Eastern Himalayas

Invite to 'Save Ganga & Save Himalayas Meeting- cum- Panel Discussion', Save Ganga Movement, New Delhi
The event will celebrate the 84th anniversary of Gandhji's Dandi March in the form of discussion on the course of action to be undertaken to save Ganga and Himalayas.
Posted on 27 Feb, 2014 01:27 PM

Venue & Timings:

Save Ganga & Save Himalayas Meeting-cum-Panel Discussion will be at Gandhi Darsan, Rajghat, New Delhi on 12th March, 2014 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Know more about Save Ganga Movement.

A new vision for Himalayan streams
Fish found in streams and rivers are a source of food to about 40% of the households in parts of the Himalayas. Including fisheries in local watershed management is crucial. Posted on 16 Feb, 2014 10:54 PM

Watershed management, which is an integrated set of soil and water conservation techniques that retain runoff and so increase water availability, can provide an environment for fisheries development for food or trade.

Fish harvested from a pond in Doon Valley
The primary caretakers of water?
Women have always had an important role in water management. A study in South Sikkim aims to find out if topography, in addition to gender, influences access to water. Posted on 09 Feb, 2014 07:48 PM

Gender influences access to water to a high degree throughout the world, a fact recognised in the Dublin Principles but how does topography influence this access? This study detailed in this post aims to find the answer to this question.

The women of Sikkim manage their water resources
Can the effects of mining be undone?
Coal mining in Meghalaya has ruined the landscape and the water sources. Even if there is a will to restore these water bodies, there are several obstacles in the way. Posted on 27 Jan, 2014 02:39 PM

Meghalaya is rich in minerals, especially coal. This has led to rampant mining in the state. Large scale denudation of forest cover, scarcity of water, destruction of water sources, pollution of air, water and soil, and degradation of agricultural lands are some of the conspicuous environmental implications of coal mining.

Coal mines in Meghalaya (Source: The Hindu)
Sikkim's citizens say NO! to dams
90% of people living around dams in Sikkim testify to environmental damage, increased hazards and decreased resources. Can their situation be changed? Posted on 13 Jan, 2014 02:18 PM

Hydropower is considered as 'green' power and the Sikkim Government's policy has been to synchronize development imperatives with conscious efforts on environment sustainability. This paper presents the results of a survey carried out among communities living along a 54-km long project affected stretch of the Teesta river.

Dams intensify the impact of earthquakes
Resource-rich Sikkim must save for its future
Despite being fed by 84 glaciers, the state fails to optimally use water. Climate change is just one cause for this situation. What can be done to alter this trend? Posted on 13 Jan, 2014 01:30 PM

The term ‘water tower’ has been widely adopted to express the importance of mountains in providing freshwater to downstream areas. In fact, more than half of humanity relies on freshwater from mountain regions (UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation).  

A Mohaan, the source of springs or dharas.
Troubled waters of the Northeast
Modern development models for the remote hills of the Northeast are replacing age-old conventions thereby creating inequity in the distribution of water. Posted on 15 Dec, 2013 09:12 PM

On a train journey from Nagaland, a friend and I began talking on the subject of water. He said to me, "You have so much water in the Brahmaputra Valley and your lands are always flooded but we have to struggle for a drop of water in the hills".

Hills of Northeast India Source: Wikipedia
Think like a forest
Deforestation and climate change are only two of the issues that confront Himalayan forests today. What are the others and are there solutions to protect these forests? Posted on 01 Dec, 2013 08:28 PM

Himalayan forests span a two-and-a-half thousand kilometer stretch and have a wide range of climates; they are beset by problems that need innovative solutions. Rajesh Thadani discussed these problems and possible solutions at  the Sustainable Mountain Development Summit organised in Kohima, September 2013. 

Forest cover is declining

Quality of a forest matters as much as quantity
Climate talks end in dispute
Policy matters this week: Climate change talks at Warsaw end up in dispute, a new division for the Himalayas and NHRC issues notice to the government on pollution in the Ganga. Posted on 01 Dec, 2013 03:30 PM

Money deals mar climate talks in Warsaw

Unfriendly climate at Warsaw Source: Wikipedia
Floods need not equate disasters
A mix of high-tech and low-tech systems, government initiatives as well as a community level approach is needed to manage floods in the Himalayas. Posted on 24 Nov, 2013 11:19 AM

 Every year, we have about 76 disasters in the Himalayas, some 36,000 people are killed and over a million affected by disasters. The loss of life and damage does not need to occur. How people manage the situation can relieve the situation much better.

About a third of these disasters are from floods. In the Himalaya, there are two broad kinds of flooding:

Do floods have to cause loss?
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