Pithoragarh, (Uttarakhand) July 21 (ANI): The Himalayan region is a treasure-trove of bio-diversity, of abundant natural resources and a people who live their lives in tune with nature.
This amazing landscape and environment which in a sense defines India, which has down the ages provided protection as a natural border as well as harmony in nature. Today it needs protection. In the recent years, there has been an onslaught on this region, its delicate eco-system, the patterns of nature and of human lives connected with it.
The advances in modern technology, industrialisation, deforestation, increase of tourism has gradually led to deterioration in the pristine environment, the harmony and balance of nature in the Himalayas. And this is bearing heavily on the social patterns, the way of life of communities who live across this mountainous span, who play a crucial role in the sustainability of the region.
These concerns and others formed a chunk of discussion at a recent seminar organised at Kumaon University, Nainital, organised by International Geologists Union. Some 100 national and international geologists dwelt at length on different aspects of the Himalayas,
At the seminar there was a quest to observe and understand this complex and challenging region. Many local people asked what does an international seminar have to do with us? Do these academic discussions have any bearing on what the communities are facing, the destruction and threat to the environment, to access to water, to forests, to land?
There are probably no clear-cut answers but one thing seems clear. The approach to understand and attempt to solve the problems of the Himalayan region needs to be broad-based, not in watertight compartments.
This kind of convergence was evident when the experts moved beyond their hallowed seminar room into the communities in Almora, Munsayari and Pithoragarh in Kumaon. Many of these were on the border areas.
There was keenness by the experts to understand the people's lives, their experience of living in the mountains, the changes they are seeing, the nuances of the Himalayas, which can only be reflected by those who live in its lap. What was heartening was that the experts made an effort to share with the communities, their understanding of mountains, not only the Himalayas but also the world over.
For the villagers, this was a new understanding; the localised situation had a wider perspective, even in a global sense. Through interactive sessions and exchanges at the local level, the geologists including Nobel laureate Prof. Martin Price, brought their insights to the community level, sharing with them perceptions of the threats and challenges the region faces.
In a way it was a small message that the entire world is concerned about this magnificent storehouse of natural resources and keen to restore it to its lost glory.
In a way linking the challenges and concerns of the communities in Kumaon, to others living across the Himalayan zone, infact to mountain people living all over the world. Villagers were astounded to hear that mountains infact cover 24 per cent of the entire land and is home to 12 per cent of the world population. An additional 26 per cent of the world's population lives around mountain areas. For all these people, like those living in Kumaon, the mountains is their home, their mother, the provider of all things which sustain and enrich their lives.
There was an underlying message beyond the interaction and awareness building at the community level. Initiatives to understand and protect the Himalayan region is too vast, too complex a task.
While such interactions can input into the process, it was clear that what was needed and probably what has been lacking is concerted policy action. It is a matter of priority for our planners to apply themselves and evolve polices to protect and enhance the eco system in mountain regions.
According to Mr. Arora, Vice-chancellor, Kumavat University, the havoc that illegal mining and cutting of trees is causing is a cause for great concern. But perhaps even more distressing is the fast-melting glaciers in this snow-bound zone.
The Himalayas are a source of precious water, not only for the Himalayan region but the entire country. Lack of timely attention to this could jeopardise the water availability in the mountains and the plains, a looming crises.
Unfortunately, we have not evolved a system to study, track and monitor the Himalayan region and that is telling on the lack of adequate policy attention. There is very little data or information on the region, which could point the way for a strategy for its protection.
According to Chief Guest Prof. Dr. A. Shield, Earth Science and Geography, Freeberg University, Switzerland " We have researched the Alps for over 140 years, while in Himalayas there is no such body of work. This is one of the reasons why there is no consensus on glacier. We cannot reach a conclusion without a data collected over ages."
This is probably the one message that the seminar at Nainital brought home. In a sense, it was a beginning pointing the larger and now increasingly urgent need to gather resources, human, political, economic to come up with a strategy to stop the degradation of the Himalayas.
State governments in the Himalayan region need to be more pro-active in seeking answers and factoring it into their programmes. Equally they need to have a convergence on common issues.
According to Dr. R.S. Tolia, former Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand, "All 11 Himalayan states should come together and form and concrete strategy. This needs to take into account the economical, social situation resulting from the environmental threat to the region".
The Charkha Development Communication network feels that policy makers should listen to all these voices and respond in a way that is in keeping with the majesty of the Himalayas By Dinesh Pant (ANI).
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