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Increased Himalayan rainfall is linked to height and terrain. Orographic lift pushes air upward, forming massive clouds that cause unusually heavy local downpours
Scientists warn that extreme rainfall events will become more common in the Himalayan region. (News18 Hindi)
A cloudburst in Dehradun on Tuesday left at least 15 people dead, once again highlighting the Himalayan region’s vulnerability to extreme monsoon events. This season alone, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir have reported repeated landslides, river overflows, mudslides and floods. Roads and highways have been severely damaged, leading to significant loss of life and property.
While cloudbursts are not uncommon during the monsoon in the Himalayas, their increasing intensity and frequency in recent years are concerning. Experts attribute this to the region’s geomorphology and climate change, making the Himalayas more vulnerable.
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Unusual Monsoon Activity
The monsoon has been exceptionally active this season, with the northwestern region of India experiencing continuous rainfall for the past one and a half months. Low-pressure systems from the Bay of Bengal have moved further north than usual, causing intense rainfall in the Himalayan areas.
According to a report by the Indian Express, the region recorded 34 percent more rainfall in August, with a surplus of over 30 percent from June to September. In the first half of September, rainfall was 67 percent above normal. The Himalayan topography exacerbates the impact of this surplus rainfall. While plains areas can tolerate 300 mm or more of rain in 24 hours, such an amount proves disastrous in the Himalayan regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.
Why More Rainfall In Himalayan Areas
The primary reason for the increased rainfall in Himalayan areas is their height and topography. In these hilly regions, air rapidly rises upward, a phenomenon known as orographic lift, creating massive clouds that lead to abnormally high local rainfall. This is a typical climate pattern for the Himalayas.
For instance, on August 27, Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir received 630 mm of rain in 24 hours, equivalent to the annual average rainfall of Rajkot in Gujarat.
Leh in Ladakh recorded 59 mm of rain in 48 hours between August 24-26, the highest since 1973. Normally, Leh receives 0-5 mm of rain in August, with the maximum 24-hour rainfall being 16 mm (2018) or 12.8 mm (2015). Such extreme rainfall transforms collected water on mountain slopes into torrents that carry away soil, gravel, and loose rocks.
Why Hilly Areas Are More Vulnerable
In the plains, water flows into rivers or water bodies after heavy rain, but in the Himalayas, it triggers landslides, mudflows, and flash floods. This was evident in recent incidents in Mandi, Kullu, Dharali, Tharali, and Jammu. When main river flows are blocked, overflowing water or mud invades settlements, destroying roads and bridges.
However, not all cloudbursts lead to disasters. If rainfall occurs in parts of the hills less prone to landslides or where debris does not fall into rivers, the damage is limited. Human interventions like indiscriminate construction, deforestation, and road building have destabilised the slopes, promoting disasters.
The Role of Climate Change
Climate change plays a significant role in this increasing vulnerability. In recent years, weather systems, especially the Western Disturbances, have shifted towards the south, complicating rainfall forecasting. These disturbances, originating from the Mediterranean Sea, traditionally bring rain or snowfall to northern India in winter.
Their recent southward shift coinciding with the southwest monsoon is attributed to global warming. Scientists warn that extreme rainfall events will become more common in the Himalayan region, alongside prolonged droughts during the monsoon.
Melting Arctic sea ice may also be affecting this monsoon variation. Global warming is storing more moisture in the atmosphere, leading to ‘supercharged’ storms. This situation presents both a natural and policy challenge. The Himalayas, a crucial source of India’s water, biodiversity, and energy, are endangered by unplanned development and climate change.
The government must strengthen disaster management, adopt early warning systems, and focus on environmental protection. With a 67 percent surplus rainfall in the northwestern region by mid-September in 2025, it is evident that the Himalayan topography is becoming increasingly deadly in conjunction with climate change. Without timely action, such disasters will become regular, amplifying economic and human losses.
September 17, 2025, 11:15 IST
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