Man made disasters in Uttarakhand, says High Court

Dehradun-based Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation has released its 12th report of Uttarakhand Disaster & Accident Synopsis (UDAS). The foundation has now been releasing UDAS reports on major disasters and road accidents in Uttarakhand every month for the past one year.

Releasing the 12th report for the month of September 2023, SDC Founder Anoop Nautiyal expressed hope that continued efforts will be made to release the UDAS reports every month. He expressed special gratitude to the state-wide media of Uttarakhand. The monthly UDAS reports are based on media reports in respectable publications in English and Hindi newspapers, as well as news portals.

Focus on the intervention of High Court in the case of Joshimath reports

The UDAS report for the month of September 2023 focuses on the ground reports of 8 specialist national agencies in Joshimath. These reports were made public on the recent orders of the Uttarakhand High Court.

After land subsidence in Joshimath in January this year, 8 agencies were ordered to investigate the scientific reasons for the subsidence. All reports were with the state government but they were not made public.

In these reports, excessive construction work in Joshimath, loosening of soil due to settlement on moraine and blockage of natural drains along with water coming out from houses and hotels were held responsible for land subsidence.

Badrinath Master Plan

UDAS report highlights the demolition being done to convert Badrinath into a smart spiritual town and the problems it is causing. Protests are taking place in Badrinath against the manner of implementation of this scheme.

A house had collapsed due to the river flow being diverted for the riverfront project. Quoting Badrinath resident Priyank Karnatak, he accused the officials of negligence.

People protesting against this plan say that they are being moved out of their houses forcefully without their consent and till now no one from the administration has reached out to them. They will continue to protest against the masterplan and the rehabilitation policy which is not acceptable to them.

However, officials claim that the work is being done with the consent of the common people.

Man made disasters in Uttarakhand, says High Court

In the said report, scathing comments of the Uttarakhand High Court regarding disasters have also been given prominence. On September 6, a division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal pulled up the state government while hearing a PIL regarding the tourism development plan in Doon Valley.

The judge said the state has completely disregarded the law and wants to commercialize everything. Disasters are increasing in the Himalayan region due to neglect.

The division bench said that these disasters are man-made. The court directed the state government to prepare a comprehensive plan and follow the Doon Valley notification.

Avalanche behind Kedarnath temple, cracks in Purnagiri Dham and earthquakes in Uttarakhand

Avalanche occurred behind Sumeru Mountain in Kedarnath. Avalanches have been recorded here repeatedly in recent months. According to the report, this avalanche occurred three to four km behind Kedarnath Dham, although there was no loss of life or property.

The incident of increasing depth of cracks in Purnagiri Dham has also been recorded in the UDAS report. According to the report, the cracks in the fair area which were about one foot deep three weeks ago, have now increased in depth. The priests of the temple have expressed apprehension that if this area is not treated, a situation like Joshimath may arise here too.

The UDAS report also recorded the occurrence of two earthquakes in Uttarkashi within 12 hours of September 11, 2023. There was no loss of life or property due to these low intensity earthquakes. According to the report, earthquakes have been reported this year on May 7, May 11 and July 23 in Pithoragarh district, on May 8 in Bageshwar district, on May 5 in Chamoli and Tehri districts, on April 22 in Pauri district, on April 14 in Rudraprayag district and on April 5 and 6 in Uttarkashi district.

Uttarakhand and disaster management

Anoop Nautiyal said that there is a dire need for the state of Uttarakhand to strengthen the weak links of its disaster management systems & climate resilience plans. He expressed hope that the Uttarakhand UDAS monthly report could be helpful for the political leadership, policy makers, officials, researchers, civil society and media personnel of Uttarakhand. Besides, it can also be used while making policies to minimize the damage caused by disasters & climate change.