The mountains have warned, and restoration is the only way out.

Anthropogenic measures and subsequent pollution have caused severe damage to Himachal’s fragile ecosystems.

(6:43 PM, 15th August, 2021)

More than 30 people have died in the recent landslides in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. Similar incidents have created havoc in the surrounding areas as well. Many people are of the view that these are natural calamities, and hence out of human control.

But are these calamities really natural?

No. Although Himachal Pradesh has had a long history of such disasters, there has been a surge in both, the number and intensity of these in the past two decades. Human activity has increased in the mountainous regions, leading to construction of more number of roads, tunnels etc. Urbanization has also lead to increased pollution. And despite protests by indigenous population and activists, the government has taken up many hydro-power projects in the region. It is to be noted that damming of rivers severely affects their natural flow. It is a fact that human intervention into nature always has worse consequences. Damming also disturbs aquatic wildlife and their migration. Without dams, the flow of river is managed naturally. However, in the presence of dams, irregular release of water from the reservoir can have serious implications on the area downstream. It also causes drastic changes in land use patterns of the region. Sedimentation at the bottom of dams, also disturbs the river ecosystem. And the construction of these projects also creates pollution and large-scale deforestation. All these consequences clearly indicate that these projects do not live up to there goals.

The way forward.

Conservation and ecological restoration are the only ways to contain or reverse the current trends in calamities. The area around streams or rivers should be covered with dense vegetation to prevent soil erosion. Immediate policies should be implemented to decrease pollution in the region to a minimum. Damming of rivers in fragile ecosystems needs to stop! Smaller projects can rather have a positive impact on the region’s ecosystem. Sharing the load of renewable energy with wind and solar energy will also help. Finally, decisions concerning the environment should be made in collaboration with the indigenous populations of the region, activists and governmental experts. Environment restoration will take time. Why? Because we have disrupted it for decades!