As periodic natural disasters in the region suggest, an unbridled approach to infrastructure can lead to severe environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and disruption of local livelihoods and practices and overall way of life.

The Himalayas extend across five countries, covering an area of about 1,500,000 sq km. While home to only around 50 million people — apart from thousands of species of flora and fauna — it supplies water to billions of people downstream. Its unique topography and ecology are fragile, characterised by steep slopes, seismic activity and diverse ecosystems.

However, India's recent focus on a raft of infrastructure projects, including construction of new roads and widening of others, widespread tunneling, building of dams and spreading urban development, threaten this delicate balance.

Natural disasters, such as landslides, floods and flash floods, are becoming more frequent and destructive, serving as a grim reminder of the dangers of unbridled development without proper environmental considerations.

The unique topography, geology and gradient make it prone to landslides, soil erosion and other natural calamities, particularly when large-scale construction projects disturb the land. The status of the young fold mountain as a convergence zone for various tectonic plates, makes the region prone to frequent earthquakes.

Countless studies have shown that the Himalayan region, especially in states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, is already facing significant ecological degradation.

Lets take the case of Uttarakhand. According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), over 2,000 landslides occurred in Uttarakhand alone between 2009 and 2018.

The effect of these landslides have been multiplied manifold by rampant deforestation and concrete construction, both of which unhinges the balance of the region’s ecosystem.

India’s push for infrastructure development in the Himalayan region, as all recent dispensations have claimed, has hinged on the need for better connectivity, national security and economic development.

Projects like the construction of all-weather roads, bridges, tunnels and hydel plants are meant to boost tourism, last-mile connectivity and open up employment opportunities. However, this model of development has come with serious environmental consequences.

While widening of existing roads has hastened transport of people and goods, establishing new ones has allowed end-point connectivity for villagers who had to travel long distances on foot and physically haul goods and agricultural produce.

Establishment and expansion of hydel power projects have, by and large, made Uttarakhand energy-independent, and even a net seller of electricity to other states.

Expansion of tourism has helped to mitigate, albeit to a small extent, the massive unemployment problem that plagues specially the hilly regions of the state, which have seen a mass exodus of working-age young people over the years. This is an issue exacerbated by the near-total freeze in recruitment of Army and security forces personnel since the Covid pandemic.

But the effects on the ecosystem have been catastrophic. 

The most prominent example of this push is the Char Dham project in Uttarakhand, which has involved the construction of wide roads connecting major pilgrimage sites. The project, estimated to cost around Rs 12,000 crore, has involved extensive deforestation, altering the region’s topography, thereby increasing the risk of landslides.

According to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the project, around 2,000 hectares of forest land needed to be cleared, and several slopes in the area are being grossly altered.

The impact of this infrastructure push extends beyond road construction. Hydroelectric projects, including large dams and power plants, are being built to harness the region’s water resources.

However, these projects often displace local communities, destroy habitats and alter river ecosystems. The Tehri Dam, one of the largest hydroelectric projects in the region, has faced criticism for its displacement of thousands of people and the flooding of large tracts of agricultural land. 

A 2023 study by the Asian Development Bank found that over 85 per cent of the new infrastructure across Uttarakhand were in the middle of natural disaster hotspots. Improper road construction, poor drainage system and deforestation contributed to the frequent occurrence of landslides and floods. Roads in particular have been identified as a major source of environmental disruption that destabilises the natural slope and alters water runoff patterns.

Tarred and concrete roads, and the obsession of villagers and urban-dwellers with paving every path and open space with concrete, have degraded groundwater levels and led to faster run-offs rushing to fewer outlets, thus causing flooding.

With rampant forest fires burning through water-retaining trees like oak and ever-more-rare deodar (cedar), groundwater levels have been further depleted. That’s why most, if not all, of the naulas (aquifiers built by Kumaonis for hundreds of years at the confluence of subterranean streams, which were sources of clean drinking water throughout the year) now run dry for nine months a year.  

One doesn't even need to look at big-ticket infrastructure projects alone, says Saubhagya Daksh, a Nainital-based architect and sustainability expert: “In 2023, the Haldwani authorities wanted to create a parking lot for a busy commercial area. In the process, they blocked-off the main run-off canal that channels the rainwater from the entire Kumaon region into rivers like Gola, Ramganga, Kosi, etc."

He added, "As a result, in the monsoon, Haldwani was flooded. There were people floating around in cars. There is simply no planning. It’s like ‘modern civilisation has given us concrete and steel rebars. So erect whatever, wherever’.”  

Given the region’s ecological sensitivity and vulnerability to natural disasters, it is imperative that future infrastructure development in the Himalayas be linked to sustainable practices and the livelihood needs of local communities. India must prioritise smaller, more locally relevant initiatives like mini hydel plants that can ensure development and generate local employment without compromising the region's ecological balance.

One of the first steps is to adopt a more rigorous and comprehensive approach to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). These assessments should not only evaluate the immediate effects of construction, but also their long-term consequences, including potential risks of natural disasters. EIAs must also involve local communities in the decision-making process, ensuring that their concerns are adequately addressed.

Additionally, the government should promote the use of green technologies, such as solar power and eco-friendly building materials (like ferroconcrete), which have a smaller ecological footprint.

Afforestation drives with more oak and deodar saplings, specially along slopes, can also help mitigate the risks associated with landslides, floods and soil erosion, while reducing the incidence of forest fires.

The quest for national growth and security can’t be at the expense of the ecosystem and the welfare of local communities. There is no other way but to balance development with sustainability. 

A paradigm shift toward sustainable development is essential. This can be achieved through planning, due diligence assessment, assigning environmental responsibility and culpability, and by engaging locals. Ultimately, the health of the Himalayan ecosystem is integral to the survival of billions who live downstream.

The gravity and existential nature of the situation can be gauged from the fact that, barring rainwater and perennial streams, the bulk of the water sources for almost two billion people in the Indian subcontinent comes from the Himalayas.

Uttarakhand alone is home to 900 glaciers, all of which are melting at an alarming pace, a study conducted by experts at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in Dehradun found out. How fast? Take the glacial area in the Alakananda basin as an example. The glacial area has decreased from 7.49 sq km in 2013 to 3.88 sq km by 2020.

If this does not scare you or wake up our government, there may not be a future for India.

(The writer is a sustainability and local culture advocate who has worked in senior editorial roles across Indian and foreign media. He is also the author of the novel General Firebrand And His Red Atlas. Views are personal)