But where are the Candle Marches?
By Preeti Negi
The mountains of Uttarakhand don’t whisper – they scream with floods, collapse with landslides and bleed with every deadly cloudburst. In the shadow of this devastation, the streets lack the candle marches and voices have faded with time. When the mountains crumble and rivers flood, why is our outrage missing? As it is, the people pay the price, not the politicians whose “mansions” remain protected.
The beautiful but fragile Devbhoomi of Uttarakhand is constantly drowning in monsoon rains. Year by year, people and nature bear the brunt of the prolonged negligence. From 2015 to 2024, the State faced 18,464 disasters, which is more than 2,000 every year. Here, the valley and markets are swept by floods, landslides, cloudbursts and avalanches with little time to recover.
This year, Uttarkashi was struck by a deadly cloudburst on August 5 that wreaked havoc on Dharali and its neighbouring villages. This tragedy killed at least five people. Over 50 are missing and more than 40 houses and 50 hotels were wiped out. In a matter of hours, hundreds were left without a home while the medical camp of the Army at Harsil came as a ray of hope for providing urgent help.
Images from that day revealed the fury of the Himalayas, where rivers turn into raging torrents, landslides destroy buildings and bridges collapse. Here, it is difficult to distinguish natural debris from construction debris.
This monsoon, Uttarakhnad received 24 per cent excess rainfall than previous years. In a single day, Uttarakashi recorded 100 mm of rain in seven hours while nearby areas were hit with 400 mm which is equal to two-thirds of London’s yearly rainfall.
But this example is not alone- the list seems endless. The recent Sahastradhara and Maldevta cloudburst in Dehradun has added to it. About one in three cases is linked to poor government planning; fast-tracked projects ignored drainage and hydro tunnels were dug into unstable hills. Since the land sinking crisis in Joshimath (2023), 678 buildings were marked as unsafe for living and more than 863 families have been shifted to safer places. The hydropower drilling has stopped traditional water routes, forcing underground water to erode the soil, which further decreases the trees’ holding capacity of the mountains. This leads to landslides, floods and many natural disasters.
Many places are facing this problem. The situation in Bahuguna Nagar, Karanprayag has become alarming, as 50 houses are showing cracks because of the highway expansion and the poor drainage system. Meanwhile, in Bageshwar, more than 200 homes have been split due to subsidence and mining. Simultaneously, the Mall Road of Nainital continues to be unsafe after seven years of its repairs and Maroda village in Rudraprayag faces damage by tunnelling with the villagers having received almost no compensation. Furthermore, Mastadi and Bhatwadi in Uttarkashi continue to bear scars of the 1991 earthquake, which was made worse by floods. Mussoorie, Gopeshwar and Dharchula are also on the line of destruction because of urban expansion and seismic activities.
Even though disasters are closely monitored, actual remedies remain limited. From 2015 to 2024, more than 3,667 homes were lost and countless were damaged. Relief is temporary, compensation is delayed and reconstruction is bogged down by the red tape of the officials and politicians. Since the Kedarnath tragedy of 2013, authorities have only added one Doppler Radar while the hazard map and flood zoning policies are available only on paper.
Each year brings calamity in the Himalayan regions. In 2025, flash floods stopped the Char Dham Yatra by blocking highways, affecting thousands of people. The collapse of markets left seasonal workers without income. Rather than working on solid planning and proper drainage, authorities focused on temporary shelters and short-term repairs. Guidelines for safety were kept aside while unsafe projects were promoted.
At the heart of the crisis is the muted voice of the people. Panchayats are powerless; alerts are ignored and lastly, disaster training goes unsupported. It is time for the public to ask: why do authorities ignore the environmental guidelines, where is the transparency in approving risky projects, when will towns like Karanprayag, Joshimath, Nainital, Rudraprayag and Bageshwar get modern alert systems and genuine relief?
The answer rests in holding leaders accountable. It is important that leaders look beyond rescue and work on survival by focusing on zoning regulations, planting trees and proper river management. The hills are not just for tourists but for the homes of millions whose future depends on the decisions made today.
The destiny of Uttarakhand must not be gambled on chance or political spectacle. Decisions should begin to flow from scientific insight, transparency and grassroot voices. What Uttarakhand needs is planning, accountability and genuine care for its hills because of which next disaster is met with wisdom and preparedness, not by reactive bulldozers. We must face the truth, for the people are left to suffer and not the leaders who remain ensconced in safety inside their fortified “mansions”.
(The author is a freelancer. Views expressed are personal)
