On the afternoon of August 5, a flash flood flattened around 20 hectares of the village of Dharali in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district. https://thewire.in/environment/dharali-floods-cause-missing-early-warning-system-scientists-asks
It all happened in a matter of seconds: a dark grey angry river of mud came cascading down a narrow river valley. Cries rose in the background as hapless tourists filming the disaster on their phones from a hill nearby watched in shock. As the flood left behind sections of villages buried deep in sediment and debris, rescue workers are still struggling to even unearth the dead.
It is going to be a week since the disaster struck, but authorities still do not have any idea about what caused the flash flood, Sundriyal told The Wire. “No planning authority or government is in a position to say why this happened.”
Post the 2013 Kedarnath floods, scientists including Dobhal prepared and submitted several reports recommending that the area not be disturbed for at least 5-10 years so that the ground stabilises.
“Nobody cared,” Dobhal said. “The big boulders brought down by the flash flood have now been used for construction in that very area.”
This is not just the story of Dharali but of every Himalayan town and village, Dobhal said. Many villages are situated on weak foundations and sediment mounds such as Joshimath.
“We are overburdening the ground with unplanned development and construction,” Dobhal added. “We must understand the Himalaya.”
by Aathira Perinchery
12/08/2025