Only a fool learns from his own mistakes, said Otto von Bismarck, the wise man learns from the mistakes of others. It is now time for policy makers in Himachal , who so far have refused to learn from either their own mistakes or that of Uttarakhand and Wayanad, to imbibe some lessons from the horrendous tragedy of Nepal. And the lesson is simple- the Himalayas have had enough. Back off!
"Development" has gone berserk in Himachal- 12000 hectares of precious forest land diverted in the last twenty years for various projects, 174 hydel projects sanctioned/ commissioned, 5 million trees felled, construction rules relaxed to permit even 10 storey buildings, the Shimla Development Plan 41 approved to deregulate the city's precious Green Belts and allow construction even in the Heritage and Core areas, an epidemic of unnecessary four-lane highways criss-crossing the state, scores of tunnels planned under the fragile mountains, plans to increase tourist footfall from the present 20 million/ annum to an unsustainable 50 million. And all this in a state which comes under the seismic category VI- the highest. No amount of warnings or reports from environmentalists and scientists that the mountains simply cannot sustain this level of anthropogenic activities have made the governments (current and past) see sense.
The Himalayas are now pushing back, with increasing intensity. Not-so-"natural" disasters in just the three years between 2022 and 2024 have caused direct financial losses of Rs. 13500 crores to the state and claimed 800 lives; the indirect losses to business and livelihoods are much more. (Just this year the losses so far have been Rs.1400 crores and more than 200 dead).For the natural features that held the fragile mountain stratas together- trees, glaciers, snowfields, river drainage- are being decimated and destroyed by these activities. The Himalayas are warming at twice the average global rate, and this warming effect is being amplified by local "heat islands" caused by emissions from heavy machinery and labour camps, deposit of black carbon on the ice fields, pollutants from the ever increasing number of vehicles intruding into high altitude fragile eco-systems on the new roads, removal of green cover. The permafrost which holds together the fractured mountain soil is melting. Dumping of muck in the watercourses is reducing their capacity to carry the excess water, resulting in regular "flash floods." Many red lines have been crossed.
The Himalayas have been warning us for some time now- there was Kedarnath in 2013 , Chamoli in 2021, Sikkim in 2023, Dharali in 2025, and now Nepal. Among the most dangerous impending threats to Himachal is the growing number and size of the glacial lakes in the state, primarily responsible for the disasters above. The state had 107 glacial lakes of noticeable size with a total area of 5.54 sq.kms in 1990, the numbers are 669 and 11.20 now. Some have reached dangerous proportions, like Ghepan in Lahaul which has grown six times to almost 100 hectares. All the major rivers emanate from the glaciers above these lakes and the hydel projects on these rivers are extremely vulnerable to GLOFs. The very hydrology of these rivers are changing. Any damage to these projects would also endanger the lakhs of people living in towns and villages below them, as Nepal has so tragically shown.
Himachal is also naturally susceptible to other high risks: the state lies in the highest seismic zone- VI, it has 20000 landslide prone hot-spots, EWEs (Extreme Weather Events) caused by climate change have increased by 40% in the last few years.
The time for studies, seminars and only monitoring is over. What is needed urgently is decisive action and a drastic change in the model of development the state has been following all these years. The government needs to consider these measures urgently:
* Impose a moratorium on ALL new hydel projects, and stay those sanctioned but not yet started actual construction. Scrap the dozens of projects approved/planned for the high altitude Chenab and Chandrabhaga basin in Lahaul-Spiti, and in Kinnaur and Pangi areas (which the local people have already been protesting against for many years).
* Exhume the 2010 report on environmental impacts of hydel projects by the then Addl. Chief Secretary (Forests) which the High Court had accepted but the then govt. had opposed and subsequent ones moth-balled. Consider its major recommendations- ban on hydel projects in high-altitude, alpine, glaciated, forest catchment areas; maintain minimum distance of 5kms between projects; ensure minimum perennial flow of rivers; develop EIAs, EMPs, CAT plans for the entire river basin (and not just individual projects), before sanctioning any project on any river. Review all projects in the light of these recommendations, and if they are not conforming to them, or pose a threat, then decommission them.
* Vigorously oppose the Center's proposal for a 8.7 km tunnel below the Pir Panjal range to bring the waters of the Chandrabhaga in Lahaul to the Beas in Kullu. This project would rip out the heart of the Himachal Himalayas and would be a disaster of unprecedented proportions: it would destabilise the geology of three districts, generate tens of millions of tonnes of muck which can only clog the rivers, waterways and drainage of these areas, it would disturb the underground acquifers and effect hundreds of water supply schemes, the additional water now added to the Beas would amplify the river's destructive potential, which already causes havoc in Kullu every year. New Delhi's diplomatic failures (which is the cause for this project) should not morph into misery for the state.
* Reconsider the mindless focus on increasing tourist numbers to 50 million from the current 20 million. The state's environment cannot support such numbers, the infrastructure needed for it- roads, buildings, vehicular pollution, sewage and garbage, water supply- would result in huge damage to the natural environment and cultural identity of the state. Learn from the Bhutan model, limit the numbers, improve the quality.
* Impose a ban on tourist/real estate/commercial constructions in rural areas, especially on the peripheries of major towns. Himachal's cities have been ruined by such constructions, mainly by outsiders who are now despoiling the rural areas, cutting hills, felling trees, congesting rural roads, straining local water availability, polluting the forests and water-sources with sewage and garbage, creating noise and light pollution The areas adjoining Kasauli, Solan, Shimla, Manali, Palampur, Dharamsala bear abundant testimony to this ravaging of the environment. Himachal's rural areas should not be allowed to go the way of its towns.
* Immediately discontinue and put a halt to the four-laning epidemic, which benefits only politicians, contractors and bureaucrats. They are not needed, they fracture the geology of the areas they pass through, destabilise the slopes, destroy properties, deprive people of livelihoods, encourage even more polluting vehicles to contaminate our pristine ambience. Both the Parwanoo-Shimla and Kiratpur-Manali highways are continuing (and very expensive) disasters that prove this. Both remain "under construction" even after a decade.
The time to act is NOW. The Himalayas have tolerated our arrogance for centuries, but their patience is now wearing thin. The warnings to us are getting more frequent, and more intense each year. We proudly call Himachal the Dev Bhoomi but ravage and pillage it shamelessly for votes and profit. This must change. Even the Supreme Court warned the state govt. some months back to be more sensitive to the environment or the state would "disappear from the map " of India. We are proving right the words of Hubert Reeves, a French astrophysicist and environmentalist:
Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible God and destroys a visible nature. Unaware that this Nature he is destroying is the God he is worshipping!
Respect Nature. That is the true worship of God.
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