STH activities - with the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Program (component 'C' - W Bengal) team in Darjeeling district (25-27Jan2013)

W Bengal is one of the 6 states chosen as a part of a nation wide study by National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) to develop at long term strategies for disaster risk reduction.
7 members of  NCRMP (component 'C'), W. Bengal, team visited Darjeeling district between 25-27Jan2013 and STH was very much involved in organizing the teams field visits to  landslide affected villages of Balasun and Chibo-Pashyor and the conduct of their survey there. 4 young members from the STH were actively associated the  survey of landslide affected communities and it was a wonderful learning process for both the NCRMP team and us.
My thanks tof the team the entire NCRMP team and also to Fr Valentine of Anugyalaya and Mr Bharat Prakash Rai of FOSEP.

Praful Rao

Bhamey Gaon (Sindebung, Kalimpong) - a village where homes disappear

 

1. The landslides at Bhamey Gaon (N 27°04.136’, E 088°29.626’, elevation 919m) at Sindebung, in Kalimpong have been featured many times on this blog earlier mainly because
a) This landslide if ignored for much longer would impact the stability of Kalimpong town itself (see top image)
b) Something can still be done here to arrest the decay and devastation and the landslide situation is not hopelessly out of control, like in many other areas of the Darjeeling district (eg Balasun, Chibo/Pashyor, and Samalbung).
c) The rural community of this area have suffered in silence for decades despite the many visits by politicians, engineers, geologists, media, scientists and the much touted "paradigm shift" towards disaster prevention and preparedness which has yet to see the light of day in this village.
2. The following persons have lost their land, property, homes and moved elsewhere with their families :-
i)     Shri DS Bhujel
ii)    Shri KB Sundas
iii)   Shri BB Bhujel
iv)   Shri TB Thapa
v)    Shri TB Bhujel
vi)   Shri Gopal Chhetri
vii)  Shri Shiv Kr Bhujel
viii) Shri HB Bhujel
ix)   Shri Ganga Ram Sundas
3. The following persons will lose their land and homes in the foreseeable future
i)    Shri BirBahadur Biswakarma - by Sep2013.
ii)   Shri Shyam Bhujel - within 5yrs.
iii)  Shri Dirga Bahadur Bhujel - within 5yrs.
iv)  Shri RB Bhujel - within 5yrs.
v)   Shri  RB Biswakarma - within 5yrs.
vi)  Shri Sanjay Bhujel
vii) Shri Dilip Bhujel
viii) Shrimati Remina Pradhan
3. This highlights perhaps the most striking difference between landslides and most other forms of disaster
- that after floods and even earthquakes, the victims or survivors can still return to their land and start the painful progress of rebuilding......
- in the case of landslides, the victim or survivor has nothing left to return to because the land itself and everything on it is gone.
Praful Rao

Upcoming events : Workshop on 'Climate change and its effects on hydropower, water and development in the Eastern Himalayas’ - 22Jan2013 at Kalimpong

Tentative Program

1. 0930 to 10:00h : Arrival of invitees. Informal introductions over tea/ coffee.

Session I

2. 10.00 – 10:45h : Hydro-power on the Teesta River. A local perspective: 20 min by local activist/spokesperson.
Overview by the project team of field visits to Teesta Lo Dam Stage III at  27th Mile and discussions with PFAs at Gail Khola and 29th Mile (on 21Jan2013) - 10min each.
Dr Jessica Budds, Lecturer in Environment & Development, Univ of  Reading (UK) ; Dr Vimal Khawas, Asst Prof School of Policy Planning and Studies, Sikkim Univ will jointly present academic perspectives and interests followed by NGO perspectives by Mr KJ Joy and Partha Das

3. 10:45 to 11:30h : Open discussions

Session II

4. 11:45-14:00h : Dams or hydropower in the Himalayas - brief Introduction by Dr Deepa Joshi, Asst Prof, Irrigation and Water Engineering Group, Wageningen Univ, The Netherlands.

Workshop is being jointly organized by Wageningen University, The Netherlands and other academic institutions in India and Nepal.

