On a recent visit to Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated projects worth over ₹6000 crore, including ropeways to Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib. While hailed as a major step toward improving connectivity and boosting tourism, for those of us who call Uttarakhand home, a pressing question remains—is this the kind of development we truly need?
When Progress Ignores Warnings
Yes, better infrastructure is crucial. Yes, tourism fuels the state’s economy. But Uttarakhand’s current model of growth—reckless road expansions, unchecked urbanization, indiscriminate tree-cutting, and mass-scale tourism—is a slow-moving disaster.
We have seen the consequences before. The 2013 Kedarnath floods, which claimed thousands of lives, should have been a wake-up call. Yet a decade later, we repeat the same mistakes. Recently, an avalanche in Mana killed eight workers from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). Scientists had warned of erratic weather patterns, yet these warnings were ignored. The region suffered an 84% precipitation deficit in winter, followed by a 600% precipitation spike within 24 hours—a drastic swing that triggered the deadly avalanche.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand’s glaciers are melting at twice the global average. This means more floods, more landslides, and a looming water crisis. Yet the state marches forward with massive construction projects, seemingly blind to their long-term consequences.
Tourism, Urbanization, and the Vanishing Water Sources
The unchecked expansion of tourism is further straining Uttarakhand’s fragile ecosystems. The number of tourists has nearly doubled in the last decade, from 22 million in 2014 to 39 million in 2019. While tourism drives the economy, it also exhausts natural resources at an alarming rate.
As per studies available over 5,400 natural water sources are under threat. In Almora, 83% of natural springs have dried up. Across the state, nearly 12,000 springs have disappeared—a crisis given that 90% of Uttarakhand’s drinking water comes from these sources. Yet luxury hotels and resorts continue to consume vast amounts of water, while villages struggle for survival.
Deforestation only worsens this crisis. Forests play a crucial role in groundwater recharge. When trees are cleared for roads, hotels, and infrastructure, rainwater runs off the surface instead of replenishing underground reserves.
The Hills Are Fragile, But We Keep Blasting Through Them
Despite these warnings, large-scale infrastructure projects continue to carve through the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
Joshimath made global headlines earlier this year when land subsidence forced over 700 families to evacuate overnight. Reckless tunneling and urban expansion were blamed for the town’s sinking. Yet, instead of reassessing development strategies, the same mistakes are being repeated elsewhere.
Highways are being built, trees are being felled, and hillsides are being blasted apart. Each tunnel collapse, each landslide burying a road, seems to catch authorities off guard—despite their predictability.
Nainital and the Myth of Infrastructure Solving Migration
Nowhere is the impact of unregulated tourism more visible than in Nainital. Once a serene lake town, it now suffocates under gridlocked traffic during peak season. Emergency vehicles are trapped, locals are stranded, and basic movement becomes impossible.
The argument for expanding roads and increasing tourism infrastructure is that it will improve connectivity and reduce migration from the hills. This assumption is deeply flawed. Uttarakhand’s migration crisis isn’t due to narrow roads—it stems from a lack of healthcare, education, and stable employment.
Villagers aren’t leaving because the roads are bad. They are leaving because hospitals remain understaffed, schools lack teachers, and non-tourism jobs are scarce. Expressways and ropeways won’t fix these fundamental issues. What Uttarakhand needs is well-equipped hospitals, better schools, and industries that provide sustainable, year-round employment.
Development or Disaster? The Choice Uttarakhand Must Make
It is good that the government is thinking about Uttarakhand. But progress that ignores the environment is not development—it is destruction.
Glaciers are melting, rivers are drying, landslides are increasing, and climate disasters are intensifying. Bulldozing mountains, cutting down trees will not make Uttarakhand thrive—it will make it unlivable.
Joshimath was a warning. The Kedarnath floods were a tragedy. If Uttarakhand continues to prioritize large-scale tourism and urbanization over ecological balance, there will be nothing left to preserve.
The choice is simple: sustainable development that protects the Himalayas, or reckless expansion that leaves behind an environmental catastrophe. The future of Devbhoomi depends on it.
Noman Siddiqui is an independent Multimedia Journalist | Freelancer, Channel 4 | Covering Climate, Environment, Policy and Politics
