The devastating floods and landslides that have claimed nearly 40 lives and destroyed livelihoods across Jammu and Kashmir are a grim reminder of the power of nature and the vulnerability of human life before it. In just three days of relentless rainfall, families have been torn apart, shepherds have lost their only means of survival, and villages have been cut off from the world. The Vaishno Devi tragedy alone, where scores perished in a massive landslide, has left behind a scar that words cannot heal.
While the immediate focus must rightly remain on relief and rescue, as seen in the tireless efforts of the NDRF, the Army, and local administration, the larger question looms over us: how prepared are we, as a society, to live with the growing unpredictability of climate? Rising water levels in the Jhelum and comparisons with the 2014 floods bring a chill to the spine. These are not one-off incidents. They are part of a worrying pattern driven by extreme weather, deforestation, unplanned construction, and our neglect of environmental safeguards.
Nature’s message is loud and clear. It cannot be endlessly exploited without consequence. Every felled tree, every encroached riverbed, and every unchecked expansion into fragile hills multiplies the risk of disaster. As a community, we must acknowledge that we are paying the heavy price for years of ignoring warnings—scientific, environmental, and even moral.
The government’s swift response—airlifting NDRF teams, deploying Army columns, and closing schools for safety—deserves appreciation. But response alone is not enough. What we need is resilience. We need policies that respect ecology as much as economy, early warning systems that reach every village, and urban planning that keeps rivers and streams free to flow. Most of all, we need a collective consciousness that sees nature not as an obstacle to development but as the very foundation of it.
These tragedies should not pass into memory as just another “natural disaster.” They should awaken us to live in harmony with the land we call home. Because if we do not learn now, nature will keep reminding us—in ways that are harsher, costlier, and deadlier.
