{"id":20006561,"date":"2013-09-10T14:55:02","date_gmt":"2013-09-10T09:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?p=6561"},"modified":"2020-11-17T21:46:29","modified_gmt":"2020-11-17T16:16:29","slug":"indian-environmentalists-seek-separate-himalayas-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/indian-environmentalists-seek-separate-himalayas-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian environmentalists seek separate Himalayas ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Indian government needs to drastically rethink its policy for the Himalayas to avoid a repeat of the disaster caused by flash floods in Uttarakhand this June, says the Himalayan Unity Movement<\/a>\u00a0(HUM).<\/p>\n

This umbrella group of environmental NGOs working in the world\u2019s highest mountain range has been observing September 9 as Himalaya Day<\/a> for four years now. Scores of activists came together in New Delhi for the purpose on Monday. Their deliberations took on added urgency this year in the wake of the Uttarakhand disaster, as they demanded the setting up of a central ministry that would drive sustainable development in the Himalayas.<\/p>\n

The environmentalists are particularly worried about the impacts of the plethora of hydroelectric projects being built and planned in the Himalayas. India\u2019s Supreme Court has placed a moratorium on all such construction after the Uttarakhand flash floods<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Anil Joshi, founder of the Himalayan Environment Studies and Conservation Organisation<\/a> (HESCO) said, \u201cWe need to look at the Himalayas with a new perspective. There is an urgent need to re-frame policies and revisit development plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joshi said at Monday\u2019s meeting that HUM has been calling for a new central ministry for the Himalayan region for many years, but the demand has assumed urgency this year due to the Uttarakhand tragedy. He said the way to sustainable development was through empowering local communities \u201cwho are treasured with indigenous knowledge and can help in preserving the ecological heritage in the best possible way\u201d.<\/p>\n

Many speakers at the meeting talked about the loss of biodiversity in the Himalayas. Radha Bhatt, chairperson of the Gandhi Peace Foundation<\/a>, pointed out that pine trees planted in the region to reap commercial benefits were causing immense harm. \u201cThe region needs trees with broader leaves for maintaining ecological balance,\u201d she said, criticising the government for pushing commercialisation over conservation.<\/p>\n

Other activists spoke of the adverse effects of ill-planned projects. D.P. Dimri of the NGO Uttarayani talked about a village called Kunt near Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand, where most of the soil had subsided due to the construction of a tunnel below. \u201cThere have been no significant efforts for the rehabilitation of the villagers,\u201d he alleged.<\/p>\n

Charu Tiwari, a journalist who has been covering the Uttarakhand disaster, was worried about the government\u2019s reconstruction plans. He feared that the authorities were going to repeat the mistakes that had magnified the disaster in the first place. Like Joshi, he demanded that the authorities respect and use local knowledge during reconstruction.<\/p>\n

Apart from a central ministry, there should be a separate \u201cHimalayan environment protection task force\u201d, demanded Jagdish Chander, secretary general of Peoples\u2019 Action for Protection of Himalayan Environment. He said the way to have water security in the Himalayas without destroying nature would be to build small check dams every 100 metres or so.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese dams will be helpful as only the excess water from the rivers would then flow downstream during the rainy reason. The rest of it will recharge the inner water bodies for summers and thus provide adequate water to the hills,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Most of the activists demanded a drastic reduction in the number of hydroelectric projects being built and planned in the Himalayas. They held the projects would lead to many calamities. \u201cThere are at least 300 more hydroelectric projects that are in the pipeline and there are around 100 already operating,\u201d said Umakant Lakheda, a journalist who has been reporting from Uttarakhand for many years. \u201cWe need to understand whether the terrain is ready to accommodate this entire load and at what cost,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Anil Joshi pointed out that the ecological crisis in the Himalayas \u201cis not a crisis for a state or a country but for the whole world. We should realise the historical, religious and ecological importance of the youngest mountains in the world which are on the verge of destruction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harsh Dobhal, associate professor at Shobhit University and one of the convenors of Monday\u2019s meeting, said that HUM would lobby with all political parties for the formation of a central ministry dedicated to the Himalayan region. Former Uttarakhand minister Kishore Upadhyay said HUM members would meet India\u2019s President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take the demand to a higher level.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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