Perspective : The 'Himalayan' Crisis | 10 January, 2023

Summary

The video script discusses the urgent crisis in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, where over 600 houses and roads have developed cracks due to the town's construction on unstable ancient landslide material. Expert panelists emphasize the need for policy overhaul, addressing illegal construction, deforestation, and population pressure. They call for regional planning specific to the Himalayan region's unique geology and ecology, stressing the importance of honest policy implementation to protect the fragile ecosystem and prevent future crises.

Takeaways

• 🏔 The Himalayan crisis in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, has caused panic and protests due to the development of cracks in roads and over 600 houses.
• 🚨 The Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing on a plea related to the incident, highlighting the complexity and urgency of the situation.
• 🏗️ Demolition of at least two hotels and provision of shelter to affected families by the state government is currently underway.
• 🔍 Expert panels and government agencies are assessing the ground sinking in Joshimath, which is built on ancient landslide material with low load-bearing capacity.
• 📚 Historical warnings and studies, including the Mahesh Chandra Mishra committee report from 1976, have been overlooked, contributing to the current crisis.
• 🌳 Deforestation, illegal sand mining, and unchecked construction have been identified as factors exacerbating the vulnerability of the region.
• 🏛️ The lack of proper building codes and policies for construction in seismically active and landslide-prone areas is a critical issue.
• 🛑 Immediate actions required include regularizing drainage systems and demolishing unsafe buildings, while also considering long-term relocation for affected communities.
• 🔑 There is a call for a complete overhaul of policies and plans based on the region's topography and ecological sensitivity, with an emphasis on honest implementation.
• 🤝 The need for a joint partnership between central and state governments, along with local authorities, is emphasized for sustainable development and crisis management.
• 🌐 The discussion underscores the broader need for environmental protection and sustainable practices in economic growth and development plans.

Q & A

What is the current crisis in Joshimath, Uttarakhand?

The crisis in Joshimath involves the development of cracks in several roads and over 600 houses, causing panic and protests among the local population due to the fear of ground subsidence.

What steps have been taken by the authorities in response to the situation in Joshimath?

The authorities have begun the demolition process of at least two hotels affected by the cracks, and are providing shelter to the affected families by the state government and other assistants.

Why is Joshimath considered vulnerable to such crises?

Joshimath city has been built on ancient landslide material, making it rest on a deposit of sand and stone, which does not have high load-bearing capacity, making the area extremely vulnerable to increasing infrastructure and population burden.

What role did the Supreme Court play in this crisis?

The Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing on a plea relating to the incident, indicating that immediate judicial intervention was not sought or granted.

What historical recommendations were ignored that might have prevented the current crisis?

The Mahesh Chandra Mishra committee in 1976 recommended no new buildings in Joshimath due to deforestation and the risk of subsidence, but these recommendations were not adhered to.

What is the connection between illegal activities and the crisis in Joshimath?

Illegal activities such as sand mining, unchecked deforestation, and increased load due to population and illegal construction are believed to have contributed to the crisis by destabilizing the ground.

What are the expert panel's views on the severity of the crisis and its implications for other areas?

The panel agrees that the crisis has been in the making for a long time and is not limited to Joshimath, with similar issues reported in Kedarnath and other cities, indicating a widespread problem.

What are the policy and planning failures that have led to the current situation?

There is a mismatch between research recommendations and policies, and a lack of implementation of those policies. The absence of building codes and policies specific to the region's unique conditions has led to this crisis.

What immediate actions are suggested to mitigate the crisis in Joshimath?

Immediate actions include regularizing the drainage system, demolishing buildings with cracks, and relocating people to safer areas, but also recognizing that relocation is not a permanent solution.

What long-term strategies are recommended to prevent future crises in the Himalayan region?

Long-term strategies include creating regional and sub-regional plans based on micro-zonation, strengthening local planning authorities, and implementing development control regulations that consider the unique geography and geology of the area.

How can the involvement of central and state governments be improved to address such crises?

By making central projects joint ventures with state governments, ensuring local authorities have a say in decision-making, and fostering a coordinated approach that includes all levels of government.

