Increasing pressure of indiscriminate human activities has caused an imbalance in the eco-system which in turn is also a major factor responsible for the rise in intensity and frequency of extreme weather incidence like the 2013 disaster at Kedarnath and elsewhere in the State. Further, the drastic rise in number of people and the vehicles carrying them on the tourism-pilgrimage circuit is also exerting a seriously detrimental effect on the Himalayan region in Uttarakhand.
These views were expressed by speakers from different spheres in a meeting organised by the Himalaya Unity Movement (HUM) on the occasion of Himalaya Day in Dehradun. Apart from varied events held in Dehradun and elsewhere in the State, the occasion was also marked by programmes held in other Himalayan States in north eastern India and Maharashtra among other places.
The programme began with a public awareness rally involving students, youth, villagers and activists among others to elicit the attention of the public on the vital Himalayan issues. later, addressing the gathering at Hindi Bhawan, the Bharatiya Janata Party state chief and leader of opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Ajay Bhatt emphasised on the need to consolidate efforts by all Himalayan States.
Stating that the Himalaya mountain range is known across the globe, the BJP State chief expressed concern stating that the Gangotri glacier has receeded alarmingly. He said, “Years ago, when the BJP leader and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that the third world war would be fought on the issue of water, he had been ridiculed by some but now we know better.”
Bhatt also stressed on the need for drafting and implementation of a uniform policy framework in all the Himalayan States of India in order to achieve the necessary level Himalaya conservation. “We should begin the required efforts at our homes adopting possible measures like preventing wasteful expenditure of electricity and other resources derived from the environment,” he said.
Expressing his views on the occasion, the Mussoorie MlA Ganesh Joshi questioned whether staging rallies and holding academic events save the Himalayas.
He said, “Dehradun was once famous for its litchi orchards and Basmati rice plantations. Where are these litchi orchards and fields of Basmati nowIJ We have damaged the environment and created a jungle of concrete in a scenario wherein the natural sources of water are drying out with ground water sources not getting recharged.”
The MlA also emphasised on necessity of mobilising mass participation involving the general public at the individual level too in order to achieve success in the conservation efforts.
Veteran journalist and author Jai Singh Rawat said, “The Himalayan region is as diverse as its geographical vastness. It is hard to imagine what it would have been like if the Himalayas did not exist. The vast ocean of snow containing among the largest reserves of water in the world, the Himalaya is being affected by the increasing pressure of human activity which has also caused an imbalance in the ecological system.
Such imbalances in ecology exacerbate disasters like the June 2013 disaster. The impact of the anthropogenic pressure on the Himalayan environment can be gauged considering the drastic rise in number of visitors. In the past, the number of visitors reaching pilgrimage centres like Badrinath and lokpal Hemkund used to be in the thousands. The number of visitors has now increased drastically with lakhs of persons travelling to these Himalayan region with a large number of vehicles carrying them,” he said.
Activist Anil Prakash Joshi of HUM also expressed his views on the occasion stressing on the need for bringing about a rise in the level of public awareness and involvement in execution of necessary measure for the conservation of the Himalayan region.