Why in News?
- Punjab floods (Aug 2025): Worst since 1988, caused by Sutlej, Beas, Ravi overflowing.
- J&K floods (Aug 2025): 34 dead after intense rainfall.
- Uttarakhand (Aug 2025): Dharali village wiped out by landslide-triggered deluge.
- Adds to earlier disasters: Kedarnath (2013), Chamoli (2021).
Relevance:
- GS III – Environment & Ecology: Himalayan fragility, landslides, GLOFs, disaster management, climate change vs developmental stress.
- GS II – Governance: Role of judiciary (SC warnings), environmental regulation, EIAs, disaster preparedness
Basics
- Himalayas: World’s youngest fold mountains, geologically fragile.
- Disaster types: Landslides, flash floods, GLOFs (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods), cloudbursts.
- Climate risks: Himalayan temperatures rising faster than global average → glacier melt + reduced snowfall.
- Vulnerability: Population, hydropower projects, roads, tourism, deforestation add to fragility.
Overview
Climate Change Factor
- Rising Himalayan temperatures → more snowmelt, unstable glacial lakes (25,000+ lakes in 2018).
- Increase in extreme rainfall events → floods, landslides.
- GLOFs threaten downstream settlements, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Developmental Stress
- Hydropower boom: Himachal (1,144 projects), Uttarakhand (40 operational, 87 planned).
- Roads & tunnels: NHAI projects increasing landslide/flood risk.
- Tourism: Expanding hotels, homestays → deforestation, slope instability.
- Schools/hospitals often built on unsafe land → heightened disaster risk.
Governance & Judicial Warnings
- Supreme Court (2025): Warned that Himachal could “vanish” if unchecked exploitation continues.
- Criticized revenue-driven development ignoring ecological sustainability.
- Called out tree felling, unsafe infrastructure, unplanned highways.
Ecological & Social Dimensions
- Deforestation: Removal of deodar trees destabilizes soil → erosion, landslides.
- Local communities: Often excluded from planning; their traditional knowledge underutilized.
- Parallel risks: Khap panchayats/caste councils elsewhere mirror how informal norms without safeguards worsen justice/dignity—parallels drawn for disaster governance.
Way Forward
- Carrying capacity assessment before new projects.
- Independent Environmental & Disaster Impact Assessments (EIA + DIA).
- Nature-based solutions: Afforestation, soil stabilization, river-basin management.
- Climate literacy & community participation in planning.
- Avoid critical infrastructure in unsafe zones.
- Shift from revenue-driven “development” to resilient, sustainable growth.
