Mountains, Humans and a Delicate Web of Life…

Mountains, Humans and a Delicate Web of Life…

ANKURAN PATHAK

“It is always the same with mountains. Once you have lived with them for any length of time, you belong to them. There is no escape.” –Ruskin Bond.

No one can deny the significance, Mountains bear in our lives. Just the mere sight of these tall rocky majestic outcrops, sometimes covered with snow, sometimes with green foliage; instil in us a profound sense of calmness.

From regulating climate to restoring soil fertility, mountains play a key role in keeping our ecosystem healthy and habitable. The rivers flowing from the glaciers perched atop the mountains ensure fresh-water availability in the valleys below.

 In simple words mountains are the very symbol of life’s magnanimity on this beautiful planet Earth. Those living in the mountains up there or the valleys down below or along the rivers flowing from the glaciers, it is true that every one of us belongs to the mountains; and indeed, there is no escape.

From the perspective of Environmental sustainability, the Mountains are known to host more than one fourth of the Earth’s Forests, therefore, they play a significant role in preservation of Biodiversity.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation, Mountains are the origin of six of the twenty most important food crops and also provides between sixty to eighty percent of the world’s freshwater. In fact, more than half the world’s population benefits in some way from the ecosystem services offered by the mountains.

 Our country India is blessed with enchanting mountain ranges which includes the mighty Himalaya, Satpura, Vindhya, Aravalli, the Eastern and Western Ghats. Around thirty percent of the geographical area of India is covered by these mountains. The Indian Himalayan Region alone covers more than seventeen percent of the geographical area of the country. All these mountain ranges especially the Himalaya is of profound significance for the wellbeing of the Nation. 

The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) stretches to about 3,000 km. in length and its width varies from 220 km to 300 km. It spreads over the union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya, parts of Assam, and one district of West Bengal.

As estimated by the Govind Ballabh Pant ‘National Institute of Himalayan Environment’(NIHE), this region is a reservoir of over 9,000 glaciers with permanent ice and snow from which numerous rivers originates. The Indus, the Ganges, the Yamuna, the Sutlej, and the Brahmaputra are some of the major Rivers which emerges out of the glaciers in the Himalayan Mountains.  Millions of People residing in the subcontinent depend on these water towers.

This mountain system also represents one of the richest natural heritage sites in the world. One-tenth of the world’s known species of higher altitude plants and animals occur in the Himalaya. From Red panda to Golden Langur, a wide range of endangered fauna are endemic to the Himalayan region. Over ten thousand species of plants have been recorded of which around three thousand plant species are reported to be endemic to this region.

Moreover, a significant number of plants of these Himalayan Mountains are known to have immense medicinal values and are widely used for treating ailments in Ayurveda. Endowed with profound richness in biodiversity, Himalaya has been recognized amongst 34 Global Biodiversity Hotspots.

It is unequivocal that the mountains play an important role in sustaining life on this planet Earth. But have we, humans done our bit to preserve these valuable mountain ecosystems? Rather, have we started exploiting these vital organs of the planet Earth, pushing the very existence of the human species to the verge of an impending Apocalypse? 

To answer these questions, we shall have to understand that these mountain ecosystems are naturally fragile and can be vulnerable to un-mindful human activities. Frequent occurrence of disasters in the Himalayan region strongly speaks of the adverse impacts of anthropogenic activities on the mountain ecology.

The Uttarakhand disaster of 2013, The Sikkim floods of 2023, subsidence and sinking of the Himalayan town of Joshimath, and even the recent episode of the Silkyara Tunnel collapse implies how oblivious we have been about the possible impacts of the so-called developmental activities.

There have been numerous studies regarding possible causes of such disasters in these mountains which include deforestation, haphazard construction activities, Damming of Rivers, Mineral extraction including River bed mining among others.

In the month of June, 2013, the Himalayan Region mainly the state of Uttarakhand, suffered the worst disaster of recent times with huge loss of lives and wide spread destruction. Millions of people living in these mountains were affected by the disaster, which was later termed as the Himalayan Tsunami by sections of the media. Thousands of people lost their lives, countless houses got completely destroyed, and villages got washed away in the episodes of flash floods.

The National Institute of Disaster Management had conducted a detailed assessment of the Uttarakhand Disaster, 2013, wherein Hazard-vulnerability profiling of the region had been done and subsequently causes of the disaster were identified. This report highlights the fact that unwarranted changes of the landscape under impact of various developmental and engineering projects in this mountain region makes it more vulnerable and prone to disaster.

In the recent past, hundreds of dams have been constructed in the Himalayan Region, many are still under construction and many more are proposed to be built in these mountains. A river is always meant to flow; constructing dams over rivers without adequate hazard assessment can severely affect the geological stability of the mountains and subsequently trigger disasters of unimaginable proportions.

