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Gangotri Conservation Project
Gangotri
Basin comprising of the Gangotri Township with the sacred temple and
a large number of Himalayan Peaks - Kedarnath, Shivling, Gangotri
etc. - is the most popular area in India attracting the largest
number of Mountaineers, Trekkers and Pilgrims. The Gangotri
township is situated at the confluence of River Bhagirathi and
Kedarganga with an average altitude of 3740m. From mid March to mid
June, Gangotri Valley enjoys spring and from June to October the
climate is salubrious. November to March the area experiences
snowfall.
Problems
Of
all degraded areas, the Gangotri basin has become the most polluted
in the Indian Himalayas. Besides 75 mountaineering expeditions and
nearly 25,000 trekkers, this area is also visited by about 2,50,000
pilgrims annually, which adds a new dimension to its environment
management. A large forest cover has been destroyed, which has led
to soil erosion, resulting in landslides and devastating floods in
the plains. There is enormous quantity of rubbish lying all along
the trail and base camps, which finds its way into the source of the
Ganges and beyond from around the base camps of several high
mountains, which ring the sacred area. The situation is alarming.
For centuries, the Ganges has been a part of India’s culture and
civilisation. While a massive project has been launched by the
Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India to clean up the
Ganges, it is equally important to ensure the sanctity of the source
of the Ganges and its surrounding catchment areas.
Gangotri Conservation Project was launched by the Himalayan
Environment Trust supported by the Government of India, Government
of Uttar Pradesh and American Himalayan Foundation after a seminar
in New Delhi in June 1994.
Strategy for Programme Implementation
The GCP will act as a catalyst agency and aim to mobilize local
people and encourage their participation in the implementation of
programmes. It will also seek assistance and cooperation of NGOs
dealing with similar problems in the area, Army, Indo-Tibetan Border
Police and Schools and Colleges. It will highlight the traditional
subsistence activities and use of alternative energy projects to
minimise the impact of tourists and pilgrims and help to upgrade the
local standard of living. Some of the activities of GCP will
include:
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Forest Conservation |
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Plantation of fodder and fuelwood. |
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Plantation of trees, specially Bhojpatra beyond Gangotri.
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2. |
Alternative Energy to reduce dependence to fuelwood |
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Use of LPG. |
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Use of solar energy and improved cooking chulhas.
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3. |
Community Sanitation |
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Clean up present rubbish beyond Gangotri. |
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Take steps to prevent accumulation of rubbish in future. |
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Assist in collection and disposal of rubbish at Gangotri.
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4. |
Awareness Programmes |
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Environmental education through schools and colleges, local
community organisations and religious bodies. |
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Environmental lectures to trainees at Nehru Institute of
Mountaineering Uttarkashi by guest speakers. |
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Distribution of leaflets containing Do’s and Dont’s to tourists,
visitors and pilgrims. |
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Information Centres. |
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Audio-visual programmes
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5. |
Plantation of ‘Bhojpatra’ |
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HET has received funds for planting of 20000 ‘bhojpatra’ trees
along the approach track to Gangotri. It was on the bark of
this tree that ancient sages wrote the scriptures, their
distilled wisdom for mankind. It is indeed a tragedy that this
tree has virtually disappeared - thanks to excessive human
intrusion and mindless exploitation of the tree for fuel and
shelter. UNDP has sanctioned funds to HET for a greening
project of Gangotri, the restoration of ‘bhojpatra’ by
plantation of about 20000 saplings in a 10 hectare area made
available by the State Forest Department to the HET. A nursery
was set up in 1994 and the saplings are almost ready for
transplantation. The trees, of course, will need years to
mature. In the meanwhile provision of LPG as cooking fuel and
erection of easy to assemble steel tubular huts as temporary
shelters for visitors and pilgrims will greatly minimise the
denudation if what little forest is left. The project is to get
a critical mid-term appraisal by the end of the year. |
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