Read and download the full statement (Hindi and English) here. पूरा विवरण (हिंदी और अंग्रेजी) यहां पढ़ें और डाउनलोड करें।
Not natural but development policy induced disasters in the Himalaya! Solidarity Statement with the ongoing struggle for justice and accountability in Joshimath!
We as representatives of diverse social organisations, environmentalists and concerned citizens from across the Himalayan region and other parts of the country, express grief and concern for the people of Joshimath, facing forced displacement from their homes in the thick of winters. It is indeed the gravest tragedy not a mere ‘disaster’ – to witness the collapse of one’s own lands. It’s a tragedy that will go down in contemporary Himalayan history, its trauma reverberating not just with the people of the entire region but across generations. Every person residing in the region who lives in areas that have seen such disasters in the last few years or is living under the threat of such displacement can relate to the distress and fear that the people of Joshimath are spending their days and nights with.
A long history of invitation to disaster
The tragedy unfolding in Joshimath has once again forced us to accept and believe that the spate of disasters we are witnessing in the Himalaya are certainly not ‘natural’ but constructed in the era of modern capitalist development. It is time that we stop fooling ourselves with myths and legends of nature’s wrath and blame fury of the gods and start facing the demons that exist in the form of our economic and political systems of governance that have brought upon us these losses. How can we turn away from the following facts that have emerged in the case of the Joshimath situation:
1. That the ancient pilgrim town of Joshimath perched at 6000 feet was already sitting on the debris of an historical landslide – a phenomenon not uncommon across the Himalayan region. What we also already know is that the Himalayan ecology and geology is more varied, complex and sensitive to certain kinds of land use changes in comparison to flat regions. That close to 50 years ago the commissioner of Garhwal M.C Mishra in an official report had warned of the geological conditions of Joshimath and made recommendations for regulation on construction activity as well as protective measures in the region.
2. That the governments of erstwhile Uttar Pradesh, later (and now) Uttarakhand, as well as the local administration seems to have paid no heed to these. In the last few years a series of development projects including rampant tourism related multi-storied building, highway widening and other construction for the Char Dham Project, and a 520 MW mega hydropower dam were undertaken in and around the town. The Tapovan Vishnugad project being constructed by NTPC involves the construction of several kilometres long underground tunnel in the wake of which severe damage to local geology, hydrology and landscape has been put on record.
3. As seen across the Himalayan belt, the upper reaches are especially now witnessing the unprecedented impacts of global warming and climatic changes in the form of erratic weather patterns and reducing snow cover. The unpredictability of the resultant climatic events like floods and landslides has increased. But more importantly the changes in the land use, deforestation, the construction of dams, roads leading to slope instability, dumping of muck, deforestation and related erosion has multiplied the human and environmental impacts of these climatic events.
4. Joshimath is located in the upper reaches of the Ganga river basin in the Alaknanda valley. The neighbouring Bhagirathi river valley just ten years ago saw the massive Kedarnath tragedy that killed thousands of people. The Kedarnath flood and its aftermath were a typical illustration of what we described above – and scientists and environmental experts who studied the region presented research to establish that the unbridled construction, development footprint and the cascade of dams multiplied the impact of the flooding.
5. The most significant reports that made these linkages post the floods was the Ravi Chopra Committee report tabled in front of the Supreme Court and amongst all other recommendations it recommended a review of the proposed hydropower dams in both the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi river valleys. However, the Ministry of Environment and Forests refused to accept these and the recommendations of another committee with the same views.
6. The ambitious Char Dham highway expansion project for which a bypass was being built through Joshimath also received flak and unfavorable views from local residents, activists and environmentalists not just for the extent of erosion being caused but also because of the series of brazen violations of environmental norms especially related to muck dumping. Debris and muck dumping along rivers has emerged as the biggest contributors to flash floods, a threat for downstream areas.
