The havoc wreaked by landslides and flashfloods very recently in Himachal Pradesh is a wakeup call for the Jammu & Kashmir Government in view of the vulnerability of both Kashmir valley and Jammu divisions to natural disasters particularly flash floods and landslides during rainy seasons.
Jammu and Kashmir prone to landslides and flashfloods during rainy reasons is always vulnerable to natural disasters. Though experiences of 2005 devastating earthquake and 2014 flash floods in this part of the country have shown that disaster management is all about preventions, responses and restoration of public services in the wake of natural calamities but few showers of rain inundating markets and residential colonies in low lying areas of Srinagar in short span of few hours show the strength of the public institutions to resist the pressures of natural disasters in Jammu & Kashmir. Since the focus of disaster management is always on preparedness to combat the pressures of natural disasters, the pressing issue for the Jammu & Kashmir Government is preparation of disaster management plans for putting public institutions in a state of preparedness to respond to the pressures of natural disasters and overcome the challenges of the restoration of public services in short time in case of any natural calamity. The havoc wreaked by landslides and flashfloods very recently in Himachal Pradesh is a wakeup call for the Jammu & Kashmir Government in view of the vulnerability of both Kashmir valley and Jammu divisions to natural disasters particularly flash floods and landslides during rainy seasons. Since natural disasters render people shelterless besides taking away their livelihoods, the reconstruction of shelters and public infrastructure deserve a central place in the disaster management plans of the Government in Jammu & Kashmir like several other states and union territories of the country which are known for their vulnerability to landslides and flashfloods.
“Overcoming the weaknesses of disaster management systems in short time on the alarms raised by early warning system is always a huge challenge keeping in view the fact that for implementing the disaster management plans the creation of disaster mitigation fund is as good an uncompromising and unavoidable compulsion for Jammu & Kashmir Government as it is for Governments of other union territories and several states of country which are vulnerable to natural disasters. Since the motive of devising disaster management plans is to resist pressures of natural disasters in short time, the bigger challenge for the Government is the implementation of disaster management policy with focus on preparedness and responsiveness.”
Since climate change witnessed in recent years has increased the vulnerability of Jammu & Kashmir to natural disasters like many states and union territories of the country, the conventional trends of making disaster management plans only relief centric are not going to work in future. Though early warning systems wake up Governments days before the arrival of a natural calamity in different regions at different times and the disaster management preparedness does not become as huge a challenge as it used to be years ago but the capacity of the Governments to prepare a plans for disaster management preparedness in short times varies from region to region. Overcoming the weaknesses of disaster management systems in short time on the alarms raised by early warning system is always a huge challenge keeping in view the fact that for implementing the disaster management plans the creation of disaster mitigation fund is as good an uncompromising and unavoidable compulsion for Jammu & KashmirGovernment as it is for Governments of other union territories and several states of country which are vulnerable to natural disasters. Since the motive of devising disaster management plans is to resist pressures of natural disasters in short time, the bigger challenge for the Government is the implementation of disaster management policy with focus on preparedness and responsiveness.
