Correct this ongoing Himalayan blunder

Monsoon 2025 has unleashed destruction across several states, with West Bengal bearing the latest brunt. In the past few days, devastating landslides and raging floods have struck Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri districts in north Bengal, claiming at least 28 lives and displacing thousands. Concerns are mounting as Bhutan's Tala hydropower dam started overflowing on Oct 5, raising the risk of further flooding and putting additional pressure on already strained emergency services.

Floods in Bengal are a symptom of a broader Himalayan crisis. Heavy rains had already wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Assam. Climate change is a major driver of this rising destruction, but it's not the whole story. Human greed - unchecked, unplanned and flimsy construction of homes, highways and hotels along rivers, streams and fragile hill slopes - has amplified the disaster. The solution is a complete overhaul of planning systems and building codes for the Himalayan region, strict limits on tourism, and a resilience plan for communities living in these ecologically-sensitive areas.

This is not just a local necessity but a national one - most of these regions are sensitive border areas. As former Indian Navy commander Kapil Narula noted in his 2016 CLAWS (Centre for Land Warfare Studies) Journal article, 'Integrating Risks and Impact of Climate Change in India's Military Strategy', climate change disrupts infra indiscriminately, undermining defence preparedness, while inflicting heavy economic losses and threatening long-term social stability. This Himalayan crisis demands urgent, coordinated action before the next monsoon turns even more catastrophic. Without a unified resilience plan, India risks human and strategic disaster.