7. It is shocking to note that these projects were given repeated clean chits – from the Geological Survey of India to the Ministry of Environment to the disaster management authorities nor the regional pollution control boards and forest departments – it seems that every authority had failed to execute their duties when dealing with these developments. It’s even more laughable that the Municipal authorities have pointed fingers at local residents for constructing multi-storey building when all authorities including the MC were complicit in granting permissions to the spate of these and much larger constructions all around.
8. In 2021, the Chamoli disaster in the Rishiganga valley upstream of Joshimath once again showed that there are multiple ways in which hydropower projects tend to act as force multipliers in disasters. The underconstruction Tapovan Vishnugad dam acted as a hurdle for the roaring flood which also swept away many workers on site of the project. It came to light that these floods also probably contributed to cutting at the toe of the mountain on which Joshimath is perched.
9. Financial Institutions like the Asian Development Bank that have funded the NTPC project and many other such large hydropower dams in the Himalaya in the name of promoting clean energy also failed to take account of possible risk from these constructions not just prior to implementation but even after the 2021 tragedy. The Bank could have carried out a detailed review of the project and the (in)adequacy of safeguards. But it did no such thing.
10. For the residents of Joshimath an added shocker was the dismissal of a Public Interest Litigation that was filed in the Nainital High [Court] bringing to light the threats posed by the NTPC project. Not only did the court dismiss the petition in the very first hearing but also imposed costs on the five petitioners questioning their motivations and credibility.
These historical developments indicate how the Joshimath was set up for the current crisis.
The façade of ‘natural disaster’ and ‘All is well’
While the current issue of widening cracks in the homes of Joshimath residents was picked up by the national media only around late December 2022, it was brought to the notice of the administration a couple of months ago, but the authorities turned a blind eye. It was when ‘Joshimath Sinking’ started trending in the social media that the district administration jumped into action. In the last month or so, 850 homes have been marked with the red cross that is now etched in our minds and close to 3000 people have been evacuated. Alternative arrangements have been made for shelters in hotels with temporary relief for those who have nowhere to go. As per reports close to 30% of the town stands affected and virtually displaced and there seems to be a growing trend of cracks in the affected area.Within days of the disaster’s unfolding the ISRO released images indicating that Joshimath had been seeing land subsidence for months and that it had sunk close to 5 cms in a matter of days in the early part of January. This could have been followed up with more regular official and public scientist accounts of what was happening in Joshimath but what we had instead was a gag order by the the NDMA – banning scientists associated with government institutions from releasing information around the disaster.
This was followed by oral statements from the Chief Minister and other representatives of the ruling party, the Chief Secretary, the State Disaster Management Authority – trying to normalise the situation and terming the event a ‘natural’ disaster. Further, when people under the banner of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti raised slogans of ‘NTPC GO BACK’, the government came out to support the company and deny NTPC’s role in contributing to the disaster. The Uttarakhand Chief Minister has also given a statement that ‘development cannot be stopped’ amidst growing demand for an immediate halt to large scale constructions in the mountain areas as news of similar land slides and subsidence emerged in the wake of the Joshimath crisis. Today when the displaced people of Joshimath are helplessly watching their life long savings being lost, running helter skelter to register their complaints and looking for shelter, carrying out demonstrations for their legitimate concerns – the central government should have jumped into action to hold NHAI and NTPC accountable – making them first pay for the compensation and arranging relief. The NDMA should have by now come out with a clear rehabilitation and disaster response plan under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act 2005, to be executed before the monsoons which will increase the threat of further subsidence and landslide.
Who is accountable?
