Open House: Should govt set up an environmental panel to tackle climate-related problems?

Robust national planning required

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Unusual rain during monsoon this year has wreaked havoc on residents. Many houses were washed away, bundhs were destroyed in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, causing a tremendous loss of life and property. The Punjab Government had announced that compensation would be provided to farmers, but it is taking long time to assess the losses. The task of monetary assistance should have been undertaken on a war footing. The losses are so extensive that providing adequate compensation to all may not be possible for the state alone. Therefore, a robust national planning is required to render instant relief to the flood-hit people. It is high time to set up a high-powered environment committee to tackle such problems in future. The public should be warned not to construct houses and other establishments in vulnerable areas. The upkeep of the bunds, dams and drains has to be regularly undertaken, any silt accumulated along the riverbeds should also be removed. Further, ruthless cutting of trees and mountains on the name of development projects has to be restricted to avert landslides and emerging environmental issues. Specifically, the existing Fasal Bima Yojana needs to be made pragmatic to cover all crop losses, while a buffer fund ought to be raised to provide instant relief to the states in distress. Besides this, the administration may take stock of the submerged school and other public buildings for immediate repair of the unsafe structures. Taking lesson from the devastation by this fury of floods, the environmental body should exclusively engage for a sustainable solution to mitigate the sufferings of people under adverse conditions.

Nirmaljit Singh Chatrath

QUESTION

The excessive use of plastic is polluting drains, groundwater and water bodies. Despite repeated announcements and challaning drives, no concrete action has been taken against those using plastic items. Isn’t it time the government takes steps to ensure ban on single-use plastic?

Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to jalandhardesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (Sept 28).

If we play with nature, it will punish us

Recent floods have caused a lot of destruction in the state. We know that if we play with nature, it will punish us. Many people have to leave their village due to the floods. Food is still not reaching many. Due to floods 80 per cent of the crop have been damaged. Many people have left their school and gone to another place. Many development works have come to a halt and farmers are not able to work in their fields. Some people house is damaged. People’s livestock have been washed away due to floods. Not only property but also lives have been greatly hit.

Subhkarman kaur

govt must take

swift action

Certainly, it is the need of hour to set-up an environmental committee to specifically tackle climate-related problems. There are four seasons in a year in India. Every year monsoon wreaks havoc in villages as well as cities, in the form of floods. The destruction is higher in villages due to the lack of proper roads. Houses in low-lying areas get submerged owing to lack of planning. It’s shameful on the part of all political parties that they have not paid any heed to this recurring problem since Independence. How can they boast of celebrating 75 years of Independence when the basic problems related to climate remain unresolved till date? So, it is in the interest of the entire nation that the government not only sets up an environmental committee, but takes swift action to save all villages.

SANJAY CHAWLA

LEARN TO LIVE

WITH CHANGE

With the exception of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts, the entire state of Punjab came under unprecedented flash floods in July this year as incessant heavy rains lashed the upper regions of Himachal Pradesh and the waters of numerous cloud bursts were made to flow through downstream Sutlej, Beas and Ghaggar. These rivers overflowed their banks, washed away any spur dams that came in their path and spread, 5 feet deep, across lakhs of hectares of standing crops and inflicted heavy damage to roads, power lines, tube wells, houses, schools and godowns etc. in the rural areas. Cities were comparatively spared except perhaps colonies like Urban Estate in Patiala. A casual city observer thinks that after the waters have receded, the problem is over. In fact, that is the start of the issues of repairing, restoring and recasting the entire infrastructure. I remember from experience of the 1955 flood which affected Amritsar suburban areas more than others. Houses developed cracks, floors sank and roofs caved in. It took years for the city scape to come to shape. Now that floods and other extreme weather events threaten to visit us more frequently, it would be in the fitness of things if efforts in this directions are more organised at the public level. Resources in the form of men and materials, be listed and activities prioritised to blunt the effects of the new climate. It is a different world now and we must gear ourselves to the changed scenario. Remember, you cannot reset the monsoons. Be prepared for even winter floods.

Prof Mohan Singh

Remedial Measures need of the hour

Climate change is a universally accepted issue now. Glaciers are melting. Small islands will be submerged in the sea and rainfall has become completely erratic. Somewhere it is huge untimely rain and somewhere it is a total dry spell. It is a good idea that the Ministry of the Environment both at the state and central levels should come forward and make environment committees at the panchayat level in villages and residential welfare societies (RWS) in urban areas. People having a study background in the environment related subjects should be part of these committees This should generate awareness among the masses about climate change. There are two aspects here. One is a preventive measure and another is a remedial one. E.g. recent floods in Punjab and Himachal have created devastation. Now remedial measures include making homes for affected people or give some monetary benefits to them. Town planning department while making master plans of the city should also focus on environment friendly policies. Any change in the layout plan should be made public so that haphazard development in cities can be controlled. Anything new in favour of sustainable environmental management should be awarded.

Harvinder Singh Chugh

Take Action to

improve Infra

Incidentally, I was in America with my sons when such devastating floods occurred in Punjab, Himachal and Uttarakhand. Hundreds of people died and thousands of them were homeless. Still many are sitting on their rooftops and in Himachal and Uttarakhand they have been given shelter in different places in tents and Gurudwaras. The environment experts noted that such Herculean floods occurred after about forty years. I could watch it on social media platforms. It was very saddening. Such floods have occurred sometimes in America and Europe also but they mend it very quickly. Human beings can’t stop the fury of nature but still some over the top constructions should have been stopped much earlier. The central government didn’t give the state governments good funding to repair the devastation. Even nature has insulted this government.

Dr JS Wadhwa

mitigate effects of disaster at earliest

It is very necessary that the government appoints an environmental committee for problems like this. The environmental committee should solve this problem and should help the people and mitigate the effect of the disaster at the earliest.

Muskandeep Kaur Jangla

Critical Thinking

for managing floods

The people are still unable to resume their lives back to normal. This is an injustice to the innocent public who is dependent on the government. Despite the tenacious efforts of the Punjab administration, normal life seems to be the dream of a lifetime for the flood sufferers. An environmental committee should consist of experts, experienced meteorologists and critical-thinkers who can act according to the situation like a pro and save thousands of lives. The authorities can not only identify the next flood-prone areas in advance. To sum up, this organisation needs to be an integrated strategy comprising infrastructure developmental agency, and community-engaging groups of people who are concerned about the well-being of Punjab.

Solutions for

flood control

The government should immediately begin with brainstorming with regard to forming an environmental committee in public interest. Otherwise, this year’s flood instance would occur year after year, and ultimately, owing to despair and recurring distress, the helpless, homeless, penniless rustics would be forced to migrate. Hope, the government is enlightened, and stimulated to work in a proactive, coveted manner!

Anshika Kohli

find out future course of action

The need of the hour is to set up environmental committees to find out the future course of action for the masses. The major issue is that the flood water has filled layers of sand on the agriculture fields. A Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, is a well-known environmentalist and is representing a state marred by flood water. He should work towards constituting Committee to tackle environment related problems without further delay.

RAJAT KUMAR MOHINDRU