There is need for studying the impact of glacial recession on the environment because without forests the perennial rivers might become seasonal and render useless the irrigation schemes and power projects based on these rivers. Padma Bhushan recipient and noted environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt said this while delivering the keynote address at the symposium on ‘The relation between women and forests’ organised by the Doon Library and Research Centre to mark International Mountain Day on Tuesday.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Bhatt said that till the first few decades of the previous century, the forests of Uttarakhand remained untouched by humans but development works changed this. “The problems of mountains and those living in the mountains are more or less same around the world. The problems being faced in the mountains of Uttarakhand are the result of the nation’s increasing population and resultant increase in exploitation of natural resources. Many of the snow glaciers in the Himalayas have receded considerably between 1962 and 2002 and now natural disasters have become more common in our mountains,” he said while adding that women stand to suffer the most from damage to forests because in Uttarakhand, it is they who form the base of various spheres of family life as the men migrate in search of employment.
He pointed out that the Himalayas cover 594427 sq kms in 12 Indian States which makes it all the more important to understand the impact of receding glaciers on the environment. Presiding over the event, the former State chief secretary and present chairman of State Finance Commission Indu Kumar Pandey said that there is one major difference in the condition of mountain dwellers in developed nations and in India because those in developed nations are in the mainstream of development whereas those in India are not enjoying the benefits of development.
“Women in our mountains have a symbiotic relationship with the environment and even those who are uneducated are more aware of environmental issues than the general citizen who may be more educated. However, of the many Indians said to exist in the nation, the one in the mountains is still away from development and overcoming this backwardness requires new thinking on bridging the gap between cities and villages,” he said. Stating that one cannot ignore political economy, Pandey stressed on the need for NGOs and public groups to strive for increasing their presence in the development process by overcoming the tendency of the Government and administration to be insulated. Earlier, noted mountaineer and environmentalist Harshwanti Bisht spoke about the condition of snow glaciers in India.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Bhatt said that till the first few decades of the previous century, the forests of Uttarakhand remained untouched by humans but development works changed this. “The problems of mountains and those living in the mountains are more or less same around the world. The problems being faced in the mountains of Uttarakhand are the result of the nation’s increasing population and resultant increase in exploitation of natural resources. Many of the snow glaciers in the Himalayas have receded considerably between 1962 and 2002 and now natural disasters have become more common in our mountains,” he said while adding that women stand to suffer the most from damage to forests because in Uttarakhand, it is they who form the base of various spheres of family life as the men migrate in search of employment.
He pointed out that the Himalayas cover 594427 sq kms in 12 Indian States which makes it all the more important to understand the impact of receding glaciers on the environment. Presiding over the event, the former State chief secretary and present chairman of State Finance Commission Indu Kumar Pandey said that there is one major difference in the condition of mountain dwellers in developed nations and in India because those in developed nations are in the mainstream of development whereas those in India are not enjoying the benefits of development.
“Women in our mountains have a symbiotic relationship with the environment and even those who are uneducated are more aware of environmental issues than the general citizen who may be more educated. However, of the many Indians said to exist in the nation, the one in the mountains is still away from development and overcoming this backwardness requires new thinking on bridging the gap between cities and villages,” he said. Stating that one cannot ignore political economy, Pandey stressed on the need for NGOs and public groups to strive for increasing their presence in the development process by overcoming the tendency of the Government and administration to be insulated. Earlier, noted mountaineer and environmentalist Harshwanti Bisht spoke about the condition of snow glaciers in India.
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