Effects of climate change and unplanned development are posing major challenges to the Himalayan States, there is need for sustainable development in the Himalayan region especially in view of recurring natural disasters in the region, said Member of Parliament from Haridwar and former Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
Raising the issue in the lok Sabha on Wednesday, Pokhriyal pointed at the sensitive nature of Himalayas and the frequent disaster experienced in recent years., he said. Pointing at the Kedarnath disaster followed by Kashmir floods and more recently the Nepal earthquake, he said that the considerable damage wreaked by these disasters shows the Himalayan region’s vulnerability of natural disasters. Seeking setting up of a glacier authority, he said that such an authority will help facilitate detailed study of glaciers which in turn would also aid in mitigating the recession of the Himalayan glaciers. While also seeking better coordination among various research institutions working in the Himalayan region, he added that all construction activities in this region should be in harmony with the region’s environment.
