How climate change and rapid development are pushing the Himalayan region to the brink

“Due to global warming, Himalayan glaciers are continuously depleting, forming artificial lakes known as GLOFs (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods). When they burst, they wreak havoc. We saw this recently at South Lhonak Lake in Sikkim, which caused a devastating flood in the Teesta River valley in October 2023… It destroyed the Teesta III hydroelectric dam and caused widespread damage,” says Guman Singh, environmental activist and coordinator at Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, a grassroots movement advocating for a sustainable, mountain-specific development model in the Himalayas.

A similar GLOF was behind the 2013 Kedarnath floods, which claimed over 6,000 lives. Another catastrophe occurred in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on February 7, 2021, when an ice-rock avalanche triggered flash floods, killing over 200 people and destroying hydroelectric projects.

Scientists and environmentalists warn that such floods are likely to become more frequent in India’s hill states as climate change accelerates the melting of glaciers.

According to a report Monitoring of Glaciers, Climate, and Runoff in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya Mountains, published in the South Asia Water Initiative, remote sensing data estimates that there are around 7,500 glacier lakes in Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Of these, 190 are classified as “very high” risk for causing a GLOF.

Singh also draws attention to riverbed encroachments. “When massive water flow meets narrowed river channels, it causes large-scale destruction. We saw this during the 2023 Himachal floods when rivers changed course and entered human settlements, leaving hundreds dead,” he says.

“You cannot tame a river.”

Infrastructure boom, ecological bust

The Himalayan region is witnessing a rapid infrastructure push — highways, tunnels, hydropower plants — posing a significant threat to its delicate ecology, they often ignore local geology and environmental constraints.

“The government’s infrastructure projects have penetrated deep into the Himalayas, threatening the region’s overall health. Roads are being constructed without considering the fragile geology, using techniques suited for the plains,” says environmentalist Ravi Chopra, who chaired the Supreme Court panel reviewing the Char Dham highway project in 2019. He later resigned when construction continued despite the panel’s warnings about severe ecological risks.

Chopra also criticised the disregard for the mountains’ carrying capacity, an issue echoed by senior environment journalist Hridayesh Joshi. “Joshimath is one of several places facing land subsidence. The Mishra Committee, back in 1976, had already warned that Joshimath was vulnerable, built on landslide debris, and worsened by blasting activities. Yet, the development model continues to ignore these warnings,” says Joshi.

Rescue operations underway at the Tapovan hydel project in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand after a glacier burst and flash floods, in February 2021. (Express File Photo/Gajendra Yadav)

The situation raises urgent questions. Can a seismically active, hydrologically complex, and geologically unstable region bear the pressure of mega projects?

“Hydropower projects in the Himalayas face two constant and serious threats — catastrophic earthquakes and destructive floods triggered by glacial lake outbursts. What happens if these dams fail during such events? What will become of the region? Scientific studies have long warned of a powerful earthquake, exceeding magnitude 8, striking this area. Why, then, are we not prioritising sustainable development for the region?” aks Singh.

Meadows turning into dumpyards

Plastic pollution is another mounting crisis in the Himalayas.

A viral video recently showed plastic bags, bottles, and animals rummaging through a forest in Kasol, Himachal Pradesh — not a landfill, but a tourist spot. Similar visuals from Parvati Valley depict garbage heaps and polluted rivers.

When you enter Himachal, you pay a green tax in the name of nature conservation — and this is what the government and administration do with those crores: openly dumping garbage in forests and near rivers. Welcome to Kasol, an international tourist hub turning into a dump! pic.twitter.com/DUoOIKthBP

— Nikhil saini (@iNikhilsaini) May 27, 2025

“This is not an isolated case,” says Joshi. “Many ecologically sensitive zones are turning into dumping grounds. Waste is often discarded behind hotels and resorts, with little regulatory oversight.”

According to reports, Shimla generates approximately 2,800 tonnes of solid waste, while Manali produces over 1,100 tonnes per month. These are the numbers that double during tourist season. In response, the Himachal government in May this year approved a scheme requiring a refundable deposit on non-biodegradable items to incentivise return and recycling.

Kedarnath trek strewn with litter. (Express File Photo/Tashi Tobgyal)

But the problem runs deeper. According to an alliance by Zero Waste Himalaya, an anti-waste collective of NGOs, an organisation based in Gangtok, and the Integrated Mountain Initiative based in Dehradun, single-use food and beverage packaging accounts for 84% of the plastic waste in the region. Alarmingly, 70% of plastic waste collected across the Himalayan belt is non-recyclable and has no market value.

“The authorities are inviting tourists in large numbers without any waste management plan. If you generate revenue, you must manage the waste too,” says Singh, urging tourists to “carry your garbage back with you. The mountains cannot absorb such massive piles of waste.”

The perils of an unregulated tourism

Tourism in the Himalayas is booming, and so is the damage, pushing the fragile mountain ecosystem to its limits. According to the Himachal government’s ‘Economic Survey’ report for FY 2024-25, the state recorded its highest tourist footfall in five years, 1.8 crore domestic tourists and 83,000 foreign visitors. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand reported 5.96 crore visitors in 2023, up from 3.68 crore in 2018, according to the state’s tourism department.

“Unregulated tourism is stripping this ecologically sensitive region of its natural character,” says Mansi Asher of Himdhara, Environment Research and Action Collective, an autonomous, non-registered environment research and action collective based in Himachal Pradesh.

“Religious tourism is being promoted in an unstructured, unregulated way. Helicopters swarm over sensitive areas like Kedarnath, which is a wildlife sanctuary. Laser shows, ropeway movements, and excessive noise pollution exceed permitted decibel levels,” says Joshi.

Bachi Singh Bisht, of Janmaitri Sangathan, adds, “Helicopters fly from dawn to dusk in Kedarnath Valley, affecting locals, including schoolchildren, some of whom are now partially deaf.”

Unregulated tourism is also fueling outmigration. As per 2011 Census, the population in most of the mountain districts of Uttarakhand declined. There was an absolute decline of 17868 persons in the population of Almora and Pauri Garhwal districts between 2001 and 2011.

“Migration is growing, traditional livelihoods are vanishing, and the ecological backbone of the Himalayas is buckling”, Bisht says.

What can save the Himalayas?

Rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, growing human-wildlife conflict, depleting water sources, and an alarming increase in landslides, floods, heatwaves, forest fires, and droughts are quickly becoming the new normal in the Himalayan region. But what is the cure?

Experts say that top-down solutions are failing. “Multinational consultancies are being brought in to tackle problems that require local understanding, while the knowledge and experience of local communities are being overlooked. This approach must change,” says Mansi.

Singh believes the Infrastructure development also needs a major shift. “We don’t need large-scale infrastructure projects. What we need is small-scale, sustainable development. Tourism should be decentralised, focusing on lesser-known destinations rather than building up major hotspots. We must adopt a policy that ties conservation with livelihood generation.”

Is it possible to balance development with sustainability while promoting tourism? Joshi thinks so, but not with the current strategy. “We should revive the traditional style of pilgrimage, which lasted for months, supported local economies, and was deeply harmonious with nature.”