Citation

Gagné K. Disasters 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/disa.12379

PMID

31294489

Abstract

A landslide occurred in the region of Zanskar in the Indian Himalayas in 2015, damming the Tsarap River, creating a lake that effectively became a ticking time bomb, threatening villagers downstream. During the period between the discovery of the natural dam and the bursting of the lake, the state's approach to disaster management plunged the local population into a situation where 'technocratic time' ruled, as government experts handled the impending disaster at a rhythm dictated by the production of studies and reports. Analysis of the temporality of disaster mitigation and preparedness measures during this anticipated flood, as well as of the factors that surrounded the events, reveals how attitudes towards the state shaped people's perceptions of these interventions. In Zanskar, the technocratic pace and the state's lack of transparency were seen as a form of oppression that further marginalised the region, in particular by subjecting its population to the process of waiting.

© 2019 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2019.

Language: en

Keywords

Himalayas; India; anticipation; flood; preparedness; temporality