Questions arising from the Joshimath tragedy

of Uttarakhand What is happening in Joshimath city is a cause of great concern. This tragedy raises many questions. Joshimath was dangerous and unsafe even four decades ago and is still on the cusp of tragedy. The tragedies that have taken place in Uttarakhand in the last few years have made it clear that there are flaws in the model of development that has been adopted. From the Great Earthquake of Garhwal in the year 1803 to the disaster of 2013 and the current disaster of February 2021 and Joshimath, this process has become more ‘man-made’ than ‘natural’. At present, the disaster in Joshimath can only be called partly natural. This tragedy is actually created and developed by us.

Joshimath is the gateway to Badrinath and Kedarnath and a major pilgrimage for the countrymen. It has a mythological significance of its own. The importance of Joshimath is cultural, mythological, spiritual and strategic. The border with China is just 40 kilometers away. It was considered to be the second home of Lord Vishnu. ‘Jyotirmath’ was the ancient name of this city, one of the four mathas of Hindutva that Adi Shankaracharya had established in India. Vishnu Avatar Lord Narasimha also came to this mountain to pacify his anger. People worship in his temple. Today the Shivling has also been broken, so the devotees are crying seeing it and are trembling with the imagination of some evil.

It is noteworthy that in the year 1976, a top bureaucrat had exposed the apprehension of the crisis that has arisen in Joshimath today in the 21st century. A panel headed by him recommended a ban on heavy construction in the area. In fact, the Mishra Commission had warned that Joshimath is situated at the site of a landslide and is not capable of bearing the burden of large constructions. The commission advised to refrain from building a large number of buildings. But his recommendation was ignored by the rulers and administration of Uttarakhand. In the past decades, indiscriminate construction work took place in Joshimath. Heavy pillars were made for the ropeway. It is said that the process of cracking started from the uppermost pillars. Since the British period, people are aware of the fact that the settlement of Joshimath is at such a place, which is in the form of debris from the melting of a glacier. It is a delicate place from geological point of view. Caution should have been taken against the construction work being done at such a place.

The question arises as to why haphazard construction was allowed on a large scale despite warnings about the weak foundation of the mountain. In fact, tunneling for large hydroelectric projects and the expansion of all-weather highways have made the already sensitive slopes extremely unstable. The result of which is coming out today in the form of big cracks. Undoubtedly, Joshimath is an important stopover for the pilgrimage and trekking circuit in Uttarakhand. Along with this, due to the sensitive border of China, its strategic importance is also high. Due to the China border, a large army cantonment is located here. Due to security reasons, it was also necessary to upgrade the road infrastructure to facilitate the movement of the army.
Environmental experts say that the entire region from Chamoli to Joshimath has faced disasters. Experts say that the floods of 2013 and 2021 had an adverse effect in this area. Two years ago, a glacial lake burst during the winter season, killing more than 204 people, mostly migrant workers and employees working in a hydroelectric project. Also there was massive damage to property. At a time when the existence of Joshimath is in danger due to land subsidence, there is no immediate option for rescue. The challenge is to evacuate people from the affected areas. Then there is the problem of their rehabilitation after that.

Not only Joshimath, people from other 70 places and villages in the state have also complained of cracks in houses, ground. The situation in Tehri, Pauri, Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts may also be similar to Joshimath. There also the mountain has been broken into pieces. A sudden crisis has hit a total of 35,000 families. Where will the hunger to make the mountains ‘metropolitan’ by ripping the mountains in the name of development, allow the mountains to survive? In fact, India ranks fifth in the ‘Global Climate Risk Index, 2020’. Constitutional organizations like NITI Aayog and Comptroller and Auditor General have warned in their reports that due to the encroachments, drills being constructed on the mountains, tunnels and highways being built in the name of development, one day the mountain will be destroyed. Life itself can end. What could be a bigger and scarier warning than this?

People have built houses by adding life time capital, they have tears in their eyes while leaving the house. In such a situation, the Yaksha question of saving this city is in front. In fact, scientific assessment of the rock on which the city rests was necessary before starting major construction. This area is also said to be sensitive from the point of view of earthquake. The irony is that apart from this, there is no adequate arrangement for disposal of city’s rain water and domestic water drainage. The water has been going inside the mountain. People are demanding to postpone the construction of the under-construction hydroelectric project, for which there is a possibility of increasing the crisis due to the digging of tunnels.

On the incidents of land subsidence in Joshimath, it was said that due to the construction of the highway passing through it and the project of NTPC, the land here is slipping. After this, many experts told that the ground is not cracking due to this construction, but it is not right to reach the conclusion so soon. Along with this, it should also be kept in mind that all kinds of construction in and around Joshimath cannot be stopped, because it is a pilgrimage center and the Chinese border is also not far away. In such a situation, it should be ensured that whatever construction is done, it should be done keeping in mind the standards.

Actually, Joshimath is also sensitive to subsidence due to geological movements. Which indicates the urgent need for remedial measures. But there is a need to make a long term strategy regarding this. Seeking solutions to the problem in small pieces may not help in reducing the seriousness of the challenge. Efforts should be made that the livelihood of the local people should not be affected. Not only this, taking lessons from the challenge of Joshimath, there is a need to examine the condition of other hill towns and to re-think about construction works in environmentally sensitive areas in the valleys of Uttarakhand. It would be appropriate that the governments set up a committee to check the quality of all kinds of construction work and ensure that the standards set by it are actually implemented. This will be implemented when the contractors along with the engineers are made accountable and the quality of construction works done by them is also monitored effectively.

Dr. O.P. Tripathi