By Neha Amarnath
On February 7th disaster struck India’s northern Uttarakhand State as a result of deadly flash floods that led to the destruction of two unfinished hydroelectric plants.
The Himalayan mountains have fallen victim to the drastically changing climate which has led to an increase in landslides and avalanches in the region. According to reporting by The New York Times, the deluge, which consisted of rock, ice, and water, caused over 30 deaths and has left more than 160 people declared missing. Compensation for the families of the deceased will be paid in the form of four lakh Indian rupees (5,495.39 USD), as declared by the Uttarakhand Chief Minister.
Around 35 construction workers were found trapped in a tunnel. Members of India’s Disaster Response Force and the Indian Army attempted a rescue, but as of Feb. 9th, 197 workers are still unaccounted for, and 28 bodies have been recovered.
In response to the predicament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Feb. 7th, “India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there.”
Years prior to the incident, India’s Supreme Court tasked officials such as Ravi Chopra, director of the non-profit People’s Science Institute, to study the effects of receding glaciers. A warning was put out regarding the danger of constructing dams in the region, as its vulnerability to climate change would result in the melting of the Himalayan glaciers. It has been noted that the glaciers are melting at double the rate in which they were 20 years prior, and the air temperature has risen by 2⁰ Fahrenheit. Experts say that if this continues, the millions of lives that are currently occupying the Hindu Kush district will endure severe repercussions.
“They were clearly warned, and yet they went ahead,” stated Chopra in a meeting with the press. The ecosystem has endured such damage that even if the government were to enforce a series of policies and the ideal climate change goal is hit, at least a third of the glaciers will have melted due to the rising temperatures.
This rapid climate change not only affects the central and west Asian regions, it has become a global issue that is predicted to lead grave consequences such as the “collapse of major ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica” as indicated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). A report by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development states, “Large warming could trigger a multitude of biophysical and socio-economic impacts, such as biodiversity loss, increased glacial melting, and less predictable water availability.”
To express the severity of the pressing issue climate change poses on the world and the United States, the Climate Clock has been activated in New York City. The number displayed on the clock expresses the shortened time period in which action must be taken in order to prevent the irreversible effects of climate change.
In an interview with the New York Times, Boyd said, “This is arguably the most important number in the world.”