This project, Alaknanda Hydro-electric project (300 MW) is located in Joshimath tehsil of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand. The total population of Joshimath tehsil is 39,919 (Census, 2001). There are around 16 villages in the vicinity of the Alaknanda H.E. project (within 10 km radius from the project sites).
Entire Himalayan region is vulnerable to rain-induced (torrential rainfall) hazards in the form of flash flood, cloudburst or glacial lake outburst flood. Flash floods and cloudburst are generally caused by high intensity rainfall followed by debris flow or landslide often resulting into blockade of river channels. The examples of some major disasters caused by torrential rainfall events in last fifty years are the flash floods of 1968 in Teesta valley, in 1993 and 2000 in Sutlej valley, in 1978 in Bhagirathi and in 1970 in Alaknanda river valleys.
Read this chapter from the report "floods, flood plains and environmental myths" published by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), that broke many myths about floods in the Himalaya.
From Kashmir to Burma, where tigers once lived amid lush forests, a vast tract of land has been laid bare by the timber industry. In its wake have come landslides, drought and yet further poverty. The only hope for the hill people is a Ghandian like movement which villagers have adopted to thwart developers.
