Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Factoring in the risk: on development of mountain areas

Factoring in the risk: on development of mountain areas

Development of mountain areas over the years has upset (परेशान, विघ्न डालना, बाधा डालना) the ecological balance (पारिस्थितिकी संतुलन)

Monsoon rainfall over India is 8% more than what is usual for this time of the year. While this might bode well (augur, indicate, portend (a good/bad outcome)) for agriculture in some regions, it also means floods and concentrated (केंद्रित, तीव्र, जोरदार) downpours (मूसलधार बारिश, एक भारी वर्षा) with devastating (विनाशकारी, भयानक) consequences (परिणाम). At least 25 people were killed over the weekend as torrential ((of rain) severe, heavy, copious, relentless) rains triggered flash floods (inundation, swamping, deluge) and landslips (भूस्खलन) in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Several arterial roads (an important/principal (road/route)) were blocked by debris (मलबा, टूटे हुए टुकड़े), as currents (steady flow of (flood water)) washed away (बहा ले जाना) bridges and vehicles. The toll (number, count, total (number of deaths)) was higher in Himachal Pradesh with 21 killed and 12 injured. At least six are missing due to (के कारण, की वजह से) chaos (disarray, turmoil, disruption, confusion) following the downpour. Mandi, Kangra and Chamba were the worst-affected districts in the State. While death and damage to property are the surface (सतह, बाहरी) manifestation (अभिव्यक्ति, प्रदर्शन, संकेत) of these rains, there are a range of secondary effects with long-term (दीर्घकालिक) downstream ((a community/area situated) in the direction in which a stream/river flows) impact (प्रभाव, परिणाम). Schools and transport facilities, for instance (as an example), are immediately put out of action (disable, paralyze, cripple, disenable), leading to (result in, cause, bring on) loss of productive (उत्पादक) hours. Cattle and saplings (a young tree) are left to perish (die, be killed violently/suddenly), which in turn (one after the other, one by one, one at a time) destroys livelihoods (means of making a living with the basic necessities (food, water, shelter and clothing); means of support, subsistence, source of income), debilitates (weaken, paralyze, immobilize, disable) family finances and strains (overburden, pressurize, demand/burden, push to the limit; exhaust) the finances of the state (the government (the administration, the regime)) exchequer (treasury, coffers; funds/resources/finances). The monsoon compresses (shorten, reduce, lessen, decrease) around 75% of India’s annual rainfall into four months and unevenly waters (flood, waterlog; inundate, douse) the country’s highly diverse (varied, different, differing, mixed) terrain (land, ground, topography, landscape). It is, therefore, inevitable (an unavoidable situation, an unpreventable situation) that some spots are far more (much more) vulnerable (in jeopardy, at risk, endangered, unsafe, unprotected, ill-protected, unguarded) and bear (withstand, put up with, take, cope with, handle, tolerate, stand, suffer, experience, undergo, go through) a disproportionate (inordinate, immoderate, excessive) impact of climate fury (anger, wrath, indignation, rage). A recent report released by Himachal Pradesh’s Department of Environment, Science and Technology underlines (emphasize, give emphasis to, lay stress on, highlight, accentuate, call/draw attention to, focus on, zero in on) that mountain areas are highly vulnerable to natural disasters, where development over the years has compounded (aggravate, worsen, make worse, exacerbate, intensify, heighten, increase) the problem by upsetting the ecological balance of various physical processes.

