Cloudbursts, Crowds and Chaos

The recent flash floods in Uttarkashi aren’t surprising for campaigners speaking up against rising pilgrim numbers, unchecked development, and recurring natural disasters in Uttarakhand’s sacred circuit

Rishabh Shrivastava

Municipal workers collecting waste in their van in Kedarnath Dham.

Ashutosh Pandey/The Migration Story

Char Dham is a well-known religious circuit situated in the snow-capped Himalayas of Uttarakhand. The circuit comprises four holy sites, including Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri. 

Natural calamities are not new to the region. Between 2015 and 2024, Uttarakhand recorded over 4,600 landslides resulting in at least 316 deaths. The 2013 floods in Kedarnath still haunt many. Joshimath remains at risk due to land subsidence. Bageshwar, another small town in the state, is facing a similar Joshimath-like situation. Further, a High Court-appointed fact-finding body warned that over 100 villages and around 450 residences across Kanda and Reema valleys are now vulnerable, with historic structures like the Kalika Temple also under threat due to ground displacement.

As I write this piece, a video of a cloudburst-induced flash flood, mercilessly washing away everything in its path, has gone viral. The tragedy struck at the Dharali village of the Uttarkashi district, located on the way to Char Dham. Four people have died and about 100 people are feared missing, according to media reports.

Char Dham in Uttarakhand is severely prone to natural disasters, including landslides, flash floods, and earthquakes. And, with rising tourism and unplanned development, the stress on the region is rising with each passing day. 

Anoop Nautiyal, a social worker and Founder of the SDC Foundation, a nonprofit working on environmental issues in Uttarakhand, said that Char Dham is no more what it used to be. 

“Earlier, it was more about slow travel and spiritual experience. The elderly population used to visit the Dhams for peace and to connect with God. Today, it has become a full-blown tourist spot, with zero respect for the natural settings of the region,” he said. 

The Uttarakhand Government has tried to contain the surge in visitors by introducing an online registration system for pilgrims. However, locals and local businesses said it had neither capped the number of tourists nor eased crowd management. Instead, it only added to the confusion and contributed to the chaos on the ground.

According to the SDC Foundation’s analysis of the Char Dham yatra, which it conducts every year, 48,11,279 pilgrims visited the circuit in 2024. Kedarnath saw the highest number of pilgrims, followed by Badrinath, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Hemkund Sahib, and Gaumukh. While Kedarnath witnessed a decline in footfall compared to 2023, the overall number of pilgrims visiting the Char Dham has continued to rise steadily since 2000.

Further, 5,44,024 vehicles entered Char Dham during 2024, of which 46% visited Kedarnath and 27% went to Badrinath, the analysis shows. 

Stress Out 

SDRF personnel carrying the body of a deceased person during a disaster in a remote area of Uttarkhand.  Image:SDRF

The rapidly swelling influx of tourists has severely challenged the carrying capacity of the region. Carrying capacity is the maximum population that an area can sustain without its environment, resources, or quality of life getting affected.

Currently, Char Dham is reeling under the weight of several environmental issues, such as improper waste management, traffic congestion, vehicular pollution, plastic waste, rampant construction, and poor health services.

The problem has been further compounded by the government’s approval for large-scale and unplanned development projects like the Char Dham All-Weather Highway project. Apart from mass deforestation and the displacement of people, these projects have triggered multiple natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, and flash floods. 

“Assessing the carrying capacity has to be the most important step that the government of Uttarakhand needs to undertake. The unchecked tourism and development projects are putting remote towns and cities at risk,” Nautiyal, who has been campaigning for a state-level carrying capacity assessment, told The Migration Story. 

Over time, several orders by the Uttarakhand High Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders have directed the state government to conduct carrying capacity assessments. In 2020, the Uttarakhand HC directed the state government to conduct a carrying capacity study of major tourist destinations in the state. Not much happened. In 2024, NGT raised its concern for a carrying capacity study of Char Dham in Uttarakhand. The tribunal also asked who is going to be responsible if any mishap were to happen. 

Experts point out that without enforcing limits on the number of visitors and implementing any and all recommendations practically, Char Dham will remain vulnerable to disasters that have been building up for years.

Recently, the Uttarakhand government announced to undertake its first-ever carrying capacity assessment at the state level. However, the decision lacks clarity and timelines. 

Dr. SP Sati, a senior geology and environment expert in Uttarakhand, believes that there is a need for establishing an independent authority for managing Char Dham in Uttarakhand. “The authority should undertake all the important assessments for making various arrangements for the yatra. These assessments should pay close attention to carrying capacity needs of the state and how it can minimize the environmental damage,” said Sati, at a roundtable event organized by SDC Foundation last year.

