In the first week of October, a devastating flash flood triggered by a glacial lake outburst and intense rain in a remote Himalayan mountain tore through Sikkim state, cracking a 1,200-megawatt hydroelectric power plant and sending a torrent of water cascading into the valley below, killing at least 80 people.
The flood was so strong that it submerged dozens of villages in the Teesta river basin and swept away people, animals, homes and vehicles in a flash, the latest example of how climate change is impacting fragile regions of India.
The incident shocked the entire nation but once again underscored the sensitivity of the Himalayan region and the hazards of rampant infrastructure building.
At least 500 people have lost their lives in the Himalayan states of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in the last three months due to devastating rainfall and widespread destruction caused by flash floods, landslides and cloudbursts.
India's weather office describes a cloudburst as an event in which 100mm of rain falls within an hour.
At least 400 people were killed in northern Himachal Pradesh area, which received 742mm of rainfall in the first 54 days of monsoon season, falling on the region in June, against the seasonal average of 730mm in four months until September, the weather department said.
More than 10 districts of the mountainous state lined with pine trees, valleys, deep rocky gorges and winding rivers flowing from the Himalayas suffered severe damage.
In Shimla, a summer resort once a favoured getaway spot during British rule, two landslides led to the deaths of at least 18 people in two days on August 14 and 15.
More than 2,500 houses were seriously damaged and 11,000 houses were partially damaged across the state, the government said last week.
Roads caved in, railway tracks hung in the air after the earth under them was swept away and cars were submerged in the deluge.
The government said the scale of the death and destruction was unprecedented. It has estimated a monetary loss of about 800 billion rupees ($9 billion).
Similar devastation was seen in the neighbouring Uttarakhand – also a Himalayan state – where at least 50 people were killed in flash floods and landslides.
Climate change
Experts say the unprecedented rain in the northern states was the result of climate change.
India’s monsoon pattern has been changing over the past decade, experts say.
“The global temperature is increasing and once it rises, the capacity of the moisture in the air also increases leading to intense downpours over a limited area,” Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Skymet Weather, a private forecaster, told The National.
“The rainfall that used to last for over three days is now happening for as little as 10 to 24 hours.”
Mr Palawat said the combination of weather systems such as the western disturbance, a type of tropical storm in the region, excess monsoon moisture over the Himalayan foothills, humid wind from the Bay of Bengal as well as the Arabian Sea, was resulting in continuous downpours for a longer duration.
The western disturbance is a system that originates in the Mediterranean Sea and brings moisture-rich clouds to the subcontinent.
“This year’s rain was unusual. This is because of climate change. There will be more such extreme weather events in future,” he said.
Human impact
Climate activists and environmentalists also point to rampant construction in the ecologically sensitive region as being behind the large-scale devastation.
Both Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are the mountainous regions in the country nestled in the lap of the Himalayas – the youngest mountain range in the world.
The Himalayas are fragile because they are still rising in altitude, experts say.
The two states are popular tourist destinations because of their abundant natural beauty as well as dozens of significant Hindu temples, receiving tourists all year round.
This has led to the wide-scale construction of houses, hotels and roads for connectivity, cutting through hills and changing the ecology of the region. In turn, the mass construction increases the rate of rainfall run-off on high ground, worsening flood risk.
Reckless construction of dams as well as massive hydropower projects across the vast network of Himalayan rivers are also a factor.
In Uttarakhand, more than 75 small and large power projects are operational and dozens more are planned to produce clean electricity under India’s commitment to the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse emissions.
In several areas, the course of the rivers has been changed because of these dams.
“The Himalayas are fragile like a baby but the region has been seeing aggressive development activities,” Anil Prakash Joshi, founder of Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation, told The National.
“Most of the cities, and towns that are coming up do not have any construction policy to take care of the ecosystem and ecology.”
Mr Joshi said that while developmental work cannot be stopped in the region, it is essential to look at the need, downscale projects and use adequate technology.
“We are building houses and roads, reaching every corner of the states but unfortunately using the technology which is used in the flatlands,” he said.
“There are always two schools of thought. Environmentalists are called anti-development while development guys don’t understand ecology. There has to be a middle path. The construction should go smaller as we go higher, following the topography of the Himalayas where trees get shorter with height.”
Manshi Asher of Himdhara, an environment research collective based in Himachal Pradesh, said the rampant infrastructure construction is a result of a lack of regulation and planning “compromised by vested interests”.
“Mitigation measures cannot be techno-managerial, top-down and short-term,” she said. “It needs to be a well co-ordinated, vision-led policy and governance shift with residents and their livelihood and survival needs at the centre.”
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
NATIONAL%20SELECTIONS
%3Cp%3E6.00pm%3A%20Heros%20de%20Lagarde%3Cbr%3E6.35pm%3A%20City%20Walk%3Cbr%3E7.10pm%3A%20Mimi%20Kakushi%3Cbr%3E7.45pm%3A%20New%20Kingdom%3Cbr%3E8.20pm%3A%20Siskany%3Cbr%3E8.55pm%3A%20Nations%20Pride%3Cbr%3E9.30pm%3A%20Ever%20Given%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
