The Himalayas
have developed as major centers of ecological and cultural diversities.
As a mountain chain they are one of the youngest, merely 20 million
years old. These lofty mountains have braved natural disasters and have
been scarred many a times by earthquakes, landslides, floods etc.
However, of late a new threat is emerging. That is the threat of
urbanization to the Himalayas.
Natural beauty has always attracted the mankind and the Himalayas are
abundantly endowed with it. Indian mythology is full of narratives of
sages staying in the Himalayas for penance. Poets, travelers, narrators
all have sung and written praises for the grandeur of the Himalayas.
Whether, Alexander the great or the great Moghul King, Akbar all were
fascinated by the Himalayas.
The British were more attracted towards the Himalayas because they
offered them a place to escape from the sweltering heat of the plains.
P. Baron an Englishman and a merchant from a non-descript town of Roza
close to Shahjehanpur happened to pass through Nainital in 1841 and for
him it was love at first sight. He built a cottage, the Pilgrim's
Cottage at Nainital as his summer home. Many more followed suit. By 1858
despite the 'disturbed' north India due to mutiny, Nainital had become a
tourist resort.
This was just an example. Like Nainital many more hill towns came up and
grew with time.
The problems faced by the Himalayan towns are many. One of the foremost
is the growing population of the local residents and the visiting
tourists. Like the British, the affluent Indian class is interested in
occupying the prime land for constructing summer home/resort etc. The
urban centers are more stressed for they are the only place that offers
employment opportunities to the villagers and have better facilities.
The Himalayan settlements are hard pressed for land and drinking water.
Though the Himalayas have been termed as the 'water tower of Asia', yet
the drinking water resources of the towns located on the ridges and
slopes are limited.
Mass migration of population from villages to towns in search of jobs
and boom in tourism industry are some of the factors that have stressed
the hill towns beyond limits. Unplanned settlements, waste management,
degradation of water resources, natural disaster preparedness, traffic
management and falling air quality are some of the key environmental
issues daunting the urban areas of the Himalayas.
P. Ghosh of G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and
Development, Almora with its centre at Garhwal carried out a systematic
study of the problem of urbanization and environmental hazards. Through
his publication in the Current Science he has identified the problem and
suggested ways and means to tackle the issue.
Real estate development is causing significant change in mountain
environment and local communities say Ghosh. Any flat land, whether
agricultural or otherwise is usurped by the real estate developers. As
such land holdings in agriculture sector in the Himalayas are minimal
and gradually they are being bought by the builders. The local residents
living there since generations know how to construct houses that do not
disturbed the precarious mountain eco-system. However, they are
gradually being taken over by people with vested interest who have the
sole objective of building houses to make a quick buck.
Proper drainage is one of the prime requirements of mountain stability.
Of late due to shortage of land, houses on RCC pillars have come up over
the 'nalas' by discarding all the norms of safety. In case of a heavy
downpour these very pillars can obstruct the fury of the 'nala' and may
be even get washed away by the strong currents, carrying all the
residents in their wake.
Thus housing sector needs better organization and control.
Managing solid waste and waste water in the mountainous terrains has
always been a problem. Throwing litter on the vacant mountain slopes
needs to be completely stopped. Any one caught doing so in Shimla during
the British days was severely punished. Now we are 'free' to dump our
house hold waste anywhere. Whatever is thrown on the slopes, travels
with water/gravity down the slope to the river, thus the urban muck
slides down to pollute the river. In addition part of it also travels to
the subsurface wherever it gets porous top soil or cracked and fissured
rocks. Such pollution remains a part of the ground water and it can
emerge anywhere as a spring.
'Solid waste should be classified, decomposed to fertilizers and
recycled', says Ghosh. Swirling population has made the need for solid
waste management a vital issue. Like urban centers of the plains the
sewage of hill towns also needs to be treated before being discharged in
to the rivers. Till a few years ago night soil collected from the houses
of Almora, a picturesque hill town used to be dumped on the slopes on
the outskirts. Such practice is an open invitation to diseases and a
health hazard not only for the locals but also for the ignorant
tourists.
Change in rainfall has completely changed the scenario of availability
of drinking water in the mountains. A change in rainfall pattern and
anthropogenic intervention has made the springs disappear, thus the
problem is compounded for the towns situated on the ridges or higher
reaches of mountain slopes.
Two factors are worth considering, one, the spring water will become
dearer and dearer over the years and two, the demand for water will go
on increasing each day. It is time to switch over from 'flush and
forget' system to recycling of waste water, to counter the water
shortage. Better governance and management of water supply is of utmost
importance. Anke Kirch, a geographer from the University of Trier,
Germany, studied the water supply of Manali a tourist town in Himachal
Pradesh. Manali is situated on the right bank of Beas River. Water
supply to the town is from the river from a collection point at a much
higher elevation to avoid contamination. Despite such precautions during
peak tourist season water supply dwindles and is polluted. The scenic
beauty of Manali is such that people are attracted to the place in
hordes. In order to accommodate the tourists a number of swanky hotels,
resorts etc have been allowed to come up, but before planning such a
tourist centre the basic fact of demand and availability of water supply
was perhaps not given due consideration!
Tourism is being given a boost by the state governments in all the
mountain states. The concept of facilities in terms of tourism needs to
be revised. For example in England there are remote villages in the Lake
Districts where houses with self catering facility exist. Many of the
houses are at remote places, where the tourists love to trek and reach,
leaving their vehicles far behind. Spend a short holiday in the solitude
and return back to grind.
Apart from tourism the urban area development authorities in the
Himalayan towns need to implement the bylaws religiously, firmly and
strictly. This will check unhampered growth of houses on every
conceivable plot. There is a dire need for development of proper
drainage and sewer networks in the towns. British settlements like
Shimla and Nainital are classic example of a perfect drainage system
that has saved the townships from several catastrophes. During rains
water acts as a lubricant for the slope forming material and carries the
mass with gravity causing severe landslides. Alas these drains now have
mostly been constructed upon!
Urbanization cannot be stopped, but at least it can be better planned
keeping in mind the carrying capacity of the land and hazard proneness
of the area.
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