Watch: 'Development Projects in Himalayas Need to Take Into Account Human Costs'

In an interview with The Wire, scientist Dr Ravi Chopra spoke about last Sunday’s flood in Uttarakhand in which at least 58 people lost their lives and over 150 remain missing. Chopra, who is director of the Dehradun-based People’s Science Institute, explains the reasons that caused the disaster, the role played by climate change and development activities.

“Not so many lives would have been lost had dams not been there,” he says explaining that at high altitudes any dams in the way of an oncoming flood will be destroyed. He contends that development projects in the Himalayas do not take disaster management steps that are necessary. “All that can be done to save people’s lives is not done.”