Outlines

00:00

🏔️ Himalayan Crisis in Joshimath

The first paragraph discusses the alarming situation in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, where over 600 houses and roads have developed cracks due to ground subsidence. The town, known as the Gateway to Badrinath Temple, is built on ancient landslide material, making it vulnerable to infrastructure and population pressures. The authorities have begun demolition of affected buildings and are providing shelter to families. The crisis has been brewing for over 50 years, with past studies and warnings ignored, leading to the current state of emergency.

05:00

🔍 Analyzing the Joshimath Crisis

This paragraph delves into the scientific aspects of the crisis, with experts agreeing that the situation has been developing for a long time and is not an isolated incident. The entire Uttarakhand region, particularly in the middle slopes of the valleys, is sensitive to landslides and seismic activities. Illegal activities such as sand mining, unchecked deforestation, and increased population and construction pressures have contributed to the crisis. The discussion highlights the failure of governance and the need for proper building codes and policies tailored to the region's unique geological and climatic conditions.

10:02

📚 Disconnect Between Research and Policy

The third paragraph addresses the gap between research recommendations and policy implementation in the Himalayan region. Despite numerous studies and expert opinions, the situation in Joshimath has reached a critical point. The need for a regional plan that considers local geography, geology, and geohydrology is emphasized. The current laws and policies are not sufficient, and there is a call for a new strategy of governance that includes joint partnerships between central and state governments, as well as the involvement of local authorities.

15:02

🛠️ Immediate and Long-Term Solutions

The fourth paragraph focuses on the immediate actions needed to mitigate the crisis in Joshimath and the long-term strategies for sustainable development. Suggestions include regularizing the drainage system, demolishing damaged buildings, and finding permanent solutions for displaced residents. There is a call for honesty, dedication, and determination from the government in implementing scientific recommendations and creating policies that protect the fragile land and its inhabitants.

20:03

🌿 Sensitizing Authorities to Environmental Issues

In this paragraph, the discussion centers on the importance of sensitizing authorities to the environmental and ecological issues specific to the Himalayan region. The lack of awareness and training among those handling projects in the area is highlighted as a significant problem. The need for a more inclusive and coordinated approach among different levels of government is emphasized, along with the strengthening of local planning authorities. The paragraph also touches on the issue of unbridled tourism and the need for sustainable development plans that consider the carrying capacity of the region.

25:05

🚫 Preventing Future Himalayan Crises

The final paragraph summarizes the key points discussed by the expert panel, emphasizing the need for policy overhauls, law amendments, and most importantly, the honest implementation of these policies to protect the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayas. The panelists stress the importance of learning from the current crisis and taking proactive measures to prevent similar situations in the future, ensuring sustainable development that is in harmony with the region's unique environmental conditions.

Keywords

💡Himalayan crisis

The 'Himalayan crisis' refers to the environmental and infrastructural issues faced in the Himalayan region, particularly in the context of the video, the town of Joshimath in Uttarakhand, India. The crisis is characterized by the development of cracks in roads and over 600 houses, leading to panic and protests among locals. It is a central theme of the video, highlighting the urgent need for action and understanding of the region's unique geological and environmental challenges.

💡Land subsidence

Land subsidence is the downward settling of the earth's surface, often caused by the removal of underlying materials, such as groundwater extraction or mining. In the video, it is discussed as a significant factor contributing to the crisis in Joshimath, where the town's foundation on ancient landslide material and sandstone, lacking high load-bearing capacity, makes it highly vulnerable to increasing infrastructure and population pressures.

💡Joshimath

Joshimath, also known as the 'Gateway town to Badrinath Temple,' is the focus of the video due to the recent crisis it faces. The town's infrastructure is deteriorating, with buildings and roads developing cracks, which has led to a sense of urgency among officials and experts to address the situation. The keyword is used to illustrate the specific location where the crisis is unfolding and to draw attention to the broader implications for the Himalayan region.

💡Illegal construction

Illegal construction is a term used in the video to describe the unauthorized building activities that have contributed to the crisis in Joshimath. It is mentioned as one of the factors exacerbating the land subsidence issue, as the region's geological sensitivity requires strict adherence to building codes and regulations. The script points out the lack of enforcement of such regulations as a policy failure.

