DEHRADUN; The Joshimath subsidence, Tremors and Lightening continue to rock Uttarakhand in the month of March 2023 that continue to sound the Pushkar Singh Dhami government to be on toes to put in place a sound system along the lines of natural disaster mitigation model of Odisha. But it was surely a matter of relief for UItarakhandis that there was no major or mass disaster or major road accident in Uttarakhand in the March 2023, revealed the monthly report released by the Dehradun-based think tank, SDC Foundation.
However, several days of inclement weather along with rain and lightning resulted in the death of 350 goats. Apart from this, frequent earthquake tremors were also felt, said Anoop Nautiyal, president, SDC Foundation.
Lesser subsidence in Joshimath
Compared to January and February 2023, the occurrence of landslides and cracks in Joshimath was less in March.
District Administration has urged the NTPC and other power projects companies to provide pre-fabricated structures under CSR to the Joshimath sinking victims to give them temporary homes.
However, compensation for those affected has now become a pressing issue.
According to media reports, till March 28, 2023, only 10 percent of the total relief amount was distributed to the affected.
Out of Rs 45 crore, only Rs 8.3 crore has been disbursed so far. Affected families are also forced to move from door to door to collect their allocated amount.
Apart from the delay in the relief amount, the construction of prefabricated houses for the affected people is ongoing though at a slow pace.
All-Weather Road Construction:
The Chamoli district administration had indefinitely stopped the work on the Helang-Marwari bypass and the All-Weather Road in Joshimath in January 2023 after the increasing landslides in the region.
Officials are now waiting for a report from IIT Roorkee until they can resume the construction work.
Earthquake Tremors
Earthquake tremors were felt continuously in different parts of Uttarakhand. Almost every fourth day an earthquake is being recorded somewhere.
In January, four earthquakes ranging from 2.0 to 3.8 magnitude hit different parts of the state. There were three tremors of magnitude 2.5 in February.
An earthquake of magnitude 2.4 was recorded at Pauri on March 2, and one of magnitude 2.6 was recorded at Bageshwar on the same day.
On March 5, there were three tremors in Uttarkashi. One had a magnitude of 2.5 and two had a magnitude of less than 2.
Earthquakes of magnitude 2.2 and 2.1 were recorded in Pithoragarh on March 6 and March 8, 2.1 in Chamoli on March 13, 2.3 in Uttarkashi on March 15, 2.1 in Nainital on March 16 and 2.1 in Rudraprayag on March 19.
350 Goats Die Due to Lightning*
On 25 March 2023, about 350 goats were killed by lightning in the Mathanau Tok near Khattukhal village of Dunda block in Uttarkashi.
With the onset of summer, shepherds in this region take their goats to higher altitudes.
On March 25, villagers Ram Bhagat Singh, Pratham Singh and Sanjeev Rawat were in the forest with around 1,200 goats when the tragedy hit their stocks, the source of their bread and butter.
Uttarakhand Disaster Management
Anoop Nautiyal hopes the Uttarakhand UDAS Monthly Report will be helpful for the political leadership, policy makers, officials, researchers, educational institutions, civil society organisations and media houses.
Along with hopefully being an impetus for change, it can also be studied to develop state policies for the reduction of losses due to accidents and disasters in Uttarakhand.
Odisha Model of Disaster Management
Uttarakhand is a highly ecologically sensitive state from the point of view of disasters and natural calamities. Scientists have been continuously raising the possibility of large-scale landslides and earthquakes in the near future.
In such a situation, there is a dire need to strengthen the disaster management system, especially in the mountainous region of the state.
Anoop Nautiyal expects that the state government in Uttarakhand will study and adopt the Odisha model for disaster management, a model that has also been praised by the United Nations.
The Odisha model offers important lessons on strengthening disaster risk governance, investing in preparedness and scenario planning, and spreading greater understanding of disaster risk.
SDC Foundation releases reports on major natural calamities and accidents in Uttarakhand every month.
Anoop Nautiyal said the purpose of the Uttarakhand Disaster & Accident Synopsis (UDAS) Report is the documentation and compilation of major disasters and accidents that occur in Uttarakhand throughout the month.
The report is mainly based on news reports published in credible Hindi and English newspapers and local news portals.
