Disquiet is mounting over the surge of major infrastructure projects in the Himalayas, a region already battered by environmental degradation and increasingly frequent natural disasters. From Kullu to Kalimpong and Kishtwar to Karnaprayag, recent monsoons have amplified concerns about how the expanding network of highways, tunnels, ropeways, and hydropower dams impacts the fragile Himalayan terrain. While officials often attribute these events to natural causes, residents, scientists, and environmental campaigners are increasingly pointing towards unscientific construction practices as a significant contributing factor.

Across numerous towns and villages in the Indian Himalayas, protests have escalated due to cracked homes, disappearing springs, and roads collapsing shortly after construction. The Supreme Court of India has acknowledged the ecological crisis facing the entire Himalayan range, noting the "very violent" conditions observed this year. The court is examining the connection between the surge in rain-related disasters and the rapid pace of infrastructure development, including roads, hydro schemes, and buildings.

Visible damage has emerged on the Chandigarh-Manali highway, where large sections have deteriorated due to near-vertical slopes of sand and gravel left vulnerable after cutting by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). This has resulted in buried carriageways, flooded tunnels, and the Beas River choked with debris. Environmentalists like Guman Singh from Kullu lament the increased frequency of landslides since the NHAI's construction methods were implemented. Om Narain Bhargava, a former director at the Geological Survey of India, has criticized the construction technique as "a horrible mistake".

The relentless pursuit of "modern connectivity" through mega-projects, including highways for tourism, runways for military preparedness, and tunnels for faster transport, is under scrutiny. Verhaen Khanna, President of the New Delhi Nature Society, asserts that faulty infrastructure development, such as road widening, tunneling, and blasting, contributes to approximately 80% of landslides and flash floods in the Himalayas. These activities destabilize slopes and remove natural barriers like trees and soil, exacerbating the impact of rainfall.

Deforestation, driven by logging and infrastructure projects, further compounds the problem. The loss of tree cover, a natural stabilizer of the Himalayan terrain, leads to increased soil erosion and hillside collapse, even with moderate rainfall. Tree roots bind the soil and reduce water runoff pressure, protecting against slope failure.

The Char Dham project in Uttarakhand exemplifies these challenges. This ₹12,000 crore project involves widening roads to connect major pilgrimage sites but has led to extensive deforestation and altered topography, increasing landslide risks. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) revealed that approximately 2,000 hectares of forest land needed clearing, significantly altering slopes.

The push for hydropower projects, highways, and tunnels is destabilizing slopes, with Himachal Pradesh having 180 operational hydropower plants and hundreds more planned, while Uttarakhand has 40 running and 87 in planning. These projects, combined with road widening and tunneling, employ heavy machinery that amplifies disaster risks. Moreover, mass tourism in fragile alpine regions strains local ecosystems through solid waste, road expansion, and unregulated resorts. Excessive sand mining from Himalayan rivers also reduces water flow, increases flood risk, and disrupts aquatic biodiversity.

However, there are efforts to mitigate the risks through early warning systems and disaster management. A disaster risk reduction hub for the Hindu Kush Himalayas was inaugurated to protect communities, infrastructure, and ecosystem services from the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters. This hub focuses on implementing early warning systems and using data-driven approaches for impact-based forecasting, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning. Geospatial tools, including satellite-based remote sensing and drone surveys, are also being used to understand the landscape before construction. The National Remote Sensing Centre's "Landslide Atlas of India" maps over 29,000 landslide events, using data on slope, soil type, geology, and rainfall to highlight vulnerable areas.

To ensure resilience, hazard maps indicating landslide zones, earthquake risks, and glacial lake data should be mandatory in project planning and approval. Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) should include these layers, and state public works departments need dedicated GIS teams with access to national datasets and regular training. Multilateral support for resilient hill roads and community-centered risk reduction is available, and states should use it to mandate resilient design standards and third-party audits.