💡Deforestation

Deforestation is the removal of trees and forests, which is highlighted in the video as a contributing factor to the environmental crisis in the Himalayas. The script mentions past warnings from activists about the impacts of deforestation on the region's stability, suggesting that the loss of vegetation has played a role in the current crisis by destabilizing the soil and increasing the risk of landslides and subsidence.

💡Sand mining

Sand mining is the extraction of sand, often from riverbeds, which is a significant issue discussed in the video. It is portrayed as an illegal activity that has been ongoing despite government directives, contributing to the destabilization of the land in the Himalayan region. The script implies that sand mining weakens the soil structure, making the area more susceptible to the current crisis.

💡Seismic activity

Seismic activity refers to the earthquakes and tremors that occur in a region. The video mentions that Joshimath and the broader Uttarakhand region fall within a seismic zone, which means they are prone to earthquakes. This seismic activity is a contributing factor to the land subsidence and the overall vulnerability of the area's infrastructure.

💡Policy implementation

Policy implementation is the process of putting government policies and regulations into effect. The video discusses the gap between the existence of policies and their actual enforcement on the ground. It is suggested that a lack of proper implementation has led to the current crisis, with the script emphasizing the need for honesty, dedication, and determination from the government to effectively address the situation.

💡Environmental impact assessment (EIA)

An environmental impact assessment is a process that evaluates the potential environmental effects of a proposed project. In the video, the EIA is criticized for not being taken seriously or not having the requisite data, particularly in the context of the Himalayan region's unique ecological and geological conditions. The script implies that inadequate EIA has contributed to the current crisis by allowing harmful practices to continue unchecked.

💡Regional planning

Regional planning involves the strategic development and management of a specific geographic area, taking into account its unique characteristics and needs. The video calls for a regional plan for the Himalayan area, emphasizing the need for micro-zonation based on detailed studies of local geography, geology, and geohydrology. The script suggests that a tailored approach to planning is essential to prevent future crises and promote sustainable development in the region.

💡Governance

Governance refers to the structures, processes, and traditions that determine how power is exercised, how stakeholders have their say, how decisions are made, and how citizens or other stakeholders are held accountable. The video identifies a failure of governance as a key factor in the Joshimath crisis, suggesting that a new strategy of governance is required to address the complex challenges facing the Himalayan region, including a more integrated approach between central and state governments and local authorities.

Highlights

The Himalayan crisis in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, has led to roads and over 600 houses developing cracks, causing panic and protests among locals.

A high-level meeting of officials from the central and state government assessed the situation, but the Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing on the matter.

Authorities have begun demolition of affected hotels and are providing shelter to families, based on expert panel recommendations.

Joshimath city is built on ancient landslide material, making it highly vulnerable to infrastructure and population burdens.

Expert Dr. Yashpal Sundriyal emphasizes the long-standing issues and the failure of governance in managing the crisis.

Urmi Goswami points out the lack of implementation of past studies and warnings by activists about illegal sand mining and deforestation.

The panel discusses the need for a regional plan specific to the Himalayan area, considering its unique geological and ecological conditions.

Sudhir Krishna, former secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development, highlights the mismatch between research recommendations and policy implementation.

The discussion underscores the importance of creating and enforcing building codes suitable for seismic zones and landslide-prone areas.

Professor Sundriyal suggests immediate actions such as regularizing drainage systems and demolishing unsafe buildings in Joshimath.

Mr. Krishna calls for sensitizing authorities about environmental and ecological issues specific to the Himalayan region.

The panel agrees on the necessity of a joint partnership between central and state governments for sustainable development in the Himalayas.

Urmi Goswami stresses the need for discipline in tourism and transportation to protect the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.

The discussion concludes with a call for an overhaul of policies, plans, and governance strategies specific to the Himalayan region's topography and eco-sensitivity.

The panelists emphasize the urgency of honest policy implementation to prevent future crises in the Himalayas.

The conversation highlights the importance of integrating local knowledge and scientific research in policymaking and governance.

