ABSTRACT
Mountains, since times immemorial, have awarded only fringe habitats to mankind, acting more as forbidding zones and despite the back breaking toil giving only limited sustenance. To enumerate the environmental consequences of road building, Lesser Himalayan ranges of the Yamuna catchment have been selected, which cover about 3,000 square kilometres of rugged area in the districts of Uttarkashi and Dehradun. A few road stretches in the catchments of Yamuna and Amlawa, to note the resultant influence on the vegetal cover, slope and drainage, comparing the tract with the adjacent uninfluenced zone. Deforestation, slope cutting and faulty construction measures accompanying road building and maintenance are creating havoc on the unstable hill slopes and the landslide scars, overhanging ledges along side slopes and obstructed rivulet courses observed at Kharsali, Khanera, Chattanga, Chakrata Forest Chowki and near Sahiya—all seem to point towards a catastrophe.
