A HIMALAYAN TRAGEDY
Excessive
rainfall provides only a partial explanation for why the ‘abode of the Gods’ —
the Himalayan hill States of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh — has been
battered beyond measure in recent days. For man’s excesses and follies have
also been a factor in the destruction that nature has wrought. Whole villages,
stretches of roads and communication links have been effaced. Thousands,
including those from other parts of the country who were undertaking
pilgrimages to religiously significant temples in the region, remain stranded.
It is evident that the problem of poor soil stability on the steep slopes in
this fragile region has been compounded by man-made factors like indiscriminate
deforestation and mindless construction. Hundreds of buildings along the banks
of the Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi have been swept away in Rudraprayag
district alone. Downstream, the Ganga, Yamuna and other rivers have reached
levels not seen in years, posing difficulties even in Delhi. This tragedy truly
has the makings of a national calamity.
A
mighty task of evacuation, relief and reconstruction lies ahead. The longer
term lessons are many. Towns and villages in such terrain ought to be better
planned. There should be a comprehensive renewal and relook at construction
techniques and methods employed. Better systems of forecasting and
dissemination of weather-related information are also essential. Over the past
weekend, the India Meteorological Department did issue routine warnings about
the possibility of heavy to very heavy rains, but these were not sufficiently
stern, considering the uncharacteristically high precipitation levels that were
recorded since. It is also unclear if the warnings were acted upon with
alacrity and disseminated promptly by the State authorities. Crucially, a 2011
notification to declare as eco-sensitive a zone extending to a distance of 130
km from Gomukh where the Alaknanda begins, up to Uttarkashi, remains unenforced
to this day. The Uttarakhand government’s misgivings on this move, based on the
argument that it would impede development, need to be re-examined in an
informed manner. Strategies to ensure better overall management of water
resources in the region are needed. However, observations by the Comptroller
and Auditor General in 2010 expressing concern over disturbance to the natural
ecology and destabilisation of hill slopes caused by the construction of hydel
projects along the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda, and over the failure of the
administration to plant enough trees to mitigate risks arising out of soil degradation,
have a fresh resonance at this point.
Prof. John Kurakar
Prof. John Kurakar
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