Ecological imbalance behind rise in natural disasters: Rawat

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today underlined the need for striking a balance between development and environment saying ecological imbalance was responsible for the rise in the number of natural disasters in the state in the state in recent years.
Noting that prevention is better than cure, he said all development works should be carried out keeping in mind disaster management norms.
"Thirty-eight mild earthquakes have hit Uttarakhand in the last two years. Though low-intensity earthquakes release pent up energy and are not a cause for concern, the rising frequency of earthquakes, cloudbursts and an excess of rains in the state have definitely been caused by ecological imbalance," Rawat said.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of a national workshop here on 'Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in the Himalayas: Opportunities and Challenges'.
Stressing on the advantages of Uttarakhand's traditional architecture which had an inbuilt quake resistant mechanism, Rawat said old-style houses of Yamuna ghati suffered least damage in the 1991 earthquake of Uttarkashi.
Echoing the chief minister's views, V K Gaur, a professor at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics said the style of building houses in the Himalayan states should not necessarily follow the one prevalent in the plains.
The design of buildings and construction material used for them in the Himalayan states should be different from the plains, he said.

National Disaster Management Authority member Kamal Kishore said steps taken in Uttarakhand in the field of disaster management are an example for other states to follow and assured the state government of total support in its efforts to build a disaster-resilient infrastructure.