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Murky deals
The Rs. 500-crore Save Dal Project, which the National Conference government devised together with the Centre in 1997 for the revival and conservation of Dal lake, has beneficiaries. But the once picturesque lake of Kashmir, which attracted tourists from around the world, continues to perish. Vigilance probes found that officials at the Jammu and Kashmir Lakes and Waterways Development Authority, which was set up to implement the project, had manipulated records to the tune of Rs. 15 crore. Now, Centre has washed its hands of the project and saving the lake is no longer top priority of cash-strapped state.
Tariq Bhat for THE WEEK: March 2, 2003
Govt. finds 600 illegal buildings around Dal
Jammu & Kashmir Urban Housing Development Minister said the government had identified around 600 illegal constructions in the vicinity of Dal lake. Among the buildings, are official residences of former chief minister of the state, director general of police, houses of former legislators, VIP huts and hotels. Sources said many heads are going to roll as large number of constructions by influential people in the lake’s forbidden area have been done with permission from the concerned authorities. However, the government is making a comprehensive plan of action to be taken against all the illegal constructions, according to the Minister.
Mufti Islah for INDIAN EXPRESS: March 8, 2003
Sikkim forest cover up 6.75 pc
There was a net increase of 479 km2 in forest cover till 1997, which amounted to 6.75% of total area of the state. According to state forest report, over 44% of total geographical area of Sikkim accounted for forest cover. The target afforestation in the reported year under 20-point programme was 11,000 hectares of which the department achieved over 11,106 hectares by plantation including 300 hectares which have been converted under non-timber forest product and medicinal plants.
THE ASSAM TRIBUNE: March 9, 2003
New technology developed for jhum cultivation
Shifting cultivation, popularly know as jhum, is one of the best agricultural practices of the world, admitted Arup Rai, soil conservationist of North Cachar Hills. He developed a new scientific technology named Modified Scientific Shifting Cultivation Technology (MOSS-CULT), taking the idea from Sloping Area Land Technology (SALT) and Mizoram New Method of Cultivation (MNMC), which requires to fill up the affected area with nutrients by fixing the atmosphere nitrogen into soil and to restore the equilibrium of the soil with a provision of natural forest cover on the ridgeline of the watershed areas. He is in favor of continuing the jhum cultivation; the traditional heritage of the ethnic groups in the hills and requested the jhumias to do it scientifically.
S. Bhattacharjee for THE ASSAM TRIBUNE: March 18, 2003
Rare bird reappears in Himachal after a gap of 25 years
A rare migratory Eurasian bird has been spotted for the first time in the Pong, one of the largest man-made wetlands in Himachal Pradesh. Pong wetland in the picturesque Kangra valley has seen a rise in the arrival of migratory birds every winter and the graylag goose has arrived in the wetland, some 25 years after it was built. The number of migratory birds touched the figure 1,15,201 this year, according to Conservator of forests and wildlife circle.
ASIAN AGE: March 18, 2003
Sub-standard fertilizers affecting fruit, vegetable growth in valley
Notwithstanding the good spell of rains and snowfall, the growth of fruit and vegetable market in the Kashmir valley has suffered as setback due to the supply of sub-standard chemical fertilizers, according to vice president of Jammu & Kashmir Fruits and Vegetable Growers and Dealers Association. Though the state is dependent on horticulture, but the fruit growers’ problems are not being taken up seriously by the government, as a result of which quality and yield of the fruit is going down day by day.
KASHMIR TIMES: March 31, 2003
Shimla Corporation Plant: threatening ecology more than managing waste
The waste management plant set up by Municipal Corporation is violating environment protection laws. Non-biodegradable waste is being dumped in the forest areas along the roadside without obtaining permission from the concerned authorities. The non-composted garbage has become an environment hazard in the area. The strong stench emanating from the heaps of untreated garbage has mad it difficult for the public residing in the vicinity of the composting pant situated at Darni Ka Bagicha.
Gaurav Bisht for INDIAN EXPRESS: May 4, 2003
Govt to focus on ecological security
The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to shift the focus from commercial forestry to ecological security and sustainable livelihood. The main objective of the Rs. 60 crore reform project is to make basic changes in the existing forest policy, which has led to unsustainable and inequitable exploitation of forest resources, to facilitate sustainable improvement in the livelihood of the poor forest dependent people. The functions of the forest department will be redefined accordingly and it will be restructured to achieve the goals set under the reforms programme. The reforms will also take care of legislative changes required to remove the constraints to private forestry, unhelpful land use policies and inequitable distribution of rights.
