Dia Mirza says too many dams in Himalayas cause disasters like Uttarakhand

Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, February 7

Bollywood actor Dia Mirza, a UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for India, said Sunday’s Uttarakhand disaster was a result of excessive dam building in the Himalayas.

Mirza, an official Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocate who has been vocal on several environmental issues, said in a tweet: “Building too many dams in the Himalayas has lead to this. Prayers for the people of Chamoli. Please contact Disaster Operations Center number 1070 or 9557444486 for help”.

A glacier that broke off from the Nanda Devi peak in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli, triggering an avalanche and causing Alaknanda river wash away hydroelectric stations. Over 150 people are feared dead in the catastrophe, over 100 of who are still missing.