Unplanned developmental activities: The aggravators of natural disasters in the hills of Uttarakhand

The state of Uttarakhand was created with a view to provide more administrative support and political will for the development of the people of the hills of the erstwhile Uttar Pradesh. However, the fragile geological and geographical conditions of the state compounded with the inexperienced political leadership that ensued after its creation and mismanagement has aggravated the impacts of the natural calamities. The present paper while discussing the geology of the Uttarakhand describes the nature of natural disasters that occur in the state. It investigates the factors both natural and human-induced that are responsible for the occurrence of a natural disaster or aggravation of it. Further, the paper describes the cascading effects of the development processes that have led to environmental degradation, which in turn often precipitate into disasters. The paper also presents some instances of extreme climatic events from history to the most recent ones in the state of Uttarakhand that led to natural disasters.