Context:

• On August 5, 2025, three successive climate-related disasters struck the upper Bhagirathi (Ganga) river valley in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, devastating Dharali, Harshil, and nearby settlements.
• The incident underscores the climate vulnerability of the Himalayas, the impact of global warming on glacial systems, and the failure of governance in enforcing eco-sensitive zone regulations.

The Disasters – Sequence of Events:

• First incident – Dharali flood (around 1:00 PM):
  • A suspected cloudburst flood (later denied by IMD) swept away houses, shops, and mela crowds.
  • Damage: Major parts of Dharali, Kalp Kedar temple, 20–25 hotels/homestays.
• Second incident – Downstream Harshil (around 3:00 PM): Flash floods in a small mountain stream valley.
• Third incident – Harshil helipad flood (around 3:30 PM): Submerged key relief infrastructure.

Casualties and Response:

• The district administration reported 4 deaths and about 60 to 70 missing, including about 9 Army personnel.
• About 100 Army personnel, assisted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and local police teams began prompt rescue operations.

Scientific Explanation - Geological and Climatic Triggers:

• Dharali lies at the base of steep slopes with deodar forests stabilising soil and blocking avalanches.
• Presence of cirques (“hanging glaciers”) filled with debris from past glacial retreat.
• Five or six small streams emerge from these cirques and rush down the slopes.
• Intense summer monsoon and rising temperatures melt the winter snows that quickly form massive avalanches, along with ice, rain water and the glacial moraines, as they rush down the stream valleys.
• The recent catastrophes were due to three such avalanches, all within 2.5 hours.

Policy and Governance Failures:

• In 2012, the Union government had notified the Gaumukh to Uttarkashi watershed of the Bhagirathi as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (BESZ).
  • This was to preserve its pristine areas and regulate infrastructural activities in the region.
• However, there has been poor enforcement of regulations by Central and State governments despite Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) monitoring committee efforts.

Char Dham Highway Controversy:

• With the governments ignoring the BESZ notification, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) prepared plans to widen the National Highway in the BESZ to accommodate Gangotri’s summer tourist traffic.
• Recommendations (2020) of the Supreme Court directed High Powered Committee (HPC) to investigate the construction of the Char Dham highway -
  • Avoid disturbing sensitive slopes.
  • Consider elevated riverside highways to protect deodar forests.
• Highway authorities ignored advice, and 6,000 deodar trees marked for felling.

Ignored Warnings – Pattern of Disasters:

• Kedarnath tragedy (2013) – cloudburst & floods.
• Raunthi Gad avalanche (2021) – destroyed Tapovan-Vishnugad hydroelectric project (HEP).
• Joshimath land subsidence (2023) – cracks in ground and houses.
• Teesta Valley glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) (2023).
• Recurring monsoon landslides and floods in Himachal.

Key Recommendations from Experts:

• Avoid hydroelectric projects (HEPs) in para-glacial zones.
• Keep human settlements and infrastructure away from flood-prone rivers/streams.
• No road widening on slopes over 30° inclination.
• Conduct carrying capacity studies for Himalayan towns.

Conclusion:

• The triple disaster in Uttarkashi reflects a dangerous convergence of climate change impacts, fragile Himalayan geology, and policy negligence.
• The repeated ignoring of scientific warnings points to an urgent need for climate-resilient, ecologically sensitive development that respects the carrying capacity of Himalayan ecosystems.
• Without course correction, such tragedies will only intensify.