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Himalayan blunders that are ravaging the Himalayas.
Relevance
- GS Paper 3 -Disaster and Disaster Management.
- Tags: #himalayas #upsc #snowcovers #environmentaldegradation #sustainabledevelopment.
Why in the news?
- The fragile ecosystem of Himalayas has raised the apprehensions of geographers towards the settlement and infrastructure of Himalayan ecosystem.
- The repeated tragedies of bridges, roads and buildings being swept by raging rivers in the hill States of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, epitomize a flawed developmental paradigm institutionalized in an eco-fragile region.
- Blocked roads after a landslide at Chamoli and sinking in Joshimath in Uttarakhand, road caving in Chamba in Himachal, accidents on the Char Dham routes, and deaths on the all-weather road are reports that have become everyday news from “Devbhoomi” (land of the gods).
Road project, bypassing the rules
- In 2016, the Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna, a massive infrastructure project of road widening to double-laning with a paved shoulder (DLPS) design was implemented in the Garhwal region and a short stretch of Kumaon in Uttarakhand.
- The project has claimed lakhs of trees and acres of forest land, many human and animal lives, and also the fertile topsoil of the fragile Himalaya.
- By law, a project of more than 100 km needs environmental clearance. But ambitious projects for tourism and plans that are the result of election agendas are time bound.
- All laws of land are bypassed. In this case, this massive project was broken up into 53 small projects, each less than 100 km long, thus by-passing environmental impact assessment (EIA) requirements.
- The dense forests around Chamba, Agrakhal Maletha, Shivpuri, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Augustmuni, Karnaprayag and Kund (all Uttarakhand) and other such lush green sites are vanishing.
- Amid the rapacious nature of the Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna, only one pristine patch, i.e., the Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone (BESZ), remains.
- BESZ has the only natural free flow that is left of the Ganga river and was declared a protected site in December 2012 under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Unique Features of the Himalayan Ecosystem
- Climate Influence: Blessed with high altitude, length and location, they effectively intercept the summer monsoons coming from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal causing precipitation in the form of rain and snow. “Abode of snow”.
- Defense: Himalayas serve as a defense barrier from neighboring countries like Nepal, China, Bhutan, Myanmar.
- Source of rivers: Himalaya acts as a huge reservoir of water for the north Indian rivers. Almost all the great and perennial rivers of India originate from the Himalayan mountain or glaciers.
- Fertile soil: Great plains of north India which is the country’s food basket is actually the gift of Himalayas.
- Hydroelectricity: Deep valleys in the Himalayas are the best location for the construction of the dams. The Himalayan region offers several sites which are suitable for the production of hydroelectricity.
- Forest Wealth: The Himalayan Ranges are very rich in forest resources. In their rising altitude, the Himalayan ranges show a succession of vegetal cover from the tropic to the Alpine. The Himalayan forests provide fuel wood and a large variety of raw materials for forests based industries.
- Agriculture: Himalayan slopes are terraced for the cultivation. Rice is the main crop on the terraced slopes. Also tea cultivation is famous in the North Eastern Himalayas.
- Tourism: Himalayas provides a huge scope of tourism due to its scenic beauty and healthy environment. Famous hill stations like Kullu Manali, Shimla, Darjeeling etc are present in Himalayas.
- Pilgrimage: The Himalaya is the abode of the Gods. Mount Kailash is mentioned as the abode of the Lord Shiva in Veda.
- Minerals: As we know that the Himalayas are the creation of sediments which were deposited by the rivers in Tethys sea. Along with these depositions thousands of the fossils also get buried, which today exists in the form of the minerals.
Concerns
Ecological decline
- What should worry Himachal, and neighboring Uttarakhand, is that the States may be entering a phase of irreversible decline because of losses to their ecology; frequent landslides may become inevitable.
- The use of heavy machinery to flatten land for agriculture or other purposes aggravates the crumbling of hilltops.
Highway development
- In its 2020 report, the Supreme Court appointed-high-powered committee on the Char Dham project noted the massive slope cutting, unmindful of the irreversible loss it was causing to the fragile terrain.
Mega hydropower projects
- All Himalayan states are awarding hydroelectric projects to private companies at a breakneck speed—Uttarakhand on the Ganga basin alone has identified projects adding up to nearly 10,000 mw of power and plans for 70-odd projects.
Ignoring environmental impact
- Kinnaur is a focus point for such development, centered around the potential of the glacially-fed Sutlej valley.
- There is high seismicity causing fatal landslides and severe damage to hydropower structures in the Himalayas; the cost of power produced was underestimated, while the potential was overestimated.
Unsustainable model of tourism
- In the IHR include the replacement of traditional eco-friendly and aesthetic architecture with inappropriate, unsightly and dangerous construction, poorly designed roads and associated infrastructure, inadequate solid waste management, air pollution etc.
Lack of early warning system
- The country lacks a sophisticated warning system for predicting landslides. Preparedness for the hazard and a suitable warning system are vital to preventing loss of human lives and property.
Climate change
- Warming due to climate change was melting the Himalayan glaciers and facilitated avalanches and landslides, and that constructing dams in the fragile ecosystem was dangerous.
- As glaciers melt due to warming, valleys that were earlier crammed with ice open up, creating space for landslides to move into.
- In other places, steep mountainous slopes may be partially “glued” together by ice frozen tightly inside its crevices.
Saving the Gangotri, need for regulation
- One of the most challenging issues for the Ganga’s rejuvenation is conservation of the Gangotri glacier, which is also the fastest receding glacier.
- With an increase in vehicular movement and episodes of forest fires, black carbon deposits (carbon plus soot) are rising on the glacier, escalating its melting.
- Black carbon absorbs more light and emits infra-red radiation that increases the temperature. Therefore, an increase in black carbon in the high Himalaya contributes to the faster melting of glaciers.
- In the persistent debate of environment versus development of the hills, there is a very simple solution to all the chronic and acute problems that the hills face — regulation.
- In BESZ, the upgradation of roads to an intermediate road width, that will have minimal environmental impact, is the only possible and sustainable solution.
Way forward
- If reducing a few meters of road width helps ensure the conservation of the only pristine stretch of the Ganga and protection of the Himalaya, then we must make sincere efforts to amend the plan.
- Most importantly, no development can be sustained if it ends up destroying the main lifeline for millions of people and future generations.
- The government should realize the fragility of the Himalayan mountain’s ecosystems. Governments need to re-prioritize their projects based on the potential of the mountains, local and traditional knowledge as well as the aspirations of the place.
- Projects that are incompatible with the local environment and ecology should not be promoted just by giving due consideration to development or economic growth.
- National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) has been launched by the government under National Action Plan of Climate Change (NAPCC) with primary objective to develop sustainable national capacity in a time-bound manner to continuously assess the health status of the ecosystem.
- To draft policy formulations on that line has to be worked upon seriously taking into account the sensitivity of Himalayan ecosystem.
Mains Question
Discuss the socio-economic impact of fragile ecosystem of the Himalayas. Also suggest measures for sustainable development of Indian Himalayas.
