Crisis in the Himalayas

The tragedy of Joshimath demonstrates the perils of disturbing the fragile Himalayan ecology. Let us not anger the deities that reside in these sacred mountains

I have been trekking in the Himalayas for several years. I have often shared my experiences as a trekker amidst these magnificent landscapes through the pages of this newspaper. As I leaf through those several accounts, I see that my exhilaration at being among the world’s highest mountain ranges has always been tinged with rising concern over their relentless spoliation and degradation in the name of “development.”

Denying development to populations living in remote mountain areas would be grave injustice, but the real issue has always been about pursuing development in keeping with environmental sustainability. It is these concerns that led