Transcripts

foreign

[Music]

National and international issues today

we're going to talk about the Himalayan

crisis now several roads and over 600

houses in uttarakhand joshimat which is

also known as the Gateway town to

badrinath Temple have developed cracks

over the past few weeks causing panic

and protests among the local population

while a high level meeting of officials

from central government state government

and agencies like ndma GIS and NIH took

stock of the situation on Sunday the

Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing

on a plea relating to the incident on

Tuesday based on recommendations by an

expert panel a tasked by the center to

assess the sinking of the ground surface

in joshimer the authorities have begun

demolition process of at least two

hotels they are affected families are

also being provided shelter data by the

state government and other assistants

according to experts joshimath city has

been built on an ancient Landslide

material making it rest on a deposit of

Sand and Stone not rock which does not

have the high load bearing capacity this

makes the area extremely vulnerable to

ever increasing infrastructure and

population burden so to further

understand the reasons behind the

situation in joshimat and how can it be

tackled and lessons to be learned from

here onwards as far as Himalayas is

concerned we have with us a

distinguished panel of experts today let

me first

introduce them to you beginning with Dr

yashpal sundryal is joining us he's a

professor and head of the Department of

remote sensing and GIS at hnb gadbal

University we are also joined by Mr

sudhir Krishna he's uh former secretary

uh with the ministry of Urban

Development and urmi goswami a senior

journalist is also joining us who keeps

a close watch on all such issues welcome

all of you to Sunset television I'll

begin with you or me and let's start by

taking stock of the situation on the

ground what's happening there more than

600 houses developing crack you know

several roads as well some hotels also

looks like the Garment Machinery is

there on the ground uh trying to you

know assess and control the situation

but what is being what is happening

right now well basically what's

happening is as you said there is an

order to demolish the two hotels there

is evacuation of people that's happening

of course the community wants to stay

together as as you would expect because

they're after all the community and

basically we are trying to dismantle

everything that that we have that has

been built in that in that City in that

town for the last 50 or more years uh

the problem is this is that if we the

the authorities are now moving at a

speed as if an event has happened but

the fact of the matter remains that it

is an event that has been in the making

uh for more than 50 years and I think

that is where the the problem lies this

is not something that creeped up on us

or just suddenly struck us it's not an

extreme weather event uh you know like a

cloud burst it is basically a problem

that has been in the making you

mentioned about studies uh you know we

know now now everybody knows about the

Mahesh Chandra Mishra committee the

18-member committee that in 1976 was

appointed in 1976 that said very clearly

that no buildings should be there should

be no new building this in joshimat you

should look to replanting because of the

why why deforestation that had happened

and now so many years later and in

between there have been studies I mean

the uttarakhand disaster Management

Authority has studies of its own not to

mention other academic studies you know

they're talking there are studies about

risk reduction that that the disaster

Management Authority has done on the

state disaster Management Authority has

done the tragedy is that you know all

that information all that knowledge

exists not just and also you had

activists working in the area who were

taking uh who are warning you about not

just about projects about illegal sand

mining about deforestation about

excessive building and nobody listen so

you know what's happening now it seems

like you're you're trying to act uh

trying to but the fact is that we create

we did this damage and now whatever

unrolling you're doing is not going to

fix it it's not it's like Humpty Dumpty

you can't really put it back together

okay at least not immediately let's

let's let's try and understand uh this a

bit more scientifically as to what can

be done what has happened as well and

some of those points are I'll uh take it

along to uh uh Professor Sundial here

professorial you know two aspects one do

you agree with what urmi was saying that

this is a crisis which was in making for

quite some time now that's one and two

how serious is the crisis and it's just

not about Joshi but we're looking at

joshima but there are reports coming in

about you know uh similar cracks

developing in several houses in

kedarnath as well uh so so other cities

also so perhaps I have this problem

ah yes I'm agreed with you and uh is the

another City from where we are getting

the information that cracks are being

developed in the houses

and we have many other locations I can

mention the uh gopeshwar which is the

district headquarter of the terminal

District we have the Gupta Kasi which is

in route of the kedarnath uh Temple so

the entire uttarakhand or inside himmala

is highly sensitive and

the all the villages

located in particularly uttarakhand

Himalaya in the middle slope of the

valleys and they are located on the

paleol landslides

coming back to the uh Cessna city of the

area you see what is uh not only located

as you mentioned on the parallel and

slides old landslides but seismically

also this Falls

under the June 5th