Thousands of hectares of forest land also have been transferred for various developmental projects over the years. Mountain forests play a crucial role in protection against natural hazards like landslides, avalanches and flash floods.  We, humans have been removing this protective layer of natural vegetation from the surface of the mountain landscape exposing it to various kinds of hazards.

Further, road construction in a Hilly terrain is a major factor disturbing the ecological balance. Huge amount of rock and soil has to be removed from the mountain slopes in the process of constructing roads through it, thereby adversely affecting the natural slope stability. Adding to the woes of the Mountains, rising global temperatures have severely affected the mountain ecosystems causing glaciers to melt at an accelerated rate. Therefore, it is evident that Development and Disasters have a very close relationship in the Mountains.

Throughout the globe and across various cultures, mountains have been considered sacred and worshipped as a symbol of Nature’s abundance. Mountains and rivers bear enormous significance in the context of spirituality and mysticism that has prevailed in this part of the world. Mount Kailash, which is considered as the abode of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati is a revered mountain in Hinduism as well as Jainism and Buddhism.

The River Brahmaputra which means son of Brahma, the God of creation, emerges out of the Sacred Manas Sarovar Lake which is fed by the glaciers of the Kailash region. Major Rivers such as Sutlej and Indus also emerges from this region. These mountains and glaciers are the lifeline of millions of people living in the catchment of these rivers which is one of the reasons for considering the mountains as entities of profound divinity.

The Govardhan puja or Annakut is another example of sanctity of the mountains, which is deeply embedded in the traditions of the people of India. The Govardhan Mountain symbolises a guardian which protects us from calamities like floods and storms. Govardhan parvat is also considered as a provider of life sustaining energy in the form of food and water.

Indian Vedic and Puranic literature have always emphasized the importance of living in harmony with the elements of Nature.  In spite of our rich cultural heritage, embedded with such profound environmental ethics, today we tend to find ourselves engulfed by the darkness of un-mindful consumerism.

And the way we have been treating these Mountains and Rivers by plundering them suggests that we have never learnt from the disasters that have happened in the past nor do we have any reverence towards these majestic entities.

As citizens of a modern world, we often consider wide roads, tunnels, huge bridges, big dams, hydropower plants etc. as symbols of progress and prosperity. Some of these infrastructures although are necessary in the world we live in; however, unless their negative impacts are properly assessed and mitigated, these infrastructures and engineering projects cannot be considered beneficial for mankind especially for the future generations.  

Environmental impact assessment is one such tool which if holistically carried out, can help the policy makers in identifying the potential hazards of such infrastructure projects proposed in the mountains. Infrastructures with significant negative impacts on the ecosystem should be strictly restricted. In fact prior to implementation of any developmental project in these eco-sensitive regions a thorough public consultation process should be undertaken.

There have been instances where, such infrastructures mainly dams have been build in the mountains against the will of the people especially the indigenous communities residing there.  

It’s not just the infrastructure projects, that have disturbed these fragile ecosystems, certain human activities in cities and habitations far away from the mountains have also adversely affected them and shall continue to do so until we develop a sense of understanding that our consumerist lifestyle including dependence on fossil fuels and conspicuous consumption pattern disturbs the delicate balance that exists between various elements of Nature.

It has become imperative for the human society to try and amend our habits for the sake of the natural equilibrium to persist. As people living in cities far away from the mountains, there might be a notion that we shall not get affected by any catastrophe that occurs in the distant mountains, which is not true. The mountains, the glaciers, the rivers flowing from these glaciers, the subsurface aquifers or groundwater reservoirs are interconnected strands in a very delicate Web of Life.

With more and more numbers of cities struggling with water scarcity due to depletion of ground water and reduced flow in rivers, implying that fresh water availability in these cities has been adversely impacted by receding glaciers in the mountains. Therefore, it has become the utmost need of the hour for everyone of us to join hands to avert this looming environmental crisis.

But as individuals can we really contribute in preserving the mountains thereby protecting ourselves in this impending crisis. Maybe, we can; we can reduce our energy footprint thereby lessening the need for more hydro-power projects. We can increase the urban greenery and also protect our forests and wetlands for augmenting carbon sequestration.

Even small steps such as choosing to ride a bicycle for commuting over a fuel guzzling SUV can contribute immensely towards preserving the mountain ecology.

The great Sanskrit Scholar of Bharat, Kalidasa had mentioned in his book Raghuvansham, “Rivers are like mothers for the country and Mountains like father. This father is a magnanimous thoughtful resolute man and the rivers are conscious liberators…”. As citizens of modern India, do we still adhere to such philosophy? Maybe, for us human beings to sustain on this planet Earth, we certainly need to do so.

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