OVER 85% OF DISTRICTS IN U’KHAND PRONE TO EXTREME FLOODS: STUDY

NEW DELHI: Over 85% of districts of Uttarakhand are vulnerable to extreme flooding and associated weather events, according to an analysis by Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) published on Thursday in the aftermath of Sunday’s flash floods that devastated parts of Chamoli district.

The frequency and intensity of extreme flood events in Uttarakhand have increased fourfold since 1970, the analysis said. Flood-related events such as landslides, cloud bursts and glacial lake outbursts have also increased fourfold.

Chamoli, Haridwar, Nainital, Pithoragarh and Uttarkashi districts are the most vulnerable to extreme floods, according to the analysis.

The findings are from a CEEW report titled Preparing India for Extreme Climate Events released in December which highlighted that even with a 0.6 degree C rise in temperature over the past century, India is facing devastating consequences.

“The recent devastating flash flood in Uttarakhand is further proof that the climate crisis can no longer be ignored. In the last 20 years, Uttarakhand has lost more than 50,000 hectares of forest cover, leading to microclimatic changes in the region,” Abinash Mohanty, programme lead at CEEW, said. “This in turn has triggered a rise in extreme climate events in the state...” “Not only Uttarakhand, entire north-western Himalayas are vulnerable to extreme weather events. The Western Himalayas are warming up much faster than the plains and other mountainous regions in India...,” said M Rajeevan, secretary, ministry of earth sciences.

THE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY OF EXTREME FLOOD EVENTS IN UTTARAKHAND HAVE INCREASED FOURFOLD SINCE 1970, REPORT SAID