Page 23 - HUDCO Darpan October2025

Solutions

India cannot stop climate change
immediately, but it can reduce the damage
through smarter strategies. It is very true
that we all want development but at what
cost. We have to ask ourselves whether
rapid development by destroying ecology
and bio diversity is sustainable in future. We
have to follow such measures to slow down
climate change gradually:

Early Warning: Expand forecasting and
mobile alerts in local languages.
(Government has implemented this)
Resilient Infrastructure: Improve urban
drainage, regulate floodplain
construction, and manage dams more
safely. (Cities like Gurugram, Mumbai
need to implement this immediately). Policy Action: PSUs and Government
Make Room for river: This concept is life should finalize project after approval of
saving at the time of flood. Unauthorized environment department for contraction
construction on river banks should be of dams, highways in sensitive ecological
stopped. During cloud burst water needs zone and hilly area.
space to flow. As recently observed, DPRs
are being prepared without calculating
the soil strength and severity during Conclusion
monsoon. The natural flow path of the The disasters of 2025 show three lessons:
river is blocked by construction. There is climate change is intensifying extremes,
an urgent need to stop unapproved poor human choices make them worse,
construction. and adaptation must be a priority. The
Ecosystem Protection: Restore forests, floods in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh,
wetlands, and floodplains as natural Delhi, Bihar combined with deadly heat
defenses. waves, prove that climate change is not
Climate-Smart Farming: Encourage tomorrow’s problem, it is today’s crisis.
drought-resistant crops, micro-irrigation, Unless India strengthens resilience and
and crop insurance. (West Bengal and embeds climate planning in development,
Madhya Pradesh are giving good results the costs will only rise.
by adopting this method)
Community Preparedness: Training of
volunteers for disaster response and
expand Heat Action Plans. Kuntal Ghosh
TO (P)

हडको दपण 23 HUDCO DARPAN