Himalay Unnati Mission to study Himalayan disaster risks. Days after the catastrophic collapse of ice and bedrock in Nepal's Langtang region that caused a destructive avalanche down the Trishuli River, the Himalay Unnati Mission (HUM), a coalition of 134 partner organisations led by The Art of Living, announced it will undertake a comprehensive scientific study of Himalayan hazards. The disaster claimed more than 1,000 lives and left over 4,400 people missing in Nepal and China, according to official sources. The study, announced on September 3, will investigate cloudbursts, landslides, glacier collapses and other frequent disasters affecting the Himalayan region. Scientists, ecologists, researchers and disaster-management experts will lead the study, supported by volunteers from The Art of Living and HUM's partner organisations who will assist with field data collection and community engagement across India, Bhutan and Nepal. Stay connected Make The News Mill your preferred source See more TNM stories when you search for news on Google. HUM has also called for the establishment of a Himalayan Authority at the Central Government level to coordinate disaster resilience efforts across the Himalayan states and the Northeast. The Mission emphasised that this authority could serve as an institutional anchor for inter-ministerial and inter-state collaboration on conservation, sustainable development, climate resilience and disaster risk reduction. Dr Eklabya Sharma, Padma Shri awardee and mountain ecologist, noted, "For the Indian Himalayan Region, sustainable development cannot wait for fragmented efforts to converge. It requires one-window visioning, integrated planning and swift implementation, bringing scientists, planners, policymakers, think tanks, practitioners and local communities together." Dr Sharma is also a former Deputy Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and an advisor to HUM. Founded in 2021 and inspired by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's vision that "The Himalayas are a source of pride for the world and a lifeline for over 1.9 billion inhabitants," HUM has undertaken extensive work across the region. Over five years, it has planted 2,222,554 trees across more than 20 landscapes in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, North Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh under Mission Green Himalayas. The Mission has also installed 613 solar microgrids and solar-powered digital classrooms in 356 border schools, providing clean electricity to over 195,000 people. Its Samvedana disaster relief initiative has seen more than 1,000 volunteers assist 7,248 families and over 45,000 individuals affected by floods and landslides in various Himalayan states. Further efforts include training more than 5,450 young people at over 43 skill development centres in India and Nepal, certifying over 5,600 farmers in natural farming, and supporting free education for more than 9,386 students. These initiatives aim to reduce economic hardship and prevent migration of mountain families. HUM's approach builds on The Art of Living's global experience in disaster relief and post-disaster rehabilitation. Following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, over 35,000 survivors received trauma-relief programmes alongside food, shelter and material aid. During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, volunteers provided trauma-relief and stress-reduction programmes across several affected US cities. In the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquake, more than 8,000 volunteers worked across 12 districts, delivering relief to approximately 150,000 individuals and conducting over 225 trauma-relief workshops for about 30,000 survivors. By combining immediate relief with emotional recovery, rehabilitation, livelihood restoration and long-term community resilience, HUM aims to address Himalayan disasters through integrated efforts rather than fragmented interventions. The Mission invites governments, scientific institutions, businesses, civil society and citizens to collaborate in this endeavour, stating, "We stand together. We solve together." This story is written by TNM Bureau with inputs from ANI. The News Mill is a Guwahati-based digital media with focus on content from across Northeast India and beyond. The News Mill can be reached through [email protected]

Mustang to pilot clean heating solutions as Nepal tackles black carbon emissions. 2 mins Read 70% Complete Photo credit: Christoph_Oberlack Kathmandu, 10 August 2026 - Across Nepal's high mountain regions, many families still rely on firewood and other biomass fuels to keep warm during long and harsh winters. While this remains one of the few affordable options for many households, it also exposes families to indoor air pollution and contributes to black carbon emissions that accelerate the melting of snow and ice in the Hindu Kush Himalaya. To address this challenge, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), in partnership with the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) and Practical Action Nepal, has launched the Harnessing Renewable Energy for Clean Heating in the Himalaya (HEARTH) project, with support from the Clean Air Fund. The project will work with communities in Mustang to identify, test and promote clean heating technologies that can provide reliable warmth without relying on traditional biomass fuels. It aims to generate practical evidence on what works in the high-altitude environments and support efforts to make the clean heating more accessible and affordable for mountain households and institutions. For families living in