Every monsoon repeats the same lesson about slopes, drains and contractors.

The hill states have no shortage of plans on paper. What they need is discipline in execution and honesty about the carrying capacity of fragile towns.

What happens next

Tourism is a blessing and a burden: it brings livelihoods, and with them traffic, waste and construction on slopes that were never meant to carry it.

The answer is not fewer visitors but better-managed ones — and a say for the people who actually live here.