Supreme Court says Himalayan region facing ‘serious existential crisis’

New Delhi: Raising concerns about the ecological imbalance in the states in the Himalayan region, the Supreme Court has said that the region “is facing a serious existential crisis”, and posed a series of questions to the Himachal Pradesh government.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that scores of people have perished in floods and landslides, and thousands of properties have been destroyed.

“This monsoon season has seen unprecedented rain, causing havoc in the fragile ecosystem of Himachal Pradesh. The deluge which has struck in various areas has caused widespread damage to life and property. A large number of homes/permanent structures/temporary buildings have been washed away under the destructive landslide have been washed away or swept under the destructive landslides which have struck the state during this period,” the bench stated in its order.

“Evidently, the state of Himachal Pradesh and, for that matter, all the states in the Himalayan region are facing a serious existential crisis,” it added.

The apex court sought details from the Himachal Pradesh government, including information on climate change, afforestation, highways, four-lane roads, hydroelectric projects, mining, disaster management plans, tourism policies, and the number of trees felled.

It directed the Principal Secretary of the state’s Forest Department to file an affidavit by October 28.

“It was observed that humans, not nature, are responsible for phenomena such as continuous landslides, the collapse of houses and buildings, subsidence of roads, etc. Further observation has been made that the various expert reports and other reports have indicated that major causes of such vast destruction in the State of Himachal Pradesh are hydro power projects, four-lane roads, deforestation, multi-storey buildings, etc.,” the order passed on Tuesday stated.

The apex court had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of the ecological imbalance in the state. It stated that the entire Himalayan region is at risk of natural disasters, and calamities have been particularly violent this year.

The apex court has recorded a series of questions prepared by its amicus curiae, senior advocate K. Parameshwar, who was assisting the court in the matter.

The apex court inquired about the total designated forest area in the state and the extent to which the forest area has been diverted for non-forest use over the last two decades. What percentage of tree cover and forest cover has changed across the state over the last two decades. (ANI)

Also Read: Supreme Court upholds service tax on cargo handling by Airports Authority of India

Also Watch: