The Dharali and Kishtwar tragedies must not fade into another chapter of ignored warnings. A dedicated climate and disaster-resilience policy for the Himalayan states is an urgent necessity. Inaction will result in loss of lives in the hills, and water insecurity, energy disruptions, and ecological collapse across the plains
The monsoon, once a season of renewal for India’s farms and forests, has become a season of dread in the Himalayas. On August 5, 2025, a catastrophic cloudburst struck Dharali village in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, unleashing flash floods and landslides that swept away homes, roads, and lives. Before the region could recover, Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir, was struck by another tragedy, as a cloudburst claimed several lives, left over 200 missing, and crippled vital bridges and highways.
These disasters were not isolated. In just one intense weekend this monsoon, Himachal Pradesh recorded 19 cloudbursts, 23 flash floods, and 16 major landslides, displacing thousands. From Kinnaur and Kullu to Chamoli and Rudraprayag, the pattern is clear: Intense rainfall events, cloudbursts, river overflows, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are no longer rare shocks — they are becoming seasonal certainties.