THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
The time for serious Introspection
Devastation due to heavy rains and flood calls for climate based solution to the crisis
Vidya Bhushan Rawat
This year’s monsoon has brought miseries in the Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Two of the most popular tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh, Kullu and Manali have faced the terrible destruction with National High way washed away at many places and age old iron bridges look helpless to rising tide of Ravi and Satluj rivers. The sight of big hotels and buildings collapsing like cards and vehicles swimming in the river like paper boat is painful and disturbing.
The impact of floods in Himachal has actually been more devastating in the low line areas of Punjab which are completely submerged. Similar devastation is being reported from Jammu and Kashmir too. This has left hundreds deaths and many more missing while millions being displaced both in India as well as in Pakistan. This is the second consecutive year when the these three states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu Kashmir have witnessed massive destruction due to landslide, cloudbursts and heavy rains which brought massive floods.
The Tribute reported that ‘Three floodgates of the 150-year-old Madhopur headworks were washed away as 2.12 lakh cusecs of water reached there after heavy rain in the Ravi’s catchment area in Jammu. The authorities had requisitioned 90 people from all over the state to open some of the 54 floodgates here late last evening. These were stuck because of massive silt deposition. While they continued work, the several-foot-high silt deposits made it impossible for them to open the floodgates. As the water level continued to rise and three of those working on the gates fell in the gushing waters, the operation was called off and 60 personnel working on the job were airlifted by the Army. While two of those who fell were rescued, a chargeman is reportedly missing.’
It seems that the major rivers such as Ravi, Beas, Sutlej and Chenab have broken all the past records and have brought massive destruction everywhere as Dams are overflowing beyond their capacities and have released huge water resulting in bigger destruction and devastation in the low line areas of Punjab. Many villages and towns are submerged, houses, roads, buildings have collapsed and connectivity with major towns been affected.
The landslides, cloudbursts and flash floods created an unprecedented crisis in Uttarakhand where a beautiful village Dharali, a few kilometers before Gangotri dham, got completely washed away due to devastating floods at Khir Gad, An artificial lake has been formed in Bhagirathi near Harsil. Another report of lake formation came in the Yamuna valley from Syan Chatti in Uttarkashi district a few days back.
According to a report till the first week of August more than 700 incidents of ‘natural disaster’ occurred resulting in the death of 209 people and injuries of 491. The State Disaster Management department data says that in the last 10 years there are 4,654 reported incidents of landslides. Surprisingly, Uttarkashi district actually does not top in these incidents as Pauri, Pithoragarh, Tehri, Chamoli, Champawat have reported more incidents of disaster than Uttarkashi though this year, Uttarkashi has definitely dominated in the news for cloudburst and flashflood. Entire Gangotri Uttarkashi high way is damaged at various places due to heavy rains and landslides.
In Himachal Pradesh the swelling water of Beas and the Sutlej due to heavy rain in the catchment areas in upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh have resulted in overflowing of the reservoirs in the three dams compelling the authorities to release of water. As per newspaper reports, the water level in Pong remained over the danger mark, necessitating 94,845 cusecs of water to be released. Similarly, in the Ranjit Sagar Dam, while 2.15 lakh cusecs of water was released in the morning, the release was brought down to 52,493 cusecs by the evening. From Bhakra, 43,800 cusecs of controlled release was made.’ ( Tribune, Chandigarh). Such heavy release has inundated the low line areas in various district of Punjab and reportedly destroyed the crop in 2.30 lakh acres area.
(The Tribune August 28th, 2025)
Damage in Himachal is extraordinary
The heavy floods and the rising water due to release from various dams have resulted in unimaginable destruction in Himachal Pradesh. Bridges, buildings, roads, hospitals, schools etc have swept away in the ferocious water of Ravi and Beas.
‘Flash floods in the Ravi river have caused large-scale destruction in Bada Bhangal, a remote tribal village in Dhauladhar mountain ranges of Kangra district, washing away all government buildings and damaging critical infrastructure. The village, situated at an altitude of 7,800 feet, is accessible only by foot through treacherous high-altitude passes. Currently, both approaches—via Thamsar Pass (4,700 metres) and Kalihani Pass (4,800 metres)—have been rendered impassable.’ as per The Tribune. The report further add that Bada Bhangal is a tribal ( Gaddi) dominated area and one of the last strongholds of Himalayan Pastoralism which is fast disappearing with changing pattern of life.
Unfortunately and shamefully, these heavy destruction and loss of life and livelihood has not got the attention of the so-called national media in India which is busy with setting political narrative for the ruling party and least bothered about the pains and agonies due to these disasters. One cant get a sense of seriousness of these disasters just by going through the pages of these media and channels but one can say regional papers like The Tribune and Rising Kashmir are reporting these matters much batter. Similarly, things in Uttarakhand and Himachal were reported much better on social media than these Sarakari narrative builder media.
Rising Kashmir reports that, ‘ Jn Jammu, the rainfall broke a 115-year-old record. The region received 380 mm in just 24 hours, the highest since 1910 when the observatory was set up. The previous record was 270.4 mm on 25 September 1988, and before that, 218.4 mm in August 1996.
Udhampur witnessed an unprecedented 629.4 mm in a single day, surpassing its previous record of 342 mm (2019).
Landslide at Vaishno Devi
It is also surprising and shocking that the huge devastation near ‘Adhkuwari’ on the route to the revered Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine has turned into one of the most devastating tragedies in recent years, with the death toll now rising to 34 pilgrims, including 20 women, all from outside Jammu and Kashmir but right now it did not impact the national media for debating the issue.
The Himalayas are warning us to change our thinking pattern. The climate crisis is real and we need solutions that involve local communities in the decision making process. Any solution that is being provided by the greedy power elite in Delhi to create new ‘opportunities’ for their ‘middlemen’ and ‘party netas’, contractors etc must be opposed and done away with. It has done enough damage to the Himalayas. Everytime, a crisis emerge, the cunning foxes give ‘new ideas’ so that they can provide new contract to their favorite contractors.
Seismological warning
Right from Uttarkashi to Himachal Pradesh and Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh are seismologically critical zones and all developmental plan should be made according to keeping all these serious issues in mind. These regions have witnessed massive destructions due to earthquakes too hence it is time we take the warning of nature seriously to avoid fetal mistakes resulting in huge loss of lives.
The government must call for a wider discussion on the issue with local communities, activists, environmentalists in these states. All the future power project and big project that involve the drilling and excavation of the forests or attempted control of the rivers and streams must be put to a complete halt.
It is also important for the authorities in the government to monitor the water release patterns of the dams as most of the submergence due to flood is not really natural but the heavy release of the dam water. It need to be seen weather the system of release of water need to be changed or if there is dereliction of duty or problem in the system of managing water.
Let the government without thinking of political benefit of a crisis focus on not merely the rehabilitation but seriously think of its policies related to ‘development’ and mass tourism which are the root cause of these devastation apart from the climate change processes. It also means that government has to focus on climate change issues more seriously and include it in their future policy framing of these states.
