Table of Contents Acknowledgements xi Foreword xii I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY XIV II. INTRODUCTION 20 A. The Context of the SoE Process 20 B. Objectives of an SoE 21 C. The SoE for Uttaranchal 22 D. Developing the framework for the SoE reporting 22 Identification of priorities 24 Data collection Process 24 Organization of themes 25 III. FROM ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 34 A. Introduction 34 B. Driving forces and pressures 35 Liberalization 35 The 1962 War with China 39 Political and administrative convenience 40 C. Millennium Eco System Assessment 42 D. Overall Status 44 E. State 44 F. Environments of Concern 45 Land and the People 45 Forests and biodiversity 45 Agriculture 46 Water 46 Energy 46 Urbanization 46 Disasters 47 Industry 47 Transport 47 Tourism 47 G. Significant Environmental Issues 47 Nature Determined Environmental Fragility 48 Inappropriate Development Regimes 49 Lack of Mainstream Concern as Perceived by Communities 49 Uttaranchal SoE November 2004 Responses: Which Way Ahead? 50 H. State Environment Policy 51 Institutional arrangements 51 Issues in present arrangements 53 Clean Production & development 54 Decentralization 63 IV. LAND AND PEOPLE 65 A. Introduction 65 B. Geological Setting and Physiography 65 C. Drainage 69 D. Land Resources 72 E. Soils 73 F. Demographical details 74 Decadal Population growth 75 Sex Ratio 75 Population Density 76 Literacy 77 Remoteness and Isolation 77 G. Rural & Urban Population 77 H. Caste Stratification of Garhwalis and Kumaonis 78 Tribal communities 79 I. Localities in Uttaranchal 79 J. Livelihoods 82 K. Women of Uttaranchal 84 Increased workload on women – Case Study from Pindar Valley 84 L. People and the Environment 85 V. FORESTS AND BIODIVERSITY 86 A. Forest Policies 86 B. Area under Forests 91 Discrepancies in forest area 93 C. Diversion of Forestland 93 D. Pressures on Forest Resource Use 95 Fuel wood 96 Green fodder 97 Non-Timber Forest Produce 97 E. Forest Fires 99 Effects of forest fires 99 ii Uttaranchal SoE November 2004 F. People and Forests 100 Van Panchayats 104 Community Conserved Forest Areas (CCA) 104 G. Forest Related Conflicts 105 Types of conflict in the region 105 H. Flora and Fauna of Uttaranchal 109 I. Impact of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 110 J. The Way Forward 112 VI. AGRICULTURE 117 A. Factors Affecting Agriculture 117 Terrain 117 Agro-climatic factors 119 Irrigation 120 Agro-biodiversity 121 B. Land Holding Patterns 122 C. Land Use Patterns 123 D. Crop Rotation 124 E. Agricultural Inputs 125 Fertilisers 125 Pesticides 128 Seeds 129 F. Agricultural Performance 130 Productivity and availability of food 130 G. Agricultural Policies 132 H. Marketing of Agricultural Produce 134 I. Horticulture and Floriculture 135 Impact on environment 136 J. Livestock 137 K. The Way Forward 140 Background 142 Impact on Water Supply 144 Social Life 144 Employment 145 Closing the Farm and Creating Infrastructure for State’s Capital 147 VII. WATER 148 A. Concern over water resources 148 B. Water Resources in Uttaranchal 148 Glacier melt 148 iii Uttaranchal SoE November 2004 Surface water 150 Groundwater 150 Springs 151 Lakes 152 C. Efforts by Central Government 154 D. Water management systems in the state 155 Watershed development 155 E. Irrigation 158 F. Drinking Water 159 G. Water Quality: Ganga Action Plan 165 H. The Way Forward 168 I. Designated-Best-Use 175 VIII. ENERGY 178 A. Introduction 178 B. The Energy Situation in Uttaranchal 178 Cooking fuel 179 C. Rural Electrification 182 D. Electricity Consumption 183 E. Renewable Energy Potential and Utilization 184 F. Hydro Power Development and its Implications 185 G. The Way Forward 188 IX. URBANISATION 196 A. Urbanisation in Uttaranchal 196 B. Urban Centres 198 C. Housing 200 D. Urban Slums 202 E. Water Supply and Sanitation 203 F. Solid Waste Management 206 G. Environmental Impacts of Non-sustainable Urbanisation 207 H. Balancing Urbanisation: The Way Forward 208 Need for integrated planning 209 iv Uttaranchal SoE November 2004 X. DISASTERS 210 A. Introduction 210 B. Vulnerability of Uttaranchal 210 C. Earthquakes 213 Location of the epicentre 214 Rescue operations 214 Relief operations 215 Reconstruction 215 Rehabilitation 219 D. Landslides 219 The Malpa landslide 220 The Madhyamaheshwar Landslide 220 E. Forest Fires 221 F. Disaster Management: The Way Forward 223 XI. INDUSTRY 226 A. Development of Industries in Uttaranchal 226 B. Khadi, Village and Small Scale Industries 226 C. Medium and Large-scale Industries 228 D. Resource base of Industrialisation in Uttaranchal 229 E. Environmental Impacts of Industrialisation 231 F. The Way Forward 234 XII. TRANSPORT 241 A. Road Development in Uttaranchal 241 B. Road Connectivity 242 C. Vehicle Population 243 D. Energy and transport 244 