the path of the Himalayas

NS Char Dham Road ProjectInaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016, there is an ambitious effort to widen about 900 km of mountain roads at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore. The project, which will be executed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), aims to provide all-weather connectivity to the four major temples of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. In the excitement of an infrastructure project that would increase pilgrimage tourism from the Indian plains and provide local economic benefits, the government has for decades ignored the facts proven by the many tragic incidents in the hills of Uttarakhand. The large-scale construction and its complex interactions with climate change have led to massive landslides and floods in the delicate range of the Himalayas.

case timeline

The project started as a road connectivity project for the pilgrims. Now government’s argument It is necessary to support the movement of troops and weapons towards the India-China border. The matter is in Supreme Court. The Attorney General argues that wide roads are necessary for national security in the Garhwal region. The petitioners, residents of the valleys in the Garhwal region, insist on the need for a regulated and narrow intermediate road with pedestrian footpaths.

Let’s take a look at the timeline of the case. In 2018, the road-extension project was challenged by an NGO for its potential impact on the Himalayan ecology. supreme court constituted a high powered committee (HPC) to investigate the issues. In an order in September 2020The Court held that the width of the carriageway of roads cannot exceed 5.5 metres. The Court followed the guidelines issued by MoRTH for mountain highways in March 2018, which had prescribed a standard specification of a carriageway width of 5.5m with two-lane structures (7m). In doing so, the Court upheld Minority Recommendation of HPC, In November 2020, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) filed an appeal which, citing the MoRTH affidavit, asked for “a double-lane road with a carriageway width of 7 meters (or 7.5 meters with a raised curb). in case) to “meet the requirement of Army” from 8-10 m formation width. on 15th December, MoRTH amended its 2018 circular And extended the 5.5m width limit to 10m. The new circular reads: “For roads in hilly and hilly areas that act as feeder roads to the India-China border or are of strategic importance to national security, the width of the carriageway shall be 7 meters and shall be 1.5 meters on both sides.” The meter should be a firm shoulder.” Why did MoRTH make amendments in circular manner beyond the requirement prescribed by MoD?

There is a demand to build these wide roads in Uttarakhand, which has been the victim of several calamities in the last two decades. It is important to note that the Himalayan terrain in Uttarakhand is different from that of Ladakh. The valleys in Uttarakhand are narrow and closed with steep slopes of 60-70 degrees. On the other hand, the slope height in the valleys of Ladakh is 30 degrees. Just this year, we saw how flood in dhauli ganga, Rishi Ganga and Alaknanda rivers took the lives of more than 200 people. During monsoon, due to massive hill felling for the Char Dham road project, there have been several landslides in the region. The state’s position is that the national highways of the Char Dham project, including the road leading to the border, remained closed at times during this monsoon season, sometimes for months.

And so, the question is, why did MoRTH enter such a delicate area with this massive, ambitious project without doing a basic environmental impact assessment, as mandated? The intermediate road width of 5.5 meters was being violated even after the Supreme Court reprimanded the MoRTH. Then, the MoD was brought in to justify the demand for double-lane paved shoulder roads.

When reprimanded, MoRTH informed the Supreme Court that since the project was taken up under a different category, the 2018 circular was not being followed. Such a bizarre submission should be – and was – dismissed by many. However, some followed the government’s line and agreed to the width of the double-lane paved shoulder road. Later, it was revealed that the project proponents intended to set up toll booths along the Char Dham roads, and this was only possible with a double-lane paved shoulder road width. Does the government intend to impose tax on Char Dham Yatris?

In its November 2020 appeal, the MoD had requested 7m carriageway width along with 8-10m formation width. This was endorsed by MoRTH in its affidavit. The petitioners and small minorities within the Supreme Court-appointed committee recommended an intermediate road width of 5.5 meters with 1.5 meters of footpath to facilitate easy bilateral movement, which is required by the pilgrims and residents of the Valley. it occurs. The construction width of this design is the same as that proposed by the MoD (8-10 metres), with the only difference being a walkway. What is the difficulty then? When the judges raised this question, the government had no answer. Several violations of MoRTH came to the fore and the fact that MoD was being used to justify the width of the new road.

It is often argued that landslides are a natural consequence of road construction and can be reduced. Similar arguments were made in the court regarding this project as well. However, rains this year showed that mitigation measures are not matching nature’s wrath. Prevention and regulation of activities in these fragile mountains appears to be the only effective method of mitigation.

polluting the Himalayas

Disaster-resistant, safe and stable infrastructure is the only way to travel by road in the mountains. But the double-lane paved shoulder roads are excessively wide and make the slopes unsafe. The unique Himalayan landscape with steep slopes and steep slopes is unsuitable for human engineering. Any human-induced change beyond the carrying capacity of the Himalayas will have an impact on the flow flow and erosion or deposition processes. Considering such vulnerabilities, we need to keep the scale of human-induced disturbance to the lowest possible level. The Char Dham project in its present form is against all environmental safeguards.

If the government does not desist from widening the roads under this project, then it will be a big mistake. This will significantly strengthen the erosion rates and large-scale wasting processes, given the erosion of slope stability, earthquake activity and increased monsoon rainfall. There is a need to preserve the Himalayas as a nature reserve for the generations to come. That’s why they are called ‘abode of the gods’. So why insult him?

Mallika Bhanot is a member of Ganga Aawan, a citizen’s forum working towards the conservation of the Ganga and the Himalayas; CP Rajendran is an assistant professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru and author of an upcoming book Iearthquakes of the indian subcontinent