News & Views

Quiet flows the garbage through Manali town
                Over 80% of 1400 kilolitres of liquid waste and 24.94 tonnes of garbage ends up in the river Beas from the tourist resort Manali alone in Himachal Pradesh. The situation gets messier downstream of Manali, where Kullu, Bhuntar, Pandoh and Mandi all are dumping their garbage into the river, they get their drinking water from, as these towns have no infrastructure for waste disposal at all. The sewage treatment plants of Manali and Mandi washed away in the flash flood of 1995 and a common sewage treatment plant yet to be completed here.

Poachers pose threat to Kugti wildlife
                The greatest threat to the survival of certain wildlife species in Kugti sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh comes from poachers and the flourishing illegal trade in wildlife materials. The Kugti wildlife sanctuary, in Chamba district is the second largest sanctuary in the state, spreading in 379 km² at an altitude ranging from 2,195 to 5,040 metres. The sanctuary is the home of largest number of faunal species in the state including the endangered snow leopard. Though the census of various species and sub-species has not been conducted for past some years, the sanctuary authorities however, not been able to detect any case of poaching so far.

Arunachal floods: India ignored China’s warning
                The cause of flash flood in the last year in Arunachal Pradesh, is reviewed by Government of India by a high level team. Though Chinese expert rung the alarm bells, warned of a devastating flood in Yigongzangbu river in ICIMOD publication of April 2000. The Chinese warning issued quoting, a huge complex landslide occurred in the valley of the Zhamulongba stream, about 300 million cubic meters of displaced debris, soil and ice dammed the Yigongzangbu river - a large tributary of the Yarlungzapgbo river (the upperstream of the Brahmaputra), in the east of Tibet. The prediction on the basis of rising water level became true when the dam did fail indeed on June 10 caused havoc in Siang with an estimated of billion rupees property losses apart from hundreds missing in the State.

An unwelcome project
                Unmindful of the adverse effects on the environment and tourism in the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh, the government proposes to set up a cement factory at Kalbel. The site of the controversial factory lies in the catchment basin of rivers on which two major hydroelectric projects are located, and it is feared that these projects will hit by waste from the factory. Colossal quarrying in the area will have a direct impact on the environment. Besides, experience shows that the local residents are not likely to benefit by way of getting jobs, etc. However, the project is yet to be cleared by the Centre.

Plan to revolutionise hill farming
                Experts and farmers have jointly prepared a plan at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar that could revolutionise farming at all levels in Uttaranchal and other Himalayan states. Since women form a better part of the workforce engaged in agriculture activities, efforts are being made to train them in progressive farming, value addition, marketing through cooperative societies, and providing literacy skills. The VC of the University admits, if approved and properly implemented the plan will double the farm output in the region.

Rs 40 lakh sanctioned for bird sanctuary in Sikkim
                Sikkim government has sanctioned Rs 40 lakh for a bird sanctuary near the ruins of the State’s erstwhile King’s palace at Rabdantse in West District. The Chief Minister said that under the project the entire area would be fenced and a natural lake developed to protect the birds which include number of endangered species. Besides, the Cabinet also okayed a forest department proposal of renovating the Himalayan Zoological Park at Bulbuley near Gangtok.

Mizoram move to fight ‘famine’
                The Mizoram government has decided to combat the impending famine, expected six years from now, by purchasing the tails of the rats killed. According to officials, the best course of action would be to kill rats, said to be responsible for 80% crop damage during the infamous famine of 1959 that started the insurgency movement in the state. The committee, under the agriculture commissioner, in its report to the government suggested purchasing the rat-tails as a ‘sure shot’ means to eradicate the rodents.

UNDP conservation drive in Nagaland
                The United Nations’ Development Programme (UNDP) has taken an ambitious projects of Rs. 1.31 crore to launch a conservation drive of the endangered species in the North-East. Official sources said that concerned over the plight of endangered species and threat to the environment, the UNDP has taken up altogether 14 projects in the NE region. These projects commissioned under the Small Grants Programme (SGP), were being sponsored by the UNDP, and the Ministry of Environment & Forests and co-funded by their subsidiary agencies, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Community Cooperation Framework-I (CCF-I). The main purpose and objective of the programme was to create environmental awareness among the people of the region ranging from bio-diversity conservation to land & water management, and will act towards local solution to the global problem.

HP plan to protect biodiversity
                The Himachal Pradesh Government is planning to develop and protect various wetlands for preserving the rich bio-diversity of the state. The wetlands cover an area of 547 km², which is about 1% of state’s total geographical area, spread over an altitudinal range 450 to 5093m cover tropical, sub-tropical and alpine regions of the state. The state government departments are implementing the wetland management action plans in Renuka, Pong Dam and Chandertal towards biodiversity protection in the state.

HP ‘to produce’ 15,000 mw by 2012
                Having so far realised only about a fourth of its hydro-electric potential, Himachal Pradesh has set an ambitious target of producing 15,000 mw hydel power by 2012. The state has a hydro-electric potential over 20 thousand mw, which is nearly 25% of the total hydel power potential of the country. According to the Chief Minister, a three-pronged strategy had been chalked out to generate an additional 10,000 mw of power in the next 12 years. Ten projects were being executed in the state sector, while 14 others had been taken up by the private sectors in the state.

Rs 20-cr preservation project for Dal Lake
                The Jammu & Kashmir state Lakes and Waterway Development Authority (LWWDA) has formulated a comprehensive plan for Dal lake catchment development. The main objective of the project is to check the soil erosion and degradation process in the catchment area and thus arrest and bring down the sediment and the nutrient flow to the lake body to the minimum. The Rs 20 crore project, on completion would definitely go a long way for preserving the pristine glory of the famous Dal lake.

Threat to Devikothi wildlife
                Poaching for getting skin and flesh of wild beasts for medicinal purpose has not only posed a danger to the breeding of wildlife but has also put it on the verge of extinction in the natural habitat of Devikothi dell. Spread over 100 km² the Devikothi dell is located at an altitude ranging from 2000 to 4390m in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh bordering Jammu & Kashmir, is the habitat of several faunal species. But this wooded hillsides is not a wildlife sanctuary and does not come within the preview of the wildlife department.

J&K forest officials warned for shahtoosh trade
                The Jammu & Kashmir High Court issued a contempt notice to the secretary of forest and environment department of the state for the failure to implement a ban on the trade and manufacture of Kashmir’s famous Shahtoosh shawls. These shawls, which are made from the wool of the endangered Tibetan antelope, protected under the Centre’s Wildlife Protection Act and the Convention of Internal Trade in Endangered Species Act. These antelopes are being slaughtered indiscriminately by poachers for their ultra fine under-fleece wool, and are fast moving towards extinction. According to the preliminary survey by Wildlife Trust of India, there are about 70 shahtoosh manufacturers employing an estimated 30,000 people in the state.

Major quake to hit Shillong in 10 years
                Based on the tension measurements and past movements of the India plate, a major earthquake is going to hit the Shillong plateau in the northeastern part of the country within the next decade. German geophysicists and scientists attached to the National Geophysical Research Institute, have come to this conclusion taking into consideration the speed and direction of the drift of the tectonic plates, the structure of the land masses and in particular, the measurements of the tensions between different areas. However, according to German Scientist, the exact date or the epicentre of the quake is impossible to predict.