Overview
- The CP Kukreja Foundation released the paper Monday at the India International Centre in New Delhi, where Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu addressed the launch.
- The paper cites a 15–20% rise in extreme rainfall in the Indian Himalayan Region since the 1950s, linking heavier downpours to more landslides and growing stress on roads, towns, and other infrastructure.
- The authors flag tourism surges that can swell populations in towns like Shimla, Manali, and Mussoorie by five to ten times, and a local NGO reports more than 20,000 vehicles at the Atal Tunnel’s north portal on peak days that leave high-altitude waste.
- Environment Ministry data referenced in the report show Himalayan states produce more than 7,000 metric tonnes of solid waste each year, exposing weak recycling systems and strained local handling.
- The report recommends shifting from project-by-project building to system-level, terrain- and watershed-aligned planning, and experts at the launch urged coordination by bodies such as NITI Aayog, with no formal government adoption reported yet.