AN URGENT APPEAL TO ALL STEPHANIANS

Dear Fellow Stephanians,

All of us are well aware of the fact that the whole region of Ladakh, partcularly Leh town and surrounding villages have experienced a flood tragedy due to cloudburst, for the first time in the history of Ladakh, which wreaked havoc to human lives and properties. According to latest reports, more than 170 bodies have been recovered from mud, slurry and debris, more than 600 people are still missing, which indicates that the death toll may go up around 700. Hundreds of houses along with family members have been washed away when people were  asleep at mid night. This report has mainly come from  Leh town and nearby villages, which have access to the media. We are yet to know about the situation in other remote  villages (there are 113 villages in Leh district) located in  different valleys of this barren mountainous desert.

The worst thing happened is that all the necessary establishments and installations like district’s main hospital, BSNL Exchange, Polytechnic College, Schools, Petrol Pump, Bus Stand, Radio Station, power supply poles and more than 300 shops have suffered massive damages. Choglamsar, a smaller town with adjoining Saboo village, which have very concentrated settlements  have lost hundreds of people along with their houses. About 500 injured are being treated at a makeshift hospital. The weather is still not stable and the survivors are spending day and night on top of mountains and hills in fear of getting flooded again and hence  facing massive problem in getting food and shelter. The two main connecting routes( which remain open for 6 months in a year) with the rest of the world  i.e. Manali-Leh, and Srinagar-Leh Roads have been cut off due landslide and washing away of bridges.

Ladakh (comprises two districts, i.e. Leh and Kargil, covers an area of about 68% area of Jammu & Kashmir), which is located at an average altitude of 4,000m above mean sea level, is a barren mountainous cold desert with very loose soil, boulders, rocks, pebbles and most of the settlements are located at the base of mountains and hills. Since the region is mountainous with very steep  slopes and there is no vegetation to hold soil and rocks, which makes the region highly prone to flood, landslide and avalanche, thus the whole region is ecologically and environmentally very sensitive and fragile. All the houses are made of mud bricks as the baked bricks which we use here is not available there. People can not go for cemented construction as 85% of the people are dependent on rudentary subsistence farming and can grow only one crop in a year. Generally, Ladakh receives very less rain ( annual rainfall of 10-15cm) as it falls in the rainshadow area. But this type of torrential rainfall and cloudbursting has occurred for the first time in history. Therefore, I firmly believe that this is one of the consequences of Climate Change due to intense heating of this giant barren land, which ultimately leads to excess evaporation from the glaciers and formation of cumulonimbus clouds resulting into cloudbursting.

Yesterday, I had a meeting with Executive Members of Social Service League headed by Dr Jacob Cherian and disscussed about the possible contribution that stephanians can do to the victims. I, therefore, earnestly request all the stephanians to contribute genorously for this cause. The contribution will be handed over to the victims through proper channel (authorised govt organisation/NGO), so that accountability is maintained. 

St Stephen’s is not only known for academic excellence, but also for social work and so many other co-curricular activities.

Ad Dei Gloriam!

Konchok Norboo (Ladakhi)

2006 Batch, Physics Hons.