Jaipur, July 8, 2013: The destruction in Uttarakhand was caused not merely by excessive rain but due to mindless construction across young mountains and building of dams on the Ganga and its tributaries, said Magsaysay award winning conservationist Rajendra Singh. Speaking to The Hindu here on Sunday, Mr. Singh urged the Centre and the Uttarakhand Government to hold nation-wide consultations before inviting multilateral agencies for the reconstruction process in the ravaged State.

The water conservationist, fondly known as Waterman, said the mindless construction spree had transformed Uttarakhand into a “contractor-driven democracy”. “Uttarakhand was a disaster waiting to happen. The large-scale use of heavy machinery, explosives and building of large dams have all had their impact on the young Himalayan mountain ranges,” he said.

He said the construction of dams on the Ganga and its tributaries had resulted in the sinking of construction debris and other building wastes into these rivers eventually leading to a rise in water levels following heavy rains.

“Even the Prime Minister should be held responsible for this state of affairs since he is the chairperson of the National Ganga River Baisn Authority,” said Mr. Singh.

“The Governments should not rush to invite the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank for the reconstruction process in Uttarakhand. Any such decision should be taken after holding nation-wide consultations,” he said.

Mr. Singh also called for banning all dam construction activities in the region till the reconstruction process was completed.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 8, 2013.