Salvation Stampede and Himalayan Reality

Salvation Stampede and Himalayan Reality


Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 37

Palash Biswas
http://troubledgalaxydetroyeddreams.blogspot.com/

Salvation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Salvation (disambiguation).
In theology, salvation can mean three related things:

being saved from or liberation from something, such as suffering or the punishment of sin – also called deliverance;
being saved for something, such as an afterlife or participating in the Reign of God – also called redemption
social liberation and healing, as in liberation theology.
The theological study of salvation is called Soteriology and also covers the means by which salvation is effected or achieved, and its results or effects.

Hinduism
Salvation is the soul's liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth and attainment of the highest spiritual state. It is the ultimate goal of, where even hell and heaven are temporary. This is called Moksha (Sanskrit: ?????, liberation) or Mukti (Sanskrit: ??????, release). Moksha is a final release from one's worldly conception of self, the loosening of the shackles of experiential duality and a re-establishment in one's own fundamental nature, though the nature is seen as ineffable and beyond sensation. The actual state of salvation is seen differently depending on one's beliefs.

In Advaita, a monistic philosophy, which comprises most forms of Shaivism and some forms of Vaishnavism, it is oneness with Brahman, without form or being, something that essentially is without manifestation.
In dualist Hinduism, as found mostly in different forms of Vaishnavism, it is union or close association with God.
In Hinduism, moksha occurs when the individual soul (human mind/spirit) or atman recognizes its identity with the Ground of all being - the Source of all phenomenal existence known as Brahman. The religion recognizes several paths to achieve this state, none of which is exclusive. They are the ways of selfless work (Karma Yoga), of self-dissolving love (Bhakti Yoga), of absolute discernment & knowledge(Jnana Yoga), and of 'royal' meditative immersion (Raja Yoga).

In much the same manner as Christ took the sins upon himself, Shiva swallowed the poison, halahala, so that it would not kill the creation. Shiva's act is celebrated at the Hindu festival Shivratri, also in March at about the same time as Easter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvation

A one-year-old girl who survived the worst-ever temple tragedy in the history of Himachal Pradesh keeps repeating the one word she knows - "Mummy" - but her mother isn't there to comfort her.

The child was put in the care of the Naina Devi shrine trust authorities by the district administration since no one came to claim her after Sunday's stampede, which killed 145 people.

"The toddler has been crying for her mother continuously. We hope her family is able to find her and she goes back to them," said a woman attendant at the shrine who has been looking after the girl.

The girl was found unconscious by a resident of Nabha town in Punjab who brought her to the doctors providing medical aid to those injured in Sunday's stampede.

"The girl was brought to us in an unconscious state. We were able to revive her and handed her over to the district administration. She is now with the temple authorities," a doctor who attended on her said.

Over 146 people were killed and 40 injured in a stampede at the Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh when throngs of devotees panicked after someone spread a rumour that boulders were rolling down the popular hill shrine. Most of the dead were women and children. A majority of the victims were from neighbouring Punjab. A state government statement Sunday evening said that 123 people were killed and 40 injured in the accident. Rescue operations at the shrine, located atop a hill, to reach which devotees have to walk the last few hundred metres on a steep gradient, were hit by inclement weather and lack of coordination among various agencies.

I am brousing the Egroups and blogs to study the general reactions.

Some friends have branded this accident as Man Made.

I agree. But the himalayan Reality and the Salvation stampede are not so easy issues to be generalised. We have to understand the Geopolitics, Landscape as well as human scape in context of social realism, religious psyche and ecological point of view.

It is a great relief that until now no body has called it a Terrorist Attack or dared to brand itas the Hindutva crisis!

I was picking up the Tiffin Box and water Bottle to set off for my office as the News broke.

I heard only two words, Naina Debi and stampede. I was shocked as the only Naina Debi temple I knew till the moment was located in Nainital. It is a small place and I never saw it crowdy on any occassion other than the Autumn Fesival.Naina Debi Puja in Nainital has been always a peaceful event with some imputes of a few pure Kumaooni folk like Jaagar.

But I was never relieved to find that the tragedy stroke another Himalayan region called Himachal. It is a shame for a person like me who tries to be in live contact with every part of the Hiamalays all the year round! I did not knew the existence of Naina debi in Himachal!

I met a student of Naini engineering College, Allahabad in Kalka express while I was returning from New delhi only on 28th July. He was an attractive face of the Generation Next.

