state did witness significant media coverage in 2023. From the news of Joshimath sinking, to cloudbursts and landslides, to the Silkyara tunnel mishap and subsequent rescue of the 41 trapped workers, there were news reports, debates, editorials, opinion pieces and what have you.
These mishaps also brought to light how fragile our Himalayan ecosystem is. Additionally, the state of roads in many areas of Uttarakhand saw vehicles carrying passengers beyond their capacity and toppling into gorges, drivers losing control of their vehicles.
We at Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation sensed a link between these seemingly disconnected unfortunate events. Against the backdrop of the climate crisis and rampant development, we started producing a monthly report on these disasters. We scoured through English and Hindi newspapers and news portals for reports on human, animal, and ecological casualties on an everyday basis.
In an attempt to value add to the reports, we brainstormed a book into existence: Making Molehills of Mountains: Demystifying Disasters in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand. The underlying thought behind it was to go beyond standard reportage of disasters in Uttarakhand.
What the book contains: Disaster synopsis of 12 months, January 2023 till December 2023, which is analyzed by domain experts. Government disaster data over the years is also given. The highlight of the project, however, are 14 articles from a varied set of people, who have one thing in common – love and concern for the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. These experts include representatives of the government, geologists, climate action lawyers, anthropologists, healthcare specialists, activists, media professionals, and ordinary hill people who stand to lose the most when disasters strike.
Through the book, our aim is to raise awareness towards a dire need for holistic disaster management and accident minimization policy framework in Uttarakhand. With the perils of inclement climate, unabated disasters and tragic accidents, the ecologically fragile and earthquake prone state of Uttarakhand needs to take multiple steps to safeguard its people, its guests and its reputation.
To date, there has been no document from Uttarakhand that brings together a select group of experts who look at disasters from different perspectives – humanitarian, trauma, law, geology, tradition and culture, climate change, etc. Additionally, there is no single-source medium to refer to when it comes to disasters and accidents in Uttarakhand. And what is, perhaps, the biggest gap: analyses of the disasters.
Banner Image: Hindustan Times
