Afforestation of Himalayan forests

By A K Koul

The first lessons that we received in geography at school were about the numerous benefits of the lofty Himalaya. Apart from being the source of mighty rivers. Himalaya represents world's richest repository of medicinal herbs and aromatic plants and hosts dense soft and hardwood forests. The Himalaya influences our climate and guards our northern borders. It is a pity and a paradox that today we are talking of protecting and saving the very sentinel that has silently been protecting us for centuries.

One of the saddest of all metaphors is that of eating the seed corn. By causing wanton destruction to the Himalaya and its rich resources we did just that. The greed for farm land and fuel wood led us to clear forests which caused soil erosion, floods and drought. Betraying ecological illiteracy most people are unaware of our dependence on the thin sheet of top soil of Himalayan slopes. We ought to realize that civilization can survive the exhaustion of oil sources but not the continuing wholesale loss of top soil.

Nature is forgiving unless we unashamedly humiliate it. If we honestly strive to restore Himalayan environment even now it is not very late. Any further delay will take us to the point of no return. The sad part is that even our present concern for the health of Himalaya is not the outcome of our reverence for this abode of saints and sages but a reaction to the eminent catastrophe looming large on our heads.

In this context the launching of Rs 10,000 crore Norwegian assisted pilot project on massive afforestation in Jammu & Kashmir, spanning over twenty years is good news. The Norwegian team comprising Managing Director of Norway Forest Research Institute (NFRI) and a senior forest scientist, Bjorn Langerud who were on a six day visit to the state are stated to have discussed wit the Chief Minister, Forest Minister and the senior functionaries of the State Forest Department the measures to be taken for massive afforestation and eco-restoration programme (The Himalayan Mail, Feb, 6, 2002). The Government is hopeful that with research orientation the project will pave the way for sound futuristic forestry action plan that will compensate damages done to forests and expand forest cover.

Equally significant is the Eco-devt Programme launched by the G B Pant Institute of Himalayan Ecology and Development. Though belatedly, the authorities of the Institute have realised the need for coming out of Almora (in Uttranchal) to rub shoulders with young men and women in the remote north-west and north-east and bring them to their fold. The problems of the Himalaya are Himalayan in dimension and will therefore, require a huge work force to solve them. Restoring forests that recycle rainfall and control flooding is a huge undertaking. It will call for reversing decades of tree cutting and land clearing and forest restoration. The latter will require ''millions of people planting billions of trees''. Countries, smaller in size than ours have achieved this specific goal. Reforestation programme in South Korea has blanketed the country's hills and mountains with tres. Denmark is the eco-economy leader. Our forests and other components of immediate environment will be saved only if we attempt to convert our economy driven exclusively by market forces into an eco-economy propelled by principles of ecology. Although, the concept of environmentally sustainable development evolved a quarter century ago wae are no where near building an eco-economy aimed at restoration of carbon balance. stabilisaion of water table and populating and conservation of forest, soils and plant and animal diversity.

For many environmental issues including those concerning Himalaya the difficulty is not to identify the remedy because the remedy is well understood. The difficulty is that the problems are rooted in the society and the economy and in the end in the political structure. Foresters know how to plant trees but not how to devise methods whereby villagers can be made to raise and manage their own plantations. Similarly, biologists know where to draw boundaries for nature reserves, but cannot keep landless peasants from invading them to cut fuel wood or grow food. Solutions to such problems require political will and involvement of communities, which is a far cry. The technical ability of our foresters has been testified even by the visiting Norwegian team. The news item in the Himalayan Mail of Feb 6, 2002 states that the team was ''inspired by the capability and field performance of the Forest Department and the Social Forestry project''. What they require for restoring the health of Himalayan Forests is the whole-hearted and unstinted support of political bosses who unfortunately are long at words and short at actions.

