June 29, 2013: Every northern summer, tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims undertake a spiritual journey known as the Char Dham Yatra, to four temple sites in the hills of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.

The pilgrimage is a solemn one, designed to bring the devout participant moksha - salvation from the Hindu cycle of life and rebirth.

The monsoon rains usually come to this part of India in July, when the pilgrims have all returned home. But this year they came early, on June 15.

Pilgrims, many of them elderly, were swept away by the floodwaters or buried by landslides, and tens of thousands were left stranded, without food or shelter.

The temple site of Kedarnath was worst hit, with debris and massive boulders sent crashing down the mountainside, burying large parts of the cramped and crowded town.

In the days since, India's emergency services have scrambled, fighting continuing bad weather and a lack of resources and co-ordination to rescue the survivors. The military has rescued more than 100,000 stranded pilgrims, running missions in poor weather at the risk, and in some cases cost, of soldiers' own lives.

Two weeks on, there still remains confusion over the death toll. The National Disaster Management Authority says 560 people are confirmed dead, with 344 still missing, but the state government says the death toll is 822, with more than 400 unaccounted for. On either count, the figure is expected to rise.

The authority's vice-chairman, M. Shashidhar Reddy, said up to three metres of debris had piled up around Kedarnath temple. ''Once it is cleared, the death toll is expected to rise and it might reach 1000.''

Authorities have already begun mass cremations of unidentified bodies, anxious to avoid the outbreak of disease in relief camps.

But as families, one by one, give up the hunt for loved ones, questions are being asked whether this disaster could have been mitigated or even avoided.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has blamed the Indian Meteorological Department for not warning the heavy rains were coming: ''It only said there would be heavy rains and snowfall in the upper ride. We were not warned about any cloudburst.''

And, in March, India's national auditor warned the state government its disaster management systems were ''dysfunctional''.

There has been criticism too, of ''the reckless construction of buildings, dams and roads in a fragile environment'', Sunita Narain, from the Centre for Science and Environment, said.

But, as with so many events and destinations in a country of 1.2 billion, it might simply have been a case of too many people all in one place.

In the Hindu newspaper, mountaineer Satyabrata Dam questioned the number of pilgrims allowed to go to Char Dham every year, and the massive, uncontrolled build-up of the temple towns.

''How many people there season after season, have we ever wondered? Where is the space for so many people? How come so many hotels, restaurants and other structures were allowed to come up there?'' he asked.

''Ecologically, this is nature's balancing act. Some responsibility rests with us as well.''

Source: Newcastle Herald, DT. June 29, 2013.