In an important judgment passed on July 28 2025, the Supreme Court flagged its concerns regarding the ongoing destruction in the Himalayas in the name of development. The apex court observed that unrelenting building, tunnel, and road construction, frequently done without sufficient environmental planning, has increased the area’s susceptibility to natural disasters and the effects of climate change. The SC referred to unplanned development in Himachal Pradesh, another Himalayan state and very similar to Uttarakhand. 

Waste Management - A Major Concern

A pile of waste in Kedarnath town. Ashutosh Pandey/The Migration Story

Waste generation is one of the biggest and visible impacts of the high tourist influx during the Char Dham yatra. Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board data suggests that 10 to 20 metric tonnes of waste is generated every day during the peak yatra season, out of which maximum generation is in Kedarnath and Badrinath.  

Ashutosh Pandey works with Healing Himalayas, an NGO that has been working to keep the Himalayas waste-free. Pandey leads the waste management project at the Kedarnath site in Char Dham. 

“Managing such massive amounts of waste at high altitude is a big challenge. There is hardly any access for vehicles or waste workers, making collection, segregation, and transportation of waste a problem,” he said.  

In the Himalayas, there is also a limited number of collection points and facilities for processing the waste, unlike in the plains. And, sometimes, adverse weather conditions like snow or flash floods make it even harder for NGOs like Healing Himalayas to do their work. The NGT, too, has noted that the waste management infrastructure in Char Dham remains grossly inadequate. 

“People are littering waste when they are coming to Char Dham or going for treks in the region. As a result, rivers are increasingly becoming clogged with plastic, leading to microplastic contamination,” said Pandey. 

Studies have highlighted that waste is a major factor in exacerbating natural disasters such as landslides and flash floods. When waste is dumped in open areas or in valleys, especially in the Himalayan areas, it destabilizes the slopes and might result in floods or landslides. 

There’s also a widespread practice of burning waste in the open in the hills. Studies have noted that the open burning of waste releases dioxins and furans, which are some of the most toxic and carcinogenic chemicals known to scientists. A study by the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), has reported that Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are two of the top three states in India for diagnosed cancer cases.

Impact on economy and livelihoods 

Kedarnath temple is set amidst the scenic view of snowcapped mountains in Uttarakhand.

Ashutosh Pandey/The Migration Story

The tourist influx is weighing on the fragile ecology of the sacred circuit, but is also creating opportunities for businesses.

Char Dham sustains a major chunk of livelihoods and businesses, especially for locals. Many migrate from other parts of the state to work as shopkeepers, drivers, helpers, and staff in resorts, palkiwalas, travel agents, and more. For them, it is a seasonal employment opportunity, with the hope that the yatra season might provide them with enough economic support for the remainder of the year. 

“Every time there’s an accident, the flow of tourists gets low. It takes time to pick up,” said Kushal Sangwan, a local who runs a resort in Uttarakhand. 

However, things have been a little different over the last few years. 

With rising natural disasters and poor implementation of policies such as the registration system, traffic and crowd management, local businesses find it hard to sustain. Most of them also share a collective criticism against the online registration system that the government has put in place. It neither caps the number of tourists nor provides a very user-friendly interface. As a result, many tourists find themselves confused, affecting their travel experience. 

“Since the online booking system has started, our resort has never run at full capacity, even during the peak season,” said Sangwan. He further says that issues like traffic congestion have only added to chaos, making fewer people visit the region. “My numbers have only decreased in the last few years, and I have laid off 40 people since the last yatra season,” he added. 

These 40 people were mostly migrants coming from different parts of the state in search of work. Now, back in their home villages, they don’t have much work and are waiting for the next opportunity, Sangwan said. 

Pawan Nautiyal, a senior journalist from Uttarakhand, says that the government’s inefficiency in managing the influx and poor registration system, which neither caps the number of people coming in, nor provides hassle-free travel, is affecting the local livelihoods and businesses of many. “People have invested 10 to 20 lakh rupees in the hotel industry, but now they are massively impacted. There are no returns, as tourists are not coming because of this hassle and chaos,” said Nautiyal.

Vinod, a driver from Dehradun and owner of a taxi company, says that during the yatra season, he spends most of the time in Char Dham. But the state of natural disasters makes him anxious. “I do feel scared. There is also the responsibility of the client. But that is the only season for us to make some money. We have to take the risk,” he said.

After every disaster, the influx reduces, marking a major lull in the business period. 

However, both Vinod and Kushal agree that there’s a need to protect Uttarakhand’s nature by capping the number of people who visit the Char Dham. After all, they say, it is only because of the valleys, snow-capped Himalayas, and clean rivers that people want to visit the Devbhumi Uttarakhand. 

Rishabh is a lawyer and researcher working on issues of law, policy, and development.