Another warning in the Himalayas

Environmental concerns ignored as mishaps continue in the Himalayas

Mishaps are happening again and again in the Himalayan region, underlining the need to check building and construction activity there. About 40 workers were trapped on Sunday in a tunnel they were building under the Char Dham highway project in Uttarakhand. Rescue attempts have been on since but faced a setback following a  landslide at the spot on Tuesday night. The highway collapse occurred in a section of the controversial project between Brahmakhal and Yamunotri in the Uttarkashi region. The project, intended to link four pilgrimage centres in the region with wider roads, has invited strong criticism as an environmental hazard. The government has pushed through the project violating a number of laws and without adequate environmental impact assessment. It involves destruction of about 690 hectares of forests with 55,000 trees and evacuation of about 20 million cubic metres of soil. Slope-cutting, tunnelling, dredging and debris generation would exert unprecedented pressure on the terrain which is sensitive and fragile. 

The higher reaches of the Himalayas and even the lower regions are prone to landslides, flash floods and earthquakes. They have happened all over the region in the past few months and their frequency is increasing. Many parts of Joshimath developed cracks and sank last year, and the subsidence is continuing. Himachal Pradesh faced unprecedented flood fury only recently. Flash floods caused by a glacial outburst caused flooding in the Teesta River in Sikkim last month, causing loss of lives and damage to property. Parts of the Chungthang Dam were washed away. A recent landslide at the Subansiri Lower Power Project site, on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, disrupted construction and heightened concerns about such projects. Tunnels constructed to divert the water away from the site have been damaged. Nature is under stress from one end to the other of the Himalayas and it is reacting to the stress through landslides, flash floods and other disasters. The mountains are trying to regain the balance which they have lost because of our assault on them. There is no doubt about who will win this fight, but even the certainty of defeat does not deter us from persisting with the assault. 

Building of infrastructure and development activities are certainly needed in all parts of the country. But if they become counterproductive and do harm rather than good, there should be willingness to reassess and reformulate them and drop them if necessary. Different places will need different ideas and strategies of development. There are strong political considerations behind the Char Dham project. Encouragement of tourism may be another consideration. But the entire region and the country will suffer if environmental considerations are not heeded.