The silence of the Arunachal Pradesh Government on most important events or its delayed response often results in an information vacuum which facilitates speculations and gives rise to rumor mongering. The recent Kameng River turbidity is a case in point. Despite passage of good 4-5 days, there is no attempt by the state machinery to give out information albeit how preliminary the findings might be.
Arunachal has a full-fledged State Remote Sensing Application Centre (SRSAC) established in the year 1996 which acts as the nodal agency for Remote sensing application programmes in the state. The main objective of SRSAC is to utilize the advanced state-of-art Remote Sensing and GIS technologies for inventory, mapping and monitoring of natural resources and planning for their sustainable development and also for effective rural and urban development planning in the state and taking up research/projects addressing various environmental problems and hazards in the state. Despite having a full fledged Remote Sensing Department, not a single report or statement has come from them.
 If not for researchers from outside the state who volunteered information with satellite data and analysis and journalists scampering on the ground, getting an idea of what actually happened would have been endless. Such information deficit would have eventually played the oft repeated China angle and get many takers for the same.
We are grateful to independent researcher, geographer and naturalist Chintan Sheth for volunteering his expertise on environmental issues related to Arunachal Pradesh including sharing satellite images and interpretations on Kameng river turbidity. Be it landslides or floods or even earthquakes in the higher reaches, he has been our “go-to” resource. Currently he is in East Kameng assisting the district administration to ascertain and study the Kameng River turbidity.
As a state located in seismic zone V, Arunachal government needs to relook into its system, structure and policy programmes related to remote sensing, disaster management, environmental study and forest management. Climate change is a reality; global warming is undeniable and we are starting to witness consequences. India’s commitment at COP26 is documented but are we ready?
Not with poorly skilled manpower, recruited through nepotism. Enquiry should be carried out into the functionality of the Department and if need be, it should be revamped.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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