The Supreme Court raised alarms regarding the potential for natural disasters in the Himalayan area following landslides and severe monsoon conditions that led to significant loss of life and devastation in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed concern over the critical situation of Himalayan region as landslides and floods during monsoon caused widespread death and destruction in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. The country’s top court announced that it will issue orders on September 23 regarding the suo motu cognisance it conducted concerning the ecological imbalance in the region.
A bench headed by Justices Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta stated that the issue of natural calamities extends beyond Himachal Pradesh. The bench expressed its intention to broaden the scope of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to encompass the entire Himalayan region.
“It isn’t going to be limited to Himachal only, but the entire Himalayan range that is facing the issue. This time it has been very, very violent,” said the bench. The top court said it will pass orders on the issue on September 24. On July 28, a different bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had said Himachal Pradesh might “vanish in thin air” if the situation did not change. It had then taken suo moto cognisance of the issue. It was then dealing with a petition against an order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which declined to entertain a plea challenging the state’s June 2025 notification declaring certain areas as green areas.
While refusing to interfere with the High Court’s order, the top court had said the apparent reason for issuing the notification was to curb construction activities in a particular area. It had been observed that the situation in the state had deteriorated, and it was said that climate change was having a “visible and alarming impact.” According to experts and various reports, the major causes of destruction in the state were hydropower projects, four-lane roads, deforestation, multi-story buildings, etc., it had noted.
The apex court had said that it was important to seek the opinion of geologists, environmental experts and locals before undertaking development projects.
It is also called tourism, a significant source of income in the state, but it flagged the uncontrolled growth of tourism, straining the environment there. The bench had said the Centre also owed an obligation to ensure the ecological imbalance in the state did not deteriorate further or face natural calamities and directed the top court registry to register a writ petition in public interest on the matter.
The Supreme Court has directed the state to submit a detailed response to any action plans to tackle the ongoing issues and their future proposals. Notably, Himalayan states frequently witness massive destruction, mainly due to floods, landslides, and avalanches. These natural calamities are intensified by climate change and human activities like – deforestation and unregulated construction. This vulnerable region is particularly prone to such disasters during the monsoon season. Major natural disasters were recorded in 2025, 2023, 2021, and 2013. These incidents resulted in hundreds of deaths, massive infrastructure damage, and the loss of homes and villages.
(With ANI Inputs)
