Kishtwar, Aug 16, KNT: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday voiced deep concern over the increasing frequency of natural calamities in the Himalayan belt, urging consultation with experts to devise ways to mitigate risks from glacial lake bursts, cloudbursts and extreme weather.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to Chasoti village in Kishtwar district, one of the worst-hit areas in Thursday’s massive cloudburst that triggered flash floods, Abdullah said the entire Himalayan region including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand is now vulnerable to such disasters.
“We are going to have a look at it. It is not just what is happening in J-K. Look at the scary videos we saw from Uttarakhand. What is happening in Himachal? We are all now prone to these glacial lake bursts and cloudbursts. To this freak weather, we will have to collectively and individually consult experts to see what we can do to mitigate the risks and the dangers,” the Chief Minister said.
He noted that at least 60 people have lost their lives and over 100 sustained injuries in the Kishtwar tragedy, while more than 80 others have been reported missing. However, he cautioned that the missing figures may change as many people could be stranded in remote areas with no communication coverage.
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On being asked about regulating religious pilgrimages in mountainous regions, Abdullah said that while earlier pilgrimages were limited to small groups of 100 to 400 devotees, the numbers have now swelled to thousands. “Obviously, after seeing the changing patterns of the weather, we will have to think about a little more regulation and registration. But if I make an announcement today, it will be a mistake because people’s religious sentiments are involved. We have to consult the religious leaders and those associated with local pilgrimages before taking any step,” he remarked.
Describing the scale of destruction, Abdullah said the flash floods had altered the local topography. “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. Some people washed away by the flash flood cannot be ruled out. Our efforts are to find them and retrieve their bodies so that they can be handed over to their families,” he said. [KNT]