and a reckoning earthquake activity

earthquake activities are not

such type of activity which will stop

for a while continuously one two and 2.5

magnitude earthquakes are being

generated by but we cannot felt that

okay

uh we have another hot spots we have uh

our hnb garhwal industry in the cylinder

Valley and as

I sorry I don't know the full name of

the she she is

mentioned that mining mining is uh sand

mining is a

big problem a few days back uttarakhand

government told that now they have

issued the direction that no mining will

be carried out in on the riverbed from

the bridge one kilometer upstream and

one kilometer Downstream but

mining is continuously uh going on many

activities on the river

Alexander which is located in the

Srinagar Valley that is under threat so

we will have to understand that what

type of the policies uh the government

is implementing and I will say that it

is actually the josiemut uh incident is

totally failure of the governance

okay okay but but are you saying

Professor sundryal that the joshimat

incident is a result of combination of

factors you know uh one being uh illegal

activities like sand mining in the area

unchecked a deforestation uh you know

increased load of population and illegal

construction as well in those areas

perhaps along with the developmental

projects also is this all combined which

has led over the years to this situation

I will put number one on the illegal

construction

committee said that no RCC structure

should remain on that sensitive land of

the parallel slide

and

second thing our planning we don't have

any building codes we have not made any

policies how what type of the

construction should be made

it is specifically active it is

climatically sensitive and if

government has not framed any policy and

any building course for all these then

this type of the disaster will happen in

uttarakhand and we are seeing it from

2001 then 2012 then 2013 and 2021 and

this time the juicy much Calamity we are

discussing okay okay let me bring in Mr

uh sudhir Krishna here as well he's been

patiently listening to uh uh both the

other panelists as well Mr Krishna as

you heard both professor sundryal and

Umi pointing out to various factors

which might have led to you know this

crisis which we are facing right now in

joshimat and perhaps you know at a

smaller level in some other towns or

nearby in in in uttarakhand now the

question is

over the years you know there have been

policies which have been put in place

there has been research which has been

brought out there have been expert

opinion which has been given but despite

all that we have reached a place uh or a

situation like the one we which we face

in joshima where have we aired

I think the problem lies in mismatch

between the research recommendations and

the policies

and also between the policies and the

policy implementation there also seems

to be a need for closer connect between

the local issues and the national issues

now this area Himalayan area so far we

have heard much about landslides but

land subsidence is a phenomenon which

also needs serious attention for the

Himalayan region you know land

subsidence is a noble phenomenon also

Jakarta is also sinking and they have

analyzed many cities are sinking because

of borewells too much of exploitation of

underground water leads to a vacuum in

the in the soil and needs to sink in

when you put heavy structure on top of

soil which becomes weak because of

exploitation or the imbalance in the

subsoil area because of sucking out of

the water in a large quantity from

continuously that also becomes prone to

sinking so whereas these Jakarta in

Mexico and many other cities are sinking

but they have a different tissue

Himalayan area is a different situation

because here the soil is very loose as

other panelists have observed and also

it is a seismic Zone also so the

research studies have observed that but

we don't have a solid Regional plan so

what we require

urgently is to prepare a regional plan

for the Himalayan area and sub-regional

plant in a micro zoneation base you make

small zones study the geography geology

the geohydrology and all the you know

parameters and of the of the local area

and then prepare a plan specific to that

and prepare the development control

regulations

so the uttar Pradesh laws are still

applicable to in a great measure adopted

by the uttarakhand administration over

the last so many years

needs its own laws its own rules which

are which have to be seen you know in a

zero-based budgeting kind of thing from

ground level they have to study the

research reports and make the regional

plans for local development and it is no

it is not only buildings are like even

roads are cracking it's a it is a

situation which is very grave actually

much Graver than mere building tracking

because the roads are also cracking then

we can we find that it is not the

building construction alone in the local

area to the entire area which is

impacted and sooner I expect that more

damage would come to the structures so

it is high time to stop on the and

lastly I would say that this you know

there is a rule there is a provision in

the uttarakhand

planning and development act urban

planning and development act which is it

says that nothing is provision of this

act with no provision of this act shall

apply to central government programs and

projects so that is also not a good idea

it was done with a good intention before

Rice I guess intention was probably the

central government projects have a

national impact and therefore the state

laws and central government Machinery

will understand local issues by

themselves because it is strong

Arrangements I think we have to rethink

