New ground fissures have brought renewed attention to the Himalayan town of Joshimath in northern India. Nobody knows for sure why the city is collapsing. However, experts warn of a more alarming scenario playing out in the Himalayas.
Some experts are concerned that the rapidity with which China and India are constructing infrastructure in the Himalayan region will significantly raise the hazards and risks of natural disasters in the area. Warming temperatures continue to melt glaciers and permafrost, further destabilizing the ecologically delicate region (permanently frozen land).
On both sides of the Himalayas, engineers are busy constructing highways, rail lines, tunnels, reservoirs, and landing strips.
“So, basically you are bringing yourself closer and closer to the hazards,” said Andreas Kaab, professor of physical geography and hydrology at Oslo University, who co-authored a major report on the cause of a devastating avalanche in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state in 2021.
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After a chunk of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in the Tapovan area of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand on February 7, 2021, this is the view from Reni village in Chamoli district.
Is The India-China Infrastructure Race Damaging The Himalayas?
Scientists are concerned that the rapid development of infrastructure in the Himalayas could have a negative impact on the region’s delicate ecosystem.
The Himalayan town of Joshimath in northern India remains in the news as new cracks appear in the ground. It is unclear what is causing the city to sink. However, experts warn that something far more concerning is happening in the Himalayas.
And this is where, on both sides of the Himalayas, roads are being hacked out, rails are being laid, tunnels are being drilled, and dams and airstrips are being constructed.
According to a study published in the journal Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, between September and October of 2022, there was one landslide along the NH-7 national highway in Uttarakhand that either partially or completely blocked traffic.
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Hydroelectric Dams In Himalayan Valleys With Limited Width Are Prone To Failure
The Line of Actual Control, a de facto border between China and India spanning 3,500 kilometers (2,174 miles), has been the focus of numerous studies, but when taken as a whole, they reveal a region increasingly at risk from a variety of hazards (LAC).
According to a study published in the journal Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, between September and October of 2022, there was at least one landslide on the NH-7 national highway in Uttarakhand that blocked traffic in either direction.
Similar risks have been suggested by other research as well. New landslides, often shallow and small, have formed as a result of environmental factors and road construction and widening, which have resulted in deaths and severe property damage.
Landslides And Rock Falls Have Dramatically Increased As A Result Of Road-Widening Projects In Northern India
Landslides and rock falls have dramatically increased as a result of road widening projects in northern India.
The Himalayan town of Joshimath in northern India is still making headlines as new cracks appear in the ground. It is unclear what is causing the town to sink. However, experts warn that something more sinister is happening in the Himalayas.
They claim that the rapidity with which China and India are constructing infrastructure in the Himalayan region significantly raises the aforementioned hazards and risks. As glaciers and permafrost continue to melt, the increasing temperatures caused by global warming are further endangering the region’s delicate ecosystem (permanently frozen land).
Highways, railroads, tunnels, reservoirs, and landing strips are all currently under construction on both sides of the Himalayas.
Professor of physical geography and hydrology at Oslo University Andreas Kaab co-authored a major report on the cause of a devastating avalanche in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state in 2021. “So, basically you are bringing yourself closer and closer to the hazards,” he said.
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