Border roads are vital. So is the environment

There are two irrefutable facts about the Himalayas. First, they are the world’s youngest mountain range, prone to landslides and flash floods. Second, the climate crisis-related extreme weather events and the pace of infrastructure development have added to the natural vulnerability of the region. Therefore, it is important to handle the region, which straddles 13 Indian states and Union Territories, with care and a commitment to keep the vulnerable area intact. But that commitment is under stress. On July 14, the ministry of environment, forest and climate change amended the environmental impact assessment policy 2006, to exempt highways in border areas from green clearance.

The Centre’s view (presented before the Supreme Court in the Char Dham case) has been that highways are essential for national security and so they need to be executed on priority. So, exempting such projects from the requirement of green clearance is necessary. National security and development considerations are essential, but it is also crucial that the government invests time and energy to ensure that such projects don’t lead to more environmental problems, which will endanger not only local populations, but also security. What use is a road blocked with debris or inundated by flood water? The reckless cutting of legacy forests, the muck dumping in the rivers, and the increasing air pollution in these once-pristine areas are affecting people in the region as well as those who live downstream. At a time when the climate crisis is ravaging India, the government would do well to reconsider these blanket exceptions and instead focus more carefully on maintaining the ecological balance.