UDAAI 2025 Report: Glacier-induced disaster in the last three months of the monsoon season is a major alarm for the future!

The Social Development for Community Foundation (SDC) has released the Uttarakhand Disaster and Accident Analysis Initiative (UDAAI) report. This report is released annually. This year’s report analyzes disaster events that occurred during the last three months of the monsoon season and alerts the state to future challenges.

The SDC Foundation has released a quarterly report: The Social Development for Community Foundation (SDC) has prepared a quarterly report for the last three months of this year’s monsoon season, July, August, and September. It once again provides a detailed analysis of the disaster events that occurred during these three months.

The analysis highlights how haphazard development, fragile geography, and extreme climate conditions are pushing Uttarakhand into an ever-increasing disaster cycle. The SDC report provides a detailed account of the catastrophic events of these three months. It also outlines how extreme climate events have occurred in a phased manner in Uttarakhand during the last three months of the monsoon season.

Anoop Nautiyal, founder of the SDC Foundation, which prepared the report, explains that the month of July began with news of glacier lakes in the high Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, highlighting how Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) lakes are constantly active in the high Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, and a need to be vigilant.

Not only this, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology has already issued a warning in this regard. Then, as August arrived, the disaster began in Dharali, capturing the attention of the entire country and the world. Many people went missing in the floods, transforming the town of Dharali. Meanwhile, Pauri also witnessed devastation.

Although the events in Pauri district did not receive the same level of attention as the Dharali disaster, there was significant damage and loss of life and property there as well. Similarly, the month of August proved to be a historic disaster this year, with incidents occurring not only in Dharali but also in Pauri and Tharali.

Thus, the story that began with the glacier lake in July reached the hilly areas of Dharali and Tharali in August. By September, the cycle of disaster shifted to the plains, where the Doon Valley was inflicted with wounds that will be remembered for years to come.

September saw the deaths of two pilgrims and injuries to several others on the Kedarnath route, and devastation in Dehradun, Chamoli, and Pauri districts. In Dehradun alone, torrential rains in the Sahasradhara and Maldevta areas claimed 27 lives and left 16 missing. Several bridges and roads were washed away. This devastating disaster left thousands stranded in Mussoorie and surrounding areas.

The UDAAI report also raises questions about administrative negligence, such as the failure to install an early warning system on the highly sensitive Vasudhara Glacial Lake, even 11 months after the survey was completed. In Srinagar, residents were forced to leave their homes due to cracks in their houses caused by blasting and tunneling for the Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail project, which is being constructed at a cost of ₹16,200 crore.

Meanwhile, frequent landslides on the Badrinath Highway disrupted traffic. The September UDAI report paints a stark picture of the growing environmental stress in Uttarakhand, where unscientific construction, haphazard development, and delayed mitigation measures are making the Himalayan region increasingly vulnerable.

In the report, IPCC expert author Anjal Prakash and environmental activist Suresh Bhai also warn that unscientific construction is weakening the stability of mountain slopes. Such projects are becoming a source of disaster rather than safety. Therefore, this situation needs to be addressed seriously.

“The Doon Valley floods and mountain instability are not isolated incidents, but rather a warning of our unsustainable development model. Uttarakhand’s disasters are now largely man-made. If we don’t address ecological sensitivity, disaster preparedness, and climate change, the situation will worsen.” – Anoop Nautiyal, Founder, SDC Foundation

The report also notes that even 50 days after the Dharali tragedy, the once vibrant village lies deserted, a symbol of not only the human loss but also questions the state’s slow recovery process. In October 2022, the Uttarakhand Disaster and Accident Analysis Initiative (UDAIA) was launched.

Documenting Uttarakhand’s disasters and climate events: This is the 36th monthly report, which has been documenting Uttarakhand’s disaster and extreme climate event risks uninterruptedly for three consecutive years. This initiative has now become a powerful public record of the impacts of climate change and haphazard development in the state.

Anoop Nautiyal said that his organization will soon release a quarterly special report for July–September 2025, which will compile and analyze disasters and extreme climate events that occurred across the state over the past three months. This report will be released on the occasion of Uttarakhand’s 25th Statehood Day, encouraging a deeper discussion on resilience, responsible planning, and sustainable mountain development in the state.