Himachal floods: a man-made disaster?

Subject :Geography

Section: Physical geography

Context:

Flash floods during this year’s monsoon season have caused unprecedented damage to both lives and assets in Himachal Pradesh. The death toll has crossed 150, and the estimated total loss amounts to ₹10,000 crore.
Other than climate change, human induced disasters resulting from planned development have played a significant role in causing such colossal losses. In the last five years (before 2022), 1,550 people lost their lives and nearly 12,444 houses were damaged.

Increased precipitation in Himalayan region:

The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) VI report has clearly stated that the Himalayas and coastal regions of India will be the hardest hit by climate change.
In the Himalayas, there is a noticeable pattern of increased precipitation occurring in shorter periods of time.
The India Meteorological Department data shows that the normal rainfall during this period is expected to be between 720mm and 750 mm.
This year, the precipitation so far has been attributed to the combined effect of the south-west monsoon with western disturbances.

Anthropogenic factors:

Apart from climate change, anthropogenic factors have significantly contributed to the disaster:
The State Development Model initiated in 1971 and with the Dr. Parmar model (named after the founding Chief Minister, Dr. Y.S. Parmar) of development, Himachal Pradesh ranking second in social development indices.
However, to generate the financial resources the exploitation of natural resources, including forests, water, tourism, and cement production have started.
This led to:
- Rapid construction of hydropower projects, often causing damage to rivers and their ecosystems,
- Widening of roads without proper geological and engineering assessments,
- Expansion of cement plants altering land use patterns, and
- A shift in agricultural practices to cash crop economies that affected the landscape and river systems.

Role of Hydropower plants in these man-made disasters:

Currently, there are 168 hydropower projects in operation, generating 10,848 MW of electricity.
By 2030, 1,088 hydropower projects will be commissioned to harness 22,640 MW of energy.
One of the main reasons for the devastating impact of floods in the region is the uncontrolled construction of these hydropower projects.
The “run of the river” dams, diverts water through tunnels burrowed into the mountains, and the excavated material (muck) is often disposed of along the riverbeds.
- During periods of higher precipitation or cloudbursts, the water returns to the river, carrying the dumped muck along with it.
This destructive process is evident in rivers like Parvati, Beas and Sutlej, as well as many other small hydropower dams.
Moreover, long tunnels spanning 150 km have been planned or commissioned on the Sutlej river causing significant harm to the entire ecosystem.

How tourism oriented development leads to damage to the environment?

The road-widening projects, often carried out by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) under the public-private-partnership (PPP) approach.
This has resulted in bypassing essential geological studies and mountain engineering skills.
Traditionally, mountainous regions are not cut with vertical slits but are terraced, minimising the damage to the environment.
But in many roads-widening projects the mountains have been cut vertically, leading to massive landslides and damage to existing roads.
Even during the normal rainfall it leads to slips and slides, amplifying the magnitude of the destruction during heavy rain or floods.

How have cement plants harmed the environment?

The establishment of massive cement plants and extensive cutting of mountains in districts like Bilaspur, Solan, Chamba have resulted in significant land use changes that contribute to flash floods during rainfall.
The cement plants alter the natural landscape, and the removal of vegetation leads to reduced capacity of land to absorb water.

How have crop patterns changed?

There is a significant shift in both landholdings and produce.
More farmers are now embracing a cash crop economy over traditional cereal farming. This shift has implications for the transportation of these crops to markets within a short timeframe owing to their perishable nature.
In response to this need, roads are being constructed hastily without considering essential land cutting and gradient requirements or without creating proper drains or designated areas for dumping muck.