MUMBAI, INDIA (TEH) – A calamitous landslide has wiped out Irshalwadi village, located approximately 80 kilometers from Mumbai in the Raigad district, leading to a staggering death toll of 26 with a further 83 individuals still unaccounted for, reported by the Hindustan Times. Amid the devastation, children from the age bracket of 2 to 14 years, now tragically orphaned, are to receive support from the state, Chief Minister Eknath Shide announced.
Shide’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Mangesh Chivate, disclosed on Saturday that the Srikant Foundation would be partnering with the state government to assume responsibility for the upbringing and education of the bereaved children. Despite this gesture, questions linger about the scope of this support, considering the magnitude of the calamity and the number of affected children.
“The unfolding disaster might be conveniently attributed to the unpredictable wrath of nature,” observers noted. However, they contended, the harsh truth remains that human apathy towards the environment is in large part reciprocated by nature’s increasing ruthlessness. The indiscriminate deforestation and relentless quarrying in the Raigad region bear testament to this mutual brutality. Such unchecked activities, accelerated by governmental organizations and illegal timber trades, are paving the path towards our own ecological downfall.
Strikingly, NGOs, despite receiving donations from both governmental and private entities, have not sufficiently contributed to raising public awareness about the catastrophic implications of such ecological misconduct, especially in these vulnerable tribal areas. Efforts made by a few organizations have been largely disregarded.
The landslide, a stark manifestation of such disregard, is not an isolated incident but a grave signal from nature. It stands as a grim reminder of the irrevocable impacts of climate change, including increasing precipitation during monsoons, intensifying heatwaves during summers, and harsher winters.
Photos and videos of the S&R operation at #Irshalwadi in #Khalapur in #Raigad district.
** 4 dead
** 20 rescued and hospitalised
** Several missing
** @CollectorRaigad & @RaigadPolice, @NDRFHQ mobilisedCM @mieknathshinde in site.@DeccanHerald pic.twitter.com/WzsPQRRnvh
— Mrityunjay Bose (@MBTheGuide) July 20, 2023
Therefore, a collective call to action is necessary to foster greater respect for our natural world. We must stop playing Russian roulette with our planet, or else prepare to grapple with nature’s wrath in perpetuity. Our survival – and that of future generations – hinges on our ability to balance progress with preservation, allowing both nature and humanity to thrive side by side in harmony.
