Environment | Adaptive strategies require a dramatic shift

It is not solely nature’s fury that is responsible for the significant loss experienced this Monsoon. Reckless infrastructure development is a major contributing factor.

Charathgarh, is a small town in Una district, Himachal Pradesh. The recent images from this town, depicting a dead body floating in the cremation ground, serve as a stark reminder for adaptive strategies to minimise the loss resulting from Climate Change. With the onset of the Monsoon, newspapers are filled with front-page stories highlighting the damage caused by nature’s fury.

We must acknowledge that it is not solely nature’s fury that is responsible for the significant loss experienced. Reckless infrastructure development in both urban and rural areas of the mountain regions, especially in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), is a major contributing factor. This ongoing development has led to colossal losses year after year, affecting roads, bridges, houses, buildings, and towns and villages across India. Tragically, lives are also lost during these disasters.

Similarly, there are numerous instances of disasters being triggered by heavy rains in various parts of the country. For example, the frequent blockages on the the Delhi-Manali highway, and the char dham yatra highway in Uttarakhand was washed away in recent rains. These incidents further highlight the vulnerability of infrastructure, and the urgent need for adaptive strategies to mitigate the impact of such disasters.

Adaptation is the key

Adaptation is crucial in addressing the challenges posed by Climate Change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report VI , and its three working groups, emphasise the urgent need for intervention. At present, the report underscores the important of implementing significant adaptation strategies to minimise the loss resulting from Climate Change-induced disasters.

Also Read | Death, landslides, cave-ins: Monsoon fury in Himachal Pradesh

In the developing world, it is essential to build strong advocacy groups that press for a paradigm shift in policies towards climate adaptability. While climate mitigation and adaptation strategies are interconnected, it is crucial for the developing world and the least-developed nations to focus on adaptability, as they experience the largest losses, despite contributing the least to Climate Change.

The report’s emphasis on adaptation highlights the need for comprehensive measure to address Climate Change impacts effectively. By prioritising adaptation strategies, nations can work towards minimising the adverse effects of climate-induced disasters and build resilience in vulnerable regions.

Adaptability strategies

What does is mean by adaptability strategies? Adaptability strategies refer to a set of measures aimed at reducing vulnerability, and enhancing resilience in the face of changing environmental conditions. In the context of the IHR, adaptability strategies focus on addressing the challenges posed by Climate Change in the ecologically sensitive area.

The impetus from the Centre for generating its own resources in the IHR states has led to a shift in development strategies towards areas that are not well-suited for the fragile Himalayan ecosystem. As a result, vulnerability in the region has increased over the past few decades, amplifying the impact of disasters. Despite advancements in communication and research, there continues to be a rise in fatalities and losses to assets.

Five areas that require immediate attention in the IHR are: hydro power generation, tourism, infrastructure development, forest and water, and, urbanisation.

Sustainable development in the IHR must be the overarching principle of development. Shifting the focus towards sustainable development practices that consider the unique characteristics of the Himalayan ecosystem. This includes planning of infrastructure, resource management, and land-use policies to minimise negative impacts, and maximise community engagement and capacity building. Top of Form

The Himalayas are the powerhouse of India with a massive potential of hydropower generation. The IHR has the potential of generating 115,550 MW hydro-energy. The current installed capacity of 46,850 MW is being done by various agencies, both private and public companies. This report demonstrates the sheer linkages between the construction of these hydro power projects and disasters in the region.

The report states, “In Uttarakhand’s Joshimath town, where more than 800 buildings have developed cracks due to subsidence, the government on January 5, 2023, imposed a ban on construction activities, including on the works at Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project….most of the existing or under-construction projects in the Himalayas were envisaged 10-15 years ago and there is a dire need to reevaluate these based on current scientific data. Both eastern and western Himalayan region in India are part of a seismically active zone; scientists have been warning of a build-up of a major earthquake in Uttarakhand.”

Despite these stern warning, the ‘development strategy’ continues unabated.

Tourism is another major area that has an inherent duality in it. Whereas it serves as a bread-and-butter source for many residing in the IHR, it is also building new social conflicts. There is more pressure on the natural resources. The infrastructure development model of four lane highways attracting tourists, building typologies not akin to the mountain needs and decrying the mountain aesthetics in building typologies, all of these are contributing to the rise in the incidence of the loss due to natural disasters. The carrying capacity of the tourism-related activities must be discussed, and engaged with ensuring that the people are kept at the centre of such discussions.

Urbanisation in the mountain region is another major area that needs to be revisited. The copy-past models of the plains, the national building codes, mainly decided for the buildings in the flat regions, building typologies not suited for the mountains, the reinforced cement concrete structures, and such other forms are the way in which mountains are being shaped. These are neither suited for the mountains, nor are these adaptive to the mountain eco-system, and, hence, are extremely vulnerable for the disaster risk reduction perspective.

The Hazard Risk Vulnerability Assessment (HVRA) report generated for Shimla town points towards the extreme form of vulnerability existing in the hilly town. It states that if an earthquake with a considerable magnitude strikes this hilly town during the day there may be more than 18,000 deaths, but it strikes during night the number might reach to 23,000 people. The two most vulnerable buildings happen to be the Himachal Pradesh High Court and the Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla. Imagine there will not even be place in the major hospital which shall itself be grappling with the disaster.

This is the story of almost every mountain town. The emphasis must be laid on retrofitting ensuring a minimal loss in the advent of a disaster. Also, the building plans, the development plans must be based on strong geological findings.

Alternative governance

Quite interestingly, if one visits the office of the member of the legislative assembly in Himachal Pradesh, for that matter across the IHR, there are two major works that consume most of the elected official’s work. The first is transfers of the employees, and the second is demi official (DO) letters to the state and district bureaucracy demanding compensation to the town/village areas for the loss and damage that has occurred because of rain, floods etc. The loss mainly pertains to damage to roads, culverts, bridges in the towns, buildings, both private and public, crop loss etc.

It takes months to get such losses assessed and compensated, if not years. Till that period the people must live by the loss and this in mountain vocabulary is called ‘contentment’ or resilience, etc.

A major disruption is required in this area. Just like there is an insurance for the individual, moveable and immovable assets, it is high time that the community-led insurance models are developed for insuring common assets in villages and towns.

These assets include roads, bridges, culverts, schools etc. The principal driver for such assets and their insurance should be the village or town elected/community residents, and not the government. These are huge assets that the towns and the village own but are not considered of worth insurance.

A mechanism should be drawn where these assets, is lost due to natural disasters are compensated by reconstructing them within a short span of time.

Take for example in Himachal Pradesh, during the current Monsoon there are two major economic activities taking place. The harvest of ‘off-season vegetables’ in the regions on Solan Sirmour, Hamirpur, Kangra, and the harvest of apples in Shimla, Solan, Sirmour, Kullu, Kinnaur, Chamba, etc. A single culvert damaged, if not repaired on time, could severely hit the farmers in any of these villages.

Adaptability, in not just a conceptual phenomenon linked to infrastructure adaptability and building resilience among the communities through behavioural change; it is also how the economic and financial activities area adapted.

Adaptability for a better and secure future.

(The author is a former deputy mayor of Shimla. Twitter: @tikender)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.