Indians are very strong and tolerant people. Arent we? Or maybe heartless?

Because as long as we are not the victims, we are completely immune to tragedies. It is really sad how little we value human lives I am talking of 17th June 2013. Thousands dead and stranded, scores of villages and buildings washed away like toys and the eighth century Kedarnath temple flooded. The once beautiful hill state was completely devastated by cloudburst and heavy downpour.

Do we all know that the young fold Himalayas are an ecologically fragile zone. Ruthless human actions destabilize and change the natural course of events. I have no doubt that Uttarakhand is reaping only what it had sown. The trigger may be natural but the catastrophe is manmade.

Let us see what has led to natures fury, starting with deforestation. Deforestation, as we all know, leads to soil erosion. Vegetative cover not only holds soil but also slows down the speed of falling water. Soil soaks water, releases it slowly. So no gully formation, no flash floods. Deforestation is also responsible for landslides caused due to loose soil. But forest cover in Himalayas is continuously declining. Forests have been diverted for agriculture, urbanization, road construction and hydropower projects. The Timber Mafia is one of the most powerful lobbies in India. Their reach is undoubtedly in the highest levels of Government. The Government owns most of the forests in the country. So when the corrupt government officials decide to make money it is very easy. Cut the trees.

Next, let us talk about rampant constructions on river bed. Remember those clips of buildings, hotels and temples on riverside getting washed away. It is common sense that during heavy rains, river beds fill up with water and any structures built on them will get demolished. Now, most of these buildings are meant to accommodate over tourism and pilgrimage. The mountains which have a certain carrying capacity are now flooded with lakhs of pilgrims. Early pilgrims respected ecology and traversed much of the Char Dhaam by foot. Today we believe in penance powered by four-wheel drive. This MUV/SUV influx has worsened the poor infrastructure. The state has seen a 1000 per cent increase in vehicular traffic in the last eight years. Studies suggest correlation between tourism increase and increasing landslides.

Last but not the least, Hydroelectric dams seem to be the greatest culprit here. Dams involve drilling huge tunnels by blasting rocks, cutting down forests to build water channels, roads, townships and other infrastructure. They extract building materials from riverbeds which is called sand mining and massively alter the natural course of rivers. Yet, a stupefying 680 dams are reportedly in various stages of planning or construction in Uttarakhand, in addition to 70 existing ones.

I strongly believe that it is not Nature vs development debate as it is generally projected to be. It rather is Nature vs greed, official lethargy and pathetic systems that we have in place. Construction activity in the hill State should not be confused with development. Development always must be people-oriented. In the hills, it must be rural and cottage industries, agroforestry, hill agriculture, animal husbandry and technology. Tourism may be allowed, but should be regulated. Small hydel projects that produce electricity and help local entrepreneurship should replace the idea of large dams.

The problem with bribing our way through the next infrastructure project is that nature does not accept bribes. You cannot negotiate with ityou either abide by its rules, or tomorrow, if not today, it will have its way.