Weather warfare

DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh did not name China in his striking observation that climate change in India’s Himalayan border regions may not be just weather-related but could be an outcome of enemy forces taming the elements. However, the allusion to Beijing is apparent. The possibility of China weaponising weather modification for strategic gains opens a new front. According to the minister, serious efforts are underway to gauge why Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Ladakh are increasingly being lashed by natural disasters, though the Himalayas extend to other states and UTs as well. It would be prudent to gather precise data through global collaboration to back the claims. India must also ramp up its technological knowhow.

The opacity that surrounds China’s activities adds to the apprehensions. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, it exhibited capabilities to disperse storms, unleash rain and engineer a blue sky. The Beijing Weather Modification Office, with about 37,000 employees, is tasked with exploiting space conditions for a variety of purposes. China has spent billions of dollars on what it claims are efforts to manipulate the weather to protect agriculture. However, it’s the impact of cloud seeding beyond its borders that raises concerns. The consequent disruption of monsoon patterns can wreak havoc. The potential to alter weather conditions poses a huge risk to national security.

The Modi government’s border infrastructure push has been commendable. The minister’s remark that people living near the borders are no less than soldiers reflects a policy shift. It aims to stop large-scale migration from border areas by ensuring that the benefits of India’s growth story reach the last mile. That said, the spectre of China’s weather-engineering cannot become a ruse to hide the role of man-made factors in natural disasters in the hill states. Climate change is for real, and reckless fiddling with nature needs to be dealt with sternly.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#China #Climate change #Environment #Rajnath Singh