The State Government wishes to establish a sense of safety among the people living in areas which are vulnerable from natural calamities by promising them to take necessary measures for their protection from the natural disasters like floods and rivers' fury during rainy season in future, keeping in view past
experiences, but it has released no funds for flood protection works for the past two years in the Kumaon division. Floods and huge damage caused by rainwater flooded rivers in the monsoon season is a common phenomenon that the mountain State has to face every year, but the interesting fact is that the State Government has released no funds for carrying out flood protection works in the Kumaon division for the past two years.
However, after estimating loss to the properties caused by the natural disasters in different areas of the Kumaon division this monsoon season, the State irrigation department (north) has demanded about Rs 52 crore to repair the damage. As officials have said, Pithoragarh was the worst affected district due to natural calamity this monsoon season among different districts of the Kumaon division.
Thus, out of about Rs 52 crore, the State irrigation department (north) has demanded about Rs 17 crore for the border districit, Pithoragarh and Rs 14 crore for carrying out certain repair works in the Nainital district. Similarly, it has sought financial assistance worth Rs 5 crore for carrying out flood works in Udham Singh Nagar and Rs 2.5 crore for repair works to be taken up in the Almora district, as the officials concerned of the State irrigation department (north) informed.
At the same, out of the total Rs 52 crore, it has demanded about Rs 6 crore for Bageshwar and about Rs 7 crore for neighbouring Champawat districts for carrying out similar works, added the officials concerned. "After studying the damage that has been done to properties in different districts in the Kumaon division by the natural calamity, we have submitted a proposal worth about Rs 52 crore to the Government," DC Singh, Chief Engineer, State Irrigation Department (North), told The Pioneer, in an exclusive interview.
"Though the affected districts have released some amount for carrying out the repair and flood protection woks in their respective areas, but we have not received any funds from the Government for the past two years in carrying out the flood protection and repair works in natural disaster affected and other areas which are sensitive from the natural calamity point of view," he said.
"However, we are hopeful that sufficient amount of funds that we have demanded, will be released in the times to come to carry out the repair as well as flood protection works," Singh said.If past experiences are any indication, both the terai and hilly regions of the Himalayan State are equally vulnerable due to the natural disasters and the rivers' fury.
Though the State Government has now announced to take certain measures like constructing embankment along the riverbed to minimise the impact of the natural calamities and the rivers' fury in different parts of the State, it is to be seen how long it takes to release fund that the State irrigation department desperately needs to carry out the said flood protection works in different districts of the Kumaon division.
