Nearly five months after devastating floods ravaged the hill state, Uttarakhand is yet to formulate a disaster management plan to meet any future calamity.

According to the disaster management authority, as of now only 19 States in the country have a mandatory state disaster management plan (SDMP) — and Uttarakhand is among the defaulters.

Power producers have sought more representation of the industry in the committee set up by the government to assess the impact of Uttarakhand’s two dozen hydropower projects on the ecology of the h

Rain and flash floods have pushed back development works in Uttarakhand by decades and the challenge at the moment is to build smarter projects without impacting the fragile environment of the hilly region, said World Bank's country director Onno Ruhl.

"In Uttarakhand, the challenge is to build smarter, so that they do not undermine the fragility of the environment," he told PTI after the approval of a $250 million credit for the rehabilitation work in the state by the World Bank's board in Washington on Friday.

‘Muck removed from the barrage is being deposited near Alaknanda’

Dehradun: Jaiprakash Power Ventures Limited’s 400-MW Vishnuprayag hydro-power project that incurred much damage during the mid-June deluge is flouting environmental norms by depositing muck on the riverside, say environmentalists.

Mining had been stopped in 22 rivers following alleged illegal activities and growing environmental concerns

The Supreme Court has permitted mining in 22 rivers including that of Kosi in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna announced on Wednesday.
Bahuguna also said the government would undertake the extraction or quarrying of sand and other small minerals from these 22 rivers in a transparent manner allowing no illegal activities.

A Delhi-based NGO has launched a Rs 50 million project to restore the livelihood of 2,000 flood affected families across three districts of Uttarakhand.

A Special Mining Vigilance Force will be constituted in the State in the wake of rampant illegal mining, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said here on Wednesday.

The threat of Dengue is looming large in Uttarakhand after three persons died of the vector-borne disease and 30 more new cases were reported.

Three persons from Haridwar district who had tested positive for Dengue died during the past one fortnight, an official statement here said. So far, nearly 352 cases, mostly from Haridwar, have been reported in the hill state. Nearly, 20 patients have been referred to the government Doon hospital, official sources said.

While U.P. accounts for the highest number, no headway in data on foreign nationals.