The Himalayan Environment: Issues And Challenges

The Himalaya needs no introduction. For obvious reasons it has remained a source of fascination and inspiration for people from all walks of life. Almost all the natural resources of the Himalaya have presented a challenge for environmental scientists and planners alike. It is principally because of their numbers, an extensive array of natural characteristics and the complexity of the cultural pattern of the mountains that the Himalayan environment has lured the intelligensia of the world. However, hostile natural environment together with illconceived human activities have added fury to the fire. It is not an exaggeration, therefore, that the environment of our fragile mountain ecosystem in utter disrepair and indeed in very poor state of health. The renewed enthusiasm for man and biosphere and sustainable development had stemmed in no small measure from the tremendous interest in ecology juxtaposed to man’s growing awareness of the degraded Himalaya. As the issues and challenges involved in describing mutual conditioning of the environmental cycles and human association in the Himalaya, quantitative and qualitative surveys for whole stretch of the Central Himalaya in question have not been attempted thus far. We have all good reasons to believe that environmental consciousness is extremely necessary in order to restore the balance in ecological components of the Himalaya. Contents Chapter 1: Uttarkashi Earthquake of October 20,1991 in Garhwal Himalaya: A Warning by K S Valdiya; Chapter 2: A Geomorphological Appraisal of Landslides in Garhwal and Kumaun Himalaya (U P) by M S Anatharaman and R K Sehgal; Chapter 3: Anthropogenic and Technogenic Landforms and their Effect on Human Life in a Lesser Himalayan Drainage Basin by Jyoti Joshi; Chapter 4: Pteridology in Kumaun Himalaya: Existing State of Art by P C Pande & H C Pande; Chapter 5: Organic Productivity and Nutrient Content of Poplar Plantation in Tarai Belt of Kumaun Himalaya by L S Lodhiyal & R P Singh; Chapter 6: Glimpses of History of Agriculture in Uttrakhand in the Central Himalaya by B P Joshi; Chapter 7: Irrigation Development and Agriculture in Garhwal Himalayas by K N Joshi; Chapter 8: Dynamic Dimensions of Fruit Crops ‘Ecofarming in an Hill Environment by D C Pande & J C Kuniyal; Chapter 9: New Farm Technology and Hill Peasantry in India by D C Pande; Chapter 10: Status, Utilization and Potentials of Water Resources in Kumaun Lesser Himalaya by P C Tewari & Bhagwati Joshi; Chapter 11: Status of Forest Resources and Sustainability of Rural Eco-system in Gomti Basin, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya by B S Bisht & P C Tewari; Chapter 12: Ethonobiology of Kumaun Himalaya by P C Pande, Pramila Joshi & G C Joshi; Chapter 13: Pediatiric Ethnobotany of Kumaun Himalaya by Vineeta Pande & Neeta Pande; Chapter 14: Folklore Insecticidal Plants of Eastern Kumaun (Western Himalaya) by I S Mehta, P C Pande & Pramila Joshi; Chapter 15: Water Resources, their Depletion and Conservation in the Dehra Dun Valley by M S Anantharaman & R K Sehgal; Chapter 16: Water Quality Problems in the Urban Areas of Kumaun Himalaya by R K Pande & N S Bhandari; Chapter 17: Demographic Profile of Uttrakhand by Rajnish Pande, P C Pande & R K Pande; Chapter 18: U P F C and Industrial Development of Garhwal Region (Appraisal and Suggestion) by R C Dangwal, A K Sarkar and K S Negi; Chapter 19: Some Aspects of Growth and Management of the Human Resources in the U P Himalaya by Raj Laxmi Singh & O P Singh; Chapter 20: Women, Fuel and Forest: The Experience of Central Himalaya by A K Singh & R K Pande; Chapter 21: Environmental Study of Farm Fringe: The Experience of U P Himalaya by Devi Datt; Chapter 22: Agro-ecosystem Approach for Sustainable Production in Himalaya by B P Ghildyal; Chapter 23: Environment and Development with Special Reference to Forest by H C Upadhyay; Chapter 24: Changing Perception of Wildlife Tourism and its Impact on Carrying Capacity in the Corbett Tiger Reserve by Bhagwati Joshi; Chapter 25: Integrated Area Development in Himalaya: A Conceptual Approach by R K Pande, P C Pande & G B Pant; Chapter 26: Ecophysiological Models for Amelioration of the Cold Desert in Himachal Pradesh- Spiti by R Bawa & R N Sehgal; Chapter 27: Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) by Y C Pande & R K Pande; Chapter 28: Environment and Economic Development- A Reconciliation by A R Padoshi.