While hill States such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have certain unique challenges, the threats from the vagaries (oddity/peculiarity, unpredictability, fluctuation) of climate are not unique to them. Monsoon rain patterns are being disrupted leading to a rise in cloudburst (a sudden and very heavy rainfall)-like events as well as (and also, and in addition) a rise in the frequency of high-energy cyclones (hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm; depression) and droughts (dry spell, dry period, lack of rain, shortage of water). One strategy (plan of action (in order to achieve a more expansive set of political, economic, and security interests)) adopted by the government has been to improve the system of early warning forecasts (prediction, indication, projection, prognosis, speculation, calculation (of future events or trends)). The India Meteorological Department (an agency under the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India which is responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. It has the responsibility for forecasting, naming and distributing warnings for tropical cyclones in the Northern Indian Ocean region, including the Malacca Straits, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf) now provides fortnightly (happening every two weeks), weekly and even three-hourly weather forecasts to districts. Within these are integrated warnings about flash floods and lightning. Not all of these are accurate and often, they are not provided early enough for authorities (officials, officialdom, the people in charge, the government, the administration, the establishment, the bureaucracy, the system) to prepare themselves. In recent years, improvements in early warnings for incoming cyclones have helped state agencies evacuate (ask people to leave, empty, move out of, get out of, exit from (from a dangerous place)) and rehabilitate (restore to health/normality) the most vulnerable, but such success has not been observed for floods. While the inherent (fundamental, basic, implicit, built-in, natural) risks of infrastructure (the basic physical or organisational structure or framework that a country or organization needs in order to function properly. For a whole nation, it includes all the physical systems such as buildings, roads & railways networks, utilities, etc) development in hills and unstable terrain is well understood, these are often elided (leave out, exclude, fail to include) by authorities in the name of balancing the demands of the people for better infrastructure and services. The increased risk and cost (loss, suffering, drawback, disadvantage) to such projects and infrastructure should be factored in when they are tendered (offer, present, put forward, propose) out by the government, and scientific advice regarding development ought to (must, should) be strictly adhered to (abide by, stick to, hold to, comply with, act in accordance with, conform to).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.upset (verb)

Hindi Meaning - परेशान, विघ्न डालना, बाधा डालना
English Meaning - disrupt, interfere with, disturb, wreck, ruin.

2.ecological balance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पारिस्थितिकी संतुलन
English Meaning - the equilibrium or balance between, and harmonious (compatible) coexistence of, living organisms (such as human being, plants, and animals) and their environment.

3.concentrated (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - केंद्रित, तीव्र, जोरदार
English Meaning - strenuous, intensive, intense, vigorous.

4.downpour (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मूसलधार बारिश, एक भारी वर्षा
English Meaning - a heavy rainfall.

5.devastating (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - विनाशकारी, भयानक
English Meaning - destructive, ruinous, disastrous, catastrophic.

6.consequence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिणाम
English Meaning - result, outcome, effect, repercussion, reverberations, ramification.

7.productive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - उत्पादक
English Meaning - useful, effective, beneficial.

8.landslip (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भूस्खलन
English Meaning - another name for landslide, mudslide, earthfall.

9.debris (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मलबा, टूटे हुए टुकड़े
English Meaning - broken pieces, rubble, wreckage (typically of a building).

10.wash away (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - बहा ले जाना
English Meaning - (of water) to remove someone/something away to another place.

11.due to (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के कारण, की वजह से
English Meaning - because of, owing to, on account of, as a consequence of.

12.surface (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सतह, बाहरी
English Meaning - external, exterior, outward, seeming, ostensible, apparent.

13.manifestation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभिव्यक्ति, प्रदर्शन, संकेत
English Meaning - display, indication, sign, evidence, proof.

14.long-term (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - दीर्घकालिक
English Meaning - enduring, long-lasting, long-lived, continuing, persisting, permanent.

15.impact (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रभाव, परिणाम
English Meaning - effect; results.

16.flash flood (noun)

English Meaning - inundation, swamping, deluge.

17.factor in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - include something (as a relevant element).

18.ecological (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment.

19.bode well/ill (verb)

English Meaning - augur, indicate, portend (a good/bad outcome).

20.torrential (adjective)

English Meaning - (of rain) severe, heavy, copious, relentless.

21.trigger (verb)

English Meaning - cause, give rise to, lead to, bring about, generate.

22.arterial road (adjective)

English Meaning - an important/principal (road/route).

23.current (noun)

English Meaning - steady flow of (flood water).

24.toll (noun)

English Meaning - number, count, total (number of deaths).

25.chaos (noun)

English Meaning - disarray, turmoil, disruption, confusion.

26.downstream (adverb)

English Meaning - (a community/area situated) in the direction in which a stream/river flows.

