Shadow of peril

Shadow of peril

The Himachal landslide is another reminder of the environmental dangers facing India.

The report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change could not have come at a more opportune time. The landslide on Wednesday that killed at least 10 people in the Kinnaur region of Himachal Pradesh, apart from injuring a few dozen others, is startling evidence of the environmental dangers the report says await India in the coming years. The landslide crushed several vehicles and buried them under a huge pile of debris, blocking the highway for hours. The death toll would have been higher had not many people exited the vehicles and taken shelter under a rock formation. This year, landslides have been more than a bane for Himachal Pradesh. In six weeks till July 30, the State has seen 35 major landslides in many districts. Himachal experienced a double disaster in terms of flash floods caused by cloudbursts as well — 11 such instances in recent weeks, that too in Lahaul-Spiti district which is a cold desert. Not just Himachal Pradesh, but all hill States in India have had scant regard for environmental laws. The hills and mountain sides have been shaved of the natural green cover over decades of mindless deforestation and mining. The mountain region ecosystem, especially in Himachal, is quite fragile, according to scientists who say that poor and loose soil, steep slopes and heavy rains during monsoon make the region vulnerable to erosion.

Rocks and boulders do not have the advantage of a tight soil grip that loosens due to the felling of trees and the topsoil rolls down into the rivers. The key factor to stop landslides is to bolster the soil strata and that can only happen by planting more shrubs and trees. Unscientific development is another factor that is responsible for landslides. Scientists at the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development in Kullu say that the Himalayan rocks are sedimentary, shaped by the flow of water over them for centuries. They are also fragile. When roads are cut through the mountains, the upper portions can slide down automatically or the stones get loose enough to fall any time. It is not just roads; building of dams and culverts, blasting of hills for tunnels or quarrying and deforestation also disturb the mountain ecology and cause accidents. Terrace farming, which has of late increased in the upper reaches of the State, and changes in cropping patterns that increase water usage are also factors. The entire Himalayan region is an unstable zone. The Government should conduct extensive studies on the topography and its vulnerability and engineering measures needed to prevent landslides. Geological surveys are needed to mark zones of areas prone to landslides and rock-falls. Such areas should be avoided while building new settlements. Drone technology could be used to constantly monitor the vulnerable mountain sections to warn motorists at the first indication of a rock-fall. Importantly, developmental works that cost the environment need to be discouraged and alternatives found.