E. Environmental Implications 244 Deforestation 244 Exploitation of forests 245 Air Pollution 246 Other impacts 247 F. Other modes of transport 248 Railways 248 G. The Way Forward: Future Transport Options 248 Airships 249 v Uttaranchal SoE November 2004 Ropeways 250 XIII. TOURISM 251 A. Tourism in Uttaranchal – Status and Potential 251 B. Outlay for Tourism Activities 254 C. Types of tourism 255 D. Eco-Tourism 257 E. Environmental Impacts of Tourism 257 Impact on natural resources 257 Solid waste management and wastewater handling 258 Impact on local community development 258 F. The Way Forward: Strategy for Sustainable Tourism 260 XIV. RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION 263 A. State Environment Policy 263 Eco- Industrial Policies 263 Development Planning Process 264 B. Few Pragmatic Steps 267 Institutional changes for Environment Management 267 C. Conclusion 268 XV. SUGGESTED ACTION PLAN 270 Policy and Institutional strategies 270 Sectoral strategies 273 XVI. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 275 vi Uttaranchal SoE November 2004 List of Annexures Annex II-1 SOE Launch Meeting - 26 July 2003 27 Annex II-2 First Stakeholder Meeting 28 Annex II-3 Second Stakeholder Meeting, November 15-16, 2003, Gairsain 29 Annex II-4 Nodal Officers from Departments 30 Annex II-5 Data Requirements from Various Departments 31 Annex VI-1 Case Study 142 Annex VIII-1 Districtwise Consumption of Electricity for Different Purposes 191 Annex VIII-2 Districtwise Electrified Villages and Harijan Basties, 1993-94 192 Annex VIII-3 Projects under planning 193 Annex XI-1 Highlights of the Industrial Policy 2003 of Uttaranchal 236 Annex XI-2 Industrialisation during British Raj 238 vii Uttaranchal SoE November 2004 Table of Figures Figure II-1 SoE in the context of state environment policies........................................21 Figure II-2 Schematic of the DPSIR framework............................................................23 Figure III-1 A model for decentralized infrastructure....................................................64 Figure IV-1 Location of Uttaranchal..............................................................................65 Figure IV-2 Geological formation of the region............................................................66 Figure IV-3 The Piedmont Zone....................................................................................67 Figure IV-4 Schematic of State elevation ......................................................................68 Figure IV-5 River drainage in Uttaranchal ....................................................................70 Figure IV-6 Land use patterns in Uttaranchal................................................................72 Figure IV-7 Soils in the State.........................................................................................73 Figure IV-8 Population Growth in the State ..................................................................75 Figure IV-9 Comparison of sex ratio in Uttaranchal - 1991 and 2001 ..........................76 Figure IV-10 Population Density variation....................................................................76 Figure IV-11 Literacy rates............................................................................................77 Figure IV-12 Caste Distribution in the State .................................................................79 Figure V-1 District-wise forest area...............................................................................92 Figure V-2 Diversion of Forest Lands ........................................................................... 93 Figure VI-1 Operational holdings in Uttaranchal ........................................................123 Figure VI-2 Fertiliser consumption figures .................................................................126 Figure VI-3 Skewed use of fertilizer............................................................................ 126 Figure VI-4 Food production and chemical fertilisers.................................................127 Figure VI-5 Mountain farming systems.......................................................................128 Figure VI-6 Turnover of seeds 1999-2003 ..................................................................129 Figure VI-7 Changes in acreage under different crops( ‘000 ha) (1997-2000) ......... 131 Figure VI-8 Value of Agricultural Production (1998-99)............................................ 132 Figure VI-9 Changes in net sown area......................................................................... 132 Figure VI-10 Overview of agricultural produce markets and products .......................135 Figure VI-11 Horticulture: acreage and production (2001) ......................................... 136 Figure VI-12