The Joshimath phenomenon is an alarm bell: Either act collectively or sink together

The Uttarakhand state government on January 11 announced an interim relief of Rs 45 crore, amounting to Rs 1.5 lakh for each affected families who have been shifted to safer locations after land subsidence in Joshimath led to houses and establishments to develop cracks. (Image: AFP)

Disasters have become commonplace in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, the most recent one being the sinking of Joshimath. Although climate change has triggered these events, the most important underlying factors are poor planning and a lack of vision.

Nature has given us enough warnings of the dangers in the Himalayas. The 2013 Kedarnath floods took more than 5,000 lives, according to official records. The 2015 Gurkha Earthquake in Nepal killed as many as 8000 individuals. The recent floods in Pakistan left millions of people homeless and devastated.

The ‘Joshimath sinking’ phenomenon has received national and global attention. However, other cities and towns across Uttarakhand are also on the brink of collapse. Joshimath is the first one to succumb to human pressures, thankfully without causing any damage to human lives. Unfortunate as it is, the Joshimath sinking has created another opportunity to discuss evacuation plans and resettlement. Overburdened cities such as Nainital, Mussoorie and Pithoragarh, and religious transits such as the Prayags perilously hanging over the confluences of rivers may not provide this opportunity.

Mindless Construction

The geological fragility of Uttarakhand is part of scientific and popular knowledge. Government policies and bylaws prohibit people from constructing houses on vulnerable slopes. Uttarakhand houses top research agencies and universities upon which the geological and environmental understanding of the Himalayan region is built. With increasing access to internet facilities, almost everyone can find information. Yet one is compelled to ask about the role technological advancement and information abundance have played in environmental decision-making as mindless construction over vulnerable slopes continues uninhibited.

Access to evidence and information is useless until the information is carefully interpreted and made useful and usable by implementers. The technicalities of science and academic jargon are complex for bureaucrats to understand and laypersons and bureaucratic mindsets only engage with the research community for obligatory and cosmetic purposes.

Those Were The Days

Uttarakhand is also a storehouse of traditional and indigenous knowledge. The art and craft of natural resource management are rapidly disappearing due to our sheer neglect and lack of trust in age-old systems that worked for centuries.

We have continued to borrow practices from elsewhere for implementation on the delicate eco-geological systems of the Himalayas. Gurugram’s infrastructure development took a toll on Gurugram itself. For the Himalayas, Gurugram-style development is enormously devastating. The “Gurugramisation” of Uttarakhand needs to stop.

The divide between science–policy, and people, has promoted disconnected decision-making and encouraged individuals to casually flout bylaws and regulatory policies. A common Uttarakhandi is forced to live a life full of uncertainty and fear.

Nainital on The Edge

Take the case of Nainital, one of the most vulnerable cities in the entire Himalayan region. The Nainital lake is situated over an active faultline and surrounded by slopes vulnerable to landslides. It falls under a high earthquake-prone zone (Zone IV). Since its settlement in 1841 small and big landslides continue to threaten the city. The most devastating of them was the 1880 landslide that took 151 human lives.

Despite having robust scientific evidence, building bylaws, and an aware citizenry, the brutal assaults on the biophysical environment of the city are ongoing. The slope that collapsed in 1880 (less than a fraction of a second earlier on a geological time scale) is now inhabited by more than 15,000 individuals.

In 2017, the Nainital lake level plummeted 18 feet due to the excessive withdrawal of water from the lake bed to meet local and unprecedented tourism needs. Such a decline was never experienced in the past. The biggest threat to Nainital is the crumbling “Balianala”. To make matters worse, construction work over the most important recharge area of the Nainital lake “Sukhatal” is underway. The intention is to enhance tourism-related activity. But the question is, does a city that receives more than 10,000 tourists and 2,000 vehicles on a daily basis in the summer months and weekends need more tourism? Particularly when the carrying capacity of the city has been exhausted? The natural infrastructure is fatigued and dangers of a possible collapse are visible to the human eye.

Uttarakhand urgently needs to revisit its development practices. Fostering a collaborative culture and interdisciplinary thinking will help in better decision-making and create an environment of shared ownership and vision. We are facing a problem due to collective failure. Act collectively, or be ready to sink together.

Vishal Singh is Chief Executive Officer and Director of Research at the Centre for Ecology Development And Research. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.