'Flood' of problems continues in Uttarakhand

Nearly four years after massive cloudbursts triggered floods in Uttarakhand that killed hundreds of people, the signs of destruction are still all too visible. Environmental degradation, however, continues unabated.

Hailed as the way ahead for “sustainable development”, some of the hydroelectric projects stand torn apart after getting damaged in the 2013 deluge. At the same time, the mighty rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda, which come together to form the mightiest of them all — the Ganges — seem stripped of their glory, with channels filled more with boulders than with free-running water.

Despite the grave losses suffered by the people of the state, environment and ecology were hardly on the agenda for the 2017 elections, let alone being the top one. The state’s principal parties, Congress and BJP, were, in fact, competing to promise the electorate that the “hurdles” and “black laws” pertaining to environmental protection will be done away with to usher in development.

It is pertinent to remember that former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, now in the BJP, resigned in the wake of the destruction left behind by the floods. His successor and the incumbent, Harish Rawat, had to fulfill the task of rebuilding the Kedarnath and Badrinath towns while, at the same time, pushing for more dams. Across the ecologically fragile districts of Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri and Pauri, both parties promised more dams, more deforestation, wider roads, and more mining of minor minerals found in riverbeds.

For instance, in the Gangotri constituency of Uttarkashi, incumbent legislator Vijay Pal Sajwan from Congress and his opponent Gopal Singh Rawat promised voters that they will, through a central notification, do away with the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) tag accorded to the 100-km stretch between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi.

ESZ prohibits new hydel power plants, except mini and micro ones, expansion of existing plants on Bhagirathi and its tributaries, extraction of river water for industrial use, commercial tree felling, and commercial mining.

Using the age-old trick of propaganda, workers from both parties made a villain of the ESZ protection, terming it a “black law” that ought to be booted out. In fact, CM Rawat even sat on a day-long fast in Delhi to protest against the Centre’s insistence to implement the ESZ notification and its wavering stand on the issue of new dams.

Besides dams, the state is facing environmental issues related to forest fires, water conservation, human-wildlife conflict, rampant mining, and deforestation. The Centre’s 2015 'State of the Forest' report stated that Uttarakhand, whose 45.3 per cent geographical area is covered with forests, lost 268 sq km in two to three years.