While we have been fortunate thus far to escape a disaster of same scale, these dueling weather emergencies are not simply a succession of bad monsoons. They are a clear and unequivocal warning: the climate of Jammu and Kashmir is changing, and we are dangerously unprepared.
For generations, the seasons in this paradise on earth dictated the rhythms of our lives.
There were winters for snow, springs for bloom, summers for warmth, and a monsoon season that was, while a season, was always singular in its intensity and duration. What we are seeing now is a structural change in the rhythm of summer and fall.
The response of our administration has been strong in the immediate. Alerts issued, disaster response teams deployed, and timely school closures show that they have learned from previous catastrophes.
But a disaster management plan only activated when the clouds are dark is reactive, not resilient. Its like constructing a dam as the flood waters rise.
Haphazard construction and deforestation on hill slopes have turned landslides into everyday occurrences, blocking roads and burying houses. We have overridden, brick by brick, our natural drainage system.
It is time to move beyond response and temporary accommodations. What we require, and what we have the opportunity to develop, is a long-term Climate Action Plan with good faith political will and implementation.
We need to invest in science and forecasting. We need to completely overhaul our meteorology. Improved Doppler radars and weather station density can give hyper-local, accurate forecasts, providing people and authorities several extra hours to prepare.
We need to reengineer our infrastructure around a new climate reality. The drainage systems of our cities, especially Srinagar and Jammu, need to be redesigned for heavy rainfall. Building codes need to be enacted to ensure that infrastructure is resilient to both floods and earthquakes.
Two floods in two weeks is not a coincidence, but a symptom. The beautiful, fragile ecosystem of Jammu and Kashmir is ringing the alarm.
