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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Current plans for all-weather roads in U'khand may be eco disaster: Experts
Two members of a Supreme Court-appointed panel on Wednesday warned of Dharali-like consequences if the much-hyped Chardham all-weather road widening project in Uttarakhand is pursued in its current form. They also described the Dharali disaster as a fallout of state authorities ignoring repeated scientific warnings against unregulated construction and tourism activities in the fragile Himalayas. In a letter written on Tuesday to the road transport and highways ministry, senior geologist Navin Juyal and environmentalist Hemant Dhyani said the uniform 10 m widening of the Chardham all-weather road on the valley side slopes both in lesser and higher Himalayas has created multiple new chronic zones along the widened roads. They advocated adopting an alternate DPR submitted by them to the ministry nearly two years ago detailing a flexible and disaster-resilient road widening design that could be followed in the Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone (BESZ) which will ensure minimum tree felling and tampering with the slopes. It will definitely minimise the damages caused due to road widening in the Himalayas, they said. BESZ covering an area of 4179.59 sq km is a notified are from Gomukh to Uttarkashi of which Dharali is a part and through which portions of the ambitious Chardham road project passes. Both Juyal and Dhyani were part of the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee on Chardham all-weather road. Juyal has left the panel but Dhyani continues to be a part of it. Citing the sensitivity of Higher Himalaya towards extreme weather events like landslide lake outburst floods, the experts recommended adopting a sustainable and flexible approach in the road widening project in BESZ. "We have been warning and protesting continuously for an alternative sustainable approach to ensure a disaster-resilient highway. But so far authorities have not given any consideration to our appeal," Juyal and Dhyani said in the letter. The letter said these recommendations cover the road stretches that were devastated by the flash flood in Kheer Ganga on August 5. "We recommended that proposed Netala bypass (near Uttarkashi) should be dropped as it is proposed through pristine forest grown on old landslide deposits which is incised by rainfed streams. If the road is dug through these deposits , it is likely to suffer from slope instability and subsidence because the road would also have to negotiate multiple streams," the duo said in the letter. At least 6000 trees are marked to be felled for the construction of a 10-km stretch of road under the proposed road widening project between Jhala (below Sukhi Top) and Jangla (near Bairon Ghati)... If that happens, it would certainly destabilise the avalanche debris and could make the 10 km road stretch extremely unstable, the experts said. In the alternative plan submitted to the ministry, they have identified locations where the road can be constructed towards the river flank using the technique of elevated corridor. High elevation bridges have been proposed in the stream segments so that the boulders that are usually transported during the ice-rock avalanches can be bypassed. "These bridges were proposed opposite Harshil where we lost our jawans and Dharali where the human loss is yet to be estimated,"the letter said. On the Dharali flash floods, the experts said there has been an explosion in tourist influx in the upper Ganga catchment in recent years and to meet the requirements, widespread proliferation of new construction took place defying all the rules. "Dharali falls in the Bhagirathi Eco-sensitive Zone. The catastrophe there is a result of authorities ignoring repeated scientific warnings about the vulnerability of such fragile Himalayan locations and violation of legal provisions made under the BESZ notification which ban construction and development activities on slopes in proximity to rivers and streams," Dhyani told PTI. A devastating flash flood in the Kheer Ganga river demolished almost half of Dharali village on way to Gangotri on August 5 razing hotels and homestays and leaving more than 60 people missing. In Dharali, the state authorities not only violated the provisions of the BESZ notification but also Namami Gange notification which prohibits construction of both permanent and temporary nature in the flood plain areas of the Ganga or its tributaries, Dhyanai said. The Kheer Ganga, which originates from a cirque glacier, traverses around 7 km before it meets the Bhagirathi River near Kalp Kedar temple which was also buried in the debris in Dharali. Even after the Kedarnath disaster, people were not discouraged to vacate the stream proximal locations, instead, an RCC wall was constructed to prevent flood debris from entering the settlement. This encouraged people to build the resorts and hotels next to the stream.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Experts warn all-weather Uttarakhand road project in current form could spell disaster