When the so-called development projects are used to fill up company and state coffers, it is common sense that people who have borne the losses and been put to risk as a result of these developments must be considered as project affected and rehabilitated and compensated fully from this. The government must uphold the precautionary principle as well as the polluter pays principle and any rehabilitation plan must invoke the applicable central laws – the Disaster Management Act 2005 and the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013. When there is enough scientific evidence of correlations and the risks associated with such construction in young seismically active Himalayan geology – why cannot the courts take suo moto action in this matter to ensure that this is done in a timely manner and all gag orders are lifted to put the extent of the risk in the public domain so that justice to the impacted people is ensured? There isn’t an iota of doubt that the story of Joshimath is actually part of the novel written out for the entire Himalayan region. If justice is denied to the people of Joshimath today, there is no hope for securing justice anywhere in the Himalaya today and tomorrow. In the name of national interest, development, green energy and holy lands the top down ‘Parvatmala’ policies will tie us into a thread of destructive and extractive projects from airports, to highways, dams and commercial tourist centres. This does not reflect the vision nor the voice of the diverse people – especially the women, dalits and indigenous – inhabiting the mountains for whom this development is spelling more doom. The cost benefit analysis of this development agenda now stands amply visible which is why the people are seeking accountability. If these voices remain unheard a wider struggle to assert our constitutional rights will have to be built.
Signatories/समथािन्किाि
1. Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) Sikkim
2. Bhumiheen Bhumi Adhikar Manch Himachal Pradesh, Baijnath, Himachal Pradesh 3. Campaign to Defend Nature and PeopleLudhiana Punjab
4. CARE Centre for Amenities, Rehabilitation &Education, Bangalore, Karnataka 5. Centre for Financial Accountability, New Delhi
6. Centre for Research and Advocacy Manipur, Imphal, Manipur
7. Chetna Andolan, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
8. Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum (DMF), West Bengal
9. Democratic Traditional Fishers and Workers Forum (Andhra Pradesh), RAJAHMUNDRY, Andhra Pradesh
10. Friends of the Earth India, New Delhi
11. Financial Accountability Network India, Delhi
12. GENE CAMPAIGN, Orakhan, Uttarakhand
13. Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, Himachal, Pradesh
14. Himalayn Forest Villagers Organisation, Kalimpong, West Benal
15. Himdhara Environment Research and Action Collective, Himachal Pradesh 16. Himlok Jagriti Manch Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh
17. Himal Prakriti, Uttarakhand
18. ICAN (Indian Community Activist Network), Delhi
19. Jaladhara Abhiyan, Jaipur, Rajasthan
20. JSS MPS Shour Pangi, Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
21. Kachara Kamgar Union, New Delhi
22. Kalpavriksh, Pune, Maharashtra
23. Koshi Nav Nirman Manch, Bihar
24. Let India Breathe, India
25. Mahakali Ki Awaz, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand
26. Manipur Nature Society, Imphal, Manipur
27. Media Action and Research Group, Delhi
28. National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), India
29. National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers (NPSSFW), Kolkata, West Bengal 30. No Means No Campaign, Kinnaur Himachal Pradesh
31. Parvatiya Mahila Adhikar Manch Himachal Pradesh, Kangra
32. ResistTwo, New Delhi
33. Samajwadi lok manch, Ramnagar, Uttarakhand
34. Sambhaavnaa Institute, Kandbari, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh
