DC Edit | Regulate Hill Pilgrimages
During the flash flood, a community kitchen at Chisoti, where at least 1,000 people were present, was swept away — highlighting the fact that the tragedy could have been far greater had the deluge been more severe.
Nine days after a cloudburst hit Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand, it was Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district that faced nature’s fury. As heavy rains lashed the entire Himalayan region, torrential downpours triggered a flash flood that swept away many people who had gathered at Chisoti for the annual Machail Mata pilgrimage, which began on July 25. The latest toll stands at 60, with 69 still missing.
Although the cause of the recent cloudburst has not yet been ascertained, a common factor behind the flash floods in both Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand is the increasing commercialisation of the Himalayan regions. In Uttarakhand, Dharali — which was at the centre of flash floods — was a major stopover on the way to Gangotri. Similarly, Chisoti, which bore the brunt on August 14, was the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata pilgrimage.
During the flash flood, a community kitchen at Chisoti, where at least 1,000 people were present, was swept away — highlighting the fact that the tragedy could have been far greater had the deluge been more severe.
Cloudbursts are common in the ecologically sensitive Himalayan region. However, their frequency and intensity have been increasing due to two main reasons: Global warming and local deforestation. In the latest incidents, excessive human activity and commercialisation may have been additional factors triggering the flash floods.
In the wake of these recurring disasters in the Himalayan region, the governments — both at the Centre and the state — along with society at large, must undertake a dispassionate analysis to understand the underlying triggers.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah stated that the public had already been informed about the likelihood of heavy rains and flash floods. If the weather forecast had indeed predicted flash floods, why did the local administrations at the district and block levels fail to take preventive measures to stop crowding in ecologically sensitive areas? Unless accountability is fixed, such tragedies cannot be avoided.