Two members of a Supreme Court-appointed panel on Wednesday warned of Dharali-like consequences if the much-hyped Chardham all-weather road widening project in Uttarakhand is pursued in its current form. They also described the Dharali disaster as a fallout of state authorities ignoring repeated scientific warnings against unregulated construction and tourism activities in the fragile Himalayas. In a letter written on Tuesday to the road transport and highways ministry, senior geologist Navin Juyal and environmentalist Hemant Dhyani said the uniform 10 m widening of the Chardham all-weather road on the valley side slopes both in lesser and higher Himalayas has created multiple new chronic zones along the widened roads. They advocated adopting an alternate DPR submitted by them to the ministry nearly two years ago detailing a flexible and disaster-resilient road widening design that could be followed in the Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone (BESZ) which will ensure minimum tree felling and tampering with the slopes. It will definitely minimise the damages caused due to road widening in the Himalayas, they said. BESZ covering an area of 4179.59 sq km is a notified are from Gomukh to Uttarkashi of which Dharali is a part and through which portions of the ambitious Chardham road project passes. Both Juyal and Dhyani were part of the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee on Chardham all-weather road. Juyal has left the panel but Dhyani continues to be a part of it. Citing the sensitivity of Higher Himalaya towards extreme weather events like landslide lake outburst floods, the experts recommended adopting a sustainable and flexible approach in the road widening project in BESZ. 'We have been warning and protesting continuously for an alternative sustainable approach to ensure a disaster-resilient highway. But so far authorities have not given any consideration to our appeal,' Juyal and Dhyani said in the letter. The letter said these recommendations cover the road stretches that were devastated by the flash flood in Kheer Ganga on August 5. 'We recommended that proposed Netala bypass (near Uttarkashi) should be dropped as it is proposed through pristine forest grown on old landslide deposits which is incised by rainfed streams. If the road is dug through these deposits , it is likely to suffer from slope instability and subsidence because the road would also have to negotiate multiple streams,' the duo said in the letter. At least 6000 trees are marked to be felled for the construction of a 10-km stretch of road under the proposed road widening project between Jhala (below Sukhi Top) and Jangla (near Bairon Ghati)… If that happens, it would certainly destabilise the avalanche debris and could make the 10 km road stretch extremely unstable, the experts said. In the alternative plan submitted to the ministry, they have identified locations where the road can be constructed towards the river flank using the technique of elevated corridor. High elevation bridges have been proposed in the stream segments so that the boulders that are usually transported during the ice-rock avalanches can be bypassed. 'These bridges were proposed opposite Harshil where we lost our jawans and Dharali where the human loss is yet to be estimated,'the letter said. On the Dharali flash floods, the experts said there has been an explosion in tourist influx in the upper Ganga catchment in recent years and to meet the requirements, widespread proliferation of new construction took place defying all the rules. 'Dharali falls in the Bhagirathi Eco-sensitive Zone. The catastrophe there is a result of authorities ignoring repeated scientific warnings about the vulnerability of such fragile Himalayan locations and violation of legal provisions made under the BESZ notification which ban construction and development activities on slopes in proximity to rivers and streams,' Dhyani told PTI. A devastating flash flood in the Kheer Ganga river demolished almost half of Dharali village on way to Gangotri on August 5 razing hotels and homestays and leaving more than 60 people missing. In Dharali, the state authorities not only violated the provisions of the BESZ notification but also Namami Gange notification which prohibits construction of both permanent and temporary nature in the flood plain areas of the Ganga or its tributaries, Dhyanai said. The Kheer Ganga, which originates from a cirque glacier, traverses around 7 km before it meets the Bhagirathi River near Kalp Kedar temple which was also buried in the debris in Dharali. Even after the Kedarnath disaster, people were not discouraged to vacate the stream proximal locations, instead, an RCC wall was constructed to prevent flood debris from entering the settlement. This encouraged people to build the resorts and hotels next to the stream.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
All-weather U'khand roads in current form may spell disaster: Experts
Two members of a Supreme Court-appointed panel on Wednesday warned of Dharali-like consequences if the much-hyped Chardham all-weather road widening project in Uttarakhand is pursued in its current form. They also described the Dharali disaster as a fallout of state authorities ignoring repeated scientific warnings against unregulated construction and tourism activities in the fragile Himalayas. In a letter written on Tuesday to the road transport and highways ministry, senior geologist Navin Juyal and environmentalist Hemant Dhyani said the uniform 10 m widening of the Chardham all-weather road on the valley side slopes both in lesser and higher Himalayas has created multiple new chronic zones along the widened roads. They advocated adopting an alternate DPR submitted by them to the ministry nearly two years ago detailing a flexible and disaster-resilient road widening design that could be followed in the Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone (BESZ) which will ensure minimum tree felling and tampering with the slopes. It will definitely minimise the damages caused due to road widening in the Himalayas, they said. BESZ covering an area of 4179.59 sq km is a notified are from Gomukh to Uttarkashi of which Dharali is a part and through which portions of the ambitious Chardham road project passes. Both Juyal and Dhyani were part of the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee on Chardham all-weather road. Juyal has left the panel but Dhyani continues to be a part of it. Citing the sensitivity of Higher Himalaya towards extreme weather events like landslide lake outburst floods, the experts recommended adopting a sustainable and flexible approach in the road widening project in BESZ. "We have been warning and protesting continuously for an alternative sustainable approach to ensure a disaster-resilient highway. But so far authorities have not given any consideration