Buried Under Greed : Disasters Rise as Revenues Grow in Himachal Pradesh

By Jyoti Jangra

Jai Chand, a farmer from Shimla's Kumarsain Tehsil in Himachal Pradesh, faced a devastating nightmare when a landslide claimed the lives of his son, daughter-in-law, grandson and destroyed their home. He and two other family members survived, but now they endure a life marked by grief and hardship. 

In a state where the economy heavily relies on hydropower and tourism sectors, the increasing occurrence of natural disasters underscores the repercussions of an unsustainable development approach in the environmentally delicate mountain state. This not only harms the environment but also jeopardises something irreplaceable—something that can never be recovered.