Himachal signs pact to minimise disaster risk

Chandigarh, Jan 10 The state government on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the French Development Agency (AFD) to implement the Himachal Pradesh-Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness Project (HP-DRRRP).

The agreement was signed here in the presence of Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena. It was signed by the Additional Secretary and Project Director, PMU Nishant Thakur on behalf of the state government and AFD Deputy Director (India) Camille Severac.

The Chief Secretary said the HP-DRRRP was a flagship initiative of the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA), aimed at reducing the vulnerability of the state to natural disasters.

He said that with external bilateral funding of 100 million Euros from AFD, the project would focus on strengthening disaster risk management and climate change adaptation capacities of the government and communities through a multi-sector and integrated approach.

The hills of Himachal Pradesh, especially in Kullu, Shimla and Kinnaur districts, are more prone to natural disasters like flash floods, cloudbursts and landslides.

Experts say besides the construction of mega hydropower projects, roads and large-scale unregulated mining are generating mountains of debris, responsible for increasing the magnitude of the natural calamity. Often the debris is haphazardly dumped on hill slopes and eventually finds its way into rivers and streams, raising the bed level. The carrying capacity of rivers and streams is reduced, and during heavy rain, they often change their course, causing widespread destruction downstream.

A devastating earthquake in 1905 severely damaged property in the Kangra region, including St. John's Church, where many British officials were buried and claimed over 20,000 lives. The frightening reality of a performance audit in 2017 on disaster management, with a specific focus on earthquake and fire, conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India said 90 per cent of buildings, mainly houses, in rural areas of the state, do not follow safe construction rules.

In Shimla town, 83 per cent out of a sample of 300 selected buildings were highly vulnerable if a major earthquake occurred. However, the construction of buildings and houses in rural areas (89 per cent of total houses) is not regulated by any law. Construction of seismic-resistant buildings in rural areas has, thus, not been ensured, the CAG had observed. Seven out of 12 districts have over 25 per cent of their area falling in seismic zone V (very high damage risk).