SC says Himalayan region facing "serious existential crisis"; poses questions to HP govt - World News Network

New Delhi [India], September 24 (ANI): Raising concerns about the ecological imbalance in the states in the Himalayan region, the Supreme Court has said that the region “is facing a serious existential crisis”, and posed a series of questions to the Himachal Pradesh government.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that scores of people have perished in floods and landslides, and thousands of properties have been destroyed.
“This monsoon season has seen unprecedented rain, causing havoc in the fragile ecosystem of Himachal Pradesh. The deluge which has struck in various areas has caused widespread damage to life and property. A large number of homes/permanent structures/temporary buildings have been washed away under the destructive landslide have been washed away or swept under the destructive landslides which have struck the state during this period,” the bench stated in its order.
“Evidently, the state of Himachal Pradesh and, for that matter, all the states in the Himalayan region are facing a serious existential crisis,” it added.
The apex court sought details from the Himachal Pradesh government, including information on climate change, afforestation, highways, four-lane roads, hydroelectric projects, mining, disaster management plans, tourism policies, and the number of trees felled.
It directed the Principal Secretary of the state’s Forest Department to file an affidavit by October 28.
“It was observed that humans, not nature, are responsible for phenomena such as continuous landslides, the collapse of houses and buildings, subsidence of roads, etc. Further observation has been made that the various expert reports and other reports have indicated that major causes of such vast destruction in the State of Himachal Pradesh are hydro power projects, four-lane roads, deforestation, multi-storey buildings, etc.,” the order passed on Tuesday stated.
The apex court had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of the ecological imbalance in the state. It stated that the entire Himalayan region is at risk of natural disasters, and calamities have been particularly violent this year.
The apex court has recorded a series of questions prepared by its amicus curiae, senior advocate K. Parameshwar, who was assisting the court in the matter.
The apex court inquired about the total designated forest area in the state and the extent to which the forest area has been diverted for non-forest use over the last two decades. What percentage of tree cover and forest cover has changed across the state over the last two decades.
It further sought statistics for the last 10 years on the number of permissions issued for felling bulk of 500 or more trees to private entities/Public Sector Undertakings, along with details of cases/prosecutions pending, if any for illegal tree felling in the state, and asked to place the current status report on record.
“Details of the number of trees planted by the state and Public Sector Undertakings/private entities in the last 20 years as a part of compensatory afforestation, to be placed on record,” the order stated.
The top court also asked whether zoning (if any) is done based on seismic activity/ landslides/ green cover/ eco-sensitivity, and does the state have any ecological sites which prohibit industrialisation/bringing up of mega projects.
It further asked if the state has a climate change policy and sought details of measures, if any, employed by the state to pre-emptively mitigate the damages caused by climate change. The top court also sought details of disaster management plans prepared by the state and steps that have been taken for implementation thereof along with details of funds allocated for disaster management for the last 20 years and the details of utilisation thereof.
Details of state highways and national highways in the state of Himachal Pradesh, including specific information on the number of four-lane highways. Details of upcoming/proposed highways (state/national) and the stage thereof. Details of all pending projects/proposals with status, along with permissions for tree felling/use of explosives to be placed on record,” it added.
The bench also requested details of the total number of rivers in the state and the number of hydroelectric projects operating on each river, along with the date of their commencement and the number of mining operations/leases currently ongoing in the state and those pending approval as of the specified date.
Passing the order in the case, the bench asked about the details of hotels, industries, and short-term rental accommodations for which the state has granted permissions over the last 10 years.
Further, it asked about the measures, if any, taken by the state to regulate tourist activity, especially during the peak monsoon season, and implement measures to monitor tourist footfall while balancing this with the prevailing ecological conditions in the state.
The top court also sought details of the number of mining operations/leases currently ongoing in the State and those pending approval as of the date, as well as details of hotels, industries/short-term rental accommodations for which the state has granted permissions over the last 10 years.
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.
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 significant causes of destruction in the state were hydropower projects, four-lane roads, deforestation, and multi-storey buildings, among others, it had noted.
It had also called tourism a significant source of income in the state, but 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. (ANI)

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