Venue : Park Hotel
             Kalimpong

Praful Rao

In the year's beginning - a sombre warning

• Delhi has never been so bone-chillingly cold as it is today. At 9.8 degrees Celsius, the maximum temperature in the (Indian) Capital is the lowest in 44 years.
  - NDTV (02Jan2013).
• Researchers have found that India’s monsoonal rainfall, upon which much of the nation’s agriculture depends, is becoming less frequent and more intense.
  Scientists with the agriculture division of the India Meteorological Department in Pune found that global climate change can cause departures from the historic monsoonal norm, which, on balance would lead to lower yields of rice, maize, cotton, soybeans, and other kharif (monsoonal) crops. During the rabi (dry) season, higher temperatures could cut yields of wheat, potatoes, and vegetables.
  - National Geographic (06Mar2012)
• Kalimpong (Dist Darjeeling, India), in Sep2012, received 84% of the monthly rainfall in just one week (10-17Sep2012) with the remaining 3 weeks being largely dry.
  - STH blog.
• In the Darjeeling - Sikkim Himalaya, we have not had any significant  precipitation (rain/snow) during the winter months for the last 3-4 years and what we are seeing are drought-like conditions for 7months of the year (Oct-Apr) followed by 5 months (May-Sep) of erratic rainfall. As such, looming ahead is a severe water crisis in this region.
  - Observation made locally.
• Also rainfall patterns have changed in the Darjeeling - Sikkim Himalaya , with the continuous, gentle drizzle which so characterized the monsoons in the hills, being replaced by sharper and more intense downpours.(This sort of gels with the findings of researchers in the National Geographic report above).
  Sharp, intense rainfall generates higher volumes of surface runoffs and consequently more erosion and landslides.
  Increased surface runoff also means the underwater aquifers do not get time to be recharged and mountain springs are drying up like never before all along the Himalaya.
  - Observation made locally.
• Weather extremes are not that extreme any more. Heatwaves, floods, droughts and wildfires are the new reality of an ever warming world
   -The Guardian (19Sep2012)
• The first nine months of 2012 were the hottest in the United States on record.
  - Washington Post (30Oct2012)
• 3 of the ten biggest floods in Lower Manhattan since1900 occurred in the last three years… Freak weather seems to be here to stay all over the globe.
  - Fareed Zakaria GPS (CNN, Nov2012,).
• The likelihood of such extreme weather events is increasingly being tied to anthropogenic—or manmade, mostly through overproduction of carbon dioxide—global warming. It’s no longer an abstract idea; it’s being experienced directly and locally, on nearly every level.
  - Storm warnings : Climate Change and Extreme weather (Scientific American, 13Nov2012)
• Researchers know that tropical storms derive their energy from warm waters. That's one reason hurricanes are much more common in the hot tropics. The Atlantic Ocean is about 1°C warmer on average than it was a century ago, in part because of man-made climate change. Warmer waters generally mean stronger storms, and indeed, scientists have agreed that climate change seems likely to lead to stronger and wetter storms, though possibly fewer of them.
  - Time Magazine (Nov2012)
• Climate change has caused sea levels to rise, which made the storm surges and coastal flooding all the more devastating. Overall sea levels have risen by 8 in. (20 cm), and the rate has been accelerating recently.
  - Time Magazine (Nov2012)
• We have a 100-year flood every two years now. We need to make sure that if there is weather like this, we are more prepared and protected than we have been before.
  -Time Magazine (Nov2012).
  
  Praful Rao

Image of the Year and a lingering doubt : Will this Heritage Structure survive 2013?

In July this year, we did a story on the landslide which very nearly pulled down the Tindharia Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (A UNESCO World Heritage Site) workshop which was established in 1915. Later, I spent almost an entire day photographing the area, checking the drainage pattern and talking to locals.
Even though ambitious plans are afoot to save the Heritage site nothing has moved on ground till date and with the passage of each day, time is running out.
As we usher in a New Year, a question haunts my mind :
Will this Heritage site survive the monsoons of 2013?

Praful Rao

STH Activities : Chasing landslides in Kalimpong

In the second week of Dec2012, I had the pleasure of interacting with Mr Debashish Bhattacharya, senior geologist from Geological Survey of India, which is the nodal body looking after landslides in the country. The GSI scientist was in Kalimpong for 10days with a mandate to update the GSI landslide inventory of this area.

I am glad to say that a group of volunteers and I could accompany the geologist to all the major landslide zones in the vicinity of Kalimpong town and also provide him assistance in visiting landslide sites in Nimbong, Suruk, Samthar, Algarah and Payun (ie places in Kalimpong sub-division but at a considerable distance from town).

