Joshimath will not survive, many cities, villages of the Himalayas will drown in the coming years, environmental expert warns

 

• Joshimath crisis: Vimalendu Jha also said that experts had warned the government to be sensitive towards the Himalayan region and not map the Himalayas like Delhi or other plains.

Environmentalist Vimlendu Jha warned on 10 January that Joshimath was not the last town to witness the sinking tragedy and said that many Himalayan towns and villages would be submerged in the coming years.

Joshimath has been declared a landslide affected area after huge cracks appeared in houses, roads and land. The holy city is the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib.

"This is not the last Joshimath, the resilience of the Himalayas cannot be further tested, many Himalayan towns and villages will be submerged in the years to come," he said.

Jha also said that experts had warned the government for more than five decades to be sensitive to the Himalayan region and not map the Himalayas like Delhi or the plains.

The environmentalist also said that experts had been warning the government for more than 5 decades. "The most shocking thing is that for more than 5 decades, experts have been warning the government to slow down, not map the Himalayas like Delhi or the plains, be sensitive. But no one gave a damn, " They said .

In a series of tweets, he wrote, “All coverage on Joshimath will show you visuals of haphazard construction and leaning houses with cracks, and create a narrative that this is the main cause of the disaster. This is a half-truth and a cover-up exercise to shield the main culprit."

Joshimath sinking thread:
All the coverage on Joshimath will show you scenes of haphazard construction and leaning houses with cracks, while creating a narrative that it is the main cause of the disaster. This is a half truth and a coverup exercise to protect the main culprit. ,

— Vimalendu Jha Vimalendu Jha (@vimlendu) January 10, 2023

He added, “There is no doubt that there is unplanned and haphazard construction in the area, and this puts a 'heavy' load on the area beyond the carrying capacity of the locality. Ideally, any development and urbanization strategy should be risk-averse. should be considered acceptable levels.

He said that the main culprit of this disaster is the development model adopted in Uttarakhand.

He wrote, "The main culprit is the Dev model adopted in Uttarakhand, indeed in the entire Himalayan region, from Dharamshala to Arunachal, massive infrastructure projects are posing a threat to the fragile Himalayan ecosystem."

He said that, "More than 66 tunnels are being constructed in different parts of Uttarakhand, and there are also dams, which have been rocking the entire state for decades, despite all the experts warning against them. The continuous digging and blasting below has created havoc."

Describing the Char Dham road project as a disaster, he wrote, "With nonstop landslides, cutting of thousands of trees, changing the course of perennial and seasonal rivers and streams, damaging aquifers, a complete mindless design, made for 'fast Gaya and 'convenient' mobility of tourists and armed forces."

He also said that the Tapovan Vishnugad Hydroelectric Project tunnel of the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) which passes under Joshimath town is one of the main reasons for the sinking.

"The Tapovan Vishnugarh Hydroelectric Project tunnel passes under the town of Joshimath and many experts believe, and rightly so, that it is one of the main reasons for the sinking of Joshimath, in which underground boring and blasting, disturbing the water bearing aquifers, to do and make the ground hollow." Earlier, other activists and local people had also claimed that the Tapovan Vishnugarh hydroelectric project, which is being built just 12 km from Joshimath, was responsible for the disaster.