It was a n AC Three tier compartment. The youngman was very worried as his classmate a Manipuri student in the Engineering college missed the train. i came to know this fact in Delhi RLY station itself when the train left for Howrah. I immediately suggested the boy to contact his friend and suggest him to catch the next train as I believed that the ticket might be valid. He did.

I guessed that he might belong to Manipur. But he turned to be a Hill man belonging to Himachal. It was a rare opportunity to update my knowledge about Himachal Pradesh. On the other hand I never miss to talk any young boy or girl from generation next. My son Excallibur Stevens is only twenty three years old. I have to try very hard to communicate with him. I always try to befriend with his friend circle. I bieleve that no change is possible without an active role of the Generation next. I read regularly every episode of to serialised novels being published in Desh dealing with the Generation Next. It is always very hard to cope with the environment and all Generation Next Literature seems to be either hard or soft porn. But I try my best to get the psyche.

Himachal Pradesh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
?Himachal Pradesh
India
Shimla
Coordinates: 31°06'40?N 77°09'14?E? / ?31.111, 77.154
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area 55,780 km² (21,537 sq mi)
Capital Shimla
Largest city Shimla



Himachal Pradesh is a state in the north-west of India. Himachal Pradesh is spread over 55,780 square kilometres (21,537 sq mi)[1] and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on north, Punjab on west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on south, Uttarakhand on south-east and by Tibet on the east. The literal meaning of Himachal Pradesh is Region of snowy mountains.[2]

Himachal Pradesh was also known as Deva Bhoomi (the land of the gods). The Aryan influence in the region dates back to the period before the Rigveda. After the Anglo Gorkha war, the British colonial government came into power. It was initially in Punjab, except Siba State of Punjab Hills, under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh till 1857 [3] In 1950 Himachal was declared as the union territory but after State of Himachal Pradesh Act 1971 Himchal emerged as the 18th state of Indian Union.

Himachal Pradesh has one of the highest per capita incomes of any state in India. Due to the abundance of perennial rivers, Himachal also sells hydro electricity to other states such as Delhi, Punjab & Rajasthan.[4] The economy of the state is highly dependent upon three sources i.e. hydroelectric power, tourism and agriculture.[5]

95% of the state population constitutes of Hindus. The major communities are of Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis. As per the survey conducted in 2005 by Transparency International Himachal Pradesh is ranked second least corrupt state in the country after Kerala.[

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himachal_Pradesh

I did not ask his name. Because it is very hard to digest the fact that we make friends in trains so sponataneously and lose them at the very moment when we detrain! Train Journy has always been a learning and social interaction place for me. When we fly we get so tired within so little time. But we feel never so tired in longest version of Train journy. it is so much so involving. We never hear a concept like jet lag in reference to train. I used to note down all the names and addresses. But I always felt the pain to lose the friends in train! I am getting older and , nowadays, I discusss the issues in tarin with persons whom I never know!

The boy detrained in Allahabad Junction in the evening. Meanwhile, we discussed all the issues relating to Himalayan Zone including North East to Kashmir.

I joked at a point,` Gods and Goddesses decide everything in Himachal. They elect the Government. every village has its own god or goddesses. We plains people treat hiamchal as a heavenly places! I suppose that you might be one among the divine line up!’

He reacted very sharply, ` Heavens have their own Realities!’

We discussed the Agreculture and Horticulture and he informed that the Himachal is enjoying an Apple Boom this season and there was no agrarian crisis in Himachal.

I was surprised to know when he claimed that Himachal goverment is proactive to save the Green Top! He told that constructions have stopped in Himachal.I informed him that Nainital and all the Hill Stations are overconstructed. I spoke on Darjiling and Gangtok with details. He belongs to Shimla. He spoke on every town of Himachal including Bilaspur and Rampur Bushahar!

Himachal Pradesh is divided into 12 districts namely, Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi, Bilaspur, Una, Chamba, Lahul and Spiti, Sirmaur, Kinnaur, Kullu, Solan and Shimla. The state capital is Shimla which was formerly British India's summer capital under the name Simla.

A district of Himachal Pradesh is an administrative geographical unit, headed by a Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service. The district magistrate or the deputy commissioner is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Himachal Administrative Service and other Himachal state services. Each district is subdivided into Sub-Divisions, governed by a sub-divisional magistrate, and again into Blocks. Blocks consists of panchayats (village councils) and town municipalities. A Superintendent of Police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues of the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Himachal Police Service and other Himachal Police officials.

