By Asra Bhat

It started like so many stories in the Himalayas do, with a cloudburst.

At 4 a.m., in the sleepy mountain village of Dharali in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, the rain came down hard. Within minutes, a wall of water, stones, and broken dreams tore through the village.

Locals watched helplessly as homes, hotels, and even an Army camp were swallowed by the river. Roads disappeared, so did lives. Four are confirmed dead, while nine soldiers are still missing.

Beyond a weather event, it was a warning, loud and clear.

What happened in Dharali could happen in Kashmir tomorrow. The signs are everywhere. We’re just not looking.

Uttarakhand and Kashmir are siblings in the same fragile Himalayan family: Same mountains, same rivers, same beauty. And now, the same danger.

Over the years, Uttarakhand has become a symbol of how not to build in the hills: roads blasted through unstable rock, tunnels drilled without care, and hotels perched on riverbanks. All in the name of........

© Kashmir Observer