Uttarakhand - ravaged by God or Governance?
If you thought that Uttarakhand was a land populated solely by tourists, I wouldn’t blame you. After all, that’s been the focus of the media in relation to who’s been affected by the recent floods – pilgrims at the Char Dhams and at Hemkund Sahib. The numbers are staggering, no doubt. As of 6pm on June 22nd, 73,000 people have been rescued, 50,000 people remain stranded and at least 1,000 are presumed dead (source: reliefweb). The 10,000 armed forces and paramilitary personnel that are putting their own lives at risk to rescue these people, the massive mobilization of help, the gathering of 40 helicopters and round-the-clock building of bridges are all being done for tourists who should not have been there in the first place.
Impact on people
The media’s touristy focus on this situation in Uttarakhand hides the fact that this 'calamity' is only a part of the difficulties imposed on the locals by a misguided 'development' strategy and inefficient governance from the Centre. Practically none of the reports speak of displaced villagers or submerged villages in the region.
In 2009, 233 villages in the state were identified as vulnerable owing to their location 'at the mouth of landslides'. The Rs. 500 crore required to shift them to a stable location was not sanctioned for 4 years (source: IBN live). The consequences of this delay are evident today. There are hardly any reports of the condition of the people in these regions. So far one report received from Kharasi village on the Barkot-Yamunotri road talks of people being frustrated and terrified enough to block military attempts to rescue pilgrims while ignoring the locals (source: IBN live). This story is offset by those of people in villages like Bagori opening their houses and kitchens to stranded people (source: Hindustan Times).
Slideshow: Impact of dams, construction and tourism on the Bhagirathi river
The Char-dham yatra was once considered so difficult that people would attempt it only once in their lifetime. What a contrast to the situation today – where it has become an annual trip, much like a regular holiday! Motorable roads right up to the last point, helicopters to fly people for a hefty a price, comfortable hotels with round-the-clock hot water and a bustling market place that even had an ATM – it was nothing short of a tourist hotspot until one week ago. Now there are only boulders everywhere. While the state is undeniably landslide-prone, the calamity that happened was caused by many factors.
Lack of disaster preparedness
This is in stark contrast to what happened in 1893 when technology and communications were way behind what it is today. A landslide brought down huge boulders in the Birhi Ganga River in Chamoli district. One huge boulder got stuck at the mouth of the Birhi valley and caused some of the rivers to start filling it up. A lake, now called Gohna taal, was formed and its level went up day by day. The administration then set up a telegram office in the nearby village and every day, the level of the pond would be measured and wired to the main cities of Haridwar and Dehradun. In 1894, when the level of the lake was high enough to breach the rocks stuck at its mouth, information was wired down accordingly, a red alret was sounded and villages along the Birhi and Alaknanda were evacuated in time.
It’s unfortunate that more than 120 years later, our disaster preparedness is much worse. When the IMD warned of heavy rainfall, no action was taken to alert the villagers and pilgrims. In a state that aspires to be "power-surplus", there was no electricity or even diesel to keep the mobile towers on in the event of a calamity.
Impact on dams
- 280 Dhauliganga Project of NHPC in Pithoragarh district
- 76 MW Phata Byung HEP of L&T in Mandakini Valley
- 99 MW Singoli Bhatwari HEP of L&T in Mandakini Valley
- Kali Ganga I of UJVNL in Mandakini Valley
- Kali Ganga II of UJVNL in Mandakini Valley
- Madhyamaheshwar HEP,of UJVNL in Mandakini Valley
- Assiganga I-IV projects on Assiganga river in Bhagirathi basin
What can be done?
- Implement zoning regulations in landslide-prone areas – for example, rampant construction of structures in vulnerable areas, along the banks of rivers etc should be prohibited.
- Regulate the influx of tourists into vulnerable areas, especially during monsoons.
- Develop and implement a disaster warning mechanism for the state to notify authorities at block and Panchayat levels as soon as information about adverse weather conditions is available.
- Develop and implement a disaster management plan for the state identifying responsible authorities, evacuation plans, rescue measures etc.
- Halt all construction of dams till a science-based, non-biased study that looks at the cumulative impact of a series of dams on a river can be carried out.
- Protect the slopes near rivers and dams by initiating soil and water conservation activities along with afforestation.
A recap of how it all began
The effect
Even as of today (June 27), nearly two weeks after this nightmare began, the situation is tumultous. Political parties, victim's families, rescue workers, military personnel and many others are in the thick of action but without a resolution. Mass cremation is the talk of the hour as is the helicopter crash carrying pilgrims and rescue personnel. How this will end remains to be seen.
Will God prevail or will Governance? My mind, ironically, thinks of the phrase 'God only knows' but I'll hold that thought.