Allow the Hills to Heal: On Development Activities in Himalayan States and Natural Calamities

Time has come to stop ongoing construction works in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh not only to save lives and properties of the people residing in these two states, but also to save the fertile Gangetic plains of the country, which is largely responsible for the food security that we are enjoying today. But it’s a pity that even such an important factor is being ignored deliberately over the years in the name of development by both the government and private sectors. There is no denying that tourism is the key component of the economy in these areas and so providing adequate facilities to the tourists is important. At the same time, it is also equally important to strike a balance between ecology and development, which has been overlooked. It is important to reflect and study how the Himalayan states of the country have been affected by extreme weather condition over the last years. According to Down To Earth, a total of 2,863 lives were lost in 13 Himalayan states and union territories in the last three years (January 2022 to March 2025) due to natural calamities triggered by severe weather events. Rampant destruction of nature and unplanned development activities has severely damaged the ecology of the region. Earlier, there were many places in Uttarakhand where the pilgrims and tourists could reach only after a long trek through mountain passes. Now, even these remote places are accessible by car as massive road networks have been built in the state to ease the movement of the visitors by cutting trees and building tunnels.

The recent devastation of Dharali village, a tiny but happening village near Uttarkashi, is a perfect example of misplaced development, as several hotels and other facilities have reportedly blocked various small and big springs, altering the slopes of the hills in places. It is quite worrying to note that the catastrophe was initially attributed to cloudbursts, while it was later found that the ambitious ‘Char Dham’ highway was the real culprit. It is reported that nearly 55 thousand trees have been uprooted and 690 hectares of forest area cleaned besides cutting 20 million cubic meters of soil to construct this 810 km long-highway at a cost of INR 12,000 crore. A study has claimed that 811 landslides were recorded in this area between 2013 and 2023, out of which 81 landslides occurred within 100 meters of the ambitious highway. Now, the Dharali tragedy seems to have opened the eyes of many, as experts have warned that similar incidents could occur in places like Uttarkashi, Barkot, Rudraprayag, Devprayag, Sonprayag, Joshimoth and Chamoli. If destruction of nature is not stopped to provide time for the hills to heal, the 13 Himalayan states, jewels on the Indian crown, may disappear any time like Dharali, leaving the country in a precarious state for its failure to protect the fragile ecology of the Himalayas.