Dehradun’s fragile Himalayan slopes face severe environmental risk as experts caution that the Char Dham all-weather road widening in the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone, if executed in its present form, could destabilise the terrain and trigger disasters. Their warning, sent to the Union road transport ministry, follows a recent flood in Dharali that unleashed debris from glacier-fed streams, damaging homes and roads, and urged an urgent eco-friendly redesign.
Two members of a Supreme Court-appointed committee have raised the alarm over the project’s design, stressing that it cuts through one of the most geologically unstable belts in the Himalayas. They have recommended the adoption of an alternative plan submitted in October last year, which was based on detailed slope stability mapping and proposed narrower carriageways in high-risk stretches to reduce environmental impact.
The recent events in Dharali have underscored the vulnerability of the region. A cirque stream breach sent tonnes of rock and soil hurtling into the valley, an incident mirrored by subsidence at Bhatwari, where a stretch of highway has been sinking at 12 to 22 millimetres annually. Such occurrences, experts argue, demonstrate the urgent need to integrate geotechnical safeguards into all infrastructure plans. The Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone was established to protect the upper Himalayan watershed feeding the Ganga river system. Large-scale slope cutting, blasting, and widening in this zone, they warn, could alter natural drainage patterns, increase landslide risks, and accelerate sedimentation in rivers. Strict compliance with eco-sensitive zone rules, they say, is non-negotiable for safeguarding both local communities and downstream ecosystems.
Officials involved in the project maintain that work is being carried out under Supreme Court directives and incorporate recommendations from the October 2023 report. However, environmental specialists contend that the alternative design’s measures, such as reduced slope cutting and context-specific engineering, are essential for preventing further degradation. With climate change intensifying extreme weather events in the Himalayas, the stakes are rising. Advocates of sustainable development argue that road building in such regions must prioritise climate resilience, minimise carbon footprint, and adopt natural slope reinforcement methods. The Char Dham project, they note, is now a litmus test for whether India can deliver connectivity without sacrificing the stability of its mountain systems.
