Showing disaster preparedness during Phailin, govt now readies plans to avoid Uttarakhand-like tragedy

NEW DELHI; Having done a commendable job in minimising casualties due to Phailin, the government is also taking lessons from the Uttarakhand disaster.

A host of agencies have decided to put in place mechanisms to ensure they are not taken by surprise the next time.

Himalayan Lakes to be Mapped

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has decided to map all moraine-dammed lakes in the Himalayan catchments and assess their geotechnical stability, after the Gandhi Sarovar Lake breached earlier this June leading to the devastation in Kedarnath.

As per a presentation given to the National Disaster Management Authority last week by A Sundaramoorthy, the director general of GSI, the lakes like Gandhi Sarovar are vulnerable to lakeburst or breach during heavy rains. It is believed that melting of ice and glaciers due to high temperatures in May and June in Uttarakhand, coupled with record high rainfall, swelled the Sarovar.

IMD to Improve Weather Forecast

The IMD will improve its forecast mechanism in the landslide prone areas by installing more state-of-the-art Automatic Weather Stations and ‘closely spaced’ Doppler instruments for monitoring and developing an Early Warning System, NDMA officials say. GSI has started preparing an ‘inventory’ of landslides in five worst-affected districts of Uttarakhand by stationing 20 geologists.

Arctic Sea Ice Connection

The government is also considering another presentation by the Earth System Sciences Organisation, which suggests a ‘physical link between intense monsoon convection over north-west India in Uttarakhand and melting of Arctic Sea Ice.