The era of planning started in Himachal in 1948 along with the rest of India. The first five year plan allocated Rs.5.27 crore to Himachal. More than 50% of this expenditure was incurred on road construction since it was felt that without proper transport facilities, the process of planning and development could not be carried to the people, who mostly lived an isolated existence in far away areas. Himachal now ranks fourth in respect of per capita income among the states of the Indian Union.[4]
Agriculture contributes over 45% to the net state domestic product. It is the main source of income and employment in Himachal. Over 93% of the population in Himachal depend directly upon agriculture which provides direct employment to 71% of its people. The main cereals grown are wheat, maize, rice and barley.
Himachal has a rich heritage of handicrafts. These include woolen and pashmina shawls, carpets, silver and metal ware, embroidered chappals, grass shoes, Kangra and Gompa style paintings, wood work, horse-hair bangles, wooden and metal utensils and various other house hold items. These aesthetic and tasteful handicrafts declined under competition from machine made goods and also because of lack of marketing facilities. But now the demand for handicrafts has increased within and outside the country.
Himachal is extremely rich in hydel resources. The state has about 25% of the national potential in this respect. It has been estimated that about 20,300MW of hydel power can be generated in the State by constructing various major, medium, small and mini/micro hydel projects on the five river basins. The state is also the first state in India to achieve the goal of having a bank account for every family.[4]
As per the current prices, the total GDP was estimated at Rs 25,435 crore (Rs 254,350,000,000), as against Rs 23,024 crore (Rs 230,240,000,000) in the year 2004-05, showing an increase of 10.5%.[20]

Transport
Main article: Transport in Himachal Pradesh

Kalka-Shimla RailwayRoads are the major mode of transport in the hilly terrains of Himachal Pradesh. The state has road network of 28,208 km (17,528 mi),[21] including eight national highways (NH) that constitute 1,234 km (767 mi).[21] Some roads get closed during winter and monsoon seasons due to snowfall and landslides. Regular bus services connect Shimla with Chandigarh, Kullu, Manali, Delhi, Mandi, Pathankot, Ambala, Chail and Dehradun. Local taxis are the major local transport here. District Hamirpur has got the highest road density in the country.[22]

Railway track is accessible only to a few places in Himachal Pradesh. The Pathankot–Jogindernagar line connectsPunjab with Himachal Pradesh. The other railway tracks pass through Shimla, Solan and Una. Shimla is connected with Kalka by a narrow gauge railway line, which in turn is connected with the major cities in India. Himachal has two narrow gauge rail tracks. The Kalka-Shimla Railway track has a length of 96 kilometers. It passes through 102 tunnels and crosses 864 bridges.[23][24]

There are three domestic airports in the state—Shimla Airport, Bhuntar Airport serving Kullu and Manali, and Gaggal Airport serving Kangra and Dharamsala. The air routes connect the state with Delhi and Chandigarh. There are no international airports in Himachal Pradesh. Jagson Airlines has flights from Delhi to Shimla.[25]


[edit] Demographics

Bhima Kali temple in RAMPUR district. Majority of Himachal Pradesh's populace practices Hinduism.The population of Himachal in 2001 stood at 6,077,248 as per the provisional results of the Census of India 2001.[26] The population of Himachal Pradesh includes estimated population of entire Kinnaur district, where the population enumeration of Census of India, 2001 could not be conducted due to natural calamity.[26] In terms of population it holds the same position (twenty first) among States and Union territories as at the previous census.[26] The population of the State rose by 17.53% between 1991-2001.[26] The sex ratio (i.e., the number of females per thousand males) of population was recorded as 970, which has declined from 976 in the previous census.[26] Total literacy of the State rose to 77.13% from 63.94% in 1991.[26]

The tribal population of the state comprise of the Gaddis, Kinnars, Gujjars, Pangawals, Lahaulis and Spitians.[27] The Gaddis are the traditional shepherds who migrate from the alpine pastures to the lower regions during the winters. The Kinnars are the inhabitants of the Kinnaur region and have traditionally practiced polyandry and polygamy. The Gujjars are nomads who rear buffalo herds. Himachal also has a sizeable population of Tibetans[27]

