Climate Impact and Disasters in 2025

The year 2025 witnessed devastating climate impacts lasting almost a full year, resulting in over 4,000 deaths due to climate-induced disasters. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were significantly affected, with towns such as Dharali, Harsil, and Uttarkashi experiencing severe cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods.

Infrastructure Projects and Environmental Concerns

Char Dham Road Widening Project

• The Uttarakhand Forest Department approved the felling of nearly 7,000 Devdar trees for the project, impacting 43 hectares of forest land.
• This decision uses the DL-PS standard, which is unsuitable for an area prone to disasters.
• The project ignores the region's classification as a critical zone where major infrastructure is discouraged.

Ecological Importance of Devdar Trees

• Devdar forests stabilize slopes, prevent landslides, and protect against avalanches.
• The trees have antimicrobial qualities essential for the Ganga's water ecology.
• Uprooting Devdars would irreversibly damage the ecological balance.

Critique of Developmental Policies

The Char Dham project bypasses comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessments and destabilizes the ecosystem through improper road widening and muck dumping. The emergence of over 800 landslide zones along the road exemplifies this poor planning.

Policy Inconsistencies

National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)

• Established in 2014 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change to protect the Himalayan ecology.
• The government's actions contradict the NMSHE's objectives, violating its environmental policy.

Himalayan Vulnerability and Climate Change

The Himalayas are experiencing accelerated warming, leading to extreme weather events. Unsafe land use, intensified by climate change, increases the frequency and severity of these disasters.

Contributing Factors

• Unsafe land use practices, including wide highways and large-scale hydropower projects.
• Unregulated tourism and unchecked vehicular traffic.
• Lack of functional solid waste management plans.

Conclusion

The repeated disasters in the Himalayas highlight the importance of sustainable development policies based on scientific reasoning. The region's ecological balance is critical for India's existence, emphasizing that without the Himalayas, there is no India.