Mountains in revolt
Srinagar, Apr 20: The Ramban district of Chenab Valley has once again been devastated by flash floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall, leaving a trail of destruction, fear, and grief in its wake.
At least three persons, including two children, have lost their lives.
More than 40 houses have been damaged and dozens of families displaced.
The farmers now face significant losses, as widespread damage to agricultural and horticultural land the backbone of the local economy is feared.
The 36-km Banihal-Ramban stretch of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway has borne the brunt of destruction.
A 10-km segment has suffered multiple cave-ins, with the road at Kela Mor completely washed away.
Several vehicles were swept away by raging torrents, bringing traffic to a halt and leaving commuters stranded.
While cloudbursts are believed to have triggered the flash floods, locals, environmentalists, and geologists are raising an alarm over what they describe as root causes – unscientific mountain excavation and rampant deforestation.
Many blame aggressive infrastructure development – particularly the ongoing Srinagar-Jammu National Highway widening project for weakening the already fragile landscape.
“The initial road widening project involved indiscriminate mountain cutting, tree felling, and uncontrolled blasting,” said Babar Nehru, a lawyer and activist from Chenab Valley. “Proper geological studies were not carried out, and debris was dumped carelessly, putting entire villages at risk.”
Environmentalist Raja Muzaffar Bhat echoed similar concerns.
“The mountains in the Ramban area are geologically fragile and not very rocky. Continuous excavation and tunnelling have weakened them further, making them highly prone to landslides. Much of the construction debris is illegally dumped along the highway and even into the Chenab River. During rains, this gets washed away, compounding the danger.”
Bhat called for an independent environmental audit of the entire road development project.
He said that unless geologists and ecologists are involved at every stage of infrastructure planning, such tragedies will continue.
“We have been raising our voices for years, but nobody listens,” Bhat said.
Riyaz Ahmad Mir, a geologist at the National Institute of Hydrology in Jammu and co-author of several research papers on landslide mapping and risk assessment along the Srinagar Jammu National Highway, attributes slope failures to unsustainable development.
“The catastrophic landslides and debris flow events in this area are primarily triggered by intense rainfall and cloudbursts that exploit existing geological vulnerabilities,” Mir said.
“Weak structural features like faults, shear zones, and thrust zones have led to rock pulverisation and loose debris accumulation on slopes.”
He said that this debris becomes highly prone to landslides when combined with triggers like heavy rainfall and human activities like tunnelling and slope modification.
“Rainwater infiltration, clay swelling, and tension cracks in weak rock masses eventually lead to slope failures,” Mir said.
The Chenab Valley lies in seismic Zone IV and is situated near a major fault line close to the Baglihar Dam.
The area’s deforested and geologically young mountains are naturally unstable, making them prone to landslides, erosion, and avalanches.
“This should have been a key consideration during planning,” said a veteran highway worker. “But the warnings were ignored – just like before the tunnel collapse in May 2022 that claimed the lives of 10 labourers.”
Although the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has undertaken mitigation efforts — including tunnel construction at Panthiyal, Marog, Digdol, Khooni Nala, Battery Morh, Cafeteria Morh, Ramsoo, Seeri, and other vulnerable spots - many believe these steps were reactive, taken only after irreversible damage occurred.
“The original plan was to widen the existing road between Banihal and Chenani,” said a local journalist. “It was only after repeated disasters that authorities shifted to building tunnels, viaducts, and bridges to bypass high-risk zones.”
Altaf Ahmad, a resident of Ramban, said, “This is a grim reality. From March to September, as rains lash the region we live in constant fear for our lives, homes, and livelihoods.”
Shams, a teacher from Banihal, said that locals were not opposed to development but the development should be sustainable and guided by scientific understanding.
“Ignoring nature and science will only worsen our sufferings,” he said.
Project Director NHAI, PIU Ramban, Purshotam Kumar, said that geological surveys were conducted before construction began.
However, many residents remain unconvinced.
“These disasters are no longer random,” said Ghulam Hassan, an elderly villager from Digdol. “These are the result of careless planning. Until development respects nature, the mountains will keep retaliating.”
