PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Experts said that policies pursued by governments in recent years are responsible for the situations being experienced in the Himalayan region. At a discussion on whether the Ganga and Yamuna were being developed or destroyed, organised by Uttarakhand Jal Biradari at Doon Library and Research Centre on Monday, Magsaysay Award recipient Rajendra Singh said, “We are responsible for the wounds of disasters in the Himalaya.
The dams in Himachal Pradesh caused devastation in Punjab. The Bhagra Nangal dam and other dams were full in June but water was released from the Bhakra Nangal dam at a time when Punjab, Haryana and Delhi were witnessing rain, which caused destruction in Punjab. The Himalaya is under grave threat due to indiscriminate development.
The freedom of rivers and the greenery of Himalaya are going through a troubled phase,” he said. Targeting government policies, he said that the development these days is a mere “lollipop”, adding that one cannot ensure the conservation of natural resources solely by the government as more work can be done for this and disaster mitigation with the involvement of the public.
Padma Shri recipient Kalyan Singh Rawat said that the Himalaya is facing a major threat. With glaciers melting at an alarming rate, he said that the people had forgotten traditional culture aimed at conservation. Instead of random tree plantation under various schemes, the focus should be on plantation as per requirement. The pine has replaced broad leafed trees in the higher Himalaya, which is also one of the reasons which invite disasters, he said. All the schemes made for the conservation of natural resources are being implemented in an unplanned manner which is also creating threats, Rawat added.
Swami Shivanand of Matri Sadan said that the Uttarakhand government is not sensitive towards development. The government has consistently ignored demands for the conservation of the Ganga river. The government continues to ignore this issue even though many members of the religious fraternity are undertaking movements in support of this demand, he said.
Environmentalist Suresh Bhai said the disasters being witnessed in the present are being caused by humans. Wider roads are not needed in the Himalayan region. Disasters have become more frequent in Uttarakhand since the construction of wider roads and dams, he said.
