Point of no-return in the Himalayas

The recent natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and some parts of Punjab have again shown how vulnerable the Himalayan region is. They also point to the continuing refusal of the authorities to act on the warnings given by nature in the past many years. Landslides triggered by heavy rains have caused loss of lives and property on an unprecedented scale in Himachal and Uttarakhand.

The collapse of a stretch of the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway, which is a part of the controversial Char Dham Project, has again raised questions about the Rs 12,000-crore project. Land subsidence has now become common in the region. Landslides happen almost every day in some part of the region, boulders slide down on vehicles, and roads and buildings suddenly cave in. They were reported from Haridwar and Kullu on Thursday. Joshimath is teetering in a danger zone. Himachal Pradesh has suffered a major blow with its agriculture, horticulture and tourism industry taking severe knocks. The highway collapse is considered to have resulted from the weakening of the foundation of the road by the torrential rains that have lashed Uttarakhand. 

Haphazard construction activities, mining, setting up of hydro-electric projects, encroachment of common grounds, promotion of tourism, including religious tourism, and ever-increasing vehicular traffic are the main reasons for the disasters, which are becoming more frequent. Mountain sides are being chopped, forests and trees cleared, and all debris is being dumped into rivers. It is estimated that it will take about an year to rebuild the infrastructure damaged in the past fortnight. But it is a senseless and absurd situation in which destruction keeps happening even as attempts are made to repair the damage. 

The authorities have persisted with the work on the Char Dham highway though there have been many warnings from experts about its impact. It has maintained that the project is of strategic importance in a border region. Whatever the purpose, the fragile region is sending out signals that it cannot take more pressure. It must be remembered that mitigation efforts will not be of any use if the damage gains a critical momentum. 

The Supreme Court this week proposed the setting up of an expert committee for conducting a ‘complete and comprehensive’ study on the carrying or bearing capacity of the Himalayan region, including the maximum population size that an ecosystem can sustain without getting degraded. The central government had approved the action plan of the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) in 2014, but the conditions in the hills and foothills have only worsened since then. The entire region may be moving toward a point of no-return with natural disasters set to cause massive human tragedies.