‘No more unscientific development’: Activists warn NDMA of worsening Himalayan disasters

By Jag Jivan  

A coalition of scientists, environmentalists, and people’s organisations under the banner of People for Himalaya has submitted a detailed memorandum to the High-Powered Committee of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), urging immediate reforms to strengthen disaster governance in the Indian Himalayan Region. The submission, made on October 16, 2025—coinciding with the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction—warned that the catastrophic monsoon events across the Himalayas this year have underscored the consequences of decades of unsustainable development and ecological neglect.

The group cited recent floods, landslides, glacial lake outburst floods, and cloudbursts that have devastated Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, and parts of the Northeast, including the recent Darjeeling landslides. These disasters, it said, have erased infrastructure, displaced communities, and exposed the region’s “acute vulnerability resulting from unscientific development, environmental degradation, and policy inattention.”

The submission called for post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) studies to be completed without delay in all affected states. Such assessments, already underway in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, must be initiated immediately in North Bengal and other neglected regions to ensure that rehabilitation and reconstruction are guided by evidence-based data. The group demanded that compensation and reconstruction funds be allocated impartially, based on the real extent of loss and damage, rather than through regionally uneven or politically influenced mechanisms.

To address financial and structural gaps, People for Himalaya urged the Centre to substantially increase allocations for State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF) to match the complexity of mountain risks. It also proposed the creation of a dedicated disaster mitigation and climate adaptation fund for mountain states, with strong systems for transparency and public accountability.

A major focus of the submission was the role of mega-infrastructure projects in aggravating ecological fragility. The group called for an immediate, independent review of all major projects—including highways, railways, tunnels, dams, and commercial developments—that have altered natural water flows, caused deforestation, and destabilised slopes. It demanded that projects found to increase disaster vulnerability be halted. The submission further called for strict regulation of tourism infrastructure and the inclusion of projected climate change impacts—such as intensified rainfall, flash floods, and landslides—into all planning processes.

The coalition opposed the recent amendment to the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) that allows forest clearance within 100 km of international borders, describing it as a “threat to mountain ecology.” It urged that Gram Sabha consent and biodiversity safeguards be made central to all environmental decision-making, with location-specific forest governance.

On rehabilitation, the group highlighted the difficulty of resettling displaced populations in Himalayan states, where more than two-thirds of land is legally classified as forest. This, it said, leaves landless and marginalised communities particularly vulnerable. The memorandum called for fast-tracking fair compensation, safe relocation, and livelihood restoration, while granting time-bound exemptions under forest laws for disaster-hit lands, paired with ecological restoration measures.

The submission also emphasised the need for science-based planning to prevent future disasters. It urged the strengthening of State Climate Change Cells (SCCCs) with adequate technical capacity to conduct micro-level climate vulnerability and risk mapping. It called for upgrading disaster monitoring systems, expanding rainfall and flood forecast networks under the India Meteorological Department and the Central Water Commission, and enforcing the Dam Safety Act to prevent unregulated flooding.

Finally, the group pressed for empowering local governance institutions such as Panchayats and Gram Sabhas to play a central role in disaster preparedness, response, and ecological stewardship. Integrating scientific knowledge with traditional and community-based practices, it argued, was essential for building resilience in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.

The submission was endorsed by more than 30 organisations—including the All India Rivers Forum, Himdhara Collective, National Alliance of People’s Movements, and Citizens for Green Doon—and over 40 individuals, among them researchers, journalists, environmental activists, and social workers from across the Himalayan region and other parts of India. The memorandum concluded with a warning that without a paradigm shift placing safety, equity, and environmental integrity at the centre of policy, the Himalaya and the millions who depend on it face an increasingly perilous future.