Himalayas sending a message for India to read

The Himalayan landscape is susceptible to landslides and earthquakes, and recent years have seen significant destabilisation.

 Himalayas sending a message for India to read

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• The story: The death of nine tourists in a landslip in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh in July was another reminder of the fragility of the ecology of the Himalayan States. Extraordinarily heavy rain hit Himachal Pradesh recently, leaving the hill slopes unstable and causing floods in built-up areas.
• Destabilised: The descending boulders from destabilised terrain, which crushed a bridge like a matchstick, are a source of worry for cautious local residents, and the visitors. The Himalayan ecosystem is vulnerable and susceptible to the impacts and consequences of changes on account of natural causes, climate change resulting from anthropogenic emissions and developmental paradigms of modern society.
• Western Himalaya incidents: Earlier, heavy rain-triggered flash floods in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh swept away three people, buildings, and vehicles. Uttarakhand too has been affected with natural disasters with the massive flash flood in Chamoli in February 2021 that killed more than 80 people. Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand may be entering a phase of irreversible decline because of losses to their ecology and frequent landslides may become inevitable. However, the authorities don't seem too worried about it.
• Himalayan ecology under pressure: The Himalayan landscape is susceptible to landslides and earthquakes. It was formed due to the collision of Indian and Eurasian plates, and northward movement of the Indian plate puts continuous stress on the rocks, rendering them weak and prone to landslides and earthquakes. This, combined with steep slopes, rugged topography, high seismic vulnerability, and rainfall, makes the region one of the most disaster prone areas in the world.
• Exploitation: From the mega road expansion project in the name of national security (Char Dham Highway) to building cascading hydroelectric power projects, from unplanned expansion of towns to unsustainable tourism, the Indian States have ignored warnings about the fragile ecology. So what's up is pollution, deforestation, and water and waste management crises.
• Development activity: Mega hydropower, a source of “green” power that substitutes energy from fossil fuels, could alter several aspects of ecology, rendering it vulnerable to the effects of extreme events such as cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and earthquakes. An incompatible model of development in the hills, represented by big hydroelectric projects and large-scale construction activity involving destruction of forests and damming of rivers, is an invitation to harm.
• Global warming: Glacier melting, resulting in an abrupt rise in water causes floods and impacts the local society. Increased incidences of forest fire are also linked with warming of Himalayan region. Conversion of forest to agricultural land, and the exploitation of forests for timber, fodder and fuel wood are some of the main threats to biodiversity in this region.
• Some solutions: First will be proper EWS - Early Warning Systems. These will forecast the disaster and alert the local population and tourists. Then a trans-boundary coalition of Himalayan countries to share and disseminate knowledge is needed. It is critical to review the area’s present status and draw up a sustainable plan that respects the specific requirements of this fragile region and the impact of the climate crisis. Government must strive for achieving sustainable development not only development that is against the ecology. Detailed Project Reports (DPR), Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) are needed before implementing any project.
• Summary: The fragile HImalayan ecology is sending signals, and inability to read the same and respond would be our failure.

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