Rapid urbanization and deforestation is having a significant impact on the environment and local climate of Mussoorie, which will soon seemingly turn into a concrete jungle. Mussoorie, known as the ‘Queen of Hills’, experiences the highest number of landslides during the current monsoon season.

Mussoorie, also known as the Queen of the Hills, experiences the most landslides at this time.

Mussoorie: Offering clean and refreshing air, sprawling greenery, misty surroundings and cool breezes, the hill town of Mussoorie in Uttarakhand was named the ‘Queen of the Hills’ by the British. Today, this serene hill town is bustling with construction and its greenery is being cut down at an ever-increasing rate for roads and other amenities to accommodate more and more tourists.

Many iconic trees in the cantonment area of ​​Mussoorie

In the Mussoorie Cantonment area, where there is no permission to cut these trees, there are British people who have planted many trees in memory of their loved ones. In a cemetery created by British people, a huge tree was planted in 1870 by the then Queen of England, the Duchess of Edinburgh during her visit to India. Today, this 150-year-old iconic tree reminds everyone of the past glory of Mussoorie, where many such trees still exist, reminiscent of the history of British rule. There are a number of deodar and cypress trees in the Mussoorie Cantonment Board.

Day by day, Mussoorie is turning into a concrete jungle

In the race for development, trees are being felled and mountains are being bulldozed, leading to numerous landslides. Recently, forest mafias have been felling deodar trees in Khatta Pani area of ​​Mussoorie and similar activities are taking place in other regions as well. Deforestation in Mussoorie has led to frequent landslides, especially during the rainy season. Builders are illegally constructing multi-storey buildings in collusion with government officials. Illegal construction is taking place on a large scale in Old Tehri Bus Area, Barlowganj, Campti Road, Mall Road, Hathi Paon Road, Nag Mandir Road, Spring Road and Sumitra Bhawan areas of the city.

Uncontrolled construction work can lead to a situation like in Joshimath

The NGT had clearly stated that construction work in Mussoorie should be stopped to prevent the place from suffering a similar fate like Joshimath. Mussoorie, known as the Queen of Hills, witnesses the highest number of landslides during this period. Experts attribute these incidents to indiscriminate and haphazard construction work. However, the government has not taken any concrete steps regarding Mussoorie. Recently, severe landslides occurred at several places on the Mussoorie-Dehradun road, causing extensive road damage and suffering to the people. Amit Kanwar, DFO of Mussoorie forest department, mentioned that the forest department does not allow felling of trees without proper investigation.

The transfer of forest areas has become a problem

Since Uttarakhand became a state in November 2000, a total of 43,806 hectares of forest land has been transferred, with 3,903 land transfer applications approved. The majority of this land, 9,294 hectares, has been allocated for road construction. In addition, 65 hectares have been transferred under 662 applications for drinking water projects. From 2008 to 2023, 14,141 hectares of forest land have been transferred for development works in Uttarakhand. Once the forest land is transferred, trees are felled to implement the projects. The state government completes the necessary formalities before getting approval from the central government.

Compared to Himachal, a larger proportion of the forest area was transferred

In contrast, Himachal Pradesh, which is larger in area than Uttarakhand, transferred only 6,697 hectares of forest land during the same period. This raises the question why there is such a huge need for forest land transfer for development projects in Uttarakhand. Moreover, thousands of trees were felled for the all-weather road project. For the Char Dham project, which connects the Char Dham Yatra route, over 56,000 trees were reportedly felled.

Illegal tree felling in Dehradun

In Uttarakhand’s capital city Dehradun, a lot of trees have been felled. It is estimated that thousands of trees have been felled in Dehradun and Mussoorie in the last 20 years. Environmental expert Dr SP Sati has revealed that millions of trees have been felled illegally in Dehradun. This deforestation has led to a noticeable rise in temperature year after year. The rapid deforestation is largely due to various development programs.

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