Adapting to a warming world

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Adapting to a warming world

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• Floods hitting us: The 2021 floods that hit Uttarakhand show the two emergencies facing India - (a) climate change, and (b) poorly planned development activities that worsen climate change impacts.
• The instant case: The Feb 2021 flash floods may have come from glacial melting at source of Dhauliganga river, due to climate change related warming. But the development projects that India launched in the region, which changed the land use and water management, worsening the impact. Frequent disasters in this region show there's little thought going into planning.
• Geology of it: Uttarakhand is where India's tectonic plate goes under the Eurasian plate, so more earthquakes and landslides are expected. 

1. Many fast rivers here with glacier sources can create flash floods, due to premature melting. 
2. This fragility was simply ignored while building multiple dams that disrupt nature's cycles in water flows, etc. All natural hill-slopes were disrupted too.

• As years go by: Coming times will see temperatures rise through the Himalayas and the Tibet region. Glaciers are retreating in their own ways (heterogeneously), worsening flood risks, and impacting downstream populations. Water flows will get unpredictable, so hydropower and irrigation will be impacted. State govts need to take note.
• What is needed: First, timely and objective data on environment from scientific agencies like Survey of India, GSI, BSI and ZSI is needed. These are not directly linked with project planning or implementation, so will give the true data. Unwise decisions won't be pushed. Today that's not the case, despite higher quality remote-sensing data with the Space Commission. 
• Criteria for approval: While infra projects can be evaluated for their direct benefits easily (more irrigation and more food production, power production in hydel projects, time saving in road projects) but the real challenge is estimating total costs. India has to go beyond costs of construction, to the ecosystem approach. The costs of remediation must be considered too. If remediation or adjustment is impossible, drop the project(s).
• Water most sensitive: Any infra project that alters the flow of water in rivers will harm everyone. River does many things - irrigation, drinking water, hydro power, water transport, fisheries and so on. River management must focus on flood risks, pollution control and biodiversity protection. It's done in silos today. 
• Consider entire basin: Any river-based project has to be seen as impacting the entire river basin, not just one part. But since rivers are inter-state, it's a tough job. 

1. Article 262 gives parliament the power to resolve inter-state water disputes, and it's being done
2. But now it's time for not just dispute-resolution, but going beyond and working on cooperation between riparian states (as per S.C. judgment on Kaveri case - waters are national asset).

• Construction works: Building roads in mountain areas, homes in coastal regions, land use projects in dryland ares are all impacting the entire ecosystems. 
• Summary: Rapid climate change is upon us, and adaptable institutions and policies alone will save humanity.

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