On September 28, a powerful maxim resurfaced: the health of the Himalayas is inseparable from India’s own resilience. The phrase is attributed to Nabam Tuki, former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, whose advocacy has long stressed that ecological collapse in the mountain zone echoes across the plains.

India’s Himalayan region is among the most geologically young and tectonically active zones in the world. Its steep slopes, fragile soils, dense faultlines, and melting glaciers make it especially vulnerable to landslides, flash floods, and seismic shocks. With climate change altering precipitation patterns, thawing permafrost, and intensifying monsoon variability, risks are compounding.

Regions like Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and beyond are frontline witnesses. Soil erosion, deforestation, unregulated infrastructure, and hydropower projects strain the balance. The collapse of mountain ecosystems would disrupt river flows, reduce groundwater recharge, imperil biodiversity, and jeopardize millions downstream.

This phrase—“If Himalayas fall, India falls; if Himalayas thrive, India thrives”—is more than rhetoric. It is a blueprint: to prioritize mountain-centric policies, restore forests, limit ecological damage from development, strengthen disaster preparedness, and respect indigenous knowledge. If India takes the Himalayas for granted, the consequences will cascade far beyond the peaks.