Let us work towards sustainable development 

Hills and mountains are being cut down in Uttarakhand to make space for taller buildings, but are the hills really meant for malls and high-rise apartment buildings? Have we not learnt anything from the disaster at Joshimath, where the whole city sank? The cause of it was unchecked development—increased construction, including the Helang bypass and hydroelectric projects, along with tourism putting stress on fragile slopes. 

The disaster caused by a cloudburst in Dehradun, which devastated Maldevta and Sahastradhara in September 2025, was what scientists call a man-made disaster. Bridges that had lasted for so many years collapsed due to increased construction and the cutting of trees and mountains just to make way for new roads, malls, and apartments. There were dhabas, resorts, and institutions that collapsed, and debris flowed into the river due to illegal construction and the apathy of the administration. 

While a cloudburst is a meteorological event, deforestation and hill-cutting are not. As hillsides are stripped of trees, the topsoil loses its structural anchor. When it rains heavily, instead of water safely moving into the ground, the whole hillside starts flowing down, turning heavy rain into a landslide. 

Over the past few years, major highways near Rishikesh, Devprayag, and Nainital have witnessed landslides even on sunny days. The trees that used to bind these cliffs were chopped down, leaving bare rocks exposed to thermal expansion, causing them to crack and collapse without warning. 

The Mohand/Delhi-Dehradun Expressway was also built by cutting down trees and beautiful old hills. Noise and air pollution have had a negative impact on the flora and fauna of Rajaji National Park. There are huge dumps of garbage on both sides of the old road, which was once a beautiful route lined with trees, greenery, fresh air, and the beautiful huts of local nomads—a drive that most people of Dehradun looked forward to. Thousands of trees, including old Sal trees, are slated for removal, raising alarms over biodiversity loss, and this has been an ongoing battle between rapid development and environmental preservation. 

The Sahastradhara Road, which was once a beautiful drive lined with tall Jacaranda trees blooming with purple flowers and lovely yellow-flowered Amaltas trees, is no longer the same. These beautiful trees along the road have now been replaced by concrete buildings, making one wonder where this will stop. 

The Kimadi road, winding up toward Mussoorie, is one of Dehradun’s last green stretches. Over 700 mature trees, some of which are 150 years old, face the axe just to widen the road for tourists coming on the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway. Cutting 700 fully grown trees on the Kimadi slope is a dangerous step for inviting severe landslides and flash floods. Leopards, barking deer, wild boars, and rare birds like hornbills call the Kimadi and Purkul forests home. We need to think: do we really need this at the cost of our environment and humanity? 

Are we turning a blind eye to our environment in the name of development? Dehradun once enjoyed beautiful weather. Last year, the rains became a never-ending saga, summer refused to go, and winter arrived late. The bright, warm sun that we took pride in during the winters is now duller and not as warm as before, making one wonder if the smog is lessening the sun’s warmth. The mornings and evenings are often foggy, and I have been hearing people say that Dehradun was never this foggy before. 

Whenever you drive on the outskirts of Dehradun, along the Old Mussoorie Road or Thano Road, you see garbage lying around. Thano Road has become an unofficial garbage dumping site, attracting elephants that come there to feed on the waste. 

Again, we are not against development, but when such decisions are made, can we keep sustainability at the core? We are against development without sustainability. I wish that when we cut trees that are so many years old, we think about how their roots hold the soil on the mountains together, preventing landslides. When we demolish mountains with dynamite in a non-scientific manner, the entire mountain range becomes weak and prone to landslides. 

If we keep destroying our environment and cutting trees in the name of development, where are we going to get fresh air to breathe? 

Sustainable means involving the use of natural resources and energy in a way that does not harm the environment. Are we really doing that? Let us look at development in a way that is sustainable for Uttarakhand’s environment so that our future generations can live and grow in the beauty of our Devbhoomi – Land of the Gods. 

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