Nepal's mountains, cleaner heating could mean warmer homes with less smoke, improved indoor air quality, reduced dependence on firewood, and lower pressure on local forests. The project will also contribute to efforts to reduce black carbon emissions, a major short-lived climate pollutant that affects air quality and contributes to glacier and snow melt across the region. "People living in the mountains face some of the harshest winters in Nepal, yet many households still rely on firewood to keep warm," said Pema Gyamtsho, Director General at ICIMOD. "This affects both their health and the fragile mountain environment. By working with communities to identify cleaner heating options, we hope to demonstrate that staying warm, protecting health, and reducing climate-warming emissions can go hand in hand." "AEPC considers the HEARTH Project a strategic opportunity to generate evidence that will inform future policies, financing mechanisms, and market development for clean, non-biomass heating solutions in Nepal's high-altitude regions," said Nawaraj Dhakal, Executive Director of AEPC. "The experiences and lessons from the Mustang pilot will provide valuable insights into identifying heating technologies that are technically feasible, economically viable, and socially acceptable. These findings will support Nepal's energy transition by promoting climate resilience, strengthening energy security, reducing dependence on traditional biomass, and improving the quality of life of mountain communities." Mr. Dhakal also emphasized the need for the HEARTH Project to incorporate a comprehensive sustainability and post-project support strategy. Despite significant progress in expanding access to electricity across Nepal, clean heating remains a major gap in the energy transition of mountain regions. High upfront and operational costs, limited availability of suitable technologies and after sales service and challenging climatic conditions continue to constrain adoption. Through HEARTH, partners will assess heating needs in home and public institutions, demonstrate suitable technologies, monitor impacts on indoor air quality and black carbon emissions, strengthen local technical capacity, and engage suppliers, financial institutions, and policymakers to support longer-term uptake. There is no just transition without mountain clean heating. Nepal has achieved 99% electricity access, yet 80% of rural households still rely on traditional biomass for cooking and heating, leaving the intense, cold-weather heating demands of high-altitude mountain regions dangerously neglected. ICIMOD is closing this critical gap by supporting scaling of market-ready, non-biomass space heating across Nepal's high-altitude areas. By replacing traditional fuels with clean electric and thermal heating, this project aims to boosts use of local renewable energy, reduce black carbon emissions and indoor air pollution for the mountain communities. For media inquiries, please contact: Neraz Tuladhar (Raz), Media Officer Email: [email protected]

Bhutan rolls out innovative apps to transform its mountain rangeland management. 70% Complete Thimpu, Bhutan | 12 March 2026 - The Royal Government of Bhutan and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) launched two digital tools designed to advance sustainable rangeland management and strengthen the livelihoods of Bhutan's highland pastoral communities. The launch took place during the Bhutan-ICIMOD consultation for the co-design of ICIMOD's Medium-Term Action Plan VI (2027-2030). The event was graced by Dasho Karma Tshering, Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Royal Government of Bhutan, and Izabella Koziell, Deputy Director General of ICIMOD. The first product unveiled was the upgraded Tsamdro App, redeveloped with ICIMOD's technical support to improve digital field data collection on Bhutan's rangelands. According to Dasho Geley Norbu, Director General of the National Land Commission Secretariat, the earlier version of the app enabled Bhutan to survey and map about 380,000 acres of tsamdro, demonstrating the value of digital tools for evidence-based land governance. The new version introduces improved functionality and user-friendly features to make data collection more efficient and accurate. The second product, the Tsamdro and Herder Mobility Dashboard, was developed by ICIMOD in collaboration with the Department of Forests and Park Services, the Department of Livestock, and the National Land Commission. The dashboard integrates data on grazing areas, herder mobility, and other spatial information relevant to pastoral systems. It provides an integrated platform for improved planning, monitoring, and decision-making for sustainable rangeland management. As agreed during the Bhutan-ICIMOD Coordination Committee meetings, the National Land Commission will serve as the central repository for these datasets to ensure high data quality standards, proper archiving, and coordinated data management across sectors. The Department of Livestock and the Department of Forests and Park Services will be primary users of data. According to Dr. Tashi Dorji, Senior Livestock and Rangelands Specialist at ICIMOD, the launch of these tools marks an important milestone for pastoralists in Bhutan and reflects the Royal Government's commitment to strengthening sustainable rangeland management. He noted that the initiative also supports Bhutan's observance of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, underscoring the importance of mountain rangelands and the communities that depend on them. For media inquiries, please contact: Neraz Tuladhar (Raz), Media Officer Email: [email protected]