About 95.4% of the population of Himachal Pradesh consists of Hindus, Muslims 2.0%, Sikhs 1.2% and Buddhists 1.2% [28]. There main communities are Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis. Himachal Pradesh has the highest proportion of Hindu population in India. Other religions are Sikhism and Buddhism. The Lahaulis of Lahaul and Spiti region are mainly Buddhists.[26]

The major spoken languages include Hindi, Punjabi, Mahasui, Kulluyi, Lahauli, Kinnauri, Chambyali, Sirmauri, Bilaspuri, Pahari, Dogri, Kangri.[27]

Some of the achievements in human development by the state are listed below[29]-

The life expectancy at birth was 62.8 years (higher than the national average of 57.7 years) for the period 1986–1990.[29]
The Infant mortality rate has fallen down from 118 in 1971 to 62 in 1999.
The crude birth rate has declined from 37.3 in 1971 to 22.6 in 1998 i.e. below the national average of 26.5 in 1998.
The crude death rate has declined from 15.6 in 1971 to 7.7 in 1998.
The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined from 4.7 to 3.6.
Overall literacy grew by 34.65% between the period 1981 and 2001.
Kullu district is leading with the value of 0.534 in Human development index (HDI) [29]

Languages of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in Himachal Pradesh are the Sunam language 558 (1998), Gahri language 4,000 (1997), Jangshung language 1,990 (1998),Kanashi language 1,400 (2002 Chauhan), Kinnauri language 48,778, Kinnauri Bhoti language 6,000 (1998), Chitkuli language 1,060 (1998), Pattani language 11,000 (1997), Shumcho language 2,174 (1998) and the Tukpa language 723 (1998)[30]



[edit] Culture
Main article: Culture of Himachal Pradesh

Anglo-Indian architecture church in Shimla.Himachal was one of the few states that had remained largely untouched by external customs, largely due to its difficult terrain. With the technological advancements the state has changed very rapidly. It is a multireligional, multicultural as well as multilingual state like other Indian states. Some of the most commonly spoken languages includes Hindi, Punjabi, Pahari, Dogri, Kangri and Kinnauri.[27] The Hindu caste communities residing in Himachal include the Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis.[31] There are also tribal population in the state which mainly comprise Gaddis, Kinnars, Gujjars, Pangawals, Sulehri and Lahaulis.[32]
The state is well known for its handicrafts. The carpets, leather works, shawls, paintings, metalware, woodwork and paintings are worth appreciating. Pashmina shawl is one of the product which is highly in demand not only in Himachal but all over the country. Himachali caps are also famous art work of the people. Extreme cold winters of Himachal necessitated wool weaving. Nearly every household in Himachal owns a pit-loom. Wool is also considered as pure and is used as a ritual cloth. The well known woven object is the shawl, ranging from fine pashmina to the coarse desar. Kullu is famous for its shawls with striking patterns and vibrant colours.

Local music and dance reflects the cultural identity of the state. Through their dance and music, they entreat their gods during local festivals and other special occasions. Apart from the fairs and festivals that are celebrated all over India, there are number of other fairs and festivals also that are of great significance to Himachal Pradesh.

Shimla, the state capital is home to Asia's only natural Ice skating rink[33].

The day to day food of Himachalis is very similar to the rest of the north India. They too have lentil, broth, rice, vegetables and bread. As compared to other states in north India non vegetarian is more preferred.[32] Some of the specialities of Himachal include Pateer, Chouck, Bhagjery, Patrode, Beduan and chutney of Til.

Famous people associated with Himachal include English author Rudyard Kipling, Indian film personalities Dalip Singh Rana (Khali; WWE wrestler), Anupam Kher, Preity Zinta, Amrish Puri (who studied here), and Prem Chopra (brought up here), economist and former vice-president of World Bank Shahid Javed Burki, Satyananda Stokes who introduced apple in the region, writer Idries Shah, ornithologist Allan Octavian Hume (had his home here), former general of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and current President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai who both studied here

He boasted that Himachal Pradesh has one of the highest literacy rates in India.[34] Hamirpur District is among the top districts in the country for literacy.[34] Education rates among women are quite encouraging in the state.[34]
The standard of education in the state has reached to a considerably high level as compared to other states in India.[34] The state has several reputed educational institutes for higher studies.

The Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla and the NIT, Hamirpur are some of the pioneer institutes located in the state. Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry has earned a unique distinction in India for imparting teaching, research and extension education in horticulture, forestry and allied disciplines.[34]

The government is working constantly to prepare various plans and projects in order to strengthen the education system of the state. Recently, the State Government has decided to start three nursing colleges to develop the health system in the state. There are over 10,000 primary schools, 1,000 secondary schools and more than 1,300 high schools in Himachal.[35] The state government has decided to start up with 3 major nursing colleges to develop the health system in the state.[34] In meeting the constitutional obligation to make primary education compulsory, Himachal has now became the first state in India to make elementary education accessible to every child in the state.[36]

The State has got Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital. Besides that there is Himachal Dental College which is the first recognised Dental Institute in the State.[37]




He also discussed tourism and religious tourism. I only knew Baishno Devi, the most famous religious place in Himachal. We have so many in Kumayoon and Garwal. Kedar, Badri, Gangotri, Jamonaotri, Joshimath, Jageshwar to Haridwar and Rishikesh!

Additional director general of police D S Manhas said Shimla that the death toll could well mount further. He said most of the injured had been taken to the district headquarters of Bilaspur, 70 km from here, and Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, 30 km from here.

The temple is located 160 km from state capital Shimla, the popular hill resort in northern India.

The accident took place around 400 metres from the main temple.

The crowd of devotees had gathered at the temple on the occasion of the 10-day Shravan Ashtami fair that began on Saturday.

According to mythology, an eye of Sati, Lord Shiva's consort, fell at the site during his tandav (dance of destruction), earning the place its name 'Naina Devi' - goddess's eye. It is one of the most popular shrines in north India



Tragedy shatters rain-soaked morning at Naina Devi temple

BILASPUR/HP: The serene atmosphere of the rain-soaked morning was shattered by a massive tragedy that struck an estimated 25,000 devotees, mostly from neighbouring Punjab, at the hilltop Naina Devi temple, about 45km from here, to offer prayers to the deity today.

As men, women and children waited in a serpentine queue to have a glimpse of the deity, suddenly all hell broke loose between 0930 hours and 0945 hours as people started running helter skelter for their life following rumour of a landslide and hurtling down of boulders from a nearby hilltop, triggering a huge stampede.

Temple officials said between 20,000 and 25,000 devotees were at the temple, a turnout much higher than the usual 10-15,000 because of local Navaratra festival, when the incident took place.

Batches of devotees returning from the temple ran down the road and crashed into pilgrims trekking up the 4km road to the reach the temple, triggering the stampede.

Children and women clutching the hands of their near and dear ones got separated in the the rush to escape the landslide, realising little that they were hurtling to another form of death.

As devotees tried to outpace each other to find an escape route, they tried to jump over the railings along the road leading to the temple. Coming under massive human pressure, the railings gave way and people fell down along the slope.

Several women and children, who could not jump the railings and stuck to the regular path, were trampled upon, witnesses said. History
Main article: History of Himachal Pradesh

The fort of Nahan, the capital of princely state of Sirmur.The history of the area that now constitutes Himachal Pradesh dates back to the time when the Indus valley civilisation flourished between 2250 and 1750 BCE.[7] Tribes such as the Koilis, Halis, Dagis, Dhaugris, Dasa, Khasas, Kinnars and Kirats inhabited the region from pre-histotic era. During the Vedic period, several small republics known as "Janapada" existed which were later conquered by the Gupta Empire.[8] After a brief period of supremacy by king Harshavardhana, the region was once again divided into several local powers headed by chieftains, including some Rajput prinicipalities. These kingdoms that enjoyed a large degree of independence were devastated by Muslim invaders a number of times.[7] Mahmud Ghaznavi conquered Kangra at the beginning of the 10th century. Timur and Sikander Lodi also marched through the lower hills of the state and captured a number of forts and fought many battles.[7] Several hill states acknowledged Mughal suzerainty and paid regular tribute to the Mughals.[9]

The Gorkhas, a martial tribe came to power in Nepal in the year 1768.[7] They consolidated their military power and began to expand their territory.[7] Gradually the Gorkhas annexed Sirmour and Shimla. With the leadership of Amar Singh Thapa, Gorkhas laid siege to Kangra. They managed to defeat Sansar Chand, the ruler of kangra, in 1806 with the help of many provincial chiefs. However Gorkhas could not capture Kangra fort which came under Maharaja Ranjeet Singh in 1809. After the defeat the Gorkhas began to expand towards the south of the state.However,Raja Ram Singh,Raja of Siba State re-captured the fort of Siba from the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Samvat 1846.[7]

