Does the Himalaya Say Something?

 The Natural Disasters are more often Man Made

The Uttarakhand deluge that witnessed massive floods washing away the Rishiganga hydropower project and claimed the lives of 36 and more than 170 still missing was not a natural disaster but a man made one and a catastrophe foretold. Ironically, Raini, the village in Chamoli where this devastating tragedy happened, was the cradle of the Chipko Movement, initiated by the villagers to save trees and protect the environment and preserve its sanctity. The true nature lovers and tree-friends villagers of Chamoli could not save their loved ones this time due to the prolonged apathy of system and government.

Despite various protests by the local villagers to stop the construction no action was taken. The Rishiganga hydroelectric power project had been red-flagged by the ecologically-conscious villagers as an impending disaster. Many experts, geologists and environmentalists had condemned the excessive dam construction and other big infrastructure projects underway in Uttarakhand. The reason stated, the ecological fragility of the Himalayas has been dramatically exacerbated by the climate change, yet the dams, highways and other construction drilling the mountains continue unabated. To make it worse, commercial and residential buildings, hotels and shops are built in riverbeds where they ought not to be.

The increasing human activities and commercialization of the peaceful and serene valleys of Himalayas in the name of tourism and development is one of the most perilous dangers which the vast and revered mountain is grappling with now. The situation has deteriorated with the extractive practices and the intensification of industry in the Himalayan region. The manner in which nature is considered by big capital to be a mere resource for consumption and commodification stands in  sheer contrast to far more sustainable and ecofriendly practices as well the deep care and concern demanded by the mankind in the wake of climate crisis.

In Uttarakhand, the Kedarnath tragedy of 2013 was a wakeup call and marked the urgent need to check deforestation, tunneling, blasting and excavation in the region but as we know theories always contrast with practices and following it the Rishiganga Project has seen allegations of using explosives and blasting the mountain, flouting all the norms and protocols.

“Development plans need to go along with the environment and not against it,” said Anjal Prakash, a professor at the Indian School of Business, he further adds, “Climate change is here and now. It is not something that is going to happen later on,” Development is needed for the upliftment of the impoverished region, but experts opine that such projects should take into account the ecological fragility of the mountains and the unpredictable risks posed by climate change. Furthermore, we cannot deny that simultaneous pursuit of environmental and economic well being must always go hand in hand as well as involve complex calculations. The sustainable development will only be possible when experts’ knowledge, opinion of scientists, critical analysis of environmentalists and most importantly the experiences and observations of the locals are taken into consideration more precisely. As recently the residents of Chamoli have long been discussing the clear dangers of ecological collapse in the Himalayas, perhaps, if we were more open to hearing these locales, and didn’t rule out their concerns and their complex relationships with nature, we might better handle such disasters and get to know how more can be averted in future.

A Thought Provoking Read : Crime Against Animals

There’s no hope of establishing the supremacy of human over the environment, the nature has the power to balance everything and calm all the turbulences havocked by man. Till what time will the argumentative human mind continue to justify every act that is against nature- brutally cutting down trees, flattening the hills, constructing bridges over dry, drain-like rivers and piercing the chest of the Mother Earth by constant mining?

Our duty is to improve, beautify and help blossom Nature’s bounties for the welfare of mankind but we are destroying them to achieve ephemeral, selfish and monetary gains. We must treat nature with all our humility and understand the value of the non-human species and their existence with mutual harmony and symbiosis. It’s vital to acknowledge how a river continues to follow its natural course harming none on the way, how a mountain stands tall adorned with trees, vegetation and snow caps obstructing none and how the lush green, vast plains keep sprawling limiting none. Though the life has its endless complexities, the theory of existence is yet simple and precise: Live and Let Live.