that the Central and state government

should be a joint partner like Metro

rails you know these are generally owned

by Central and state government so these

projects should be owned jointly by the

Central and state government so that

state governments become feel

responsible for the project end to end

they've got Authority and responsibility

both now it is like ntpc project means

central government project it should not

be so okay sent and state joint project

at end to end and local government

should also be associated in a bigger

way than before so these are all put

together a new strategy of governance is

required now for Himalayan area okay

okay do you agree that there are a

complete overhaul of you know policy

plans based on the Region's topography

its Eco sensitivity and when we are

talking about the Himalayan region

specifically of course you know we will

have to look and take into consideration

ah several factors which is not the case

perhaps when we are making plans uh for

uh you know areas which which lie in

Planes as Mr Krishna was referring to it

can't be you know one size fits all of

course you know the problem is this is

that we can talk about plans we can talk

about micro plants the fact is that when

you had the natural climate action plan

there is a whole mission on the

Himalayan region that I don't think

there's anybody who who hasn't repeated

these lines about how the Himalayan

region is a fragile ecosystem the

question is not how many times you

repeat that line but what we do with it

uh you the fact that somebody was a

collector from garwal was appointed to

head a committee in 1976 to see to look

into the issue of sinking a subsidence

in joshima means at least there is some

awareness somewhere within the

administrative setup what did you do

with this report the real problem is

that we have the expertise the experts

do their work and then it gathers dust

and it's true about you know projects uh

when you where every project has to have

an environmental impact assessment in

most cases these environmental impact

assessment reports are a bit of a joke

they're not done seriously they don't

have the requisite data because we have

suddenly privileged speeding through a

uh getting permissions for a project to

actually equated it with skipping steps

not uh go not putting red tape that

prevent past clearance of projects is

one thing and skipping steps that

actually endanger people is is a

different thing and we need to Now

understand that Environmental Protection

is a critical part of economic growth

and economic development okay and once

you do that then those systems get put

in place

again the expertise exists you know I

can tell I can relock reports that exist

the question is are the reports going to

just gather dust there two we

authorities need to start putting in

place uh you know proper codes uh

Professor Sandra mentioned about how

there are no codes the fact is that you

build in the Himalayas the same way you

build in Delhi which is why when you go

up to a Missouri or a Shimla they look

very much like Delhi can you imagine

then actually on such an assessment so

in a seismic Zone and you are and in a

landslide prone area you're building the

same way you build on the planes it

doesn't make sense right it defies

common sense so why is that happening

you can have all the codes in the world

first of all we need the course then you

need proper implementation

implementation of those codes and then

the other thing that we need and we

forget this is about discipline okay

today there is so much traffic going up

to the hills everybody gets into the

cars and goes up there why is that can

that area actually take so much traffic

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be

you know it's not about not allowing any

kind of traffic but you have to have

limitations you have to work out new

forms of Transport then which suit the

demands of the area so yes I agree that

we need to study the area better but

what I'm also saying that a lot of the

studies already exist a lot of the

expertise already exist your professor

Sandra sitting right there now the

question is how many committees is he a

part of how how involved is he in

creating the policy that is the question

we need to ask are we actually making

policy the right way or is somebody else

who thinks they know better making

policies for us okay okay let's let's

bring in professor

one question but you know in two parts

the question is what needs to be done

what should we what should we do now and

this in two parts one in Short Term to

deal with the crisis which is already

staring at us in joshimat what should be

done and two in the longer run as you

were also pointing out earlier both the

other panelists are also referring to it

that we need to go ahead and take a look

at the larger picture and and you know

approach it in the manner in which this

specific situation demands

okay

actually

as urmi goswami mentioned that we have a

lot of the recommendation and scientific

reports

how to deal with this such type of the

crisis

but I will uh again mention that for

implementation we need honesty

dedication and determination from the

government okay and that is

uh

uttarakhand came into existing in 2000

okay but what what should we Professor

just just one second the direct question

is what should be done in joshima now to

limit the the scope of the crisis or the

scope of the danger which is facing us

scientifically speaking what is it that

we can do to limit the damage

uh first of all uh we will have to

regularize the drainage system no proper

DNA system is there

number one number two the houses which

have got uh cracks they all those

buildings should be demolished

and the people uh are being sifted uh to

