Environmental Issues in the Himalayas

Published on 05 Apr 2025

Himalayan mountains cover 24% of the total land area of India and pass through 11 states in India. The Himalayas are renowned for their rich biodiversity as well as distinct climate conditions.

Significance of the Himalayas for India

• Tourism: Activities like trekking, mountaineering, skiing, and wildlife tourism attract tourists.

• Water Resources: The rivers of India are nourished by heavy rains, extensive snowfields, and massive glaciers in the Himalayas.

• Energy Security: More than half of the nation's hydropower and around 33% of its thermal electricity come from river streams that originate in the Himalayas.

• Strategic Importance: The Himalayas are strategically significant for India's military and act as a natural barrier from extreme weather conditions.

• Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: The diverse ecosystems provide essential functions such as pollination, carbon sequestration, and water flow regulation.

Major environmental issues in the Himalayas

• Deforestation and Habitat Loss: Deforestation causes habitat loss and fragmentation and is frequently caused by logging, increased agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development.

• Example: From 2001 to 2022, Tehri Garhwal in Uttarakhand lost 762 ha of relative tree cover. (Global Forest Watch)

• Soil Erosion and Landslides: Construction activity, Deforestation and poor land use practices all contribute to soil erosion and the danger of landslides following heavy rains or seismic events.

• Example: Most recent landslides in Himachal Pradesh happened in the districts of Baddi Area, Mandi and Shimla.

• Growth of Invasive species: The proliferation of invasive species in the Himalayan environment has upset the ecosystem's delicate balance and threatened the existence of native species.

• Example: Cirsium arvense is creeping up along mountain roads in Kashmir Himalayas.

•  Glacier Retreat and Climate Change: Global climate change is causing the Himalayan glaciers to melt more quickly. This affects river systems by influencing downstream water availability.

• Example: According to the National Remote Sensing Centre's (NRSC) Glacial Lake Atlas of 2023, Sikkim's GLOF illustrates that climate change is making India more vulnerable to GLOF.

• Tectonic activities: The Himalayan area is vulnerable to natural disasters like earthquakes, avalanches, and landslides.

• Example: Nepal Earthquake 2023

• Changing hydrology: The hydrology of Himalayas is impacted by altered precipitation patterns, glacier retreat, and temperature changes. 

• Example: Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) have seen a 65 per cent faster loss of glacier mass, according to a report from International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

Government initiatives and policy measures

• National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem: To develop a long-term national capacity for monitoring the health of the Himalayan ecosystem.

• SECURE Himalaya project: The project aims to secure people's livelihood, and restore, conserve and use sustainably the high range ecosystems of the Himalayas.

• Indian Himalayas Climate Adaptation Programme: Strengthening the capacities of Indian institutions in climate science, with a specific focus on glaciology and related areas, as well as institutional capacities of Himalayan states in India.

• National Mission on Himalayan Studies: Promoting high quality research with adequate field data support to find solutions for the prevailing environmental problems.

Way Forward

• Sustainable Development Practices: Promote and execute sustainable land-use methods that balance community requirements with natural resource conservation.

• Afforestation and Reforestation: Implement extensive afforestation and reforestation initiatives to improve the resilience of ecosystems and rehabilitate degraded areas.

• Community Engagement and Empowerment: Include the community in decision-making and give them the authority to manage the environment.

• Separate EIA for Himalayan Ecosystem: Policymakers should consider doing a separate Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for infrastructure projects in the Himalayan region.

• Disaster Risk Reduction: To mitigate the effects of natural hazards, reinforce disaster risk reduction strategies such as early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, and community preparedness.

Tags:
Environment

Keywords:
Ecosystems Himalayas Conservation Biodiversity

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 3

Topics:
Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation