“Do not allow construction near high flood level”- NDMA
Recently the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) panel has said that construction should not be allowed near high flood level.
A glacial rift in the Tapovan-Raini region of Chamoli in Uttarakhand caused severe floods in the Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers. This incident caused heavy damage.
After this tragedy, the National Disaster Management Authority panel was formed.
The panel said in its report that this was the first recorded event in India with the widespread impact of debris flows caused by glacial ice and rock.
Such rock falls and glacial avalanches have occurred in the Alps, the Russian Caucasus, Canada and Nepal.
To prevent such incidents in future, the panel made recommendations-
- Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) needs to increase the capacity of satellite-groups to record such events in near real time in future.
- To avoid duplication in glacial studies, a center for glacial research studies and management should be established at the national level.
- Religious places, buildings and projects should not be allowed near high flood levels, unless these are cleared after a special study.
- There is a need to develop legal frameworks like hill area regulation, building bye-laws etc.
- Since the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand is prone to different types of hazards, there is a need to consider alternative sources of energy in this region.
Source – The Hindu
