Himalayan Ecocide – Reasons & Consequences – Explained Pointwise

Recently, the Uttarakhand Forest Department approved the felling of nearly 7000 Deodar trees in the Dharali-Harsil region for the Char Dham road-widening project – diverting 43 Ha of forest land for the project, with 10 Ha meant for muck dumping. With nearly 331-days of continuous climate impact, >4000 deaths attributed to climate-induced disasters like cloudburst, landslides, avalanches & flash floods in 2025 alone in the Himalayan states of Himanchal Pradesh & Uttarakhand – such a decision by the govt has been termed as the Himalayan ecocide i.e. the destruction of Himalayan ecosystem.

How fragile the Himalayan ecosystem is?

1. Young and Unstable Mountains: The Himalayas are geologically young and still rising, making them prone to severe erosion, landslides, and earthquakes. Because the Indian tectonic plate continues to push into the Eurasian plate at a rate of approximately 5 mm per year, the mountains are literally still “growing.” This constant movement makes the region one of the most earthquake-prone zones in the world (Zones IV and V on seismic maps).
2. Steep Slopes and Rugged Terrain: The dramatic vertical relief leads to rapid runoff of water and sediments, limiting soil formation and stability. Even minor disturbances can trigger slope failures.
3. Cryosphere Sensitivity: The region is the “Third Pole,” holding the world’s largest volume of ice outside the polar regions. Glaciers, permafrost, and snow are acutely sensitive to even small changes in temperature.
4. High Altitude and Low Resilience: Organisms in high-altitude ecosystems are specialized to narrow climatic ranges. Even small temperature shifts can push species beyond their survival limits, with nowhere higher to migrate.

What are the reasons behind rising fragility of Himalayas?

What could be the consequences of Himalayan ecocide?

1. Water Security Threat: The Himalayas are the source of 10 major Asian river systems (Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Yangtze, etc.), supporting ~1.5 billion people. Changes in snowmelt and glacier melt disrupt the timing and volume of this “water tower,” threatening agriculture, hydropower, and drinking water.
2. Biodiversity Loss: The Himalayas are a global biodiversity hotspot with thousands of endemic species (e.g., snow leopards, red pandas, Himalayan flora). Habitat destruction, invasive species, and climate shifts could trigger irreversible species loss.
3. Increased Disaster Risk: A combination of melting permafrost, intense rainfall, and destabilized slopes leads to more frequent and severe landslides, flash floods, and debris flows for e.g. formation of glacial lakes – Meltwater forms unstable lakes behind moraine dams, risking catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) that can wipe out communities and infrastructure downstream.
4. Disruption of Monsoon Systems: The Himalayas play a crucial role in driving and modulating the South Asian monsoon. Large-scale ecological changes could alter monsoon patterns, leading to unpredicted rainfall, increased drought in some regions & extreme floods in others.
5. Collapse of Livelihoods: Millions depend on Himalayan ecosystems for agriculture, pastoralism, and freshwater fisheries, Tourism (trekking, pilgrimage, mountaineering), traditional medicine and non-timber forest products, Himalayan ecocide will lead to loss of livelihood of millions of people.
6. Mass Migration: As mountain springs dry up (a phenomenon called “dying springs”) and villages sink due to land subsidence, thousands are forced to migrate. This creates a surge of climate refugees moving into already overcrowded cities like Delhi, Dhaka, and Karachi.
7. Cultural Loss: The Himalayas are a cultural and spiritual heartland for multiple religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, indigenous traditions). Loss of sacred landscapes, pilgrimage routes (e.g., Char Dham, Mount Kailash), and traditional knowledge would represent an irreplaceable cultural extinction.

What should be the way forward?

1. Himalayan-Specific Building Codes: Implementation of seismic-resilient construction that combines traditional methods (like the Dhaji Dewari or Kath-Kuni styles) with modern engineering.
2. Mandatory Carrying Capacity Audits: Before any large-scale project is approved, a scientific audit must determine if the land, water, and air can support the additional load.
3. Green Roads: Moving away from vertical hill cutting to “stepped” or “benched” slopes. Using soil bio-engineering (planting specific native deep-rooted grasses and shrubs to naturally anchor soil) is significantly more effective and cheaper than concrete walls.
4. Dhara Vikas (Spring Rejuvenation): Scaling up the “Sikkim Model” of recharging mountain springs through “staggered contour trenching,” which allows rainwater to seep into the ground rather than running off and causing erosion.
5. The “Bhutan Model”: Shifting toward a “High Value, Low Volume” tourism strategy. This involves entry permits, daily tourist caps, and “Sustainable Development Fees” that are directly reinvested into local conservation. 

Conclusion: Himalayas are not just a geographical entity, it is the very foundation of the subcontinent’s existence. The continuing sequence of disasters in the Himalayas shows the prioritization of short-term, economic gains over long-term disaster resilience. It is high time that we plan & implement genuine, science-based sustainable development policies by keeping in mind the axiom that “without Himalayas, there is no India”.