Diwali this year could not be solemnised with the usual spirit of fun and gaiety which this day is associated with. October 24 happened to be a dampener with cyclone Sitrang playing spoilsport. What was intended to be a joyful celebration of the Festival of Lights turned instead into a cold and rainy evening. No candles or crackers could be burnt for the first time ever on a Diwali evening.
Cyclones occurring in the Bay of Bengal directly affect India’s North Eastern states, West Bengal, Odisha and Bangladesh. The above regions have always borne the brunt of such cyclones. With Climate Change staring humans in the face the frequency of cyclones has only gone up leaving behind a trail of disruptions and destruction. In Meghalaya, the Garo Hills are most affected because of their location. Cyclone Sitrang has uprooted trees and homes and left Meghalaya without power for over 24 hours in some areas of the State and longer in others. In the month of May this year, Cyclone Asani had created havoc with very heavy rains leading to massive landslides and floods in parts of the State.The reason for creating the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and state levels bodies is to ensure that people are forewarned before any disaster. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) announces the arrival of a cyclone well in advance for the State Disaster Management Agencies to get their act together. For states like Meghalaya the precautions that can and should be taken are to warn people living in downstream areas which are prone to flash-floods and to evacuate them to safer areas. Torrential rains cause landslides hence vehicles travelling along landslide prone areas should be warned but not just that; there should be rescue teams placed in these areas in case of emergencies.
The heaviest casualty during cyclones is when trees fall over electric poles or when the poles collapse due to strong winds leading to complete power outage as has happened during the onslaught of Cyclone Sitrang which left large parts of Garo Hills including the Chief Minister’s constituency without power for over 36 hours. Power outage also means that drinking water cannot be pumped to households so there will be a water emergency for those without adequate storage facilities. Above all those dependent on technology and working from home are worst affected. Cyclone Asani claimed several lives in Meghalaya and the entire region as houses and humans were carried away by flood waters. But every cyclone comes and goes without lessons learnt. There is an urgent need for convergence of departments such as the Power, PHED, Health, Transport, Police and Disaster Management so that each one knows what its role is in case of a disaster and also how to work together. Normally the MeECL workers are left burning the midnight oil to restore power. Linemen must be trained to better respond to crises by regularly checking out the stability of electric poles and reducing the number of trees around power stations and transformers.
