Hacker News Reader

Comment by srean | Hacker News Reader

> Okay, but isn't it likely that the outcome of those scientific investigations will be that the Himalayan foothills should not be inhabited at all, except maybe a couple of places

Yes and that is broadly the safe option. One can build on geological stable high grounds. They are rather and more difficult to build on. We know what happens when we don't.

> Sure, politicians and contractors could do better

It's not mistake of the "oops a typo" variety.

They are knowingly making a freakton of money by endangering the people who ought to know better. I agree sometimes the poor might not have viable alternatives that they can fund with their own bank balance but it seems this is where the governments should step in to fund alternatives. But why do that when there is easy money to be made.

View on HN

While I usually prefer to attribute incompetence rather than malice, it's hard to deny corruption is a likely factor here too. But the "freakton of money" aspect IMO needs nuance. I wager that the wealth of those cronies doesn't come close to my western living standards, so who am I to judge?

I am not knowledgeable about Nepal so I wouldn't know what role corruption played in this particular case.

Nepal is literally between rock and a hard place. But in my country, India, there is plenty of this kind of corruption going on.

EDIT:

> I wager that the wealth of those cronies doesn't come close to my western living standards, so who am I to judge?

They are in no way implicated in this particular case but corruption in India can pay very handsomely

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinod_Adani#Career

Lookup his brother too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautam_Adani#Career (read the second half closely)

Why humans settle in valleys? Is a question you should ask

Not all valleys are equally dangerous.

The question is why people build new on known dangerous places. The new is an important word. They do because the future is not priced in (make insurance mandatory?) and because of acts of corruption that actively promote/incentivize development in hazardous areas by rewriting zoning, repricing permits, rewriting saner policies.

Some people's job is building new houses to sell them. Your question is why they are allowed to build in some areas. Usually there is no point working unless it's for money so take your guess.

BTW, I can't build anything in half of my garden unless I also build huge concrete structures to anchor the terrain, which maybe would make matters worse. My house has been there for about 100 years, the other houses too, maybe it's stable enough but often they allow what's already there and deny anything new. Anyway, it's fine, I don't want to build something there.

> Your question is why they are allowed to build in some areas

No that is not my question at all. In fact I don't have a question, I have a position.

My position is that population density in many of these super dangerous areas is because of corruption laced government policies and practices. The government follows these policies in concert with builders because they can knowingly profit from endangering people (i) in dire straits, (ii) people who are not informed about magnitude of the risks.

In addition to that their corrupt practices distort the market prices so that people end up suckered. If these corrupt practices were to stop or reduce and better more people friendly policies were followed then these place will not become uninhabited but plausible less populated. If you look at my other comments on this story you will get more details of my position.

Some people are in such dire straits that they may still agree to stay in a hazard equivalent to living on Chernobyl lands. Some who are more fortunate would take other options should the government be doing their job.

Have you ever been in a river valley in a mountainous region?

Hard to build on the mountain, and the valley has transportation, easier to build, fertile land, food and water.

It’s very obvious why humans settle where they do (despite the risks).

> Have you ever been in a river valley in a mountainous region?

Brought up there.

And all the good places have been taken centuries ago.

And most of this "well obviously nobody should build anywhere where there will be serious destruction every couple generations" type sentiment ultimately just to funnels wealth and power to whoever took that good land previously.

If there is serious distruction every couple of generations it happens either to you or to your children. So, do you really want to build our buy there? If it happened to your parents there is no you.

Every five or ten generations, different risk.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com