uh in the uh gotcha and uh somewhere

people could be uh

they they will they will not stay there

because they have their agriculture

field nearby the uh Joshi material so it

is not a permanent solution you are

shifting people from a joshima to other

places

uh in 2021 what happened the rally

Village is also sinking and when they

try to shift the Rainy Village in

another place

the religion of that place was angry

that while there are any people is

occupying Our Land

so we will have to

think seriously uh for these all issue

and as we will have to make such

policies that which can protect our this

fragile land in future and and the

people residing there there as well uh

yeah yeah Mr Krishna you know as as both

urmi and uh you know Professor sundryal

are pointing out that having policies in

place is is one very important part but

then implementing them uh honestly on

the ground is also a very intricate part

and integrated you know aspect here how

do you think we should move ahead from

here onwards mistakes of course have

been created that is why we are staring

at this crisis but from here onwards

what are the focus areas which we should

work upon

well one thing is to sensitize the

administration or authorities about the

local issues environmental issues and

ecological issues of the area at times

the people who are handling this may not

be aware particularly when the projects

become Central project like the

environment impact assessment report of

this Vishnu God project of ntpc I was

going through that 2004. it is hardly

talking of land subsidence danger it

talks off so much on water pollution

water quality and Marine aquaculture

impact on aquaculture and things like

that you know soil erosion on the

project site not exactly these land

subsidence issue for the entire area so

perhaps those who did the environment

assessment and assessed that were not

you know sensitized so maybe a lot of

sensitization is required for those who

are handling the Himalayan area there

should be a separate attention given it

is good that uttarakhand has become a

operative State and as I said before

that all Central projects you know

should not remain 100 Central projects a

time has come to make the partnership of

Central and state government joint

projects and local Authority local

government panchayats and the local

planning authorities should be given you

know more importance in in deciding the

matter because they are simply as the

rules are the local planning Authority

just has to be brushed aside if a

central project comes the national

highway comes means it is not that the

local planning Authority can have as

such local planning authorities are very

weak freely so we have to strengthen the

local planning Authority with more

people more I mean qualified people of

higher higher level of authorities

officers and with proper you know

technology and training and so on so a

lot of training is required lot of

awareness is required among the people

who are administering the area at all

level central government state

government and sub state level District

levels of District level and a

coordination among them it should not be

that you know I exclude you you should

be inclusive

my other panelists rightly said

unbridled tourism you know it is

happening because local areas don't have

tourism facilities or tourism structures

you know everybody from Planes is

rushing to same Shimla same nainital

from Delhi and surrounding area people

have got now a lot of a lot more money

and lot more vehicles and they want to

go out for you know wherever when where

where can they go go only to Shimla only

to a nearby place okay so every city

should now we should have a tourism plan

every city should have neighborhood

places where you can go for enjoyment

and feel happy and proud of your

neighborhood out of your neighborhood

you know you don't want you don't know

where to go if you are in gurgaon you

are in Delhi you cannot be visiting the

same monuments again and again same

temples over and over again off and on

so people are so more research places

should come and we should restate people

every time but Switzerland I remember

Switzerland had refused to host the

Olympics once because they said we

couldn't we do not want to have so many

visitors to our place you know small

town Switzerland is

Kashmir area only okay so we also should

refuse people we should limit every city

should limit we should by law make that

a panchayat will decide how many

visitors can come um that is how the

planning authority of the area I think

of the administrative Arrangements would

definitely pave the way for a more

sustainable development of the area and

the localities okay okay fair enough

those are some potent suggestions coming

in there thank you so much Mr Krishna

professor sundryal and uh urmi as well

for sharing your views and insight with

us and our viewers as our expert

panelists who are pointing out uh you

know the reasons behind what we are

facing the kind of Crisis which we are

facing in joshima's town in utsarakanda

and of course there are several factors

which have contributed over the years

are to this crisis to the situation in

joshimata and the way this situation can

be tackled various policy changes uh

overhauling of various laws bylaws But

ultimately it also comes down to

ensuring an honest implementation of

those policies on the ground to ensure

that we protect the fragile ecosystem in

Himalayas and prevent such Himalayan

crisis in the future we'll come back

again with a different topic till then

keep watching Sunset television thank

you

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thank you

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