35. Save Lahaul Spiti Society, Keylong, Lahaul & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh 36. Shramyog, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
37. South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, Delhi
38. Spiti Civil Society, Kaza, Himachal Pradesh
39. Swacch Association, Nagpur Maharashtra
40. The Shephard Trails, Sangla, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh
41. TITLI TRUST, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
42. United for Nature, Ethics, and Empowerment (UNNATEE), उन्नदत, Pangi, Chamba, HP 43. Urja Foundation wardha Maharashtra, Wardha Maharashtra
44. Uttar Banga Ban-Jan Shromojibi Manch, Rajabhatkhawa, Alipurduar 45. Uttarakhand Lok Vahini Nainital, Uttarakhand
46. Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, Munsiari, Uttarakhand
47. Vanpanchayat sangharsh morcha, Uttarakhand
48. Yugma Collective, Bangalore and Pune (Karnataka, Maharashtra)
49. Abha Bhaiya, Jagori rural, Dharamshala Kangra, Himachal Pradesh 50. Ajeet singh, Aslibharat, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
51. Akshay Bhardwaj, Pangi Sangharsh Samiti, Pangi Chamba, Himachal Pradesh 52. Alex Jensen, Researcher, Local Futures, Ladakh
53. Aneesh Correa, LeapForWord, Mumbai Maharashtra
54. Anmol Ohri, Climate Front India, Jammu, J&k
55. Arun Prasad, Devalsari Socity, Tehari Garhwal, Jaunpur, Uttrakhand 56. Bhanu Tatak, Artist, Dibang Resistance, Lower Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh 57. Dilnavaz Variava, Former Member, NBWL Steering Committee, Mumbai Maharashtra 58. Dr Prem Deep Lal, SAVE CHANDRABHAGA SANGHARSH SAMITI, Lahul Keylong Himachal Pradesh
59. Dr Shaikh Ghulam Rasool, Chairperson, J&K RTI Movement, Srinagar, J&K 60. Dr.K. B. Obalesh, Thamate-SKSS, Bangalore , Karnataka 560099
61. Govind Chantranta, President, Ravin Sabha, Village Thana, Teh.Jubbal, Distt.Shimla Himachal Pradesh.
62. Govind Devaji Chavan, Coordinator, Janpratinidhi Nivad Mandal, Yavatmal,Maharashtra 63. Gulab Singh, Secretar, Sirmaur Van Adhikar Manch, Shillai Nainidhar 64. Manoj Misra, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, Delhi
65. Meera Sanghamitra,National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) Telangana 66. O. P Bhuraita, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, HP, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh 67. Prakash Upadhayay, Retd Professor, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi 68. Prafulla Samantara, President, Lok Shakti Abhiyan, Bhubaneswar
69. Professor Ritu Dewan, Director and Head, Mumbai School of Economics &Public Policy, University of Mumbai, Maharashtra
70. Rajivlochan Sah, Editor Nainital Samachar, Nanital, Uttarakhand
71. Shivani Pandey, AISA, Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand
72. Subhash Mendhapurkar, SUTRA, Solan, Himachal Pradesh
73. Trilochan Pandey, School for International Training(SIT),New Delhi 74. Uma Bhatt and Sheela Rajbar, Editors UTTARA, Nanital, Uttarakhand 75. Vishal Negi, Youth club Sangla, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh
76. Zeenat Niazi, Development Alternatives, New Delhi
77. Aagam, Researcher and Lawyer, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
78. Abhayraj Naik, Lawyer and Researcher, Bengaluru, Karnataka
79. Anuradha Chowdhry, Lawyer, RAMGARH NANITAL, Uttarakhand 80. Ajay, Poet, Kelang, Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh
81. Bharat jhunjhunwala, Writer, Srinagar, Uttarakhand
82. Bhaskar Upreti, Independent Journalist, Haldwani
83. Bondita Acharya, Activist, Activist, Jorhat, Assam
84. Chitra R, Educator, Bengaluru
85. Dr. Shekhar Pathak, Retd Professor, Kumaon University, Nanital, Uttarakhand 86. Dr Suman Sahai, Scientist, Orakhan, Uttarakhand
87. Hrishikesh Wandrekar, Professor, Mumbai
