Uttarakhand is a holy pilgrimage center for Hindus located in northern India that is mostly mountainous and forested. It is the source of two major rivers, the Ganges and Yamuna. In June 2013, the state experienced extremely heavy rainfall that caused devastating floods and landslides, destroying homes and temples. While officials termed it a natural calamity, some argue human activities like uncontrolled tourism development and hydroelectric projects disrupted natural water balances and exacerbated the impacts. A massive multi-agency rescue operation was launched to help stranded pilgrims.