Why the Kishtwar Disaster Must Be Seen as a Warning Against Neglecting Ecological Safeguards
By: Javid Amin | 16 Aug 2025
A Tragedy Beyond Numbers
The recent cloudburst in Chashoti village, Paddar Sub Division of Kishtwar district has shaken not just the people of Jammu & Kashmir but the conscience of an entire nation. What began as a natural outburst of rain turned into a catastrophic deluge, sweeping away pilgrims, homes, and livelihoods in mere minutes. The official toll stands at dozens of lives lost, many more missing, and hundreds left grieving or homeless.
The Environmental Policy Group (EPG), in its heartfelt statement, expressed condolences and solidarity with the survivors while also reminding us that this is not an isolated tragedy. Instead, it is part of a disturbing and escalating pattern of extreme weather events gripping the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
This article goes beyond the tragedy itself. It dives deep into the causes, consequences, and lessons—weaving together voices of science, society, governance, and environment to highlight why the Himalayas cannot be treated merely as a tourist destination or a resource mine.
The Human Side of the Kishtwar Cloudburst
Families Torn Apart in Seconds
Survivors recall walls of water mixed with mud, stones, and uprooted trees sweeping through Chashoti. The Machail Mata Yatra pilgrims, who had halted in the area, became unintended victims of a disaster that no one anticipated. Eyewitnesses describe scenes of chaos—children separated from parents, livestock drowned, and entire homes reduced to rubble.
The emotional trauma is as deep as the physical loss. Relief camps set up by authorities are filled with people staring blankly at an uncertain future. For them, “rebuilding” is not just about constructing houses but about regaining trust in their safety against forces of nature that feel increasingly unforgiving.
Why Extreme Weather in the Himalayas Is Becoming More Frequent
From Cloudbursts to Flash Floods
The Kishtwar cloudburst is not a standalone event. Within just weeks, Kupwara, Kokernag, Pahalgam, Leh, Sonamarg, and Harwan witnessed similar disasters—cloudbursts, landslides, flash floods. Each incident chips away at the illusion that these are “rare, once-in-a-lifetime” events.
Climatologists warn that climate change has altered rainfall patterns in the Himalayan region. Sudden, intense downpours concentrated in short periods trigger cloudbursts. Combined with fragile geology, unplanned construction, and deforestation, the disasters quickly spiral out of control.
The Silent Culprit — Riverbed Mining
How Greed Undermines Natural Defenses
EPG’s statement highlighted a crucial but often ignored factor: riverbed mining. Across Jammu & Kashmir, rivers are being gouged for sand, gravel, and boulders—materials feeding an ever-expanding construction industry.
This practice:
-
Destabilizes riverbeds → making them shallow and less capable of absorbing sudden water surges.
-
Weakens embankments → increasing the risk of breach during heavy rains.
-
Destroys aquatic habitats → wiping out fish and vegetation that naturally help stabilize flow.
-
Alters river flow → channelizing water unnaturally, often directing floods towards villages and farmlands.
Studies across the Himalayas show that illegal sand mining is directly linked to higher flood risk. In Kishtwar’s case, years of unchecked extraction may have reduced the river’s resilience, turning a heavy rainfall into a deadly torrent.
Deforestation and Fragile Slopes
The Himalayas are young mountains, geologically speaking. Their slopes are naturally prone to erosion. When forests are cleared for roads, hotels, and agriculture, the natural anchoring system of roots is lost. Without this shield, even a few hours of rainfall can loosen entire hillsides, causing landslides that bury homes and block rivers.
According to EPG, deforestation and slope destabilization are among the biggest threats. Add unplanned tourism infrastructure—guest houses, restaurants, concrete parking lots—built right on riverbanks, and you have a recipe for disasters like those seen in Pahalgam’s Betaab Valley just days before Kishtwar.
The Fragility of Himalayan Tourism
Paradise Under Pressure
Tourism is the economic backbone of Kashmir and Ladakh, but it is often managed with short-term profit in mind rather than long-term sustainability. In Sonamarg, Pahalgam, and Gulmarg, thousands of vehicles, plastic waste, and construction projects are transforming once-pristine valleys into overcrowded hubs vulnerable to floods and waste management crises.
Experts argue that instead of unregulated expansion, eco-tourism models should be adopted. These would limit visitor numbers, encourage homestays over large resorts, and integrate environmental safeguards into every new project.
