Open Forum
New
Delhi, 21 August 2013
Of
Floods & Landslides
CANDID EXPERT
GROUPS CRITICAL
By Dhurjati
Mukherjee
The Supreme Court’s recent order on
hydroelectric projects in Uttarakhand is indeed welcome. However, whether the
State Government and the Centre would honestly comply with it and spare the
people another catastrophe needs close scrutiny. In the name of development,
authorities brazenly brush aside warnings by experts in the field. The past bears out this notion, but will we
ever learn is the big question.
All eyes in Uttarakhand would be on
the multi-member expert body to be constituted by the Union Ministry of Environment
and Forests as directed by the apex court. It should include among others,
representatives of the State Government, the Central Water Commission and
expert groups to make a scientific study and fresh environmental impact
assessment of the 24 ‘under construction’ hydro projects in Uttarakhand,
specially of the Alakananda and Bhagirathi river basins. Until further orders,
the Ministry and Bahuguna government should not grant any further environment
clearance or forest clearance for any hydro-electric projects in the State.”
Additionally, Uttarakhand’s Disaster Management Authority will need to submit a
report within three months as to whether it had any disaster management plan in
place and how effective it is for combating the present unprecedented tragedy.
The expert group would do well to
keep in mind that climate change has been occurring in different terrains all
over the country as predicted by various scientific studies and also by the
International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). A year ago in May, a study
pointed out that the Himalayas were vulnerable
to ecological disaster as scientific evidence proved that the majestic
mountains were warming faster than any other part of the world.
The average annual mean temperature
in the 13 eco-regions in the Himalayas in a
25-year period (1982-2006) has risen by 1.5 degrees. This is roughly three
times the rise in global temperatures in the same period, as per the study
conducted by Boston-based University
of Massachusetts and
Bangalore-based Asoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE).
The team found there was a rapid
rise in temperature and average annual precipitation rose by 163 mm. This
impacted vegetation and many species changed their natural course. Also the
average start and duration of the growing season both advanced by five days.
Being a biodiversity hot spot, the Himalayas
are sensitive because of ice locked up in the glaciers and the extreme
variation in temperature.
The recent floods in Uttarakhand
coupled with the massive devastation may obviously be attributed to the effects
in climate change as also the ruthless expansion of construction activities in
an extreme sensitive and fragile region. According to preliminary reports of
the Geological Survey of India, hydro projects such as Vishnuigad project (IC
400 MW) in Alaknanda, barrage of Phat-Byung project (IC 76 MW) and barrage and
powerhouse area of Singoli-Bhatwari project in Mandakini Valley
have been damaged.
As has emerged, the catastrophe
shows how unplanned development created unprecedented havoc. The insatiable
greed for monetary gains and haphazard constructions near the river banks and
hills, widespread deforestation have disturbed patterns of weather. Besides,
there have been incidences of blasting hills to accommodate hydel projects. In
fact, all ecological and sustainable parameters have been breached over time.
Meanwhile, a series of dam projects
have been cleared without regard to the environmental consequences both at
Uttarakhand and also at Arunachal Pradesh, which met with massive protests from
a section of the scientific community. It was argued that the building of dams
would further increase deforestation and soil erosion and disturb patterns of
natural drainage, making floods more likely. And this is obviously expected to
displace many villages and cause more hardships than the benefits of setting up
dams.
Notably, the present floods and
landslides were possibly the most severe since 1970. At that time the
Alakananda valley witnessed another massive flood inundating 100 sq km of land,
washed away bridges and roads and destroyed crops. The impact was severe enough
to be felt in the plains as well. The cause was attributed to the unprecedented
inflow of water into the river and the bursting of these landslide induced
dams.
Shockingly, in spite of a technical
report where scientists recommended monitoring of landslides and fissures and
potential blocked sites using satellite techniques and identification of
degraded slopes through planting of tree species among others, the State
government allowed blatant expansion of roads, buildings and hotels in the
upper Alakananda valley. Moreover, the continuous felling of trees added to the
problem.
Recall, that in August 2012, there
was a tragedy due to exploitation of mountain resources, leaving over 29 dead
and many more missing. The Uttarakhand State Mitigation and Management Centre’s
report then stated it was highly important to strictly regulate development
initiatives in close vicinity of streams and rivers.
Similarly in September 2012,
Okhimath in Rudraprayag saw monsoon-related landslides which killed around 69
people. Again the Centre’s report of this tragedy recommended reduction of the
risk of landslides and even blamed explosives in the fragile Himalayan terrain
for infrastructural development. In fact, Rudraprayag faced monsoon-related
major disasters seven times in the past 34 years, each resulting in numerous
deaths and heavy destruction.
Yet despite warnings by different
agencies, no concrete or positive action has been taken, either by the
concerned State Governments or the Centre, and so-called infrastructural
development has been allowed to continue to the detriment of the ecologically
fragile areas, specially the hilly terrains of Uttarakhand. No clear picture is
either available as to what action the National Disaster Management Committee
has taken or how it is helping the disaster-prone State governments, prompting
the apex court to remark: “proper disaster management plan is not in place
resulting in loss of lives and property”. Worse, the Uttarakhand tragedy
has clearly exposed the bankruptcy of our development and disaster management
policies.
Sadly, others fail to learn the
lessons from this tragedy. Forests are being cleared in the North-East for
various projects without considering its long-term consequences. Massive
deforestation is taking place but barring local groups and NGOs raising a hue
and cry precious little is being done. Additionally, various other activities
which may eventually lead to natural disasters continue to take place. A case
in point is the illegal sand mining in UP, which has been responsible for the
Yamuna river shifting course by about 500 m and has posed a threat to sectors
150, 151,135, 167 and 168 of Noida. While the now famous Durga Shakti case has
put focus on it and a number of FIRs have been lodged against the culprits, the
authorities in Lucknow
are on the offensive instead of putting their house in order.
The above only confirms the worst--
the lackadaisical attitude of State governments. Will the country have that
much-needed sustainable, eco-friendly and integrated development model in place
to prevent or tackle natural disasters? Or will citizens have to knock on the
door of the Supreme Court time and again? The powers-that-be should keep in
mind the idiom “A stitch in time saves nine”. ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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