to our appeal," Juyal and Dhyani said in the letter. The letter said these recommendations cover the road stretches that were devastated by the flash flood in Kheer Ganga on August 5. "We recommended that proposed Netala bypass (near Uttarkashi) should be dropped as it is proposed through pristine forest grown on old landslide deposits which is incised by rainfed streams. If the road is dug through these deposits , it is likely to suffer from slope instability and subsidence because the road would also have to negotiate multiple streams," the duo said in the letter. At least 6000 trees are marked to be felled for the construction of a 10-km stretch of road under the proposed road widening project between Jhala (below Sukhi Top) and Jangla (near Bairon Ghati)... If that happens, it would certainly destabilise the avalanche debris and could make the 10 km road stretch extremely unstable, the experts said. In the alternative plan submitted to the ministry, they have identified locations where the road can be constructed towards the river flank using the technique of elevated corridor. High elevation bridges have been proposed in the stream segments so that the boulders that are usually transported during the ice-rock avalanches can be bypassed. "These bridges were proposed opposite Harshil where we lost our jawans and Dharali where the human loss is yet to be estimated,"the letter said. On the Dharali flash floods, the experts said there has been an explosion in tourist influx in the upper Ganga catchment in recent years and to meet the requirements, widespread proliferation of new construction took place defying all the rules. "Dharali falls in the Bhagirathi Eco-sensitive Zone. The catastrophe there is a result of authorities ignoring repeated scientific warnings about the vulnerability of such fragile Himalayan locations and violation of legal provisions made under the BESZ notification which ban construction and development activities on slopes in proximity to rivers and streams," Dhyani told PTI. A devastating flash flood in the Kheer Ganga river demolished almost half of Dharali village on way to Gangotri on August 5 razing hotels and homestays and leaving more than 60 people missing. In Dharali, the state authorities not only violated the provisions of the BESZ notification but also Namami Gange notification which prohibits construction of both permanent and temporary nature in the flood plain areas of the Ganga or its tributaries, Dhyanai said. The Kheer Ganga, which originates from a cirque glacier, traverses around 7 km before it meets the Bhagirathi River near Kalp Kedar temple which was also buried in the debris in Dharali. Even after the Kedarnath disaster, people were not discouraged to vacate the stream proximal locations, instead, an RCC wall was constructed to prevent flood debris from entering the settlement. This encouraged people to build the resorts and hotels next to the stream. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Experts warn all-weather Uttarakhand road project in current form could spell disaster
Dehradun, Two members of a Supreme Court-appointed panel on Wednesday warned of Dharali-like consequences if the much-hyped Chardham all-weather road widening project in Uttarakhand is pursued in its current form. Experts warn all-weather Uttarakhand road project in current form could spell disaster They also described the Dharali disaster as a fallout of state authorities ignoring repeated scientific warnings against unregulated construction and tourism activities in the fragile Himalayas. In a letter written on Tuesday to the road transport and highways ministry, senior geologist Navin Juyal and environmentalist Hemant Dhyani said the uniform 10 m widening of the Chardham all-weather road on the valley side slopes both in lesser and higher Himalayas has created multiple new chronic zones along the widened roads. They advocated adopting an alternate DPR submitted by them to the ministry nearly two years ago detailing a flexible and disaster-resilient road widening design that could be followed in the Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone which will ensure minimum tree felling and tampering with the slopes. It will definitely minimise the damages caused due to road widening in the Himalayas, they said. BESZ covering an area of 4179.59 sq km is a notified are from Gomukh to Uttarkashi of which Dharali is a part and through which portions of the ambitious Chardham road project passes. Both Juyal and Dhyani were part of the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee on Chardham all-weather road. Juyal has left the panel but Dhyani continues to be a part of it. Citing the sensitivity of Higher Himalaya towards extreme weather events like landslide lake outburst floods, the experts recommended adopting a sustainable and flexible approach in the road widening project in BESZ. "We have been warning and protesting continuously for an alternative sustainable approach to ensure a disaster-resilient highway. But so far authorities have not given any consideration to our appeal," Juyal and Dhyani said in the letter. The letter said these recommendations cover the road stretches that were devastated by the flash flood in Kheer Ganga on August 5. "We recommended that proposed Netala bypass should be dropped as it is proposed through pristine forest grown on old landslide deposits which is incised by rainfed streams. If the road is dug through these deposits , it is likely to suffer from slope instability and subsidence because the road would also have to negotiate multiple streams," the duo said in the letter. At least 6000 trees are marked to be felled for the construction of a 10-km stretch of road under the proposed road widening project between Jhala and Jangla ... If that happens, it would certainly destabilise the avalanche debris and could make the 10 km road stretch extremely unstable, the experts said. In the alternative plan submitted to the ministry, they have identified locations where