Ignore at your own Peril

Uttarakhand is a beautiful state with breathtaking views. From hill stations to sites of religious worship, Uttarakhand has it all. However, in recent years, human intervention has plagued this place of beauty with natural disasters.

Enraged waters. Image source: The Atlantic

Usually, we're all issued a fair amount of warnings before we can proceed with a task that may be detrimental to us and perhaps to all those around us.

But then again, as humans, we think we're the apex predators, and unsurprisingly, we love taking risks believing that even God can't touch us. Nevertheless, this attitude has cost us an outrageous amount of money and innumerable human lives.

Now that climate change has finally picked up pace and people are "concerned", we must remember that countless warnings were issued before it got out of our hands. Even before disaster strikes, scientists warn us of the possibilities and the reasons for its occurrence. But do we listen? Experience shows that 7/10 times, we don't, not when it doesn't serve our interests.

India isn't unfamiliar with natural disasters. If anything, Indians have learned to exercise caution. But unfortunately, some natural disasters cause unparalleled destruction, as has been widely seen in the state of Uttarakhand.

When the 2013 Kedarnath floods happened, the country was shaken by the enormity of the disaster. There were fears that if dams broke, waters could flood parts of UP, Delhi, and reach Punjab.

Not only were houses swept away in the floods, but countless people lost their lives. Recurring landslides didn't make the situation better. Pilgrims visiting the holy sites were stuck on the mountain with no food. It was an ordeal for those stuck in such a situation and lost their family members.

That incident should have been enough for the authorities to wake up and shut down any heavy construction operations in the valley.

While a committee was formed to investigate the disaster, its suggestions were ignored at the top levels. Why? The profits from the ongoing projects are just too high to be slashed. To stop these projects would mean that crores of rupees would be lost from the revenue generated from the yatras.

Scientists have time and again argued that clearing of large tracts of forest areas, and constant drilling and mining disturbs the land. The fact that the construction sites lie in para-glacial zones catapults the process of destruction. Glacial bursts and cloud bursts are only a small part of the problem. The lack of natural barriers causes avalanches and waters to run wild and wipe out everything in their way. The real issue lies in the fact that excessive construction and intervention in the topography of the hills has altered natural phenomena for the worse.

The floods in the Chamoli district last year show that despite the multiple warnings, no heed was paid. This has not only resulted in crores in structural damage but the incalculable loss of human lives too.

There is still time to salvage the situation and mend our ways. Taking scientific reports and suggestions seriously and acting on them will prevent these tragedies that are now a periodic occurrence.

The blame game: Blaming it on glacial bursts. Image source: The Indian Express