This led in the Anglo-Sikh war. They came into direct conflict with the British along the tarai belt after which the British expelled them from the provinces of the Satluj.[7] Thus the British gradually emerged as the paramount powers.[7] The revolt of 1857 or first Indian war of independence resulted due to the building up of political, social, economic, religious and military grievances against the British government.[7] People of the hill states were not politically alive as the people in other parts of the country.[7] They remained more or less inactive and so did their rulers with the exception of Bushahr.[7] Some of them even rendered help to the British government during the revolt. Among them were the rulers of Chamba, Bilaspur, Bhagal and Dhami. The rulers of Bushars rather acted in a manner hostile to the interests of British.[7]

The British territories in the hill came under British Crown after Queen Victoria's proclamation of 1858. The states of Chamba, Mandi and Bilaspur made good progress in many fields during the British rule.[7] During the first world war, virtually all rulers of the hill states remained loyal and contributed to the British war effort both in the form of men and materials. Amongst these were the states of Kangra, Jaswan,Datarpur,Guler, Nurpur, Chamba, Suket, Mandi and Bilaspur.[7]

After independence the Chief Commissioner's province of H.P. came into being on 15 April 1948. The province comprised of the hill districts around Shimla and southern hill areas of the former Punjab region. Himachal became a part C state on 26 January 1950 with the implementation of the Constitution of India. Himachal Pradesh became Union Territory on 1 November 1956.[7] On 18 December 1970 the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament and the new state came into being on 25 January 1971. Thus Himachal emerged as the eighteenth state of Indian Union.[7]


[edit] Geography and climate
Main article: Geography of Himachal Pradesh

A summer view of KhajjiarHimachal is situated in the western Himalayas. Covering an area of 55,780 kilometres (34,660 mi),[1] Himachal Pradesh is a mountainous state with elevation ranging from about 350 metres (1,148 ft) to 6,000 metres (19,685 ft) above the sea level.[10]


Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh.The drainage system of Himachal is composed both of rivers and glaciers. Himalayan rivers criss-cross the entire mountain chain. In fact the rivers are older than the mountain system. [11] Himachal Pradesh provides water to both the Indus and Ganges basins.[12] The drainage systems of the region are the Chandra Bhaga or the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, the Sutlej and the Yamuna. These rivers are perennial and are fed by snow and rainfall. They are protected by an extensive cover of natural vegetation. [12]

There is great variation in the climatic conditions of Himachal due to extreme variation in elevation. The climate varies from hot and sub-humid tropical in the southern tracts to cold, alpine and glacial in the northern and eastern mountain ranges with more elevation.[13] The state has areas like Dharamsala that receive very heavy rainfall, as well as those like Lahaul and Spiti that are cold and almost rainless. Broadly Himachal experience three seasons; hot weather season, cold weather season and rainy season. Summer lasts from mid April till the end of June and most parts become very hot (except in alpine zone which experience mild summer) with the average temperature ranging from 28 °C (82 °F) to 32 °C (90 °F).[14] Winter lasts from late November till mid March. Snowfall is common in alpine tracts (generally above 2,200 metres (7,218 ft) i.e. in the Higher and Trans-Himalayan region).[14]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himachal_Pradesh

A river gasps for life
The Ganga is ‘dying’, and fast. The most revered river of the country can no longer be classified as "threatened". If the WWF report ‘World’s top 10 rivers at risk’ is any indication, continuous water withdrawal, pollution and climate change have together created a situation of very high risk for our most famous river, reports Vibha Sharma

"What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn’t have any doubt—it is sure to where it is going, and it doesn’t want to go anywhere else," Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Hal Boule once said. This statement, however, no longer holds true as some of the world’s greatest rivers, including the Ganga, are no longer assured of reaching the sea unhindered, says the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Human greed, expanding population and climate change have together ensured that.





(Above) The Ganga at Prayag; (bottom) the bathing ghats at Banaras. How long will the river remain the lifeline of those who are sustained by it?
In the years to come the northern plains, heavily dependent on the Ganga, are likely to face severe water scarcity. Together with the onslaught of industrial and sewage pollutants, the river’s fate stands more or less sealed.

