Himachal's fragile terrain: Ignored warnings, rising calamities!

Himachal Pradesh is facing the brunt of nature’s fury with flash floods, landslides, sinking hillsides and cloudbursts wreaking havoc across the state. Official data reveal a grim picture: between June and September 4, more than 300 persons have lost their lives in nearly 500 landslides. Crores worth of property has been destroyed, leaving communities devastated and authorities scrambling for solutions.

Amid the mounting toll, experts from the Geological Survey of India, IIT-Ropar and the Wadia Institute of Seismology have called for an in-depth study of Himachal’s fragile terrain. Notably, IIT-Ropar had already cautioned the state in a 2023 report that nearly half of Himachal is prone to multiple hazards, including landslides, floods, avalanches and earthquakes. The report highlighted the urgent need for robust disaster management strategies — a call that, experts say, went largely unheeded.

IIT-Ropar’s research, backed by geospatial data, mapped specific danger zones. Areas with slopes between 5.9 and 16.4 degrees at elevations of up to 1,600 metres were found to be highly vulnerable to landslides and floods, while higher slopes between 16.8 and 41.5 degrees posed simultaneous risks of avalanches and landslides. Steep mountain zones above 3,000 metres emerged as the highest-risk regions.

The study identified flood and landslide-prone areas in lower-elevation valleys of Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Chamba. In contrast, districts like Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti faced greater avalanche threats. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) too, in a 2023 report, warned that unregulated urbanisation, deforestation, and haphazard development in the fragile Himalayas were worsening the frequency and intensity of disasters.

While climate change is intensifying extreme weather events, experts underline that human interference in eco-sensitive zones has magnified the crisis. Unauthorised construction on unstable slopes, deforestation and routine clearances for four-lane highways and power projects have further destabilised the hills. Despite expert warnings, environmental assessments were sidelined and corrective steps were delayed, leaving the state vulnerable.

Climate activists argue that stronger environmental laws, early warning systems, and stricter regulations must now become central to Himachal’s planning. Experts also stress the need for better coordination between scientific institutions and the government to reduce the risks of future calamities.

Himachal’s recurring disasters are no longer isolated incidents but part of a larger pattern of ecological imbalance. With lives, livelihoods and landscapes at stake, the state stands at a critical juncture: either act on scientific advice and adopt sustainable strategies, or risk turning the “Devbhoomi” into a perpetual disaster zone.