The State Government has not assessed the financial and human loss from the recent disaster correctly. "The Government was not willing to publicise such a big disaster," said Soumya Dutta of Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha after State Parliamentary secretary Hemesh Kharkwal released an interim assessment report on the climatic disaster in Uttarakhand and impact on communities in Bhatwadi block of Uttarkashi district by Beyond Copenhagen Collective.
The report was released at a State consultation on climate change and disaster organised by PAIRVI, Beyond Copenhagen Collective, Centre for Community Economic and Development Consultant Society (CECOEDECON) in collaborative efforts with Environics Trust and Uttaranchal Development Institute (UDI).
Kharkwal said that climate change is a cause for global concern and thought. Speaking about the recent disaster in Uttarakhand, Kharkwal said that it had broken all past records which had led to a system failure. The people of Uttarakhand do not need to migrate fearing disaster, he said. Addressing participants from Nepal, he stressed on the need for Indo-Nepal collaboration on climate change.
Dutta said that the survey team interacted with the disaster-affected people in Bhatwadi and scientifically assessed the damage. However, the Government was not willing to publicise such a big disaster, he said, while stressing on the importance of accurate and timely information. “The frequency and magnitude of disasters is likely to increase; so it is vital to ensure proper preparations and train local communities,” he stressed. R Sreedhar of Mines Minerals and People said that Uttarakhand was the first State to have a disaster management department, but ironically the State Government is unable to facilitate adequate and proper disaster management.
Participants from Nepal said that disasters in India have an impact in Nepal, too, but there is no department for disaster management and shortage of experts in that country; so there is need for Indo-Nepal collaboration on this front. BP Maithani, Rahul Jugran of State Disaster Management Authority and others participated in the deliberations.