Dr R K Ganjoo
As the dates for the pilgrimage to Sri Amarnath draws close, the environmentalists of Valley join hands to voice out the impact of mountain pilgrimage on the ecology and environment. The concern shown by, one and all, is worth appreciating in today’s world when scientists around the globe have become very sensitive and cautious enough about the ecology and environment. The mountain ecology holds greater significance, particularly in India, where the source of water is from the rivers that originate from Himalaya. It, therefore, becomes the responsibility of us all to express our concern for the deterioration in mountain ecology and environment, if any.
The Indian Himalaya holds a unique geographical and ecological entity in mountain ecology around the world. Nearly 50% of the flowering plants, of which 30% is endemic,is supported by the Indian Himalaya. There are nearly 1743 species of plants that have medicinal values, over 675 edible plants and over 816 tree species available in Indian Himalaya.
Any change in one component of the environment is bound to have impact on other component/s, as environment is holocoenotic in nature. The deforestation shall lead to the increase in run-off causing floods and increase in the erosion of soil leading to siltation in water-bodies. It can cause disappearance of species (both plant and animal) leading to gene erosion. This is well explained from the frequent and massive floods in Himalayan region of India for past decade or so. The demand for timber, firewood with the growing population, economic developments and large scale urbanisation in the mountains have impacted the forests of Himalaya and thus invited the environmental situation we experience today.
In recent past mountain tourism and pilgrimage has been in debate among the environmentalists despite the fact that it is an attractive alternate source of livelihood to address the poverty in mountain regions. The central government of India and several state governments have identified mountain tourism as an industry and granted concessions and incentives to promote the same in order to provide adequate employment and create economic activity in the mountainous regions of Himalaya where industrial and mining activities are not available.
There is no denial to the fact that tourism in J & K state has been on decline as a consequence of the continuous turmoil in the state. The J & K Economic Survey 2016 categorically voices the deteriorating state of tourism. The tourist inflow declined from 95.25 lakh in 2014 to 92.03 lakh in 2015. Further break up confirms that the inflow of tourist in Jammu region was substantially more than other regions of the state. Out of 12.81 lakh tourists inflow in Kashmir region in 2015 and 15.41 lakh inflow of tourists in Kashmir region in 2014, the pilgrim tourists were only 3.53 lakh in 2015 and 3.73 lakh in 2014. The pilgrim tourist inflow to Kashmir region therefore formed ~ 25% of the total tourist inflow for the years 2014 and 2015. The J & K Economic Survey 2016 identifies the pilgrim tourist as “short duration tourist” with a stay in the valley for barely 2 to 3 days. During the short duration of tourist season of 2016 the influx of tourist to the Valley stood at 6.23 lakh of which 2.20 lakh were the Amarnathyatris (pilgrims).
The temporary and mobile population of tourists, with very brief stay in the valley, shall have very minimal impact on the environment compared to the impact caused by expanding and permanent native population of the valley. The scientific studies ofPohru and Doodhganga watersheds in the valley by the environmentalists substantiates to the above fact. According to the studies, about 48.27% of the area is under high erosion risk due to severe land degradation caused by loss of wetland, soil erosion and vegetation change. The dense forest cover in Pohru watershed has decreased by about 10% from an area of 552.25 km2 in 1992 to 340.62 km2 in 2001. The area of agriculture land increased from 260.67km2 in 1992 to 334.26km2 in 2001. The area covered under built-up increased to 144.27 km2 in 2001 from 67.0 km2 in 1992. This has consequently shrunk the Wularlake by about 2.7km2. The increase in the built-up area of Doodhganga watershed by about 7% has taken toll of the dense forest by about 9.13%. This led to the reduction of one of the largest wetland, Hokarsar, in Doodhganga by 1.98km2.
The change in the land-use pattern has seriously affected the major water bodies of the valley, such as Dal lake. The increase in the agriculture land, deforestation, increase in horticulture land, and built-up area has consequently added to the environmental degradation by way of excessive run-off of the eroded top-soil from mountain slopes and bare land surfaces and contribution of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to the water bodies. One-third (32%) of the pristine Dal lake is under severe degradation whereas only one-fifth (20%) of the lake water is relatively clean. The situation at Manasbal lake is also not very pleasing. Only 23.88% lake catchment is covered by vegetation and 31.28% is devoid of vegetation. The unscientific methods of stone quarrying in the vicinity of the lake and unplanned urbanization have taken a serious toll of yet another pristine lake in the valley.
The cumulative impact of rapid urbanization, forest degradation and reckless use of pesticides and fertilizers has led to the nutrient enrichment in all streams, lakes and wetlands with a result that aquatic vegetation in the ecosystem has increased by 110% in past four decades affecting the health of aquatic ecosystems in the valley. The scientific studies further confirm that waters in urban area are more polluted than rural areas. The high content of nitrate, ammonia and phosphate in the water confirms the human footprint on the water quality.
Accepting the scientific facts that environmental degradation in the valley is a consequence of rapid and unplanned urbanization, change in land use pattern and reckless usage of chemical fertilizer and pesticides in the agriculture and horticulture activities by the indigenous people, the shout to curtail or terminate the mountain pilgrimage in valley are hollow demands. The environmentalists should express their concern to established scientific facts and suggest measures to reverse the process to restore balance in the ecosystem instead of promoting the issues that have remote impact in unbalancing the environment. The recommendations made by NitishSengupta Committee are sufficient enough to take care of the balance between short duration mountain pilgrimage and environment in the valley.
(The author is a Professor of Geology University of Jammu)
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