Help Kerala, save Himachal

                     

Kerala  is in tatters. This beautiful, verdant southern state – aptly called “God’s own country” – has been devastated by the ‘monsoon 2018’ heaping heart-rending misery, death and destruction upon its people. Known for its tranquil and soothing backwaters, charming tourist locales such as Wynad and Munnar, visiting Kerala and savouring its multiple delights is every Indian’s (as well as foreign traveller’s) dream…no less of us- the landlocked northerners. Therefore, it is painful to see the coconut/palm-tree studded lush green landscape of Kerala having turned into such an ugly watery mass:  broken roads, shattered bridges, submerged houses, fallen trees, tormented and scarcity-stricken, desperate people huddled on roof tops struggling to just survive. The visuals of   gushing rivers of flood waters destroying everything coming in the way send a chill of horror down the spine. What a deluge! What a sorry spectacle! And now as the flood waters subside, the frightening spectre of disease and more deaths stares the affected people in the face with venomous snakes (and even a crocodile) having sneaked into rooms, kitchens and wash basins.  At the same time hats off to the intrepid and self-less men and women who ventured out to  save lives; our brave men in uniform who risked lives in daring rescue operations; also that sensitive Tamil girl who donated her entire 3-year savings (kept for buying a bicycle) for Kerala relief. Such noble gestures, small though they may look, help us have our dwindling faith in the intrinsic goodness of humankind restored.

But the question is who is responsible for Kerala’s present misery and destruction? Monsoons visit us year after year. Why has the catastrophe been so huge, so mind-boggling? And the loss of life and property so astronomically high? The answer is simple and obvious: human greed and intervention; our senseless fiddling with nature.

Not that I say this as just a sweeping remark. All environmentalists are unanimous. A man of the eminence of Madhav Gadgil, one of India’s most outstanding ecologists (formerly at the IIS, Bengaluru), says it in no uncertain terms. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) that he was head of, submitted its report in 2011. It said that several areas in Kerala which come under the Western Ghats are ecologically sensitive and needed careful preservation. The report recommended strict curbs on illegal mining, constructions and quarrying. The government – as governments always do – dumped the report and went on its rampaging ways. Illegal constructions on river beds went on as before… so did mining… so did stone quarrying.  It is a man-made disaster, he says. Rains have been intense this time, no doubt. Such rains have occurred before too. But increasing human interventions have aggravated the loss, misery and the calamity. He asserts that if the governments simply follow the laws on land-use that are already in the law books and not flout them as they do, his report would automatically stand implemented. But then what will happen to the politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus? They have to get rich quick. They have to line their own pockets and the politicians have to fill the party's coffers, in addition. Otherwise how will the next elections be won without bribing and buying the voters? You need bagfuls of cash and goodies for that. And this vicious cycle of corrution and greed goes on and on. Who cares for the environment, the costs, and human misery?

Well, while sad and bad it all is, now we need to rise and back up our beloved emerald state in this hour of suffering and loss. Let’s therefore - like that large-hearted Tamil girl - contribute generously and help Kerala recover and regain its old grandeur and charm. And I don’t understand why all this fuss about accepting aid from other countries and good Samaritans. Countries and individuals must learn to stand together in reaching out to those in distress. So, hell, no politics please.

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Also, what Kerala is in our South India, Himachal is in the North:  for its rich and unique biodiversity as well as for its beauty. Let’s learn a lesson or two from Kerala. Let’s not repeat those mistakes. Let’s not promote and support illegal, unauthorized constructions. The HP Government must not subvert/bypass laws (to appease construction lobbies) - laws against land-use violations, mining and quarrying. It must not succumb to any pressure to allow change of land use for commercial purposes in sensitive, ecologically fragile parts of Himachal. It must not let the hills be cut amd dynamited in unscientific manner leading to disastrous consequences as we saw this monsoon. Shri Jai Ram Thakur ji, you are our hope. You must please deliver on the environmental front too.  Madhav Gadgil says it is Kerala now, Goa will be next. Let Himachal not follow suit.