"Among the categories dead, dying and threatened, I would put the Ganga in the dying category," says WWF Programme Director Sejal Worah.

The other heavyweight to join in the list from the Indian subcontinent is the mighty Indus. The Indus, too, has been the victim of climate change, water extraction and infrastructure development. "In all, poor planning and inadequate protection of natural means have ensured that the world population can no longer assume that water is going to flow forever," WWF says, adding that the world’s water suppliers—rivers-on-every-continent are dying, threatening severe water shortage in the future.

The other rivers of the world are at the mercy of over-extraction, climate change, pollution, dams and over-fishing are the Yangtze, the Mekong-Lancang, the Salween-Nu, the Danube, the La Plata, the Rio Grande, the Nile and the Murray-Darling. The bottomline, therefore, is that rivers are no longer assured of reaching the sea unhindered.

As per the WWF, water extraction is the only one of the daunting challenges that a river faces as it makes its way to its terminus. "Dams and channelising destroy habitats, cuts rivers off from their floodplains and alter the natural ebb and flow on which a river’s plants and animals depend. Invasive species crowd rivers’ banks, drive out native fish and choke their courses. Pollution fouls their waters, sometimes turning life-giving rivers into threats to human health. And climate change threatens to alter all the rules that rivers have lived by for thousands of years".

While the imminent fresh water crisis is bigger than the 10 rivers listed, the summary mirrors the extent to which unabated development is jeopardising nature’s ability to meet growing demands.




The huge volume of waste generated by millions of people living in the cities on the banks of the Ganga is passed on into the river
What’s wrong?

The Ganga is facing a threat due to increased water withdrawal for agriculture, pollution, climate change and the 14 proposed large dams. In India, barrages control all the tributaries to the Ganga and divert about 60 per cent of the river to large-scale irrigation, the WWF report claims.

Over-extraction for agriculture in the river has caused a great reduction in surface water resources, increasing dependence on groundwater, loss of water-based livelihoods and the destruction of habitat for 109 fish species and other aquatic and amphibian fauna.

"Lowering water levels have indirectly led to deficiencies in organic content of the soil and reduced agricultural productivity. Over-extraction of ground water has affected the water quality. Inadequate recharging of groundwater impairs the natural cleansing of arsenic which becomes water soluble when exposed to air threatening the health of the people likely to use it. Climate change will excarberate the problems caused by water extraction. The Himalayan glaciers are estimated to supply 30 to 40 per cent of the water in the Ganga, which is particularly critical in dry seasons prior to monsoon," the WWF cautions.

Another major problem has been pollution caused by polluting industries due to which large amounts of chemicals like chromium find their way into its rapidly decreasing flow. And that’s not about all. The sheer volume of waste generated by millions of people living in the cities on its banks is passed on into the river in almost untreated form.

Ganga, the people’s river

The Ganga originates from the Gangotri glaciers, a vast expanse of ice, five miles by 15, at the foot of the Himalayas, (14,000 feet above sea level). It is the source of the Bhagirathi, which joins the Alakhnanda to form the Ganga at Devprayag. Incidentally, the sources of the Indus and the Brahmaputra are also close by but while one ultimately flows out into the sea through Pakistan, the other spends a major portion of its life in Tibet/China.

As far as the Ganga is concerned, from Devprayag to the Bay of Bengal and the Sunderbans delta, the river and its tributaries like the Yamuna, the Ghagar, the Gandak, the Son, the Gomti and the Chambal cover a vast expanse. It breathes life into some of the most important cities of the northern plains—Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna and Kolkota.

With a basin spread over an amazing 1,016, 124 square km, covering parts of India, Nepal, China and Bangladesh, the river supports a population of more than 200 million. The Ganga basin occupies 30 per cent of the land area in India and interestingly one in 12 people in the world live in its catchment area.

The WWF says that the Ganga basin supports a rich biodiversity with 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species and five areas supporting birds found nowhere else in the world. It is home to the endangered Ganges river dolphin and the rare freshwater shark—Glyphis ganeticus. The unique Sunderbans delta supports more than 289 terrestrial, 219 aquatic, 315 bird, 1276 fish and 31 crustacean species. There are also 35 reptile and 42 mammals, including the world’s last population of tigers living in mangroves. Sunderbans, the delta of Ganga, or rather the Hoogly and the Padma, covers 42,000 square-km and is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Pilgrimage towns like Hardwar, Banaras and Allahabad hold special significance, and not just for devout Hindus. For millions, the Ganga is the centre of social and religious traditions. What makes the Ganga so special for India is that for the people in India it is associated with a way of life and is the symbol of India’s age-old civilisation and culture.

