Coalition of 134 partners, led by The Art of Living and supported by the sister organisation In-ternational Association for Human Values (IAHV), to bring scientists, disaster-management ex-perts and grassroots networks together to study cloudbursts, landslides and glacier collapse.
Findings will feed early-warning systems and community preparedness across 3 countries, 13 Himalayan states and Union Territories.
Kolkata, September 7, 2026: Days after the collapse of ice and underlying bedrock in Nepal’s Langtang region sent a wall of ice, rock and water down the Trishuli River, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving over 4,400 missing across Nepal and China as per official figures, the Himalay Unnati Mission (HUM), a coalition of 134 partner organisations led by The Art of Liv-ing, on Wednesday announced a scientific study into cloudbursts, landslides, glacier collapse and other recurring Himalayan disasters. The Mission has also called for the creation of a Hi-malayan Authority at the Centre to coordinate disaster resilience across the Himalayan states and the North-East.
The study will be led by scientists, ecologists, research institutions and disaster-management experts. Volunteers from The Art of Living and HUM’s partner organisations will support field data collection and community engagement across India, Bhutan and Nepal. HUM said it will seek the cooperation of the Central Government and Himalayan state governments to turn the findings into hazard maps, stronger monitoring and early-warning systems, and preparedness plans at the community level.
Behind the announcement lies a simple conviction that has guided the Mission since its incep-tion: the people of the Himalayas cannot be left to face these disasters alone, and no single agency can solve them. Inspired by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s vision, “The Himalayas are a source of pride for the world and a lifeline for over 1.9 billion inhabitants. There is a need for regional cooperation to promote more consistent, holistic and integrated solutions for preserv-ing its sacredness,”, this mission came to life in 2021.
Pressing for a Himalayan Authority at the Centre, HUM said such a body could serve as an in-stitutional anchor for inter-ministerial and inter-state coordination on conservation, sustainable development, climate resilience and disaster risk reduction.
“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,” said Dr Eklabya Sharma, Padma Shri awardee, mountain ecologist, former Deputy
HIMALAY UNNATI MISSION | OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and Advisor to the Himalay Unnati Mission.
Five years of groundwork across 13 Himalayan states and Union Territories
The study builds on five years of sustained fieldwork. Since 2021, HUM has planted 22,22,554 trees across more than 20 landscapes in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, North Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh under Mission Green Himalayas. It has installed 613 solar microgrids and solar-powered digital classrooms in 356 border schools, taking clean electricity to more than 1,95,000 people. Through its Samvedana disaster relief initiative, over 1,000 volunteers have reached 7,248 families and more than 45,000 people affected by floods and landslides in Hi-machal Pradesh, Sikkim, North Bengal and Uttarakhand.
The Mission has also trained more than 5,450 young people at 43-plus skill development centres in India and Nepal, certified over 5,600 farmers in natural farming and supported free education for more than 9,386 students. The aim of this livelihoods work is to ensure that economic hard-ship does not force mountain families to migrate.
Experience Built Through Major Global Disasters
HUM’s approach also draws upon The Art of Living’s wider experience in disaster relief and post-disaster rehabilitation across the world.
Following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Gurudev visited affected communities while Art of Living volunteers provided immediate relief, rehabilitation and trauma care. More than 35,000 survivors bene-fited from trauma-relief programmes, complementing the food, shelter and material assistance deliv-ered during the emergency.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, volunteers conducted trauma-relief and stress-reduction programmes for displaced adults and children across several affected American cities. The support continued through community programmes, youth initiatives and follow-up trauma care.
During the 2015 Nepal earthquake, more than 8,000 Art of Living volunteers worked across 12 of the 13 major affected districts. Relief materials reached approximately 1,50,000 people, while more than 225 trauma-relief workshops supported around 30,000 survivors.
These experiences have shaped an approach that goes beyond immediate relief to include emotional re-covery, rehabilitation, livelihood restoration and long-term community resilience.
Himalayan disasters cannot be addressed through fragmented or isolated interventions, the Mission said, inviting governments, scientific institutions, businesses, civil society and citizens to join the effort. We stand together. We solve together.
About Himalay Unnati Mission (HUM): Led by The Art of Living’s Sri Sri Rural Development Programme Trust since 2021, HUM is a coalition of 134 partners, comprising grassroots organ-isations, academic and research institutions, government bodies and security forces working in border areas, with international partners in Nepal, Bhutan, Canada and Sweden. The Mission is active across India, Bhutan and Nepal, covering 13 Himalayan states and Union Territories, in ecological restoration, clean energy, disaster response, sustainable livelihoods and community development. Website: himalayunnatimission.ssrdp.org The Mission also draws upon the hu-manitarian expertise and global disaster-response experience of the International Association for Human Values (IAHV).