Legal Battles and EPG’s Role
Taking the Fight to Court
The Environmental Policy Group has filed Public Interest Litigations (PILs) before the Jammu & Kashmir High Court to halt destructive practices in forests, rivers, and mountains. These petitions demand that scientific environmental impact assessments be mandatory for all projects and that disaster risk reduction be prioritized.
While the courts have often supported environmental causes, enforcement remains a challenge. Illegal mining continues under political patronage. Construction permits are granted without scientific study. Until policy meets enforcement, tragedies like Kishtwar will repeat.
The Way Forward — From Reaction to Prevention
Rethinking Development in the Himalayas
The current disaster-response model in India is heavily tilted towards relief after the tragedy—rescue operations, ex-gratia payments, temporary shelters. While necessary, these are reactive.
What’s needed is a preventive, proactive strategy that includes:
-
Ban on illegal riverbed mining with strict monitoring.
-
Eco-sensitive zone declarations for fragile valleys.
-
Mandatory slope stabilization before road or hotel projects.
-
Community-based disaster preparedness so villagers know how to respond in real time.
-
Climate-resilient infrastructure designed for extreme weather.
A Call for Collective Awakening
The Kishtwar tragedy is a moment of grief, but also a moment of reckoning. Every lost life is a reminder that ignoring environmental safeguards carries human costs. The Himalayas are not merely a backdrop for postcards or movies; they are a living, breathing ecosystem holding the water, air, and soil that millions depend on.
Unless we change how we treat them, nature’s fury will only grow sharper and deadlier.
Bottom-Line: Turning Mourning Into Action
As the Environmental Policy Group rightly said:
“May this moment of collective mourning also be a moment of collective awakening to protect our irreplaceable Himalayan heritage before more lives are lost.”
The future of Kishtwar, Pahalgam, Sonamarg, and the entire Himalayan arc depends not on how quickly we rebuild after each disaster, but on how wisely we prevent the next one.
Press Release
The Environmental Policy Group (EPG) expresses its deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones in the tragic cloudburst at Chashoti village in Paddar Sub Division, Kishtwar district, which has claimed dozens of lives, including pilgrims l. Our prayers are with all those injured and missing, and we stand in solidarity with the survivors during this time of profound grief.
This tragedy is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing pattern of extreme weather events and environmental crises that have struck the region in recent days. The fury of nature has been witnessed across Kishtwar, Paddar, Kokernag, Kupwara, Leh–Srinagar highway, Harwan, Sonamarg, Betaab Valley in Pahalgam, and other areas, with cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods leaving a trail of destruction. The scenes from Pahalgam yesterday, with swollen streams and debris-choked valleys, were a grim reminder of how fragile and exposed our Himalayan landscapes have become.
A major factor aggravating the intensity of flash floods and cloudburst damage is the rampant and often illegal practice of riverbed mining. The indiscriminate extraction of boulders, gravel, and sand from river channels not only destabilises riverbeds but also weakens embankments, alters natural water flows, and destroys aquatic habitats. These changes reduce the river’s capacity to absorb heavy rainfall and sudden glacial melt, making downstream communities far more vulnerable to catastrophic flooding. EPG has repeatedly stressed that unless riverbed mining is strictly regulated, tragedies of the scale witnessed in Kishtwar and Pahalgam will become increasingly frequent.
For years, EPG has cautioned that deforestation, destabilisation of mountain slopes, and unplanned tourism infrastructure in ecologically sensitive zones are eroding the resilience of our environment. The Himalayas are not just a scenic backdrop; they are a delicate life-support system for millions, and disturbing their balance has irreversible consequences.
Through our Public Interest Litigation before the Hon’ble High Court Division Bench, EPG has sought strong judicial directions to halt destructive activities in forests, rivers, and mountains, and to ensure that all development in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is guided by scientific environmental assessments and disaster-risk considerations. The recent spate of calamities—from Leh to Pahalgam to Kishtwar—underscores the urgent need to act.
We urge the Government, planners, and all stakeholders to move beyond reactive relief measures and embrace preventive, sustainable policies that put ecological security and community safety first. The loss of lives and livelihoods in these disasters is a heavy price to pay for neglecting environmental safeguards.
May the departed souls rest in peace, and may this moment of collective mourning also be a moment of collective awakening to protect our irreplaceable Himalayan heritage before more lives are lost.
Faiz Ahmed Bakshi
Convenor