Ganga on film

Its close association and significance in the life of the people has made it the focus of many Hindi and Bhojpuri blockbusters. The river automatically brings to the mind names of Bollywood grossers like Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai and Ganga Tera Paani Amrit. Several Hindi film songs have been shot on its waters. The Canadian entry for 2007 Oscars—Mira Nair’s Water—focused on the plight of widows in the temple town of Banaras. Initially planned to be picturised in Banaras, the shooting locales were later shifted to Sri Lanka following protests.

Action plan

The Ganga Action Plan, initiated by the government to control pollution in the Ganga and its tributaries in different phases, has been slow.

The Ganga runs its course of over 2,500 km from Gangotri to Ganga Sagar through 29 class I cities, 23 class II cities and about 48 towns.

While GAP-I was still in progress, the Central Ganga Authority decided to take up GAP-II in February 1991, on the tributaries of Ganga like Yamuna, Damodar and Gomti, in 25 class I cities left out of the phase-I and in other polluting cities along the river. GAP-II was to be completed by December 2001.

Despite heavy investments towards cleaning, pollution levels in the river remain as dangerous. While lower water levels can be attributed to over-extraction, climate change and infrastructure development, environmentalists say that close to 90 per cent of the pollution in the river is caused by sewage, which continues to flow unabated into it. Pollution level in the Ganga is the biggest contributor in spreading water-borne diseases among those residing on its banks.

Officials, of course, shift the blame of delays on the lack of experience of state agencies, delay in land acquisition, litigation and court cases, contractual disputes and diversion of funds.

Source trouble

The situation is no less scary at the source of the Ganga—the Gangotri. The glacier receded at an alarming rate of 17.15 metres per year between 1971 and 2004, according to a study conducted by the Department of Science and Technology. One more study estimated that the glacier retreated 12.10 metres during 2004-05, another example of global warming and climate change.

Agencies conducting regular monitoring of several glaciers during the past 100 years in major basins of Himalayas from Shyok in the west to Changme Khangpu (Tista) in the East have revealed that a majority of the glaciers in the Himalayan region are passing through a phase of recession.

Climate change

Environmentalists say that climate change is closer than we think and will hit agrarian developing countries like India the hardest. While the north will face the water crisis with 50 per cent less water in the next 18 years, coastal areas like Mumbai can face the threat of innundation and 20 per cent increased risk of cyclonic storms. "On a scale of one to 10, I would put India’s capacity to meet with challenges ahead at 0.5 points. Everyone seems to be talking about climate change, but as an actual measure very little is being done," IPCC Chairman R.K. Pachauri says.

"Adaptation will be necessary to address impacts resulting from the warming which is already unavoidable due to past emissions. We need much more work on the monsoon given its importance to life and agriculture in this country. The country has to devise anticipatory measures, including protective infrastructure and encouraging natural methods," he adds.

Sixty feared dead in landslide in Indian Himalayas
15 Aug 2007 06:11:28 GMT
Source: Reuters
Alert Me | Print | Email this article | RSS [-] Text [+]


Background
S. Asia monsoon
More
CHANDIGARH, India, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Around 60 people are thought to have died in the Indian Himalayas after a cloudburst caused a landslide that buried an entire village, officials said on Wednesday.


The army has been called in to look for bodies after Tuesday night's cloudburst in Dharla village in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. But heavy rain was hampering rescue work.


"There is so much debris which has fallen on the houses that nothing except few lanterns are visible," local police officer Vidya Chand Negi told Reuters. "Huge boulders 20 to 25-feet high have completely crushed the houses."


Negi said five bodies had been recovered and around 55 people were missing, with 14 houses and a primary health centre buried.


"We don't expect any survivors," he said, adding
Recession may cause an increase in the discharge of Himalayan rivers due to enhanced melting, initially leading to a higher incidence of flooding and landslides. It spells disaster for areas dependent on perennial rivers like the Ganga. As the volume of ice diminishes, there will be no water left to flow in the river.






http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070520/spectrum/main1.htm