88. Karma Sonam, Social Activist and conservationist, Rumtse Leh Ladakh 89. Kavita Upadhyay, Independent journalist and researcher, Nainital, Uttarakhand 90. Kesang Thakur, Researcher, Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh 91. Kirankumar Vissa, Engineer and Social Activist, Hyderabad, Telangana 92. Latha, Activist, Wayanad, Kerala
93. Mayank Shah, Researcher, Nainital, Uttarakhand
94. M.M Chamoli, Garhwal, Committee member, CPI-ML (Lib) Rudraprayag (Uttrakhand) 95. MC SATI, Dhad, Srinagar Garhwal ,Uttarakhand
96. Meera Rotti, Freelance translator, Community Activist of HSR layout Bangalore, Bengaluru, Karnataka
97. Navin Joshi, Journalist and Writer, Lucknow, U P
98. Nekram Sharma, Farmer and Activist, Karsog, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh 99. Nidhi Agarwal, Facilitator & Educator, NEW DELHI
100. Nuwayri, Trainer, New Delhi
101. Puran Bartwal, Researcher, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
102. Rajeev Khanna, Independent Journalist, Solan, Himachal Pradesh 103. Rajesh Ramakrishnan, Researcher, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
104. Raju Sajwan, Independent Journalist, New Delhi
105. Ramnarayan, Ecologist, Biodiversity, Natural History & Climate Change Educator, Munsiari, Uttarakhand
106. Ravi Joshi, Research scholar, Munsiari, Uttarakhand
107. Rohit Prajapati, Environmentalist, Vadodara, Gujarat
108. Romar Correa, Independent researcher, Mumbai, Maharashtra
109. Shishir, Ecological Sciences Practitioner, Vadodara, Gujarat
110. Shruti Jain, Journalist/Researcher, Haldwani, Uttarakhand
111. Shubham Nautiyal Activist, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
112. Siddharth Agarwal, Activist & Researcher, Kolkata, West Bengal 113. Sunder Negi, Farmer and Activist, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh
114. Sudha N, Researcher & Activist, Bangalore, Karnataka
115. Uma Mahajan, Writer, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
116. Upesh Negi, Farmer and Hortiuculturalist, District – Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh) 117. U S Rawat, Geologist, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
118. Sunita Lecturer, Jahalman Lahaul spiti
119. Tamara Law Goswami, Environmentalist, Tezpur, Assam
120. Tarini, Filmmaker, New Delhi
121. Yash Marwah, Writer, Mumbai,Maharashtra
122. Ajay B, Citizen, Mysore, Karnataka
123. Abhishek Negi, Citizen, New Delhi
124. Afreen, Citizen, Maharashtra
125. Amar Singh, Citizen, Village and Post Keylong, Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh 126. Amit Gahlawat, Citizen, Jhajjar (Haryana)
127. Anshu Yadav, Student, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
128. Ashok Kumar, Citizen, Delhi
129. Bidisha, Citizen, Guwahati Assam
130. Colonel Yashpal Singh Negi (Veteran. ) Vill Birgana Uttrakhand 131. Donald Takhellambam, Citizen, Imphal, Manipur
132. G Sai Bhargava reddy, Citizen, Hyderabad, Telangana
134. Harendra kumar awasthi, Citizen, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand
135. Harsh Vardhan uniyal, Citizen, Haldwani Uttarakhand
136. Jaideep Goswami, Agriculture & Hospitality, Tezpur, Assam 137. Kamal dwivedi, Student, Munsyari (Pithoragarh), Uttarakhand 138. Rajesh, Student, Bageshwar, Himachal Pradesh 139. Sanjay Dhyani, Citizen, Kiotdwar, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand 140. Satbir Singh, Citizen, Greater Noida
141. Saurav, Citizen, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand
142. Smruthi, Student, Bangalore, Karnataka
143. Sudhanshu Bijalwan, IT Professional, Dehradun Uttarakhand 144. Sudhir Chella Rajan, Citizen, Durham, NC
145. Surender Deol, Citizen, Tindi Lahaul Spiti Himachal Pradesh 146. Tara Murali, Citizen, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
147. Tijesh, Citizen, Himachal Pradesh
148. Urfi Prasad, Citizen, Hyderabad Telangana
149. Uma Shankari, Farmer and Citizen, Hyderabad 150. Vishal Joshi, Student, Bageshwar, Uttarakhand
Read and download the full statement (Hindi and English) here. पूरा विवरण (हिंदी और अंग्रेजी) यहां पढ़ें और डाउनलोड करें।
