Floods in Uttarakhand

Devastating floods in Uttarakhand as well as Himachal Pradesh, following heavy rains in

northern India since June 13, have already claimed thousands of lives and left behind a terrible
trail of destruction. Men, women and
children, their homes and belongings,
whole villages, roads and bridges have
simply been washed away by the raging
flood waters. Thousands are believed to
be lying buried under the debris of
fallen buildings and structures. Many of
those who managed to somehow escape
the flood waters are reported to have
died due to starvation and dehydration. Many tens of thousands are reported to be still stranded
without any food or drinking water. Most of the mountain roads have been washed away, so
that rescue by helicopters is the only course left. Several thousands are yet untraced. Many of
those who managed to walk their way to safety
through long distances in the forests have
reported finding thousands of dead bodies
embedded in the rivers and buried in the sand.
The situation is so tragic that even government
officials have stopped trying to declare figures
of the number killed, stranded and missing.
The calamity in Uttarakhand and other places in
northern India is yet another glaring example of
the kind of terrible tragedies that befall our people as a consequence of the existing capitalist
system. Under this system, the insatiable greed of the capitalists for maximum profits at all cost
is the driving force. Whichever may be the government in power, all the institutions of the state
and the entire state machinery is geared to satisfy this greed of the capitalists, cynically
disregarding the well-being and interests of the masses of people.


Causes:
One of the main factors being attributed to the tragedy in Uttarakhand is the construction of
hydel projects, dams, roads, hotels, etc. on an unprecedented scale in the past decade. It is
reported that nearly 70 hydel projects have been set up by various capitalist houses in the basins
of the three major rivers -- Alaknanda, Mandakini and Bhagirathi.
These hydel projects require constant blasting of the hills to build dams and tunnels, loosening
the rock structure, which starts rolling down once the top soil is washed away by rain. The
rocks and mud are carried away by the rivers at a high speed, adding to the devastating effect.
To build the hydel projects, the natural flow of the rivers has been diverted for more than half
the length of the major rivers in the region. The forest cover has been destroyed as a result of
the construction of these hydel projects, reducing the ability of the soil to retain water. Bumper
to bumper dams have been built, compounding the effect of all this. This has been allowed
inspite of being in flagrant violation of the governments own stated norms for environmental
clearance required for any such construction.
Rampant mining of rivers by private companies has been allowed by the government, resulting
in drastic changes in the course of the rivers. Private tourism companies have been reaping
fabulous profits by constructing hotels indiscriminately on the river banks. In the last 13 years
alone, since the state of Uttarakhand was created, hundreds of kilometers of new roads have
been built, in a most haphazard and unscientific manner. The extent to and ease with which
these roads have been washed away in the recent floods are ample testimony to how they would
have been made.


Effect
1. Human
Estimated death toll of 5000, and 4700missing across Uttarakhand; Estimated
1,10,000 people evacuated so far.
Severe impact on livelihood; 19,590 business
establishments devastated which translates to
loss of over INR 5300 million.
16 lakh people affected. 30,000+ households in
severely affected villages are in dire need of
food, water, shelter, medicines.Several injured,
and threat of epidemics.
2. Infrastructural
600 villages across Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh districts
have had severe damage (washed
away/submerged).
760villages are still absolutely cut off.
Limited/intermittent road connectivity to reach
supplies to 13,600 villages. 1,000 Bridges
damaged.
37,000 sq. miles area affected. Loss to
economy is INR.30,000 million. 300+ villages
facesevere drinking water shortage; Primary Health Centres facing shortage of
medicines.
3. Environmental
25-30 million tourists/pilgrims visit
Uttarakhand each year, which is 2.5 times
the population of the entire state.
60 hrs of cloudburst & continuous rain,
leading to 330 mm of rain.
70 Hydroelectric projects in worst affected
Char Dham area; 505 dams in Uttarakhand
state. 4,640 cases of illegal mining.
The state agencies have already started announcing how the repair and reconstruction work in
Uttarakhand will cost a huge amount of money and have given an initial estimate of Rs. 250
crore. This is exactly what follows every calamity that affects the masses of people. The state
agencies as well as various private capitalist agencies will now reap handsome profits out of
the repair and reconstruction work, using shoddy material and design, so that once more such
a disaster can strike and cause untold misery to many thousands of people.