Rakesh Lohumi for THE TRIBUNE: May 5, 2003
Manipuri ponies facing extinction
The indigenous Manipuri pony, though small in size, is known for its swiftness, sturdiness and tolerance in the game of polo, is on the verge of extinction from the birthplace of the game (polo). Efforts to develop and preserve the local breed of ponies at Regional Pony Development Farm at Tingkai Khunou in Bishnupur district of Manipur suffered a fatal fate. The farm was set up by North Eastern Council (NEC) in 1988, and was taken over by the state government in 1992, with the aim of breeding the original local pony breed and developing them. But they are on the verge of extinction due to abundant fodder and lack of nutritious food.
THE ASSAM TRIBUNE: May 5, 2003
Forest cover under threat
The large-scale outbreak of forest diseases in the hills of Himachal Pradesh is causing concern to the environmentalists, who fear that the process, if not checked, could spell doom for the fast depleting forest resources which are already under strain due to increasing pressure of population. The Himalayan Research Group, an NGO engaged in forestry research, warns that Himalayan forests would be subjected to increased onslaughts of disease causing organisms in future. The forest department must come out with a comprehensive plan to tackle the situation, but they do not have the necessary infrastructure to detect and manage such diseases.
Rakesh Lohumi for THE TRIBUNE: May 12, 2003
Shrinking ice
Glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than in any other part of the world and, if the present rate continues, the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2035 is very high, according to a study of Asian glaciers by the International Commission for Snow and Ice (ICSI). In the case of Gangotri glacier, reconstruction studies show that the glacier has shrunk from 70km in its prime to its present length of 26km. Recession rates have varied over the years – from 10 to 11 meter per year, with a sharp rise in late seventies, up to 25 meter per year in 1994 and 1998, and the similar phenomena has been the recorded with other glaciers in the Himalayas.
D.S. Chauhan for SAHARA TIMES: May 17, 2003
Uttaranchal offers Rs 80,000 subsidy on electric van
The Uttaranchal government is offering a subsidy of Rs 80,000 on the sale of each “Bijlee” vehicle, a zero emission electric transit van being manufactured by automobile major Mahindra and Mahindra. The government decision to offer subsidy is aimed at replacing Vikrams, which are the key mode of transport in the state capital and are causing pollution. Initially, this subsidy is being offered to only those customers, who hold Vikram licenses in Dehradun, the state capital.
BUSINESS STANDARD: May 20, 2003
Master plan in the offing to develop Pong wetland
The Himachal Pradesh state government will soon put together a master plan in develop the Pong wetland of Kangra district – ecologically declared as an international wetland recently. Forest Minister said that a task force consisting of officers of the concerned departments had been set up to prepare an approach paper and a blue print project in this regard. A body to be christened as Pong Wetland Society – would be formed to raise funds for the project and various NGOs, eminent persons, institutions would be the members of the society, according to the minister.
Suresh Khatta for INDIAN EXPRESS: May 25, 2003
5,000 hit by fluoride poisoning in 15 Karbi Anglong villages
Thousands of villagers have been affected, many of them crippled for life, by drinking water containing excessive levels of fluorides in some parts of Karbi Anglong districts of Assam. The worst affected area was the Takelanguin, where more than 600 people out of the 2,300 surveyed were affected by the hydro-flourosia, according to Chief Engineer of Public Health Department. While scientists had claimed that the northeastern region was safe from fluoride, it was detected for the first time in the middle of last year in Takelanguin area in Karbi Anglong district, where several cases of both dental and skeletal fluorosis were initially found. The fluoride content in water in the area varies from 5 to 23mg per litre, while permissible limit is 1.2mg per litre. The district council authorities have been identified tube wells with high fluoride content and launched a scheme for supply of fluoride-free water.
THE SENTINEL: May 26, 2003
Kufri to house snow leopards, Tibetan wolves
Apart from the natural salubrious surroundings dotted with mighty deodars and rhododendrons, the famous Kufri hill resort, will provide added attraction to the tourists in the form of snow leopards and Tibetan wolves that will be kept in the Himalayan National Park (HNP), situated 15 km from Shimla. The Central Zoo Authority has given permission in principle to keep pair each of snow leopards and Tibetan wolves at HNP, which would be brought from the Darjeeling Zoo under exchange programme.
INDIAN EXPRESS: May 29, 2003
Beas may change course to stretch Kullu runway
The Centre’s ambitious plan to expand the Bhuntar airport in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh is sure to raise the hackles of environmentalists, because expansion work assigned to the Airport Authority of India (AAI), can not be undertaken without diverting the course of the Beas river. The AAI, on its part put the ball in the Himachal Government’s court, saying they were willing to undertake runway expansion provided the State government gave them the reclaimed land after diversion of Beas free of costs and free from all other encumbrances. But the Centre has now made it clear that it’s for AAI to do the job.