Creation of the huge forest protection force, which the State has done, will not help as long as the basic needs of those who depend on forests are not met. The Chinese phrase, ''of all things in the world people are the most precious''- used in the Stockholm conference was incorporated in the official Stockholm declaration. This has brought about a shift in our thinking and our approach. Till then, many people saw the environment as wilderness totally divorced from humanity. It is not the rural poor who have destroyed the Himalayan forests. Their needs are few and they have lived in total harmony with nature from pre-historic times. Himalayan environment has been destroyed by iron triangle of the politicians , forester and the police, which is difficult to challenge and more difficult to curb.

The poor living in the highland of Himalaya have their counterparts in the slums and shanties of the cities. The urban poor are so much more visible and politically threatening that they receive disproportionate attention from politicians compared to more numerous and usally worse off people of the hills.

This is not the time to list the reasons that have destroyed Himalayan ecology and environment. The scientific community of the Himalayan states is posed with the challenge of bringings us out of the quagmire we are in at present without waiting for change in Government policies and plans. The G B Pant Institute of Himalayam Ecology and Environment has prepared a road map which, followed faithfully, should take us nearer the final goal of restoring Himalaya to good health and past glory.

The Integrated Eco-development Research Programe in the Himalayan Region has two components: one is Research and Technology Development and the other is Demonstration and Extension. The latter part is aimed at sensitizing and educating people about the benefits they can reap with the adoption of laboratory findings and improvised technology. On the face of it, the programme as it has been framed, should deliver desired results. I wonder whether the Institute is keeping track of how many research finding made under this programme have percolated to the community. If they have not, it is time to ensure that they do.

My own experience on this front is not very happy. With a sizable grant from the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Govt of India, we successfully resurected two flowering plants, namely Eremostachys superba and Incarvillea emodi from the brink of extinction. We raised thousands of plants to restock the habitats where the species belong so that people could use them and the food web, of which the species were a part, resumes.

Persuasion of the Ministry of Forests and Environment and the State Govt, which should have willingly taken possession of the asset bore no fruit, with the result this most important objective of the project could not be achieved. Unless proper net working is assured many other good research findings will meet the same fate. So long as we are unable to ensure full returns for every rupee spent we are not being sincere to the cause we profess is very dear to us.

The bureaucratic approach of measuring development by the size of budget allocation and the tune of expenditure should not be employed to monitor eco-development. In case we commit the folly of doing so it will provoke severe ecological backlash which we can ill-afford with millions of our people living below the poverty line.

Use water as weapon against Pak

By Pradeep Kaul (Khodballi)

We talk high but the effect is low. We talk about war but desire peace. We talk peace and do nothing. How can we make peace when our effort to make war is irresolute? Unfortunately, we have forgotten the teachings of great Indians whose view in our present day crisis would have helped us had we carefully followed them. One of these greatmen was Kautilya or Chankya. He was one of the originators of statecraft and diplomacy. His teachings are as relevant today as they were in his time. Perhaps they are even more relevant now. It is not that he loved war. He hated it. He loved peace more passionately than he loved war but he emphasised that if need be make war to ensure peace.

We have been forced to face much dangerous situation than war by Pakistan. Had it been mere war it would have been easy but it is a slow creeping terrorism fuelled by her that have made things worse.

To make peace we have to wage war. But war has to be waged with caution. It has to be waged with realism. We have enough evidence in history when an impulsive reaction or unskilled expedition resulted in an ultimate failure. Huge armies of Xerxis could not subdue Greece. Nepolean failed to conquer Russia and Europe. Hitler's cosmic forces' and mechanised Panzers eventually lost in all campaigns.

The military balance between India and Pakistan is overwhelmingly in India's favour. Indian army has time and again proved fighting quality and discipline. Even though the nuclear weaponisation of Pak army has changed the quality of balance but India has depth to survive a first strike and go in for decisive second strike. It has also to be kept in mind that after Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear weapons have not been used. Hence it is unlikely that they will be used. But given the inherent unstable nature of Pak army vis-a-vis its interest in Jehad it may out of frustration resort to nuclear weapons. The immediate effects of nuclear weapons and its subsequent fall out present us with a horrific scenario which is all prudence needs to be avoided.

