Dear Reader,

Uttarakhand endured a devastating monsoon this year. Cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides scarred its fragile mountains, destroying lives and livelihoods.

As disaster after disaster unfolded, one highway stood at the centre of it all – the Char Dham road project, launched to expand pilgrimage routes high in the Himalayas. Experts had long warned that cutting these slopes would make them unstable. Today, those fears appear tragically real.

To uncover the full story behind the devastation, Scroll’s environment reporter Vaishnavi Rathore and journalist Kritika Pant are heading to Uttarakhand for an in-depth ground report that asks: could this have been prevented and what must change now?

Vaishnavi’s record speaks for itself. She has won multiple honours, including a 2025 CCNow Journalism Award and the 2025 Danish Siddiqui Journalism Award.

Her stories combine scientific depth with human insight. Just in the recent past, her reporting has revealed how Delhi’s unchecked traffic drives its air pollution crisis, how coastal development erased coral reefs off Nicobar island, and why cities across India flood after every monsoon.

Support Vaishnavi’s reporting from Uttarakhand. Your contribution will help bring truth from the mountains to readers everywhere.

Regards,
Team Scroll