Shishir Gupta for INDIAN EXPRESS: June 1, 2003
Herbs can help make Uttaranchal a leading state
The time has now come again to begin research on herbs in a modern and scientific manner, and call for preventing the over-exploitation of herbs from forests and promoting their cultivation in Uttaranchal has been raise. Gopeshwar based Herbal Research Institute, whose development had been stifled by politicians and bureaucrats, strongly advocated for development by the Government. Herbs have the potential to generate huge employment opportunities and can help to prevent migration form the hills. With appropriate knowledge inputs and government support in this regard, may change in the economy of the State.
GARHWAL POST: June 8, 2003
Tripura tortoises face extinction
The large number of tortoises, which attracted tourists and pilgrims for last three centuries in the Kalyan Sagar lake, adjacent to the historic Tripuraswari temple, Udaipur in South Tripura is playing a heavy price for modernization, as the wall constructed in the four sides of the lake is depriving the tortoises of a natural habitation. The extent of natural habitat for the tortoises has been minimized drastically and they are not finding any space for taking rest and for laying eggs. The report submitted by the Tripura State Pollution Control Board team said all the tortoises, one of the rarest species in India, may get extinct shortly if immediate action is not taken.
Sanjib Deb for ASIAN AGE: June 10, 2003.
Sikkim lakes flood-prone due to global warming
Fourteen lakes in north Sikkim, formed and engorged by melting glaciers, may be prone to flood, and this is only the tip of the iceberg, an inventory warns by Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The Mountain Environment and Natural Resources Information Systems (MENRIS) of ICIMOD has started a project from June 1999 to develop an inventory of glaciers, glacial lakes and floods related with glacier lakes in the Hindukush-Himalayan mountain region. The glaciers area nature’s renewable store-house of freshwater, but accelerated global warming is causing them to retreat, resulting long-term loss of natural freshwater storage could have devastating downstream effects. The survey tries to cover the mountainous region of 3,500km from Afghanistan to Myanmar, sustaining over 150 million people. The countries in between are Pakistan, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and India.
Sudeshna Sarkar For THE STATESMAN: June 11, 2003
Kalam ignites herbal ‘revolution’ in N-E
Northeast is a storehouse of medicinal plants and exotic herbs, as well as practitioners of ancient herbal lore, according to the President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, during his visit to the Northeast. For the last five decades the traditional Khasi and Garo chiefs of Meghalaya have been fighting for the constitutional recognition of their rights and customary practices, which they claim have substantially been usurped by the State and district councils. The President told the visiting MPs from the region that the global market for the herbal medicine was a whopping $60 billion, and therefore, he suggested that India should go herbal for enormous economic benefits and also provide health care for the poor.
Sanat K Chakraborty for THE PIONEER: June 20, 2003
Manipur has most HIV cases per million
According to 2002-2003 Status Report of the National AIDS Control Programme, Manipur accounts for nearly 8% of India’s total HIV-positive cases, whereas the state contributes just 0.02% of Country’s total population. This puts the state third in the list of states with highest number or reported cases, behind Maharashtra and Tamil Nandu. The rate of infections per million populations in Manipur is 6 times higher as compared to Maharashtra and 20 times higher than in Tamil Nandu. This is the alarmingly highest rate not only in the country but also in the world.
SAHARA TIMES: June 21, 2003
Parasitic plant threatens Valley of Flowers
G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED) warned that the rich floral wealth of the Valley of Flower National Park at Garhwal Himalayas is facing a new threat – proliferation of ‘Dodder’, a parasitic plant. According to the scientists of GBPIHED, the plant, which coils around stems of the host plants and thrives on the nutrition, it drains from them, has been found on different species of medicinal and flowering plants across the valley in patches. Surveys by scientists have shown that infestation by Dodder adversely affected the size and density of the host plants, especially those that showed low density. The Indira’s Hand, a critically endangered species, which is used in several indigenous systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani and Tibetan systems, found to be heavily infested by the parasite.
P. Sunderarajan for THE HINDU: June 22, 2003
Uttaranchal plans disaster management for all districts
The Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (DMMC) here is preparing district disaster management action plans for all 13 districts of Uttaranchal. Set up in October 2001, the DMMC had so far developed 12 training modules, 192 village disaster management action plans (VDMAPs) for the most vulnerable villages in the Himalayas. A detailed database for the entire hill state based on geographical information system (GIS) and remote-sensing techniques is being prepared by the DMMC.
BUSINESS LINE: June 26, 2003
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ENVIS Bulletin : Himalayan Ecology 11(1), 2003
G. B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development
(An autonomous Institute of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India)
Kosi-Katarmal, Almora - 263 643, Uttaranchal, India
Contact us : himenvis@gbpihed.nic.in