Himalayan Catastrophe
By Dhurjati Mukherjee
The Himalayan states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir have been ravished by floods and landslides this year. It’s a known fact the Himalayas are not only ecologically fragile, but urbanistically vulnerable. Sadly, planners have ignored the terrain, hydrology and the culture of the mountains. The result is there for all to see — towns expanding without direction, concrete spreading across springs and water heads and infrastructure built as if the land beneath was inert. Thus, rampant infrastructure expansion, unchecked urban growth has been responsible for this catastrophe.
The tragedy in Uttarakhand’s Dharali, a popular stopover on way to Gangotri, is still fresh in our minds. At same time, many major centres, including Shimla and Nainital, sit on waterheads. With rapid concentration, rainfall that once soaked into the soil now rushes unchecked over hard surfaces, intensifying floods and landslides. In one of the worst disasters to hit the Doon valley in recent times, around 15 people died in rain-related incidents while a similar number were missing as torrential downpour across Dehradun district was reported earlier last week.
All roads leading to Mussoorie caused major damage, cutting off access to the town with several landslides reported. As another spell of heavy rains ravaged Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, triggering flash floods and landslides, over 30 people were reported killed, including the very recent one on the outskirts of Chamoli town. However, another estimate found that over a thousand people have died in such calamities in Uttarakhand in a decade while there has been extensive loss of property.
Despite known environmental risks to the fragile Himalayan terrain, the government has been pushing for construction of all-weather roads or the widening of the existing ones. A major example is that of the Char Dham project in Uttarakhand. Costing Rs12,595 crore, it aims to upgrade or develop 835 km of national highways linking Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. Of this, over 600 km have already been completed. Experts believe it’s the most dangerous of various projects and should not have been planned or given green signal.
It’s also distressing to note that successive state governments in Uttarakhand aided by the Centre have mounted a savage assault on the hills by constructing poorly designed roads, ill-conceived dams and other large projects that claim to promote so-called ‘development’which has led to devastation. Since its inception in 2000, Uttarakhand has lost 50,000 hectares of rich natural forest, a hundred million-odd trees, to projects such as highways, dams, mines etc. which offer little benefit to the locals.
There is need to focus on warning systems in place. Incidents expose shortcomings and disaster preparedness. The absence of an extensive network of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) and real-time monitoring means authorities are often reacting late, unable to evacuate or alert populations in time. According to a 2020 report by the India Meteorological Department, only 150-odd AWSs are operational across the Himalayan region, far short of the needs dictated by a vast and fragile landscape. The likes of the Char Dham project and the Joshimath eco-tourism corridor focus on infra-roads, highways, embankments, dams, concrete channels, despite these being ecologically degrading. What takes a back seat is building retention basins, restoring natural slopes, integrating sponge zones – all of which are needed to absorb, store, slow down water and reduce flood risks.
Scientists have repeatedly warned against the indiscriminate and unplanned construction often directly in the path of potential flash floods, leaving both people and property vulnerable. But state governments have ignored such warnings and allowed construction activities to continue. Importantly, the Supreme Court has taken up cudgels in protecting a fragile ecosystem from the depredations of a fragile State. Recently, it expressed serious concern about the unregulated tourism industry in the Himalayan region, warning a state like Himachal might just disappear altogether if infrastructure kept receiving priority over nature. Immediate ameliorative steps must include banning all constructive activity near riverbanks, moving populations away from them and disposing of large boulders and construction debris in a way these are not easily swept by rivers.
Unfortunately, current indications reveal road building in the hills is unlikely to slow down. Under Phase IV of the PMGSY launched last year, 250 habitations are likely to be connected in the Northeast and other hill areas, indicating road construction shall accelerate in the years ahead. Additionally, unchecked growth of hotels and lodges near riverbanks, shall compoundthe devastation unleashed during monsoon months.
As has repeatedly been argued, urban planning in the Himalayan terrain must account for slope gradient, soil stability and hydrology. But it’s not being followed. In fact, the highways authority has identified over 600 slope failure zones on Himalayan roads. Heavy tourist traffic in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and other places adds to the problem. While it can’t be denied that tourism sustains economies, its current form overwhelms fragile systems. In Uttarakhand, the tourist influx rose by more than 60% between 2022 and 2024. Along with Himachal, it struggles to integrate geo-hydrological risks into their master plans. Finally, it needs to assertedthe Himalayas can’t be treated as a land bank for construction. Urbanism in the terrain must be judicious, keeping in view the geo-hydrological constraints and risks.
It’s also important to note the guidelines issued by the Central Water Commission (CWC), which monitors 902 glacial lakes between June-October through remote sensing techniques. Itstresses integrating glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) considerations into infrastructure planning and risk reduction strategies. Is the government listening?
Obviously, future in the mountain terrainlooks quite gloomy, with an addition of climate change, marked by a sharp rise in temperatures and increasing erratic rainfall effects. In a report October last year, consultancy firm, Climate Trends, stated that between 2016-2023, Uttarakhand’s fruit cultivation area shrank by 54% while yields fell by 44%, largely due to extreme weather. Apples and peaches were hit the hardest.
Given the topography and soil gradient of the Himalayan terrain, a judicious approach must be adopted. Coordinated efforts across states to implement upstream flood control, forest conservation, and eco-sensitive development are imperative, in their desire for development and facilitating religious tourism. Additionally, there’s a need to form Himalaya-wide governance forums and local communities to be heard properly, as much as environmental experts. Ecological restoration and creation of natural buffers must become standard practices in all development projects. Anything short of this shall invite tragedies. — INFA