As Uttarakhand picks up the pieces after recent cloudbursts that claimed a dozen lives and damaged infrastructure, noted environmentalist Anil Prakash Joshi has warned of a much worse scenario in the coming years if necessary safeguards are not put in place to conserve the fragile Himalayan ecology.
"A reckless exploitation of natural resources in a blind pursuit of development will further aggravate the situation and may lead to far worse human tragedies. So it is better to wake up before it is too late and take enough preventive measures," Mr. Joshi told PTI in an interview on Sunday.
It is high time an international debate began on growing ecological insecurity of the world and the perils of rising air pollution and depleting water resources, he said.
