Applying a scientific understanding of mountain geology with local ecological wisdom is the way to preserve the hills and protect the life that thrives there
The increasing intensity and frequency of natural disasters in the mountains of India are worrying. This has been caused by a rapid increase in housing, hospitality and connectivity projects. Creating infrastructure in our mountains requires a completely different approach to study, scale and speed of engineering interventions.
Hilly regions are an ecosystem in themselves. Their characteristics and life cycles are determined by slopes. Slopes are determined by an interplay between the underlying rock and the agents of nature acting on them, like rivers, glaciers and biota. Like the flooding of rivers into floodplains and again receding into their channels, mountains are built up tectonically (Himalayan belt) and then eroded back into residual hills (like much of the hills in the Deccan region) in a cyclical process. This is led by processes of slope decline and slope retreat. This geomorphological cycle is very long and hardly perceptible. A detailed scientific slope analysis has not been a part of big infrastructure projects in our hilly regions. This has disrupted and accelerated the slope cycle and has led to man-made floods, landslides and soil erosion.
The tectonic belt of the Himalayan range is very active. Cutting off the rocks across the ridges and through the valleys causes sharp changes in the slopes and the ecosystem that depends on it. Slope steepening directly causes rockfalls and landslides. Moreover, the accompanying deforestation causes soil erosion and impacts the water run-off, water percolation, and stream channels. Subsurface water-logging over impermeable rock strata leads to the downward flow of landmass in various forms such as soil creep and mudflow, changing the slope characters even more.
Cutting-edge technology is required to study the short and long-term impacts of changes made in the structure of the mountains. Planning based on the watershed as a unit will help make small engineering interventions coupled with local wisdom. This will reduce the scale of damage and allow time for the ecosystem to readjust. Mapping of different layers of rock structures, their orientation, the nature of the soil of the connecting valleys and the impact of each geomorphological agent are essential aspects of building safe and sustainable infrastructure in the mountains. Available technology includes GIS-based vulnerability mapping, remote sensing and other expert geological techniques. These scientific aspects must be incorporated in policy and legal frameworks that govern disaster-resilient infrastructure and disaster management in the country, especially in hill states.
It is pertinent to note that there is no legal vacuum when it comes to the construction in fragile areas. Constructions in fragile areas are guided by different master plans, such as the Draft Development Plan for Shimla, Manali and Dalhousie Planning Areas. The Bureau of Indian Standards has already researched and presented techniques of construction in hilly areas of India. Though legislation or setting standards for such areas is one of the many ways to guide construction, the law does not operate in isolation. There is a need for decentralised and informal mechanisms to harness local wisdom through social influence and persuasion to bring in the acceptability of set standards. While the state will mostly deal with community spaces, for private space it has to be the prerogative of the local community to promote construction that does not jeopardise the ecosystem of hilly regions. The participative approach must draw its inspiration from Article 48A of the Indian constitution where a directive asks the state for the protection and improvement of the environment and safeguarding forests and wildlife individuals shall draw inspiration from Article 51A(g) of the Indian Constitution which makes protection of the natural environment a Fundamental Duty.
Hill stations get overcrowded during certain months of the year, leaving a long-lasting environmental impact on the ecosystem of that region. Such population pressure is both seasonal and general. This implies that parts of hilly regions are operating beyond their carrying capacity. For example, Shimla was originally built for a population of only 25000 people but now holds a population of 1,69,758 according to the 2011 census. There has to be a regulation setup for tourism purposes in peak season. Proper mapping of alternate routes, stricter permits based on capacity and encouraging eco-practices such as homestays, and carpooling must be strictly incorporated in the regulation of tourist footfall and movement of vehicles in peak tourist seasons.
Our mountainous regions have been “cul-de-sacs” for most of its history where lack of development and connectivity have created regional imbalances vis-a-vis plains. With progressive realisations of the rights of people to better governance and development, we must employ science and wisdom together; so that our mountains thrive.
(Pandey is an IAS officer while Mishra is an advocate in Delhi; views are personal)
