[Reader-list] Uttarakhand ICJ statement

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*INDIA CLIMATE JUSTICE*



*STATEMENT ON THE UTTARAKHAND CATASTROPHE*



*We cannot ignore the climate crisis anymore!*

* *



*25 June 2013*



The India Climate Justice collective notes with deep anguish the
devastating loss of life, livelihoods, and homes in Uttarakhand and beyond.
The death toll is likely in the thousands, way beyond current official
figures. We extend our deep condolences to the families and friends of
those killed, and our support to those still fighting for survival, and to
local populations whose livelihoods will take years to rebuild.



This tragedy was triggered by extreme unseasonal rains in North India, 2-3
weeks in advance of what is normal for this region. The Director of the
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Dehradun, said that 340 mm fell in
a single day at Dehradun, a record not seen for five decades. Such extreme
and unseasonal rainfall seems to us to indicate a global warming induced
climate change phenomenon. Warmer air due to global warming has the
capacity to hold more moisture, leading to more intense bursts of rainfall.
The natural monsoon cycle in India has already been badly disrupted, and a
new cycle of extreme rainfall events and prolonged droughts have been
reported from all over the country in the recent past. Thus, contrary to
statements by senior politicians, the Uttarakhand disaster is not natural:
it is no less man-made than the other contributors to the tragedy. And if
it is indeed induced by global warming, similar catastrophes could recur
with increasing frequency and intensity anywhere in the country in the
coming years.



In Uttarakhand, a chaotic process of ‘development’ that goes back many
years exacerbated the effects of this extreme rain. Extensive deforestation
of mountain tracts, by the state and more recently due to ‘development’
projects, led to soil erosion and water run-off, thus destabilizing
mountain slopes and contributing to more intense and frequent landslides
and floods. Unchecked hill tourism has resulted in the huge growth of
vehicular traffic, spread of roads not suitable to this mountainous
terrain, and the construction of poorly designed and unregulated hotels and
structures, many near rivers. Sand mining along river banks has intensified
water flows into rivers.



Most of all, the construction and planning of hundreds of small, medium and
large dams across the Himalayan states from Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand in the northern Himalayas to Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in
the east, have destabilized an already fragile ecosystem and threatened
biodiversity. A staggering 680 dams are in various stages of planning, or
construction in Uttarakhand alone! These dams have a direct connection with
the extent of the damage that can be caused in such flooding events, in
that the tunnelling and excavation in the so-called run-of-the-river
projects cause huge and unregulated dumping of excavated debris into river
basins, leading to increased siltation, and in turn aggravating the flood
situation. The electrical power generated by these dams will be consumed by
urban elites elsewhere. It is ironic that these dam projects, while
adversely impacting people’s access to their river commons, claim to be
climate change solutions in the guise of renewable and green energy, and
have already made huge profits by fraudulently claiming CDM (clean
development mechanism) status. In 2009, the CAG had warned the government
of Uttarakhand that the “potential cumulative effect of multiple
run-of-the-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging”.
Like many other warnings by environmentalists and local community groups in
the past, this was also ignored. And now we are facing one of the biggest
disasters that the country has seen in decades.



The central government of India and various state governments, including
the govt of Uttarakhand, have prepared action plans for combating climate
change. Any such plan ought to include the establishment of a
disaster-prediction and warning mechanism. The Uttarakhand government has
taken no measures to prepare for this kind of eventuality, though it has
paid lip service to climate action plans over the last three years.  In the
present case, the IMD issued inadequate warning, which was disregarded by
the state government. An urgent prior warning could have ensured that
pilgrims don’t move forward and retreat to relative safety, that locals
reduce their exposure to risk to the extent possible. Thousands of pilgrims
from different states, locals, workers in hotels and dharamshalas, and
transport animals have been killed. Cars with people inside them were
washed away. Those who have survived had to go without food for several
days. Thousands are still stranded at different points, or in forests, and
we are still counting the dead.



