A disaster waiting to happen

For decades, successive governments have avoided acknowledging that the Himalayan mountains are fragile and highly vulnerable to natural hazards because of their limited carrying capacity.

- MAHARAJ K. PANDIT

Dancing around this truth and ignoring it has been a persistent problem for the Himalaya and its residents. In the recent Uttarakhand tragedy that struck Dharali village, located at a height of about 2550 meters in Uttarkashi, the human death toll remains uncertain, but it is clear that a hundred are missing. The buildings were swept away in a matter of minutes.

While we mourn the loss, we need to realize that the extreme weather events, followed by destruction, have become an annual occurrence in the ongoing climate changes. Cloud bursts happen, flash floods follow, lives and property are lost, NDRF is called upon to respond, and the story ends—the dance continues. Recall the June 2013 floods in the same Bhagirathi basin; it seems there is no end in sight for the tragedies. Whether due to callousness or our collective irresponsible attitudes, neither do the recurring calamities stop nor does the human suffering. So, what keeps going wrong, and what can we do?