Heat Disaster

Rev Fr Paul Lelen Haokip *

Fishing during a hot summer day at Chajing Pukhri Achouba, Chajing, in May 2012 :: Pix - Bunti Phurailatpam

INTRODUCTION:

God blessed them and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that move upon the earth" (Gen. 1:28). The words of the good book speak of life, fruitfulness and not of destruction or disaster. If you agree with "Where there is smoke, there is fire", read on. If not, probably you have not verified the facts. A disaster can be natural or induced by human activities.

It suddenly disrupts normal life and causes large scale damage to life and property. Disaster becomes a destructive event of large magnitude when it goes on unchecked over a period of time. Disaster disrupts equilibrium which can be repaired by proactive policies. Traditional perception that disaster is beyond human intervention is a misinterpretation.

In India, Disaster Management has thus been considered as policy issue. In the 10th Five Year Plan, Disaster Management has been treated as calamity relief under an exclusive chapter. It was included under non-plan expenditure. It is a fact that no one is spared from heat today. Main environmental concerns are indiscriminate and rampant exploitation of natural resources which has led to imbalance between man and nature. Overuse of natural resources and disasters like forest fires and oil leaks cause irreparable damage to the environment. Measures for safety and maintenance of resources must be taken for sustainable development.

DROUGHTS IN INDIA:

In general, India is vulnerable to cyclones, floods, droughts, earthquakes and landslides. Coastal regions are vulnerable to cyclones, Sub-Himalayan sector and Western Ghats are vulnerable to landslides. Approximately, 55 per cent of its area is vulnerable to earthquakes, 68 per cent of its total sown area is vulnerable to drought and about 4 crore hectare land is vulnerable to floods. About 68 per cent of the country's total area is affected by an erratic pattern of rainfall. Some of these areas get less than 700 mm rainfall which is considered as low and some areas get 750-1125 mm rainfall which is medium. Arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas get 54-57 percent of below normal rainfall.

GLOBAL WARMING AND EXTREME CLIMATE:

Global warming is a major concern for the mankind. It can completely alter the earth. Glaciers are shrinking and sea level are rising because of global warming. India faces floods as well as water shortages since the entire water system is being disrupted due to shrinking glaciers. According to scientific research, the Himalayan glaciers would stop producing the water level in the next 50-60 years. That would lead to tremendous social upheaval. There will be no water downstream. It would be difficult for agricultural economies. Similarly, the coastal area would be inundated and that would cause displaced population and loss of properties. Heat and cold waves can cause deaths.

AGRO-FORESTY:

The constant increasing population and development activities have led to excess use of natural resource resulting in various types of environmental disasters. Rampant deforestation and mismanagement have led to various kinds of environmental degradations such as soil erosion, water depletion and global warming. Deforestation is the main factor in increasing the frequency of floods, it also lead to drought and desertification. Increasing demand for food and fodder has led to destruction of forests, mining and other human activities have led to over exploitation of natural resources. Degradation of the Himalayan ecosystem is a danger to the greenery of the Indo-Gangetic basin and thus to the country.

Use of land can be diversified to meet various needs, control soil erosion, ensure sustainable production on a long-term basis and reduce risk caused by weather aberrations. Agro-forestry is an important tool for disaster management. It is a technique of growing food crops along with woody perennial. It minimizes the use of natural resources and reduces the requirement of inputs. It can lead to stability and sustainability in production to provide ecological and economic security. Agro-forestry has been included in various developmental schemes in the Five Year Plans with an objective to prevent natural disasters and to help the affected people. Some of the programmes that the government has introduced are Agriculture Development Programmes (ADP), Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP), Forestry Development Scheme and Drought Prone Area Development Programme (DPADP).

Environmental benefits of agro-forestry are: It reduces soil erosion, minimizes desertification, controls floods, reduce drought, reduces groundwater pollution, improves bio-diversity, increases food security, checks deforestation, reduces pressure on forests, reduces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and helps in disaster prevention.

