People along the embankment of the river Jhelum at Shalina in Budgam district of Kashmir, on September 4, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Imran Nissar
The Supreme Court on Thursday (September 4, 2025) pointed to repeated flash floods and huge numbers of logs of illegally felled Himalayan trees flowing in swollen rivers, saying “if this goes on, we will be left with no forests”.
The court on Thursday voiced a deep anguish about floods in the States of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, and highlighted that media visuals of huge numbers of logs flowing in flood waters indicate that illegal felling of the ecologically sensitive Himalayan forests was going on amidst the chaos and deaths caused by repeated natural disasters.
“This is a very serious issue. Logs are seen flowing with the flood waters. If this goes on, we will not have any forests left. In Punjab, entire villages are inundated. Development is needed, but not at the cost of the environment and lives,” Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai observed.
The Bench, also comprising Justice Vinod Chandran, asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was present in the courtroom for the next case, to intervene.
Mr. Mehta said he would speak with the Environment Secretary on the same day. The Secretary would get in touch with the Chief Secretaries of these States.
The top law officer agreed with the court that the situation cannot be allowed to continue. “This just cannot be,” Mr. Mehta said.
The court also issued notice to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) after the petitioner, Anamika Rana, represented by advocate Akash Vashishtha, said there were 14 tunnels between Chandigarh and Manali that turn into death traps during floods. The petitioner’s counsel said at least 300 people were stranded recently during the floods inside the tunnel.
“Therefore, we have issued notice to the NHAI,” Chief Justice Gavai addressed him.
‘Payback from nature’
Mr. Mehta said the natural disasters were payback from nature.
“We are interfering with nature so much that nature is giving back,” he remarked.
The CJI reiterated that the court was seriously concerned with the repetitive occurrence of landslides and floods in these ecologically sensitive areas. It listed the case in two weeks.
The petition has sought the immediate intervention of the apex court to constitute action plans, a Special Investigation Team enquiry and geological, geo-technical and ecological investigation to prevent future disasters and save the pristine, fragile Ecology of the Himalayan States.
“The Central and State governments, inspite of having dedicated disaster authorities, have no plan in place to prevent or mitigate the losses due to these disasters, whose frequency has increased alarmingly of late. Further, blatant disregard of Hill Road Manual and other guidelines, continuous encroachments on rivers and other water courses, etc, are also contributing significantly to the increase in frequency of these disasters and the tremendous losses to lives and properties. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and the Ministry of Jal Shakti have also failed in their duties,” the petition said.
Published – September 04, 2025 12:39 pm IST
