The devastating floods in Dehradun have once again laid bare the fragility of our mountain states. Monsoon 2025 has affected Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand in ways that remind us of changing climate and an unforgiving terrain. Cloudbursts, landslides, and floods have brought tragedy to hundreds of families, disrupted pilgrimages and devastated crops.
Amid the grief, the disaster management apparatus has responded with speed, coordination, and innovation. Soldiers, airmen, engineers, paramilitary forces, disaster response professionals, and — perhaps most inspiring — local volunteers, have stood shoulder to shoulder to save lives. Local government officials have not been far behind. In Uttarakhand, a deputy commissioner walked over 36 hours to reach flash-flood-ravaged Dharali.
In J&K, extreme rain in late August unleashed floods across the Chenab and Tawi basins, claiming over 140 lives. Within hours, the Army laid emergency Bailey bridges, the Air Force deployed helicopters from Jammu airfield, and the NDRF surged in with specialist teams. Army, local police, CRPF, and SDRF personnel evacuated yatris from Machail and Vaishno Devi. Army communication teams and service providers worked hand in hand to revive damaged fibre and mobile towers.
Punjab faced a swollen Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, with record inflows at Bhakra and Pong dams. NDMA coordinated with the Central Water Commission, IMD and BBMB to regulate releases and prevent catastrophic breaches. The saving of lives near Madhopur Headworks — where Army Aviation airlifted CRPF personnel minutes before a building collapsed — was emblematic of the agility of responders. In Himachal Pradesh, torrential rains triggered slope failures and flash floods, particularly in Chamba, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti. Many lives were lost, but more than 10,000 stranded pilgrims of the Manimahesh Yatra were evacuated safely. The Army, IAF, ITBP and SDRF mounted difficult operations in treacherous terrain, while the BRO worked tirelessly to restore broken roads and bridges. Drone imagery was used extensively for damage assessment and to guide relief efforts.
In Uttarakhand, the Army built a 400-foot aerial cableway, restored bridges, and deployed engineers and SAR dogs. The Air Force’s Chinooks lifted heavy equipment, and UCADA supplemented it with civil helicopters. SDRF and ITBP, supported by drones and satcom links, ensured swift evacuations. Temporary Incident Command Posts enabled real-time coordination across agencies.
India’s disaster response today is layered and professional. The use of drones, satellite communication, OneWeb links, Doppler radars, and the IMD’s nowcasting capabilities reflect an embrace of innovation. Technology is the buzzword with the Home Minister, Home Ministry and the NDMA. No doubt the response by the government was agile and professional but with the intensity witnessed, more here is actually less. If disaster management in the Himalaya is to be future-ready, technology has to be scaled up massively. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) must expand landslide mapping based on soil soaking and slope gradient, while the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) must monitor glacial lakes and debris flows on a 24×7 basis.
GIS-based (Geographical Information Systems) risk mapping is no longer optional. The role of drones must expand into predictive surveillance of slopes, rivers, and glaciers. Artificial intelligence, fed with localised hydro-met data, can help forecast flash floods and cloudbursts with greater accuracy. Initiatives such as the Gorakhpur Model of urban flood control are worth studying and replicating.
Yet, there are limits to what governments can achieve on their own. Despite lakhs of warnings issued through SMS and the Sachet app, too many citizens remain unaware of what to do when alerts arrive. Pilgrimage corridors like Machail or Gangotri remain vulnerable because footfall continues even during red alerts. Construction in riverbeds, slope destabilisation by unchecked development, and disregard of building norms exacerbate the risk.
Every citizen should know the local evacuation routes if alarms are sounded or alerts received, the location of their nearest relief shelter, and the steps to take when warnings arrive. The NDMA’s Aapda Mitra (Friends in Disaster) programme is a good start, but it needs deeper penetration into schools, panchayats and resident welfare associations. Mock drills should not be seen as token exercises, but as essential community training. State governments need to demand regular disaster training and awareness events by the NDMA. Fortunately, the Armed Forces have come on board to seek better professional understanding of disaster management.
Response is only the first chapter. Recovery and reconstruction — the “build back better” phase — are equally crucial. Roads must be rebuilt with slope stabilisation in mind. River embankments must be reinforced while controlling illegal mining. The network of doppler radars must be made more dense across valleys, and early warning systems for cloudbursts, landslides, and glacial lake outbursts made more localised. For this, a technically oriented disaster management community of professionals will eventually be needed.
Civil society, with its local knowledge, must be integrated into district disaster management authorities. Sustainable building practices, adherence to seismic codes, and strict enforcement of “no-build zones” along riverbanks are life-saving measures. Resilience must be the cornerstone of future development in the ecologically-fragile Himalaya.
This monsoon has revealed the strength of India’s disaster response and the gaps that remain. Our soldiers, responders, and civil administrators have done their duty, often at great risk to themselves. But disaster management is not the government’s burden alone. Every citizen must treat disaster preparedness as seriously as voting or paying taxes. Only then can India truly be resilient in the face of climate change and infrastructure development.
The writer is a former corps commander of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps and member of NDMA. Views are personal
