India must heed nature before history repeats

This is the year of ‘Super El Niño’. The phenomenon happens once in many years when the surface temperature of the largest ocean in the world, the Pacific, rises by more than 2 to 3 degrees. It makes the ocean surface winds warmer and changes their direction. As a result South America receives excessive rainfall while Australia, Indonesia and South Asia face drought conditions. There are concerns that India will receive less than normal monsoon due to ‘Super El Niño’. The rainfall would be around 90% of the normal precipitation. It’s a relief that August and September would bring respite but by that time the sowing season would be over.

The current heat spell we are experiencing, attributed to Super El Niño or any other recent disturbance, is partial truth. Even without El Niño our cities are turning into raging furnaces. A report published recently presented shocking conclusions where 97 out of 100 warmest cities in the world are in India.

The government has appealed to people to not venture out in the open unnecessarily. But how many people are there who have the capacity to follow this well-meaning appeal?

Nineteen per cent of the non-agricultural workforce is still employed in the unorganized sector. Similarly, 52% of the population is engaged in agriculture. These people are forced to work every day. Data suggests that during the last five years more than 3,000 people have died due to heat related issues. A trend is visible in Central India, Bundelkhand, Rajasthan and in drought affected parts of South India where people have temporarily or permanently migrated due to water stress.

How many more Fatehpur Sikris do we want to create?

Many meteorologists say if the situation is not brought under control urgently then in some areas the phenomenon of ‘wet bulb temperature’ may increase. It is a combination of heat and humidity which overwhelms human capacity to bear it. People affected by it can die in a span of two to six hours. The threat of climate induced seasonal mass migrations in Ganga-Yamuna plains and the coastal areas seems like a serious probability. A section of scientists think that if the humidity and heat keeps increasing then the doomsday scenario will be a reality by as early as 2040.

It’s true that the weather isn’t a unidirectional disaster. On the one hand the temperature is rising, meanwhile we are witnessing record breaking winters too. Extreme rains are wreaking havoc. What should we do in such a condition? We can look at China and other countries. They have used natural and modern scientific interventions and inventions to control the adverse effects of natural extremities. I would like to mention our age-old traditions. There’s a passage in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad which when translated goes like this—the winds blowing for us should be invigorating and pleasant. Our water resources and rivers should provide us with water that is sweet and clean as nectar. All the medicines, herbs and vegetation on the Earth should be life giving and nourishing. Our nights should be peaceful and mornings filled with energy and cheerfulness. Earth’s soil should be fertile and bountiful. The universe and the sky that nurtures us should be as benevolent as our fathers.

Our forefathers never sought to conquer mother nature. Instead they strived relentlessly to seek a balance to receive her constant grace and bounty. Why have we forgotten this key principle?

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.