Following the recent devastating cloudbursts in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called for a consultation and analysis to “mitigate the risks and dangers” of natural disasters.
The J&K CM said the entire Himalayan region is now more prone to glacial lake bursts and cloudbursts, which wreak havoc in the low-lying areas. He also expressed shocked and grief at the devastation the cloudburst had caused in the Kishtwar and Kathua districts. He also said his government would consider forming a team of experts to safeguard the fragile ecosystem in the region.
Jammu and Kashmir, along with Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, unlike the rest of the states, have several systems in place for detecting weather events like cloudbursts, which include doppler weather radars, satellite monitoring, and high-resolution weather forecasting models. It is backed up by mobile-based alert systems, which implement disaster management plans.
However, despite such high-end technology-infused weather detection systems in place, it is almost impossible to predict a cloudburst due to its rare occurrence.
Also read: Seven killed after cloudburst, landslide in Kathua
“We are going to have a look at it. It is not just what is happening in J&K. Look at the scary videos that we saw from Uttarakhand. What is happening in Himachal? We are all now prone to these glacial lake bursts, cloudbursts, and this freak, vague weather. We will have to collectively and individually consult experts to see what we can do to mitigate the risks and the dangers of these,” Abdullah said.
He said the flash floods brought down big rocks and “where we are standing used to be a river (bank). This was not a lake. It is a river which has changed into a lake after the recent cloudburst.”
Several north Indian states have witnessed weather-related disasters recently, thus prompting the need for better infrastructure, especially weather monitoring and detection systems to enhance the accuracy of disaster forecasting.
This includes improved weather stations, more sophisticated climate models, and better data collection on glacier behaviour and hydrological changes.
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