Beyond relief: Why the Himalayas must now choose ecology over indiscriminate development

By Bharat Dogra 

The recent Nepal floods are a profound tragedy, and their immense destruction has caused distress on a massive scale. The victims will require long-term support to recover from their losses and the shock of the disaster. Neighboring India, which has also suffered from this calamity, has responded promptly with assistance—a commendable effort that should continue over an extended period.

While the immediate priority must naturally be life-saving relief and rescue operations, over the longer term, a significant shift toward more ecologically protective policies demands urgent attention. The extent to which climate change and other human-induced factors contributed to the highly destructive flash floods in Nepal and surrounding areas may be debated. However, what remains beyond doubt—in this disaster and several other recent Himalayan catastrophes—is that the damage would have been considerably less severe had a more ecologically protective development path been pursued. Climate change is undeniably real and plays a major role in transformations occurring globally, particularly in fragile and vulnerable regions like the Himalayas, although determining its precise contribution to any specific disaster takes time. More visibly, if affected areas had not already been extensively disrupted—if tree and forest cover had been improved, precautions taken against overconstruction and ill-placed construction, and indiscriminate mining and blasting avoided—then the extent of damage and loss of life would have been far lower. In many disasters, the devastation has been worsened by the presence of loose boulders and debris, easily swept away by fast-flowing waters.

The trail of destruction across the Himalayan region—including floods, landslides, and land subsidence, which have sometimes triggered even larger floods in the plains below—must lead to a broader recognition of the severe costs of indiscriminate construction and "development" in this ecologically fragile zone. As someone who has long reported on these issues, I am deeply concerned that those who are either insufficiently aware of the Himalayas' unique vulnerability or insensitive to these challenges may once again disregard the warnings once the immediate visibility of the floods fades.

A critical question before us is this: despite clear evidence of serious errors, will the proponents of various indiscriminate construction projects—including high-risk dams and highways that entail tree loss and increased landslide risks—awaken in time to their responsibility for protecting the environment and ensuring safety?

The Himalayas stretch majestically across a vast area and are home to many people, even in high and remote regions. Yet the number of people whose lives are closely influenced by the Himalayas is many times greater, with a heavy concentration in the far more densely populated plains below. This underscores a strong case for allocating special funds to support more ecologically protective policies in the Himalayan region—policies that enhance safety and protection not only for the local population but for a vastly larger number of people downstream.

For all their outward grandeur, the Himalayas are geologically young and fragile formations, highly prone to disturbances. Most of this region falls within a high seismicity zone. Therefore, policies for this region must take extra care to protect the environment—particularly forests and rivers—as well as the people living here and the far larger population influenced by events in the Himalayas.

People often discuss the Himalayan region primarily in terms of tourism and pilgrimage destinations. However, greater attention should be given to the lives and livelihoods of ordinary people residing in the Himalayas, as well as to the need for environmental protection that ensures the local and broader impacts of Himalayan conditions remain beneficial. Cooperation among Himalayan countries should also be rooted in sharing these concerns and minimizing conflict to the extent possible, given geopolitical realities.

The Himalayas, with their varying heights, slopes, peaks, and valleys, are well-suited to preserving rich biodiversity. Traditional farming practices have made excellent use of this diversity, providing a variety of nutritious foods, particularly rich in millets and herbs. Some agricultural scientists trained in green revolution monocultures failed to appreciate these strengths, leading to the introduction of disruptive new crops and technologies in some areas. Fortunately, this mistake is now being recognized in several places. Numerous initiatives are promoting organic and natural farming methods—a welcome trend. However, a holistic approach to natural farming is often lacking in official efforts. At the same time, it is disturbing that many ecologically harmful agricultural practices persist, including the use of high-risk chemical herbicides and pesticides, which are likely to be even more damaging in these fragile environments.

Forests are crucial for protecting Himalayan ecology, and with due care and understanding, they can also play the most important role in supporting sustainable livelihoods for local people. This would involve providing people with livelihoods centered on protecting forests and biodiversity, regenerating mixed natural forests with a proper place for soil- and water-conserving indigenous trees, and granting people stronger rights over the sustainable use of minor forest produce. A rural economy built on such protective livelihoods—including fruits, dry fruits, and organic farm produce in both raw and processed forms, further supported by eco-friendly tourism and pilgrimage—can provide a firm livelihood base without endangering the environment.

Unfortunately, not only tourism but also pilgrimages are becoming highly commercialized, with record numbers of helicopter sorties ferrying pilgrims to favored shrines. Instead of allowing these activities to be guided mainly by commercial factors, we must prioritize environmental protection and the promotion of livelihoods for ordinary hill people.

Considerable controversy surrounds several major development projects, particularly dam and highway projects. The time has come for the government to facilitate a completely unbiased evaluation of the overall impact of these projects, so that future policy is guided entirely by the most impartial conclusions drawn from experiences to date. Several concerns have been raised—loss of forests and trees, destabilization of slopes and landslides, displacement of people—but one particularly serious concern is the need to avoid massive disasters.

The role that hydropower projects played in aggravating the highly destructive floods in Uttarakhand in 2013 has been widely discussed, and even a committee appointed at the initiative of the Supreme Court drew attention to this. We cannot forget that approximately 6,000 human lives—perhaps more—were lost in those floods. A top priority must be to prevent such large-scale disasters. More than one officially appointed committee has highlighted very serious risks associated with the Tehri Dam Project in Uttarakhand, for instance, and we must not ignore or neglect such well-documented warnings, supported by scientific evidence and voiced by eminent experts. Among upcoming projects, the most concern has been expressed regarding some gigantic Chinese hydropower projects, which have been linked to very high risks for downstream areas.

Sunderlal Bahuguna devoted his life to protecting Himalayan ecology and promoting sustainable livelihoods. He often said, "Ecology is permanent economy." He undertook long foot marches to hundreds of villages to find practical ways of applying this principle. He and his companions contributed immensely in this direction.

They emphasized that ecological tasks cannot be undertaken in social isolation. Hence, they placed equal emphasis on justice for women and advocated for broader social roles for them. Women have justified this trust by playing a vital role in the Chipko movement, anti-liquor campaigns, and peace initiatives.

As I came to realize through close involvement with them, these activists also emphasized equal opportunities and empowerment for the poorest sections, including Dalits, and placed great importance on inter-faith harmony. Their work serves as a valuable guide for evolving a socio-economic and ecological agenda for the Himalayan region—one that integrates multifaceted justice with environmental concerns.

Some Himalayan regions are affected by open or simmering discontent among the people, as we have seen in recent manifestations. If highly protective policies are developed along the lines suggested above, in participative ways that closely involve local people—keeping in view their real needs and integrating these with environmental protection—then there will be little chance for discontent to grow. We must integrate protective policies at both the environmental and social levels.

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The writer is Honorary Convener of the Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children and Planet in Peril. His website is bharatdogra.in, and his YouTube channel is Bharat Dogra | Save Earth Campaign