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Since 2002 there has been a ban on building within 100 meters of the river bed. In 2012 the Centre declared the 100 kms stretch along the Bhagirathi river from Gangotri to Uttarkashi an ‘Eco Sensitive Zone’ which meant no development was permitted there. But this eco-zone was strongly opposed by the government in the name of development and providing infrastructure to the people living in the area. It is the same area where buildings fell like a pack of cards in the recent debacle.
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Around 70 hydel projects are proposed on the two main tributaries of the Ganga – Alaknanda and Mandakini – that meet at Rudraprayag, the epicenter of the devastation. Two 20km tunnels are being built to divert these rivers for hydel projects and constant blasting of the river banks has affected the local ecology.
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Studies by the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has shown that the fury of flash floods over the north-west Himalayan region in the last 20 years has increased and a probable reason is global warming.
Vinod Tare, senior faculty at IIT Kanpur and an expert on the Himalayan ecosystem, says when trees are removed, rocks blasted and unscientific anthropogenic pressure is exerted, nature plays havoc.
Vandana Shiva the executive director of the Navdanya Trust recalls how even way back in 1982 a study conducted by her to know the ecological impact of mining in the Doon valley showed that the limestone left in the mountains contributed more to the economy than its extraction through mining, because limestone is an aquifer and holds water in its cavities and caves.
Because deforestation and logging were found a serious problem even in the 80s as that led to more landslides, in 1981, a ban was imposed on logging above 1,000 metres in the Ganga catchments she says.
Years later, the laws have been broken by the law makers and industrialisation, mining, real estate and dams have ripped the forest and rivers apart from the areas that had survived until now just because of this nature made disaster management plans.
The state of Uttarakhand is home to approximately 250 tigers, leopards, herds of wild elephants apart from numerous species of birds, insects, and other wildlife. Nearly 4048 species of plant species are known from the region including rare rhododendrons. 161 species of flowering plants are actually recognised as threatened in the state by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Uttarakhand is also home to Corbett National Park the first protected reserve of India. The Nandadevi biosphere reserve, the second biosphere reserve in the country to be recognised by the UNESCO is present in this state
These statistics apart from verifying the blessings of nature that the state has received also show the real wealth that needs to be protected by policy makers and those who run the state today.
On my way to a mountain top, I was shown by my local friend Ravi, whose family has lived for generations in this hill bound valley, a tiny tree sapling he had just planted on the central Himalayan slopes. It was a Himalayan oak and I was told his father had been planting these trees for years to bring back the kind of natural surrounding he had grown up in.
Ravi explained to me that the Himalayan Oaks could hold water, hold soil, enrich the top soil, provide much more shade and space for wildlife to survive because of the broad leaf pattern and regulate the rainfall and snow of the hilly areas like no other species. In this young man’s eyes I could see the love and the understanding
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he has for his land and its healthy sustenance. Needless to say, it is their persistent preservation of the forests that saved them from landslides and floods during the present calamity.
While media reports are filled with horrific details of rivers engulfing buildings, homes and people within seconds, ironically, those stranded near the Kedarnath temple have found refuge in the forests as urban constructions have all been gobbled up by the rain and floods.
It is therefore easy to put the blame on nature’s fury for every natural disaster that is occurring on the planet, but scratch the surface and you realize, nature is only reciprocating the vandalism we humans have subjected her to in the past years.
The monsoons arrived two weeks early in Uttarakhand, but the devastation is clearly the results of our own sins. In the ‘State of the Gods’ as Uttarakhand is known, Mother Nature showed who needs to be worshiped the most.
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GEM INSPIRATIONAL SERIES
| Take care of Earth
By Father Dominic Emmanuel
The scene of devastation in Uttarakhand, particularly around the Kedarnath, where hundreds of pilgrims and rescue officials have died is beyond description. The Bible begins with a beautiful story of God creating the universe in seven days.
And after creating the crown of creation — Adam and Eve — God tells them, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food” (Genesis 1: 29).
Mother Earth and all that it contains, including the sea, is meant to sustain our life for as long as we sojourn here. Environmentalists have gone hoarse trying to warn us about the terrible consequences that loom large for the coming generations if we continue treating the Earth the way we do. The catastrophe in the Himalayan region is certainly another rude shock to our generation.
The pertinent question to ask is this, “Is the disaster in Uttarakhand a man-made
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tragedy or simply the result of nature’s fury?”
There is more or less a consensus which suggests that greed for money is the root cause for the unbridled mining, clearing of forests, construction of huge buildings with total disregard for God’s magnificent creation and His laws. The Bible says, “…The Earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse consumes the Earth; its people must bear their guilt” (Isaiah 24:5-6).
Fortunately, we have enough scientific evidence accompanied by recommendations to care for the Earth and try to undo as much damage as possible.
The Bible asks: “Is it not enough for you to feed on good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?” And then it instructs, “...ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the Earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you… In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:7-10).
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