Tragic disaster

Apropos ‘Himalayan meltdown’ (September 9). The Rasuwa disaster in Nepal is a stark warning for India’s Himalayan States. Glacial lakes and hanging glaciers are becoming increasingly unstable due to climate change, and we are simply not prepared.

The 2021 Chamoli tragedy showed us what can happen, yet we continue to build dams and roads in fragile zones without proper risk assessment. We need a central Himalayan regulatory zone that restricts development in vulnerable areas, along with mandatory buffer zones near glacial origins.

Early warning systems must go beyond weather monitoring to track physical signs like tremors and ice movement. We cannot afford to wait for the next catastrophe.

K Chidanand Kumar

Bengaluru

The Editorial ‘Himalayan meltdown’ highlights the huge risks arising from glacial meltdown and a need for early warning systems. In the aftermath of the deadly 2004 Tsunami, nations set up mechanisms to share data and triggers which have prevented large scale destruction in subsequent Tsunamis.

Similar approach of sharing pre-collapse indicators for glaciers and hilly terrains will be a must to prevent a repeat in this region. The fact that China is building large dams means that India and Nepal are at the mercy of the Chinese on information sharing.

With the current thawing of ties between India and China, the time is right to conclude a proper mechanism of sharing early warning indicators.

Pradip Menon

Kochi

Entrepreneurial edge

Apropos ‘IITs lead Indian universities in global entrepreneurship rankings’ (September 9), India’s third position globally, with eight universities in the top 100 for entrepreneurship, is a matter of pride.

However, the gap with the US is substantial — the US has 62 universities in the top 100 and 2,380 founders, compared with India’s eight universities with 756 founders. This showcases India’s enormous potential to improve its global standing. The country should focus on expanding premier institutions such as the IITs, increasing seats, and strengthening infrastructure, faculty and teaching quality to nurture a larger and more globally competitive pool of entrepreneurs to improve its ranking.

PV Prakash

Mumbai

Published on September 9, 2026