Himalayan Floods Crisis

Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir witnessed severe floods and landslides in August 2025 due to intense rainfall, causing human casualties, property loss, and environmental damage.

Recurring Himalayan Floods and Landslides

• Historical Context:
  • 1988, 2013 (Kedarnath), 2021 (Chamoli), and 2025 witnessed major floods and landslides in the Indian Himalayan region.
  • Villages in Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh were submerged or destroyed, highlighting the recurring vulnerability of these states to climatic and geological hazards.
• Key Factors:
  • Himalayan terrain is young and unstable, prone to landslides and flooding.
  • Heavy rainfall, glacial melt, and seismic activity contribute to disaster events.

Climate Change as a Threat Multiplier

• Observations:
  • Average temperatures in the Indian Himalaya are rising faster than the global average.
  • Reduced snowfall and accelerated glacial melt create conditions for Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).
  • ICIMOD reported over 25,000 glacial lakes across five river basins by 2018, increasing flood risk downstream.
• Analysis:
  • Climate change is intensifying hydrological hazards.
  • Extreme rainfall events are no longer “unprecedented” but part of a growing trend influenced by anthropogenic warming.

Developmental Activities and Disaster Vulnerability

• Hydropower and Infrastructure:
  • Himachal Pradesh: 1,144 hydropower plants, 180 operational, 53 under construction.
  • Uttarakhand: 40 operational, 87 under various stages of planning/construction.
  • Roads, tunnels, and bridges are constructed often without proper ecological impact assessments.
• Tourism and Land Use:
  • Rising tourism drives demand for hotels, homestays, and infrastructure, leading to deforestation and destabilization of slopes.
  • Removal of deodar and other native trees leads to soil erosion, increasing landslide and flood potential.
• Judicial Observations:
  • Supreme Court emphasized that revenue-driven development without ecological sustainability endangers lives and states’ existence.
  • Unsafe construction of critical infrastructure (schools, hospitals, tunnels) amplifies human vulnerability.

Policy and Planning Gaps

• Current Limitations:
  • Uniform urban-centric development plans are applied in mountainous regions, ignoring local carrying capacity.
  • Environmental impact assessments are often insufficient or circumvented.
  • Disaster impact assessment and public consultation are rarely integrated into planning processes.
• Expert Recommendations:
  • Conduct Lifecycle Analysis before initiating projects in fragile Himalayan ecosystems.
  • Undertake independent social and disaster impact assessments with local participation.
  • Adopt nature-based solutions and strengthen community-led climate literacy for disaster preparedness.

Way Forward: Integrating Environment, Development, and Risk Management

• Sustainable Infrastructure: Roads, tunnels, and hydropower projects should follow hazard-resilient engineering practices.
• Forest and Soil Conservation: Preserve native vegetation like deodar to stabilize slopes.
• Glacial Monitoring: Early warning systems for GLOFs using satellite imagery and river basin management.
• Local Capacity Building: Train communities in disaster risk reduction and emergency response.
• Climate-Responsive Urban Planning: Avoid critical structures in high-risk zones; integrate risk maps into development planning.