A battle to save Ladakh, and all of humanity (GS Paper 1, Change in critical geographical features)
Context
Sonam Wangchuk's climate fast has highlighted the larger issue of the fragility of the Himalayan ecosystem.
The Himalayan region
Tucked away between India’s neighbours, Pakistan and China, at a height of 11,500 feet, Ladakh comprises 97% indigenous tribes, many of whom lead simple pastoral lives and depend on farming and animal rearing for a livelihood.
Apart from border disputes, the Himalayan region also faces the damaging effects of climate change through floods, drought, landslides, greenhouse gases, and other pollutants.
There are about 15,000 glaciers in the Himalayan region, often referred to as the Third Pole.
In spring and summer, these glaciers form an important part of the hydrological process by releasing meltwater to the Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra.
The Himalayan glaciers, like those in the rest of the world, are at risk of melting due to global warming and climate change. This will affect both residents of the mountain region and those living downstream.
Infrastructure boom
In 2008, the Centre launched eight Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
One of these was under the Ministry of Science and Technology, i.e., the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE).
The main objective of NMSHE is to develop a capacity to scientifically assess the vulnerability of the Himalayan region to climate change and continuously assess the health status of the Himalayan ecosystem.
Issues
Almost as soon as Ladakh became a Union Territory, several mega infrastructure projects were launched at rapid pace.
These included the construction of bridges, widening of roads, tunnels, railway lines, mega solar projects, a state-of-the-art airport terminal and wayside amenities to boost tourism.
Among these were the 14.15 kilometre Zojila tunnel, the 230 km Kargil-Zanskar National Highway project, and a 10 gigawatt solar energy project covering 20,000 acres in the Changthang region. The
Ladakh (UT) Industrial Land Allotment Policy of 2023 aims to make UT Ladakh one of the preferred destinations for investment.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has been spearheading many of these projects along with the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL).
Various government bodies, sanctioning and executing the projects at such a feverish pace, are not paying heed to the warnings from past disasters in the mountains and learning from them.
Since 2010, there have been several disasters in the Himalayan region, with a loss of lives and livelihoods.
A Supreme Court of India constituted expert committee even suggested that authorities limit the number of pilgrims visiting the Char Dam Himalayan shrines, at Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri to carrying capacity.
Carrying capacity is the maximum number of people that an ecosystem can support, without eroding it.
But, instead, pilgrim numbers have only swelled every year. Some expert committees have even suggested that no hydroelectric projects are set up in the para-glacial zone.
When tragedy strikes, the human cost of environmental destruction is sadly borne by poor migrant workers in ongoing projects and by residents, tourists and pilgrims.
Government bodies sanctioning the projects or the developers executing them escape the wrath of the mountains.
Conclusion
What has been frustrating climate change activists is their recommendations gathering dust despite approaching the courts and the formation of expert committees.
In the name of development, we cannot afford to upset the fragile balance in the Himalayan ecosystem and its biodiversity. The onus is on all of us to ensure that the Himalayas and the people living under its shadow are protected.
