During the last few decades, India has been experiencing an increasing number of natural disasters that have caused huge financial burdens to the Central Government as well as to several State Governments. The expenditures for damage control and for developing preventive mechanisms have been on the rise. The increasing frequency of these calamities is pushing several affected communities to poverty, hunger and homelessness. When one looks at the recent flashflood in the state of Uttarakhand in North India and the extensive damages it caused to human life and environment, one may ask whether these events are impacts of climate change or are they the aftereffects of careless exploitation of resources by flouting environmental norms. This article attempts to analyse some of these issues related to the recent disaster in the state of Uttarakhand in India.