Beyond Joshimath: How not to make the future a repeat of the past

Can we have stronger regulatory and associated institutions to ensure environmental protection? If not, the shock effect of Joshimath won't last much more than a week, cautions T N Ninan

The reports and commentary on soil subsidence in the pilgrimage town of Joshimath in the Garhwal Himalayas, the consequent damage to houses, and the evacuation of endangered people have rightly mentioned the neglect of past warnings. Also mentioned in dispatches are the environmental risks involved in undertaking ambitious rail, road, hydel, and other projects in a section of the Himalayas already prone to landslides and associated disasters because of large-scale deforestation.

Joshimath and the media coverage it has provoked come accompanied by a larger concern about the environment: The poor quality of the winter air in cities and towns across