In May 2026, a team of glaciologists went on an expedition to the trekker’s paradise of Satopanth glacier in the upper Alaknanda basin of the Himalaya. The trek offered a harsh reality check. They encountered frequent rockfalls from the steep slopes of the Neelkanth mountain in the Garhwal Himalaya. They also witnessed retreating ice, expanding infrastructure near the pilgrimage centre of Badrinath and plastic waste-littered mountain glacial lakes. All of this pointed to a Himalayan landscape altered by pressures beyond rapid glacial melts.

Authors: Remya S N, Sunil Singh Shah