Uttarakhand Faces Escalating Geological & Climate Risks

Dehradun

The July 2025 edition of the Uttarakhand Disaster & Accident Analysis Initiative (UDAAI) by Dehradun-based environmental action and advocacy group SDC Foundation underscores an alarming surge in extreme weather events, infrastructure threats, and human tragedies in Uttarakhand.

Compiled from credible media sources, the report reflects the growing vulnerability of the state to climate-induced and human-triggered disasters.

One of the most striking revelations of the July 2025 UDAAI report came from a Wadia Institute study, which identified 25 glacial lakes in Uttarakhand in dangerous condition out of a total of 426 lakes larger than 1,000 sq. meters.

Experts warn that these lakes pose a high risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), similar to the catastrophic Kedarnath disaster of 2013.

Scientists have stressed the need for constant monitoring and early-warning systems in high-risk zones.

Heavy rainfall, cloudbursts, and landslides wreaked havoc in Chamoli district, blocking over 115 roads and damaging homes and agricultural land.

A severe cloudburst near Dhurma village destroyed houses and diverted river flows, forcing evacuations. The Bhanerpani stretch on the Badrinath Highway saw worsening subsidence, threatening connectivity to Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib.

Adding to concerns, a peer-reviewed study flagged Uttarakhand as a hotspot for extreme climate events, citing a sharp rise in cloudbursts and flash floods post-2010. In another worrying development, the Chorabari glacier near Kedarnath is retreating at 7 meters per year, increasing the risk of future outburst events.

Human tragedies continued as well. A Max vehicle accident in Pithoragarh claimed 8 lives, while a stampede at Haridwar’s Mansa Devi temple killed 8 and injured 28, exposing systemic gaps in crowd management and emergency preparedness.

The report also raises a red flag on Totaghati, a critical section of the Rishikesh-Badrinath Highway, where deep cracks in limestone rocks threaten to cut off access to large parts of Garhwal for months if a collapse occurs. Additionally, a new scientific study linked the Char Dham Highway project to an alarming increase in landslides, with 811 landslides identified along 800 km of routes, primarily due to unsafe slope-cutting practices.

Commenting on the findings, Anoop Nautiyal, Founder of SDC Foundation, said, “The July UDAAI report once again signals that disasters in Uttarakhand are no longer isolated events but a recurring reality. With climate change accelerating and human-induced vulnerabilities rising, urgent action is needed to strengthen disaster preparedness, regulate development, and protect fragile ecosystems.”

The UDAAI report urges immediate interventions including early warning systems, slope stabilization, glacial monitoring, crowd safety protocols, and stricter compliance on infrastructure projects.

This is the 34th monthly UDAAI report since the initiative began in October 2022, aimed at driving informed conversations and action around disaster risk reduction in Uttarakhand.