To be prudent is the most desirable part of statecraft of country, and to ensure the safety and security of country comes first in the mind of the Government. To counter the Pak threat what are the options available to us. The Government has tried to deal with the situation of two fronts simultaneously. It has very wisely resorted to diplomatic means to bring pressure on Pakistan. The decision to array Indian army against Pakistan has started to yield results. But the diplomatic measures have been half hearted. For example there was no point to reduce the strength of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad by half it should have been closed, because our mission, in Islamabad was not allowed to function. On the contrary, Pak mission in India functions smoothly and even operates in areas where it has no diplomatic sanction i.e. fomenting trouble, helping militants and aggressively indulging in espionage. The denial of air space may also bring financial pressure on PIA as it is already in red.

The moot point is that our relationship with Pakistan has always been painful. Painful to us and not to them. This is a relation which is based on a continuous war between a civilisation and a Jehadi mindset favouring obscuranticism and sheer intolerance to other religions and opinions. Since 1947 to the present day, Pakistan has flouted every international law. It has brought shame to the concept of a brotherly and neighbourly existence. Pakistan has thrust four wars on us in 1947-48, in 1964 (Kutch) in 1965 and in 1971. After 1971 it has indulged in a sinister gameplan of abetting militancy in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. On 1947-48 it helped the Nizam raise anti India Razakars, in sixties it helped Nagaland militancy and in seventies it has trained insurgents in whole of north East. As if these anti-India acts were insufficient, Pakistan at last at the behest of its infamous ISI on 13th December 2001 showed temerity to attack the very seat of Indian democracy, the Parliament.

Apart from diplomatic and military pressure which can be brought down upon Pakistan our country has a most lethal weapon in its inventory which can be used with a telling effect. That weapon is neither military nor diplomatic but a natural weapon which mother nature has given to us and perhaps it is high time that we should seriously think to use it. That weapon is the weapon of water. Our country has a comprehensive treaty on water sharing with Pakistan. This treaty is Indus water treaty. According to this treaty the waters of Indus, Ravi, Jehlum, Chenab, Beas and Satluj are to be shared by India and Pakistan. India has always in letter and spirit adhered to the treaty and other treaties as well. Despite this treaty Pakistan has never remained friendly with India. India helped Pakistan to become member Common Wealth. India has always acted like a generous neighbouring country. India has even granted. Most Favoured Nation (MNP) Status to Pakistan. On the other hand the State policy of Pakistan has been India baiting and India bashing. We have suffered an anti India State like Pakistan for almost half a century and now circumstances demand that we should act speedily. We are not bound by any international obligation to a rouge State like Pakistan. India should play its trump card and declare to opt out of Indus water treaty. We should check the flow of water to Pakistan, especially in lean period. To begin with let us start the work on Tulbul navigation project and water barrage. India can devise a long term plan to create dams and barrages so that flow of water to Pakistan is curtailed. A curtailment of 10 to 20 percent of water flow to Pakistan can severely effect Pakistan's economy. This can bring upon it enough pressure to rethink its belligrant policies towards India.

India must draw a long term plan to utilise additional waters as a result of 10-20 percent stoppage. The long term plan can be envisaged by raising additional storage capacity of dams, building a net work of canals, and reservoirs. There is a greater need in the country to develop a national water grid where all the major rivers in the country wether in north, south, east or west are connected. The speedy depletion of water resources and increasing demand on water for drinking, agriculture and industry needs to be augmented, which can easily come from even partial withdraw from Indus water Treaty by India.

Pakistan despite Pervez Musharraf's so-called "Speech of a life time" where he promised to put an end to the fountains of terrorism sprouting from that country does not cut much ice. It seems that in future it will still persue its anti-India activities. It is now, it is then and it is for every time that we should not hesitate to use the weapon of water to counter Pakistan's Jehad eastwards.