Experts warn current Char Dham road plan could trigger Himalayan disaster

Two members of a Supreme Court-appointed panel have cautioned that the ongoing Char Dham all-weather road widening project in the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone, if executed as currently planned, could trigger a disaster in the fragile Himalayan terrain, reported TOI.

In a letter to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Tuesday, senior geologist Navin Juyal and environmentalist Hemant Dhyani referred to their detailed survey submitted in October 2023. The report mapped unstable slopes in the upper Bhagirathi valley and proposed an alternate design to keep the road operational without compromising slope stability, as per the TOI report.

They said the August 5 flood in Dharali unfolded almost exactly as they had warned — with a glacier-fed stream bursting through, bringing down massive debris and washing away homes. In Bhatwari, a highway stretch nearly collapsed in an area documented to be sinking 12mm to 22mm annually.


The experts urged the ministry to adopt the alternate design in their 2023 report and fully enforce the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone notification. They also called for extending eco-sensitive protections to higher Himalayan valleys.

“The Char Dham road widening project in its current form in BESZ will spell disaster otherwise,” TOI quoted Dhyani as saying.

(With inputs from TOI)