DEHRADUN: Noted environmentalist and Padma awardee, Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, has expressed profound concern over natural disasters in Dharali, Uttarkashi, issuing a stark warning that such recurrences will continue unabated unless concrete and effective measures are taken.
Speaking exclusively to TNIE, Dr Joshi, recipient of both the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, emphasized the immediate need for governmental action. "Now is the time that the government must become serious about all the settlements at the foothills of glaciers," he stated.
Joshi explained the alarming transformation. "In the context of global warming, glaciers are currently converting into lakes. Any heavy rainfall can turn that converted lake into a deluge, as we witnessed in Dharali. We should know the cause of water, and it is extremely important to review such settlements."
Posing a critical question, he highlighted the broader national challenge. "The entire country does not have mountains, but we saw the fate of Kerala. Considering this, policies regarding settlements across the country should be re-examined."
He added, "I am working on this. There is an urgent need today to formulate a comprehensive plan for the entire Himalayas and other mountain regions. We must take serious lessons from the fate we are witnessing in Himachal Pradesh."
The world-renowned environmentalist delivered a candid, warning-laden suggestion: "Today the mountains are suffering, tomorrow the whole world will suffer. How can we imagine the Himalayas without our soil, water, and air?"
He stressed, "The time has come for the government to seriously formulate an Infrastructure Settlement Policy."
In light of the current comprehensive situation, Joshi is set to hold an urgent meeting with experts from IIT Roorkee to thoroughly deliberate on this critical subject.
Expressing a deep sense of anguish, Joshi critiqued the collective approach to the Himalayas. "We have not been serious about the Himalayas so far. It is not right to merely blame governments for its deteriorating condition; rather, we too have not understood our responsibilities towards it. We also insisted on the same development model in the Himalayas that prevails in other parts of the country. We will have to bear the consequences."
Shedding light on the spiritual aspect, Joshi concluded, "From ancient times till today, if sensitivities have been attached to the Himalayas, it is because the celestial descriptions by saints and sages in the Vedas and Puranas have always placed its dignity in high esteem, understanding and explaining its importance."