27.for instance (phrase)

English Meaning - as an example.

28.put out of action (phrase)

English Meaning - disable, paralyze, cripple, disenable.

29.lead to (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on.

30.sapling (noun)

English Meaning - a young tree.

31.perish (verb)

English Meaning - die, be killed violently/suddenly.

32.in turn (phrase)

English Meaning - one after the other, one by one, one at a time.

33.livelihood (noun)

English Meaning - means of making a living with the basic necessities (food, water, shelter and clothing); means of support, subsistence, source of income.

34.debilitate (verb)

English Meaning - weaken, paralyze, immobilize, disable.

35.strain (verb)

English Meaning - overburden, pressurize, demand/burden, push to the limit; exhaust.

36.the state (noun)

English Meaning - the government (the administration, the regime).

37.exchequer (noun)

English Meaning - treasury, coffers; funds/resources/finances.

38.compress (verb)

English Meaning - shorten, reduce, lessen, decrease.

39.water (verb)

English Meaning - flood, waterlog; inundate, douse.

40.diverse (adjective)

English Meaning - varied, different, differing, mixed.

41.terrain (noun)

English Meaning - land, ground, topography, landscape.

42.inevitable (noun)

English Meaning - an unavoidable situation, an unpreventable situation.

43.far more (phrase)

English Meaning - much more.

44.vulnerable (adjective)

English Meaning - in jeopardy, at risk, endangered, unsafe, unprotected, ill-protected, unguarded.

45.bear (verb)

English Meaning - withstand, put up with, take, cope with, handle, tolerate, stand, suffer, experience, undergo, go through.

46.disproportionate (adjective)

English Meaning - inordinate, immoderate, excessive.

47.fury (noun)

English Meaning - anger, wrath, indignation, rage.

48.underline (verb)

English Meaning - emphasize, give emphasis to, lay stress on, highlight, accentuate, call/draw attention to, focus on, zero in on.

49.compound (verb)

English Meaning - aggravate, worsen, make worse, exacerbate, intensify, heighten, increase.

50.vagaries (noun)

English Meaning - oddity/peculiarity, unpredictability, fluctuation.

51.cloudburst (noun)

English Meaning - a sudden and very heavy rainfall.

52.as well as (phrase)

English Meaning - and also, and in addition.

53.cyclone (noun)

English Meaning - hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm; depression.

54.drought (noun)

English Meaning - dry spell, dry period, lack of rain, shortage of water.

55.strategy (noun)

English Meaning - plan of action (in order to achieve a more expansive set of political, economic, and security interests).

56.forecast (noun)

English Meaning - prediction, indication, projection, prognosis, speculation, calculation (of future events or trends).

57.India Meteorological Department (IMD) (noun)

English Meaning - an agency under the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India which is responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. It has the responsibility for forecasting, naming and distributing warnings for tropical cyclones in the Northern Indian Ocean region, including the Malacca Straits, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.

58.fortnightly (adjective)

English Meaning - happening every two weeks.

59.authorities (noun)

English Meaning - officials, officialdom, the people in charge, the government, the administration, the establishment, the bureaucracy, the system.

60.evacuate (verb)

English Meaning - ask people to leave, empty, move out of, get out of, exit from (from a dangerous place).

61.rehabilitate (verb)

English Meaning - restore to health/normality.

62.the vulnerable (adjective)

English Meaning - a weak/neglected person who is in need of special care/support.

63.inherent (adjective)

English Meaning - fundamental, basic, implicit, built-in, natural.

64.infrastructure (noun)

English Meaning - the basic physical or organisational structure or framework that a country or organization needs in order to function properly. For a whole nation, it includes all the physical systems such as buildings, roads & railways networks, utilities, etc.

65.elide (verb)

English Meaning - leave out, exclude, fail to include.

66.cost (noun)

English Meaning - loss, suffering, drawback, disadvantage.

67.tender (verb)

English Meaning - offer, present, put forward, propose.

68.ought to (modal verb)

English Meaning - must, should.

69.adhere to (verb)

English Meaning - abide by, stick to, hold to, comply with, act in accordance with, conform to.