Why in news?
Severe floods and landslides in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Kashmir during the 2025 monsoon season highlighted the consequences of unchecked construction and deforestation in the Himalayas. Experts and the Supreme Court have cautioned that the fragile mountains are being pushed to the brink.
The Himalayas at a glance
- The Himalayas form the world’s youngest and highest fold‑mountain system, stretching about 2,400 km across India, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Pakistan.
- They are geologically young and still rising as the Indian plate continues to push into the Eurasian plate at about 5 mm per year.
- The range contains the planet’s highest peaks, including Mount Everest (8,849 m) and Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), and is home to rich biodiversity.
How were the Himalayas formed?
About 200 million years ago the supercontinent Pangaea split into Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south, with the Tethys Sea in between. Around 140 million years ago the Indian plate broke away from Gondwana and drifted northwards. It collided with the Eurasian plate about 50 million years ago, compressing sediments from the Tethys Sea into a series of folds — the Himalayas. The collision continues today, making the mountains geologically active.
Why are the Himalayas fragile?
- Young rocks: Being recently formed, the mountains are unstable and prone to landslides and earthquakes.
- Climate sensitivity: The region is warming faster than the global average, causing glacial retreat and erratic rainfall.
- Steep terrain and high‑energy rivers: Rivers descending rapidly from high peaks carry enormous energy, making floods and soil erosion more destructive.
- Glacial lakes: Over 25,000 glacial lakes in the Himalayas can burst, causing sudden floods known as glacial‑lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
Drivers of degradation
- Unregulated infrastructure: Roads, tunnels and hydroelectric projects often rely on blasting and excavation that destabilise slopes.
- Deforestation: Clearing native trees for tourism and urban expansion reduces slope stability and increases run‑off.
- Hydropower rush: Excessive damming alters river courses and triggers landslides.
- Poor impact assessments: Environmental Impact Assessments are sometimes bypassed or diluted, allowing projects without adequate safeguards.
- Tourism pressure: Growing tourist numbers drive demand for hotels and roads, further stressing the landscape.
Consequences
- Human loss: Disasters such as the Kedarnath floods (2013) and Chamoli avalanche (2021) cause deaths, displacement and trauma.
- Ecological damage: Soil erosion, biodiversity loss and forest degradation reduce the mountains’ resilience.
- Economic setbacks: Infrastructure damage and disruption of tourism reduce state revenues and livelihoods.
- Social stress: Communities often feel excluded from decision‑making when projects threaten their safety and environment.
Way ahead
- Frame mountain‑specific development policies that respect carrying capacity and emphasise low‑impact tourism.
- Strengthen Environmental Impact Assessments through independent oversight and community participation.
- Adopt nature‑based solutions such as afforestation, slope stabilisation and watershed management.
- Empower local communities with climate literacy, eco‑tourism opportunities and decentralised decision‑making.
- Diversify energy sources away from large hydropower projects towards solar, wind and small‑scale hydro.
Protecting the Himalayas is not only an environmental imperative but also crucial for water security and cultural heritage. Sustainable models are needed to ensure that these “living mountains” remain resilient for generations.