NEW DISASTERS:

The civil war between humans and heat is going on in many states of India. Probably President's Rule for better climate and equilibrium could be sought. Communal riots are man-made disasters. Post-Babri Masjid demolition violence, Gujarat riots and the sub-ethnic North-East conflicts are but some of the examples. HIV-AIDS, common diseases, food insecurity, dirty water and sanitation, food shortage and uncontrolled urbanization have become disasters in our land. When we cannot produce sufficient fish and eggs for our own consumption, why do we speak of tall things? Transport accidents and terrorism are new disasters. Civil war, civil conflicts and international war are long-term man-made disasters. Inability to keep the political manifestoes is another political disaster. Division (new denominations) in the name of Christ is another disaster.

LOCAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT:

The heat experienced by Manipur is quite a bit of concern. Those in the hilly terrain do have this share of heat, not as severe as those living in the valley. The 70% or more of the populace living in the valley directly don't cultivate jhum fields but have the benefit of enjoying the fruits through agricultural products and also the heat.

Choices are less for the poor than the last recourse to jhumming, devastating acres of land every year. They are helpless. The natural resources seem to be the only (alternative) way to sustain the God-given precious life. The president of India had also alerted the nation on the possible late arrival of monsoon and expressed the preparedness of the Government to this effect. Hope the Central and the State Governments have Alternative Arrangement for scarcity of water and unbearable heat.

This heat is affecting health, education, water and environment. Environment talk shouldn't be the concern of the activists. It should be yours and my concern. Environment (Protection) Act 1986, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and National Water Policy (NWP) adopted by the National Water Resource Council (NWRC) in 1987, was a desirable step in the direction of evolving a national consensus.

If democracy is about active participation and purposeful accountability, then some sections of the society can be blamed for the lack of nature care. But if their rights and privileges are denied them, then it is another story to be explored and corrected. Participation in environmental issues should be the main aim. Impulses for destruction need check as we now feel the pulse of the uncompromising heat. Environmental protection is part of every strategy of social development. The plethora of problems due to climate change could then be minimized.

DEVLOPMENT VERSUS ENVIRONMENT:

No one can perhaps stop development. But development at the expense of the environment is destructive-development. The impacts of disasters are compounded by human activities intended for development. The scenario of water logging happened due to poor land use planning and narrowing down of drains. Highly chemicalized water waste contaminates the groundwater. Dams in many parts of the country have displaced millions of people, submerged thousands of forest acreage. Large dams also induce seismicity in quake rocked areas as in Maharastra's Koyna. Destruction of forest and mountain ecology, excess use of groundwater and new cultivation methods are the cause of recurring floods, drought and landslides in India.

PROACTIVE POLICIES:

Identification of the maladies is but one part of disaster management. Ground authentic evaluation and fact-finding coupled with new strategies to combat the phenomena are needed policies for mitigation and preparation of future possible events. Public awareness and the active participation of the government officials are a must for this combat. From the cold files of the offices, the letters and strategies should walk our streets, valleys and mountains for proactive work. First things first. Important things and people oriented works should not be taken lightly. How nice it would be if the voters are given an EVALUATION PAPER to check their respective representatives at the end of every year.

IRONY:

Recently, in some leading newspapers, we saw some timbers being confiscated by security personnel. Interesting to note. All these timbers have to pass through various check posts. The illegal thing becomes legal at the forest and excise check posts with handsome payments in the hands of the Government appointed officials. This is how business goes on. Perhaps the ADP, IRDP, DPADP etc are done in the office itself. The photo studios are busy with photoshop programmes in constructing, painting, inaugurating many community halls, public toilets, schools and the like. Hope the editors have been given due share. This is called transparency in corruption.

CONLUSION:

The opening biblical blessing of God upon mankind was to be "fruitful and multiply" - we have barrened the land and multiplied woes. "Fill the earth and subdue it" – we have filled the earth with man-made disasters and nature has control over us through heat, droughts, floods, earthquakes, etc. "And have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that move upon the earth" – rule is for the welfare of the social-ecosystem.

God seemed so aware of nature that He entrusted this key task to mankind who could commune and interact. Socio-economic, the physical environment, the social-physical structures and economic assets determine the quality of life of an individual. Quality of life thus can be improved by reducing the intensity and frequency of disturbances to our existence.

Reducing the vulnerability of the community is the key for improving the quality of life. The most important is the achievable action-plan. Your pro-action can change the environment. Your willful neglect can also destruct all of us. Choice is in your hands.