the road can be constructed towards the river flank using the technique of elevated corridor. High elevation bridges have been proposed in the stream segments so that the boulders that are usually transported during the ice-rock avalanches can be bypassed. "These bridges were proposed opposite Harshil where we lost our jawans and Dharali where the human loss is yet to be estimated,"the letter said. On the Dharali flash floods, the experts said there has been an explosion in tourist influx in the upper Ganga catchment in recent years and to meet the requirements, widespread proliferation of new construction took place defying all the rules. "Dharali falls in the Bhagirathi Eco-sensitive Zone. The catastrophe there is a result of authorities ignoring repeated scientific warnings about the vulnerability of such fragile Himalayan locations and violation of legal provisions made under the BESZ notification which ban construction and development activities on slopes in proximity to rivers and streams," Dhyani told PTI. A devastating flash flood in the Kheer Ganga river demolished almost half of Dharali village on way to Gangotri on August 5 razing hotels and homestays and leaving more than 60 people missing. In Dharali, the state authorities not only violated the provisions of the BESZ notification but also Namami Gange notification which prohibits construction of both permanent and temporary nature in the flood plain areas of the Ganga or its tributaries, Dhyanai said. The Kheer Ganga, which originates from a cirque glacier, traverses around 7 km before it meets the Bhagirathi River near Kalp Kedar temple which was also buried in the debris in Dharali. Even after the Kedarnath disaster, people were not discouraged to vacate the stream proximal locations, instead, an RCC wall was constructed to prevent flood debris from entering the settlement. This encouraged people to build the resorts and hotels next to the stream. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Dharali flash floods were disaster foretold, repeated warnings ignored: Report
The August 5 flash floods, which ravaged Dharali in Uttarakhand and buried parts of the area under 15 to 20 metres of debris and left scores missing, were a disaster foretold as the authorities ignored repeated scientific warnings, violated eco-sensitive zone norms, and pushed unscientific road expansion in a geologically fragile zone, two environmental experts have said in an analysis. The scene of flash floods in Dharali. (PTI) Environmentalist Hemant Dhyani said the Kheer Ganga stream, barely seven kilometres long but fed by a cirque glacier, unleashed an unprecedented debris flow after being suddenly activated during heavy rain. 'Three glacial-fed streams, opposite Sukhi Top, opposite Harsil, and at Dharali, swelled simultaneously between 1pm and 3pm on August 5, overwhelming defences,' he said. He said that such ferocity of short, steep Himalayan streams has been flagged multiple times. 'But the warnings went unheeded,' said Dhyani, who co-authored the analysis with geologist Navin Juyal. In the analysis titled 'Dharali disaster: An Echo of Himalayan Vulnerability and human failure in Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone', the two experts, who were part of a Supreme Court-appointed expert panel on the 2013 Kedarnath flash floods and the 2019 High-Powered Committee on Char Dham Road widening project, pointed out violations of the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone (BESZ) notification. The notification banned construction within 100 metres of the river's midline and prohibited infrastructure on steep, hazard-prone slopes without detailed environmental assessment. The analysis said that Dharali has grown virtually at the stream's edge, with hotels and resorts built on unstable debris fan deposits, many in defiance of the state's Flood Plain Zoning Act, the Namami Gange notification, and National Green Tribunal guidelines. The analysis said the Char Dham road widening project, particularly the planned 10-metre uniform expansion through BESZ stretches, has compounded slope instability by cutting through old landslide debris, destabilising avalanche-prone slopes, and marking nearly 6,000 mature deodar trees for felling between Jhala and Jangla. 'The result is the creation of multiple chronic landslide zones and a higher risk of landslide lake outburst floods,' the analysis said. The experts proposed an alternative highway design to the Union road transport and highways ministry in October 2023. The plan called for a flexible and disaster-resilient approach for widening, which included a judicial road width with valley side approach to avoid slope tampering, tunnels to bypass subsiding zones, elevated corridors along river flanks, and high-elevation bridges to bypass debris flow channels. It said this approach would protect the BESZ's ecological integrity, save thousands of trees, and reduce landslide risk. The analysis linked the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters to climate change, black carbon deposits accelerating glacier melt, and 'elevation-dependent warming' that alters snowline and treeline zones, reducing natural slope stability. It called for urgent reforms and pointed to a dire need to strictly enforce the BESZ notification and extend similar protections to all higher Himalayan valleys from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. 'We have suggested that constructions be halted in floodplains and unstable slopes, that carrying capacity studies be made mandatory for all tourism zones, and that sustainable road designs be adopted in fragile terrains,' said Dhyani. The analysis said the Himalayas are warming faster than the Indian mainland. 'Unless we stop treating fragile valleys as sites for unregulated construction and poorly planned highways, disasters like Dharali will only grow in frequency and severity.' There was no immediate official response to the analysis, which was sent to the state and central governments on Tuesday.
