The patience of nature’s fragile ecosystem in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand is wearing thin. At least 15 cloudbursts and flash floods have taken a heavy toll on human lives and infrastructure in upper Himachal and the Kumaon-Garhwal region since late June. In Uttarakhand, the fury wiped out picturesque Dharali earlier this week and more such devastation is forecast. The reason is evident: rising temperatures increase moisture in the atmosphere in the hilly region, causing extreme weather conditions, and the ground situation exacerbates the mess. Dharali, which sprang up close to Khirganga, a placid mountain stream, is a classic example. The stream looks shallow and innocent, and unregulated construction encroached on its course and banks. The volumes of concrete weakened the region’s capacity to withstand heavy rains and buckled under cloudbursts. Hundreds of streams and rivers continue to groan under chaotic construction. The ecological strain that the Char Dham all-weather project and similar highways and tunnels cause is well documented.
The administration is at fault for promoting tourism—the primary source of revenue—without considering topographic studies in both states. The Himalayan terrain is geologically young. Its fragility makes it sensitive to any disruption. If forests are cut rampantly, stream courses are changed, and slopes are weakened by scraping or expanding them, fissures appear in the terrain’s rock structure. The hills become landslide-prone. The streams erupt into torrents in heavy rains. Adventure tourism in Himachal Pradesh and religious tourism in Uttarakhand are the reasons why the construction spree never stops. Yesterday’s pilgrims are today’s consumers, seeking the trappings of urban facilities in the pristine hills, which cannot take the pressure of lakhs of vehicles, hotels, and homestays. Even the Supreme Court lamented recently that Himachal could “disappear” if the mayhem went on.
Dharali is the latest wake-up call we ignore at our peril. Scientists already warn of more glacial bursts like the one near the Nanda Devi massif in Chamoli in 2021. The to-do list is straightforward: halt construction in ecologically sensitive zones; relocate current habitats along water banks and mountain cliffs in these zones; conduct an independent environmental audit; mandate climate-resilient infrastructure norms; set up sustainable limits to tourism; avoid building roads without proper drainage; and implement rubble disposal rules. Do not tame the Himalayas like the plains.