A new report on development and ecological sustainability in Uttarakhand by Ravi Chopra, environmentalist and head of the Supreme Court-appointed committee formed to study the role of the dams in the disaster last year, states that the devastation on June 15-17, 2013 was aggravated many times over by the heavy constructions and the model of infrastructure-led development undertaken in the mountain State.
The report calls for long-term measures to create a developmental model that is environmentally sustainable and not just focused on construction and commercialisation along the river banks. With a well-researched insight into the State’s development approach and its vulnerability to climate change, especially from the viewpoint of the community, the report provides detailed recommendations. These include focusing on ecological sustainability, equitable livelihood development, sustainable infrastructure and disaster preparedness, among others.
“Oxfam India endorses the findings of the report, which calls for a more people-centered green development path that is based on a holistic understanding of the State’s environmental reality as a mountain State. We believe that while disasters might be natural, the scale and severity of their impact on communities’ lives and livelihoods depend on how well we prepare and respond to them,” said Oxfam India CEO Nisha Agrawal.
“Following the immediate relief work after the disaster, we have been working with the communities to rebuild their lives and livelihoods, access to services and long-term resilience. We have also been part of the wider conversations about how to rebuild Uttarakhand and what a long-term, more sustainable development path for Uttarakhand might look like,” said Oxfam India regional manager for North India, NK Singh.