Soroptimists have been highlighting the devastating consequences of severe flooding in northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, now believed to have left thousands dead and many more homeless, bereaved and destitute.

“Incessant rains in mid June in the Himalayan region triggered massive flash floods and a reservoir burst resulted in a tragedy of immense magnitude. The cloud bursts, flash floods and mountain fury unleashed human tragedy of colossal proportion, destruction and devastation beyond imagination”, said Annette Mascarenhas, President of the National Association of Soroptimist International of India (NASI).

Rescue efforts were hampered by the weather conditions as landslides continued to hinder access to the region;  20 military rescue personnel were killed on 25 June when their helicopter crashed.  The army were forced to cremate many victims where they were found, collecting DNA samples for later identification.

According to the state government, more than 5,000 people are still missing, now presumed dead. More than 4000 are pilgrims from other areas; the area is home to four sacred Hindu sites. The local government has had to admit that the true scale of this tragedy may never be known.

Soroptimists have also joined ecologists in emphasising the role of environmentally-damaging development  in the disaster. “With utter disregard for the State’s mountain character and its delicate ecosystems, successive governments have blindly pushed roads, dams, tunnels, bridges and unsafe buildings even in the most fragile region”, says Nisha Ghosh, Programme Action Chair for SI Pune Metro East (India).

“In the process, denuded mountains have remained deforested, roads designed to minimise expenditure rather than enhance safety have endangered human lives, tunnels blasted into mountainsides have further weakened the fragile slopes and dried up springs, ill-conceived hydropower projects have destroyed rivers and their ecosystems, and hotels and land developers have encroached on river banks.”

“We must remember that the Himalayan Eco-System is vital to the ecological security of the Indian land mass and plays a critical role in the climate system in the entire subcontinent”, adds Annette Mascarenhas of NASI.  “What happened to Utharakhand can happen to other states and is an urgent challenge to the whole country”.

SIGBI Federation have donated £2000 to Plan International to support victims of the tragedy. Read  full article on the SIGBI website.  

Image: Destruction caused by flash flooding in Uttarakhand in 2012. Source: European Commission DG ECHO via WikiMedia Commons.