All this points to the vital necessity of involvement of local people in landslide surveys by any outstation scientific body if the correct picture of the landslide situation is to emerge; because only through local participation can the GSI (or any other body) understand the past history of the area and the impact of landslides on human beings, which after all should be the final endeavor of any scientific inquiry.

Placed above are images of some ot the areas we visited along with captions. Many of the sites have links on this blog where you can read more details :-
SLIDE 1 - read further here
SLIDE 2 - read further here
SLIDE 7,8,9 - read further here

My thanks to Debashish for his time and for accompanying us on those long, steep treks as we chased landslides in Kalimpong.

Praful Rao

Upcoming events : NATIONAL SUMMIT ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT “Forging Partnerships for Readiness and Relief” 18 – 19 December 2012, New Delhi

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in partnership with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), is organizing “National Summit on Disaster Management – “Forging Partnerships for Readiness and Relief” scheduled for 18 – 19 December 2012 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the  Institutional Partner for the Summit.

For details please visit this link.

Praful Rao

Light at the end of the tunnel? : Tindharia/ Pagla Jhora landslides to be repaired soon.

STH has been associated with the Tindharia and Pagla Jhora landslides from Nov2011 when we did a big, well-attended workshop at Tindharia.
Thereafter, in July this year, after further landslides directly threatened the DHR workshop at Tindharia, we spent an entire day in the area checking the drainage and preparing a report for an expert and a friend (see here).
I am glad to say that the PWD will finally be taking up repairs of both the above landslide areas in the near future. You can read the Telegraph article here and this move I am sure, comes directly as an aftermath of the visit to Kolkata by the high powered NDMA team early this week (read here)

My only fear is, that is it too little - too late?

Because the way our bureaucracy groans and grinds along, by the time the work ACTUALLY starts, the monsoons of 2013 will be here and during the rainy season, we all know that major preventive work cannot really be done; all we can do then is fire fighting and emergency crisis management.
The monsoons were mild this year (which poses other problems as regards severe water shortage problems in the Mar-May2013) so we did not have major landslides in our area.

In an age where we should increasingly be expecting the unexpected, aren't we pushing our luck too far to for hope this trend to continue?

Praful Rao

Why we ought to be bothered ...

Economies of Bangladesh, Philippines, Myanmar, India, Viet Nam at highest risk (excerpt from Maplecroft Natural Hazards  Risk Atlas)


15/08/2012
Some of Asia’s most important growth economies have the highest financial risk from the threat of natural hazards, due to the high exposure of their cities and trading hubs to events such as flooding, earthquakes and tropical cyclones, according to the 2nd Natural Hazards Risk Atlas released by Maplecroft.
Bangladesh, the Philippines, Myanmar, India and Viet Nam are among the ten countries with the greatest proportion of their economic output exposed to natural hazards. In addition, they also demonstrate poor capability to recover from a significant event exposing investments in those countries to risk of supply chain and market disruptions. This could lead to sizable business interruption costs, in addition to material damage to essential infrastructure. Maplecroft’s research also showed that it could exacerbate other risks like societal unrest, food security, corruption and rule of law even leading to increased political risk.
“High exposure to natural hazards in these countries are compounded by a lack of resilience to combat the effects of a disaster should one emerge,” explains Maplecroft’s Head of Maps and Indices Helen Hodge. “Given the exposure of key financial and manufacturing centres, the occurrence of a major event would be very likely to have significant impacts on the total economic output of these countries, as well as foreign business.”

Praful Rao

Upcoming events : Workshop on Climate Change in Darjeeling (17-18Dec2012)

 

The Federation of Societies for Environmental Protection (FOSEP), Darjeeling in collaboration with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, New Delhi are organizing a  

"Workshop on Climate Change and Mountain Areas: Awareness, Adaptation and Sustainability"

AIM : This Workshop aims at providing a forum for exchange of information, knowledge, experiences and data related to climate change, good practices and policy initiatives across the Himalayan region. The objectives are to assess the level of awareness, adaptation and other experiences among various segments of the society and livelihood related activities. It will be held in a workshop format where three main presentation of 20 minutes each will be made in each session by the three Panelists and other will share their experiences and experiments as discussants.

Date : 17 & 18Dec2012
Venue : May Fair Hotel Resort, Darjeeling


I am glad to state the STH will be participating in the workshop.


Praful Rao