Hydrological Impact of Deforestation in the Central Himalaya
Hydrology ofMountainous^4reoi (Proceedings of the Strbské Pleso Workshop, Czechoslovakia, June 1988). IAHS Publ. no. 190, 1990. Hydrological impact of deforestation in the central Himalaya M. J. HAIGH Geography Unit, Oxford Polytechnic Headington, Oxford, England J. S. RAWAT, H. S. BISHT Department of Geography, Kumaun University Almora, U.P., India ABSTRACT Deforestation is the most serious environmental problem in Uttarakhand, home of the Chipko Movement, the Third World's leading nongovernmental organization (NGO) dedicated to forest con servation. This group exists because of the rural people's concern for the loss of forests and their personal experience of the envi ronmental consequences. Despite this, it has become fashionable for scientists from some international organizations to argue there is little evidence for recent deforestation, desertification, acce lerated erosion and increased flooding in the region. This paper tries to set the record straight. It summarizes results collected by field scientists in Uttarakhand. These data reinforce the popu lar view that deforestation and environmental decline are very ser ious problems. Preliminary results from the Kumaun University/Ox ford Polytechnic instrumented catchment study are appended. This catchment is set in dense Chir (Pinus roxburghii) forest on a steep slope over mica schist in a protected wildlife sanctuary on the ur ban fringe at Almora, U.P. The results demonstrate a pattern of sediment flushing associated with the rising flows of the Monsoon. INTRODUCTION Deforestation is the most serious environmental problem in Uttar akhand, the Himalaya of Uttar Pradesh, India (Fig. 1). This tract, which covers nearly 52 thousand km2 on the western borders of Nepal, is home of the "Chipko" Movement, the Third World's leading NGO devoted to forest conservation (Haigh, 1988a).
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