What makes the terrible tragedy of the possible death of over 150 people in the mudslide at Malin village near Pune worse is the fear that this may be another man-made disaster. Several reasons, from deforestation to specific agricultural practices on hill slopes down to the sheer unstoppable force of nature, are being talked about. Given the frequency of such disasters, the human hand behind destruction of natural resources to the point of inviting extreme weather events with deleterious consequences of extreme weather events, often attributed to global warming by experts, cannot be ruled out.
The catastrophic flash floods and landslides in Uttarakhand last year carried ample warnings on what we are likely to face in future. The rainfall pattern is becoming such that its concentration can be ferocious in cloudbursts, even as many parts of the country suffer from the unevenness of the monsoon’s spread. A recurrence of the phenomenon in Tehri this year is perhaps another example that shows how poorly man is prepared to face nature’s fury.
Every tragic event leads to talk of disaster preparedness, but it’s clear it’s not just deployment of rescue forces as the steps to take striking at root causes that are vitally important. The management of hilly terrain across the country leaves much to be desired. The same problem is seen in all ghat areas, where the crush of population is inviting unplanned development. This is on top of acute deforestation: such environmental destruction is never easily compensated by afforestation.
This isn’t to say that there should be no progress for tribals and hill people; just that more scientific planning is needed in tapping nature appropriately to improve people’s lives. To do that, a basic respect for the force called nature is a vital necessity. Governments are the most culpable in disregarding this as rampant corruption encourages ill-suited construction even as timber mafias keep cutting into forests with the connivance of officials.
It’s an established fact that the hills and their slopes are ecologically fragile and extremely sensitive. Flooded plains can affect lives and be a downright nuisance, but these don’t take lives except where man’s carelessness in shoddy civil engineering leads to unforeseen events. Cutting hills and flattening them for agriculture – in Malin they were reported to have shifted from rice and finger millet to wheat, which requires levelling of steep areas — as well as settling of colonies of people is as big a crime against nature as deforestation and stone quarrying. A time should come when the people themselves will realise the dangers and stop such forces from interfering with their lives, habitation and lands. After all, it’s their lives that are at greatest risk.
