RAINI (UTTARAKHAND): Scientists, experts, conservationists and activists have pointed out lacklustre attitude of the governments when it comes to maintaining balance in development activities and environment.
Ajay Gautam, a Delhi-based activist who has filed range of PIL in Uttarakhand High Court requesting strengthening of disaster management systems said, “I had filed one PIL in year 2014 requesting the court to order installation of warning systems including alarm systems. The court had ordered the same in year 2018 but no compliance was done by the state government.”
Ravi Chopra, chairman of Supreme Court-appointed High Powered Committee (HPC) on 900kms Char Dham Pariyojana connecting four shrines - Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri commenting on the issue said, “In 2014 we had submitted a report warning about hydropower projects…which could result in a major disaster and had recommended cancellation of 23 such projects.”
However, nothing was done.
Views are still divided as to what caused this disaster. The experts have zeroed in on two causes — an avalanche or a glacial lake burst. “An avalanche is a volume starts moving from high altitude and gathers momentum destroying everything in its path. While glacial lake burst is a result of rainfall and snow, when it collapses, everything in its path gets swamped. If it’s glacial lake burst then it is a big failure or our remote sensing agencies,” said Chopra. They also added that the cause of the disaster needs to be investigated.
DP Dobhal, former glaciologist at Dehradun’s Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, said, “Lake formation must have happened for sure which eventually breached today and caused the floods. However, an extensive investigation is needed to confirm the reason which triggered this.”He added that the heavy sediments in flood waters indicate that an avalanche or glacial debris could have dammed river waters resulting in the burst.
