(Feature Image: Damaged bridge on Malan river in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand in July 2023. Source: Amar Ujala)

Unscientific mining of riverbed minerals has emerged as a major geomorphic and disaster risk driver in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh as per reports from past few years. Recent studies sharing examples of Ganga and Gaula rivers reveal broader pattern of how excessive riverbed extraction have been changing the very shape and behaviour of Himalayan rivers. The studies find that such mining is resulting in deepening of riverbeds, narrowing down of water channel thus disturbing the natural balance of riverbed minerals.

Continue reading “June 2026: Mining Destabilizing Himalayan Rivers, Infrastructures in HP, UKD” →