There has also been extensive devastation of local lives and the regional
economy. Serious devastation has been reported from over 200 villages, so
far. Innumerable locals, including agricultural workers, drowned in the
raging waters or were submerged under mud and debris. Houses have collapsed
or been washed away. Tourism and the local employment it generates have
been hit indefinitely at the peak of the tourist season. Floods, landslides
and debris have devastated agriculture along the rivers. Irrespective of
whether these extreme rains are due to climate change or not, this is what
a climate change world in the Himalayas looks like. This devastation is a
glimpse into a climate uncertain future.



We see this tragedy as a result of cumulative and widespread injustice and
wrongdoing: not only against the Himalayan environment, but also against
mountain communities whose survival depends on that environment. This
tragedy is also a crime, because our policy makers and administrators are
also part of the larger climate injustice at a global scale that threatens,
displaces and kills the marginal and the poor everywhere. On another plane,
they simply let it happen. We believe that adaptation to disasters does not
just mean desperate rescue work during and after the event, but also
reducing vulnerability and risk before. Effective adaptation involves a
series of measures that need to be adopted on a war footing. The
sustainable development of a hill economy, and equity – not profit for a
few – should be at its core.



*India Climate Justice demands:*



·         That the governments at the central and state level retreat to a
low carbon pathway of development that has equity, decent employment, and
sustainability at its core.



·         That the planning and construction of dams in the entire Indian
Himalayas be reviewed, and all construction be halted until such a review
is carried out.



·         That the use of explosives in all such infrastructure development
works is completely stopped.



·         That, given the likelihood of extreme rainfall events and other
climate extremes in the future, extensive and sub-regional warning systems
are put in place urgently across all the Himalayan states, the coastal
areas and beyond.



·         That a proper assessment of the carrying capacity of specific
ecosystems is carried out.



·         That the eco-sensitive zone measures be implemented from Gaumukh
to Uttarkashi and eco-sensitive zones be established in other river valleys.



·         That a river regulation zone be enforced such that no permanent
structures are allowed to be constructed within 100 metres of any river.



·         That the residents and their organizations are thoroughly
consulted in a democratic plan on climate change, in the revival of the
local hill economy, and the generation of decent employment.



·         That all working people be compensated for the loss of life and
livelihood, and that urgent plans are put in place for the revival of local
livelihoods and agriculture.



·         That the central government learn from the Uttarakhand
catastrophe to put in place prior adaptation measures not just for the
mountainous regions but beyond, for coastal and the drought-prone interiors
as well.







*(INDIA CLIMATE JUSTICE)*





*Endorsing Organizations*

All India Forum of Forest Movements; Pairvi; Beyond Copenhagen; South Asia
Network of Dams, Rivers and People; National Alliance of People’s
Movements; Himalaya Niti Abhiyan; New Trade Union Initiative; All-India
Union of Forest Working People; Chintan; Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha; Toxics
Watch Alliance; Nadi Ghati Morcha, Chhattisgarh; Rural Volunteers Centre,
Assam; Vettiver Collective, Chennai; Himal Prakriti, Uttarakhand; Maati,
Uttarakhand; Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti; River Basin Friends (NE); India
Youth Climate Network; Intercultural Resources; Kabani, Kerala; Human
Rights Forum, Andhra Pradesh; National Cyclists Union, India; Equations;
Posco Pratirodh Solidarity, Delhi; Global Alliance for Incinerator
Alternatives; Science for Society, Bihar; Nagarik Mancha; SADED; JJBA,
Jharkhand; BIRSA; Jharkhand Mines Area Coordination Committee; Adivasi
Mulvasi Astitva Raksha Manch; National Adivasi Alliance; Bank Information
Centre; Focus on the Global South; Jatiyo Sramik Jote, Dhaka; Jharkhand
Jungle Bachao Andolan; People’s Union for Democratic Rights; All India
Students Association; All India Progressive Women’s Association



*Individuals*

Badri Raina, Kamal Mahendroo, Benny Kuruvilla, Subrat Sahu, Arun Bidani,
Saurav Shome, Amitava Guha



*India Climate Justice* is a collective comprising social movements, trade
unions, other organizations and individuals. It was formed in 2009 to
respond to the growing climate crisis, from a perspective of justice and
equity.

*Email*: indiaclimatejustice at gmail.com

*Tel*:  09434761915, 09717771255, 09910476553