In less than a month since the onset of monsoon this year, from June 24 to July 10, over 41 landslides, 29 flash floods, and one cloud burst have occurred so far in Himachal Pradesh, with relentless rains pounding the hill State and leaving behind a trail of destruction. At least 80 people have lost their lives in the rain-related incidents. This has yet again triggered a debate over whether the ongoing ‘fury of nature’ is a manmade disaster inevitably visited upon the Himalayan region.
Incessant rains have caused havoc in several parts of Himachal Pradesh resulting in the loss of human lives and livestock, damage to several roads, National Highways, vehicles, and residential and commercial buildings, with hundreds left stranded, and losses estimated at crores of rupees.
Studies and experts have repeatedly suggested that landslides, cloud bursts, flash floods, avalanches, and droughts are hazards of immediate concern in Himachal Pradesh. The focus of government agencies and policymakers should be on prevention rather than management, they point out.
