Sinking Himalayas

After Independence, a coterie of politicians and contractors started large-scale treefelling in Uttarakhand which was part of UP then), that led to the Chipko environmental protection movement in the 1970s. Uttarakhand witnessed two environmental tragedies in the last decade, the massive floods of 2013 and 2021, that were directly relatable to ruthless exploitation of natural resources

With forests covering 65 per cent of its land area and many high Himalayan peaks and glaciers adding to its breath-taking beauty, Uttarakhand is probably the most beautiful state of India. Fed by myriad lakes, glacial melts and streams, both the Ganga and Yamuna originate in the glaciers of Uttarakhand. Many rare varieties of flowers and plants thrive in the Valley of Flowers National Park. Home to the Bengal tiger, Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India. Two of the holiest Hindu shrines, Badrinath and Kedarnath, lie in Uttarakhand.

Till recently, Uttarakhand was known for its gentle people, beautiful hill stations, and the brave soldiers of Garhwal and Kumaon regiments. Crime was practically non-existent, people led simple, uncomplicated lives; movie-makers flocked to Uttarakhand to capture its beauty on celluloid.

Almost imperceptibly, a sea-change has come over Uttarakhand. The unpolluted atmosphere, the gentle cool breezes are a thing of the past. Dust clouds from tunnelling work for the myriad railway tunnels and hydropower projects, and the ubiquitously dug-up roads for road widening projects, assail one’s senses the moment one enters Uttarakhand. Scores of heavy trucks clog its narrow hill roads, releasing unbearably toxic fumes in the clean mountain air. The quaintness of small hill towns of Uttarakhand is long gone; Dehradun and Nainital resemble the more populated parts of Delhi, while other hill towns are not very different from their neighbours in Uttar Pradesh.