The land sinking crisis at Joshimath and surrounding areas in Uttarakhand is a grim reminder of what unplanned development can do. It is a wakeup call for the authorities and the government to act keeping in mind the ecological sensitivity.
Every time such a tragedy happens, high level committees are formed to scientifically study the causative factors but soon they are forgotten till a fresh disaster happens. Research has shown that these disasters mostly relate to meteorological regime changes, unusual rainfall patterns, and indiscriminate human actions in the high-risk areas.
Besides a tilted growth pattern, a tunnel for National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) Tapovan-Vishnugad hydropower project has also been responsible for creating the environmental disturbance.
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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, after visiting the affected areas and the relief camps, has assured that a high-level committee had been formed to look into the rehabilitation and efforts would be made to balance the economy with the ecology. Hopefully, further development works in these areas will be done only after surveying the load bearing capacity of the region.
Things to prioritise
Experts have recommended a shutdown of development and hydroelectric projects in the region. The other key recommendations to address the crisis immediately include halt of road construction activities, immediate attention to the drainage system, creation of a better weather warning system for the area so that the inhabitants are well informed of any impending danger. Proper rehabilitation and speedy removal of the debris accumulated after dismantling of the houses, adequate compensation to those affected and taking up replantation in vulnerable areas to retain the soil capacity are the other suggestions put forwarded by the experts.
Warnings ignored
The region from Chamoli to Joshimath has been familiar with disasters. The 2013 Uttarakhand floods, and the more recent Chamoli’s disaster caused by rock and ice avalanches are pointers to the ecological sensitivity of the terrain.
The warnings had come decades back. Geologists and scientists have been giving ample warnings of the precarious nature of the zone. But unfortunately all the different governments did not heed to these warnings. For them an imbalanced and haphazard development was a priority as it had an attached vote bank incentive.
A panel set up under the chairmanship of Garhwal Commissioner Mahesh Chandra Mishra had submitted a report in 1978, which warned that major construction works should not be carried out in the city as it rests on deposits of sand and stone and not a rock. The report had recommended that heavy construction be banned in the area around Joshimath.
In 2010, two researchers from Garhwal University and Disaster Mitigation Management Centre had also written a commentary in Current Science, warning about the ecological threat that the area was facing.
But despite all the forewarnings, the government went ahead with construction of roads and sanctioning of hydroelectric projects.
Way forward
The crisis has been largely triggered by a burgeoning population and a lop-sided infrastructure development. The drainage system of the area is weak. There is no proper system to manage wastewater. Subsequently the wastewater pushes down lose material into the ground, resulting in the sinking of land.
The government should carry out rehabilitation of high-risk prone habitations. All those families whose houses have been severely damaged should be rehabilitated. Importantly they should be adequately compensated for their loss.
The demolition should be planned scientifically or else the disposal of the debris will become another problem for the geologically sensitive zone. Drainage planning should be studied more comprehensively and should be redeveloped according to the needs of the area.
All new infrastructure activities should be paused for some time. A comprehensive assessment must be made of the ecological damage. Proper mapping of the similar vulnerable areas in the Himalayas should be done.
The damage has already been done. But this can be arrested. And for this, the government must chart out an initiative to map a sustainable and long-term strategy. Economic growth and job creations should be balanced holistically with environmental issues.
If the government does not act promptly, there will be many such sinking terrains in the future. And that would then be an irreversible damage. Therefore the government, policy makers and all other stakeholders should jointly outline a plan to avert any more Joshimath type ecological disturbance from surfacing.
— The author, Dr Vanita Srivastava, is an independent science and health writer
Read her previous articles here
(Edited by : C H Unnikrishnan)
First Published: Jan 15, 2023 12:23 PM IST
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