When asked if it is very important to look at the plethora of studies that have already been done, Dr Sunita Narain, Director of Science and Environment, said, "The writing is on the wall. Whether we read it or not is another matter. We just don't seem to plan appropriately for a fragile ecosystem like the Himalayas. This is not a question of development vs environment, this is mindless, senseless development. The Himalayas is the world's youngest mountain range, it is the most fragile. The question is why is policy becoming so knowledge-proof? Is it because policy has become so obdurate that it does not listen to this knowledge that comes even from its own internal scientific institutions? I think that is the crisis of Joshimath."
