JAIPUR: Eminent Gandhian and Gandhi Peace Foundation chairperson Radha Bhatt has warned of serious ecological consequences from large-scale tunnelling and damming processes going on in the Himalayas. There are 550 projects under way in Uttarakhand and private companies engaged in the work in the region are spoiling both the physical and cultural environment of the hills, Ms. Bhatt said, demanding a separate development policy for the Himalayas.
Delivering the annual Siddhraj Dhadda Memorial Lecture at the Kumarappa Institute of Gram Swaraj here over the weekend, Ms. Bhatt, who is also the Chairperson of Sarva Sewa Sangh, said the country should not forget the significance of the Himalayas and the possible adverse effects of degradation of the hill system.
“Beyond the physical existence, the Himalayas are also a concept in the minds of Indians from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. They are the lifeline of the country,” she said.
Waterman Rajendra Singh presided over the function which was attended by a large number of Gandhians, Sarvodaya and gau sewa activists and those engaged in environment conservation.
“There should be clarity in the concept of development we want to follow in this country. By now the planners here should have known that aping the western model is a sure recipe for ecological disaster,” Ms. Bhatt added.
Remembering the Chipko movement, which she was also a part of, Ms. Bhatt said the forests can be saved through that agitation but the rivers are under serious threat from the development processes. “Large-scale tunnelling of the Himalayas is going on for diverting the rivers for the purpose of building hydro-electrical projects. On an average, each river project has eight to ten tunnels and one tunnel could be 10 km to 15 km long.”
“The whole of the Himalayas is being tunnelled and the total length of the tunnels will come to 1,000 km,” Ms. Bhatt added, pointing out serious ecological imbalances due to the same like earthquakes. “We all remember the devastating earthquake in Uttarkashi some time back. Small tremors are a regular feature in the hills. What will happen after the tunnelling is not known.”
Ms. Bhatt said the tunnels had already aggravated the water crisis in the hills. As the tunnelling had caused depletion of water level, villagers now need to trek up to three km to fetch water. Many small rivers have already dried up. “The plains people and the decision-makers should not forget that the Ganga is not what emanates from the Gomukh alone. It becomes the mighty river once it reaches the plains due to the confluence of many rivers which are also under threat.”
Mr. Singh, who is presently leading a campaign to save the Ganga, in his presidential address continued with the theme of the river and mountain ecology and said the whole of Uttarakhand had turned into one big market for companies engaged in hydro-electric projects. “This kind of invasions first affects the soil, then the people who are displaced, and then the culture of the place,” he said.
Source: The Hindu,July 31st 2012