Sandhu further said that that’s why we have been addressing it as a natural disaster and not a man-made one. Cities based on hard rocks do not face such problems. Sandhu told that the issue of Joshimath was also raised in the report of the Mishra Committee 1976. He further said, “Water belongs to nature. Our institutes are trying to find out from where the water is coming.” Meanwhile, social activists and local environmentalists pointed out that the government’s stand would mean that continuous construction in the area would only add to the blame which could actually aggravate the situation.