By Albert Thyrniang
Heavy and incessant rain that lashed Meghalaya for three/four days resulted in tragic loss of lives and extensive damage to property. We see live images of waters in rivers rising dangerously, floods in low lying areas climbing alarmingly, landslides in unsafe zones rolling down terrifyingly, wooden bridges being swept away agonisingly, roads being blocked excruciatingly and households being buried unbearably.
Among the first victims of the heavy downpour were the deaths of at least four people in Warsan Lyngdoh area in South West Khasi Hills district in which a jeep with six passengers was swept away by the strong current of Tihiang River on September 22. Reportedly the vehicle’s occupants included class IX/X students who were on their way to Mawkyrwat, to re-attend classes. This unfortunate news was broken via a Whatsapp group. Being a person from the same district and as someone who had crossed the river on foot as a kid 35/40 years ago this writer asked for some details in the said media group. To my horror someone preached that it was the will of God that the four died.
Attributing God’s hand for a disaster or misfortune is the both simplistic and problematic. It shuts everything down. It prevents enquiries. It even absolves any possible mistakes, culpable or non-culpable on humans. There is no question of blaming anyone, but what if the driver made an error in deciding to cross the raging river? Would that be against God’s will? What if the driver decided to put off the trip to the district headquarters? Would that be against God’s plan? What if the state government had ignored the area by not making roads and building bridges? Would the blame be on God or on the government that fails to provide the basic infrastructure for communication?
If we are quick to accept God’s curse (as many do for COVID-19) we are also swift to declare God’s blessings. What is wrong with acknowledging God’s blessing? Well, if a ‘blessing’ comes through fair means it is fine. But when ‘God’s blessing’ is used to justify ill-gotten wealth, landing a job through bribes, securing a business deal through unfair means then it is not right. A person once paid huge bribes to get a dream government job. He promptly threw a sumptuous dinner preceded by with a prayer service attended by well-known church leaders and elders. He considered it God’s blessing. Out of gratitude for his generosity he threw a lavish party. It might have been possible that the beneficiaries of the alleged corruption in the three ADCs have no qualms in thanking God for the ‘lakhs/crores’ meant for the general public.
It is best to guard ourselves from attributing God’s hands to natural calamities. It is beneficial if we don’t caricature God as the taker or giver where it is unnecessary. It could be to our merit if we look for answers from nature. The recent rain related disasters can be ascribed to the following causes:
Government’s undue neglect
The sad loss of lives lays bare government’s long neglect in far flung areas. The rain has cruelly exposed the backwardness in rural Meghalaya. Our own citizens have to live at the mercy of nature. A large part of the population of the state has seen little development. What development do you speak of when there are no roads and bridges? These neglected areas are the 443 km international border with Bangladesh to the South and the 885 Km interstate border with Assam to the North. Some of the ‘less privileged’ areas this writer has personally been to are Ranikor, Nonghyllam, Langrin, Lyngngam, Shallang, Chokpot, Baghmara, the plain belts, Dadenggre, Rabhagre, Langpih, Umsohlait, Mawlasnai and some stretches along the Jaintia Hills-Karbi Anglong districts. All these ‘sectors’ might not have been in the news in the current fury of nature, but the video of a wooden bridge on the National Highway to Baghmara being carried away by strong currents, went viral. Why on earth should a national highway still have a wooden bridge? The answer- government apathy!
Unchecked deforestation
The most affected districts are West and South West Khasi Hills. The reason is large scale deforestation. The whole of the twin districts have almost turned bare. Once blessed with virgin forests these districts are now treeless. The indiscriminate and illegal felling of trees for timber and charcoal are the cause for the fast disappearance of forest cover. The thick forests along the Shallang-Nongstoin road of fifteen/ten years ago are but a flashback today. Hence the flash floods and the mudslides! No wonder Nongstoin. Kynshi and Mairang are easily flooded in recent years. MLAs inspecting the damage and supervising relief works will become a regular affair if the trend is not arrested.
Poverty is forcing people to part with their only possession. Lack of alternative source of income has compelled villagers to look at trees for essential bucks. The government is quite helpless in enforcing the Forest Act. Enforceable laws may also be absent. Truck loads of timber and charcoal can be seen being transported within and outside the state. Obviously there are illegal timber factories that are operating clandestinely with the knowledge of the authorities. The beautiful furniture and the charcoal for fuel may come into our homes from the forests that are getting depleted. A point to ponder!
Unregulated urbanisation
The unregulated urbanisation of Shillong city is for all to see. The city has been expanding in an unplanned manner. Disasters are waiting to happen. The sad Dhobi Ghat incident in Laban on September 25 in which five members of a family were buried alive by debris of a landslide can be attributed to unmonitored urban expansion. Additionally, a 12-year-old girl in Madanrting Wahthing too died in a landslide. If the underprivileged sections of the society have to build ramshackle wooden houses precariously over rivulets in the steep slopes below the Shillong peak then disasters are a natural consequence. Today it is avalanches; tomorrow it could be tremors or something else.
Unscientific earth cutting
Landslides have occurred along the Shillong bypass, the Shillong-Guwahati and the Shillong-Tura high way. It can be seen with naked eyes that in many places the earth cutting is done unscientifically. Hills are chopped perpendicularly. Man made precipices literally hang over our heads.
A person in the know in Tura once told this writer that the authorities have no choice in cutting the hills in this manner because land for construction of roads has not been acquired by the government. So the PWD can’t go beyond its limit of ownership. Many wonder why Shillong-Nongstoin-Rongjeng-Tura state highway is so winding. All along the picturesque 323 km drive the travellers’ eyes fall on obvious and ‘easy to straighten’ spots. The simple answer is those spots do not belong to the government. In 2016, the digitally inaugurated two-lane roads by PM Modi had to be built without acquiring additional land. Acquiring sufficient land would have taken an unimaginable length of time and the centrally sponsored project would have never seen the light of day. The peculiar land-ownership system in Meghalaya makes land acquisition an extremely onerous task.
Consequences of development
The above highlights bring us to this next point. It is obvious that some of the disasters occurred as a result of ‘developmental works’. We crave for fast track development but its execution could be environmentally undesirable and unsustainable. We are appalled to see heaps of mud irrevocably damaging paddy fields, hills being butchered, rivulets and streams being eternally lost all along highways that go under the knife of earth cutting machines. Perhaps we have to take them into our stride. It would be ideal to have it both ways – modern development and preserving the environment. But balancing the two is never an easy task. The conflict between the two can never be resolved. The battle between development driven governments and environmentalists is a reality all over the world.
The state government has to now contend with rebuilding the infrastructural damage caused by floods and landslides besides the continued fight against COVID-19. Restoring washed away roads and bridges and providing relief to the affected will take a toll on a cash strapped state. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma might have asserted that the government will do the restoration works but what is sure is that the rain gods have made the life of people more challenging.
It can be said that part of the calamity is nature’s fury and part of it is man-made. The ferocity of nature is worsened by uncontrolled urbanisation and indiscriminate deforestation coupled with government’s indifference towards providing basic amenities to its citizens. Preventable elements of natural tragedies must not be ignored lest the same is repeated.
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