State of Environment Report Himachal Pradesh Department of Environment, Science & Technology Government of Himachal Pradesh Narayan Villa, Shimla-171 002, H.P. Phone No. 0177-2627608, 2627604, 2620559 Website: www.himachal.nic.in/environment State of the Environment Report on Himachal Pradesh © Department of Environment, Science & Technology, Government of Himachal Pradesh. Published by : Department of Environment, Science & Technology, Government of Himachal Pradesh. Narayan Villa, Shimla-171002 (Himachal Pradesh). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the copyright owner. Editing, Typesetting and Printing : Shiva Offset Press, Dehradun - 248 001 Tel.: +91-135-2715748 Fax : 91-135-2715107 E-mail: [email protected] ii iii iv JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA Minister (Forests, Science & Technology) Himachal Pradesh MESSAGE It gives me immense pleasure to learn that the Department of Environment, Science & Technology, Government of Himachal Pradesh is bringing out the second State of Environment Report for the State. I have been given to understand that the State of Environment Report being published by the Department would display vital information on the environment related aspects of the State. As a Minister in-charge of the Department it shall be my endeavour to equip the Department in such a way that it successfully carries forward the protection, prevention and conservation agenda in a most sustainable manner. Himachal Pradesh, which has its own peculiar environmental problems, needs to tread the devel- opmental path without compromising with its pristine environment. Climate change and biological diversity loss are the two major planetary environmental threats facing mankind today and they are closely interlinked. Himachal Pradesh is a sensitive and highly bio-diverse ecosystem. To conserve our Himalayan heritage, we must jointly strengthen our endeavours to tackle the climate change and to curb the loss of biological diversity through adoption of sustainable environ- mental management practices. Under the able leadership of Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Hon'ble Chief Minister Himachal Pradesh, we would integrate environment protection in development agenda of the State. I congratulate and wish all success to the Department of Environment, Science and Technology. (Jagat Prakash Nadda) v vi FOREWORD Environmental concerns are growing each day with huge advancements in industrial development and infrastructure. We have reached the stage where we have to realize that all that we do impacts our delicate balance with nature. To sustain this balance, it is essential that development is in harmony with nature. Various sectors exert impact on the environment in their own ways and to various degrees. It is essential to understand these pressures and impacts so that timely mitigation and adaptation measures may be taken to correct the situation. The State of Environment Report is a sincere effort in this direction. It provides the reader with sector wise pressures, status, impacts and responses needed to take corrective action. The report is supported by a significant quantity of data thoughtfully presented in a user friendly form of tables and graphs rendering the statistical data easy to comprehend. The report is in essence a one-stop gateway to the environmental scenario of Himachal Pradesh. This report has fulfilled a long standing need of our state and I am confident that it will be used by policy makers in arriving at decisions that will help in sustainable development. I also hope that the report will be equally useful to research scholars, students, NGOs and the public at large in understanding the environmental concerns of our State. It is not an easy task for any organization to compile such diverse information and therefore I feel immensely proud that the Department of Environment, Science & Technology has risen to this challenge, under the initiative of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, and has successfully completed the same. The purpose of the report will be served if it is able to facilitate various stake holders to take informed decisions which will result in better management of the state’s environment and improve the quality of life in Himachal Pradesh. Smt. Sarojini Ganju Thakur, IAS Additional Chief Secretary Environment, Science & Technology, Government of Himachal Pradesh vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The State of Environment Report (SoER) has been prepared by Department of Environment, Science & Technology in collaboration with H.P. State Council for Science & Technology, Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board and with the active support of several organizations, institutions and individuals. I express my sincerest gratitude to Smt. Sarojini Ganju Thakur, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Science & Technology who not only provided valuable comments in her capacity of Chairperson of the Steering Committee constituted by the State Government for overseeing the preparation of this report but also provided her wholehearted support to the project. We also express our sincere gratitude to other members of the Steering Committee, the ‘Team Environment’ for providing valuable inputs in the report. This report contains large amount of data which has been collected and collated from various Departments through the Nodal Officers appointed within each Department. Our sincere thanks are extended to all the Departments/Nodal Officers without whose help it would not have been possible to prepare this document. I duly acknowledge the efforts of the Resource Persons of the various sectors who put in untiring efforts in writing and compiling the report. I also wish to put on record the efforts made by all the concerned organizations/persons without whose constant efforts and guidance this report would not have been possible. In the last I would like to once again express my thanks to ‘Team Environment’ who were a guiding spirit through out the duration of the project. I also thank Ministry of Environment & Forests for providing financial assistance to this endeavour. Dr. Nagin Nanda, IFS Director Environment, Science & Technology, Government of Himachal Pradesh ix x LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS S.No Topic Contributed By 1 Physiography of Himachal Pradesh H.P. State Council for Science, Technology & Environment. 2 Agriculture & Environment Dr. B.D. Sharma, Retired Pr. Scientific Officer, NBPGR Phagli, Shimla, H.P. 3 Bio- Diversity & Environment H.P. State Council for Science, Technology & Environment. 4 Natural Disasters & Climate Change H.P. State Council for Science, Technology & Environment. 5 Forest & Environment Dr. Hemant Gupta, Regional Director, FSI, Shimla, H.P. 6 Society & Environment Sh. Raja Bhasin, Renowned Writer, Shimla, H.P. 7 Health & Environment Dr. S.N. Joshi, Retired IAS, Shimla. 8 Environment Pollution & Management Dr. R.S. Saini, IDMA Laboratories, Chandigarh. 9 Energy & Environment Sh. G.C. Chadha, Retired SE, HPSEB. 10 Landuse & Environment Sh H.S. Atwal, Retired IAS, Shimla. 11 Tourism Culture & Environment Sh. Raja Bhasin, Renowned Writer, Shimla, H.P. 12 Transport & Environment Dr. R.N. Batta, Director, Rural Development Department, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh. 13 Water Resources & Environment H.P. State Council for Science, Technology & Environment. 14 Industries & Environment Dr. R.S. Chauhan, Advisor, Department of Industries, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh. 15 Environment Legislation Dr. Manoj Sinha, Lawyer, Delhi High Court. 16 Environment Accounting Dr. Y.S. Negi, Head, Department of Forestry, UHF, Nauni, Solan, H.P. 17 Jan Vichar Acharaya Rattan Lal, Journalist, Hamirpur, H.P. xi xii TABLE OF CONTENTS Messages ....... iii, v Foreword ....... vii Acknowledgement ....... ix List of Contributors ....... xi Table of Contents ....... xiii-xxi List of Tables ....... xxiii-xxvii List of Maps ....... xxviii List of Figures ....... xxix Documentation Process of SoER ....... 1-4 Main Objectives of the SoER ....... 1 Key Objectives ....... 2 Identification of Priorities ....... 3 Data Collection Process ....... 4 CHAPTERS OF SoER I PHYSIOGRAPHY OF HIMACHAL PRADESH ...... 5-25 1.1 Himachal at a Glance ...... 5 1.2 Geographical /Land Profile ...... 8 1.3 Natural Resources ....... 17 II-A AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT ...... 27-57 2.1 State ...... 29 2.2 Major Challenge in H.P. Agriculture ...... 31 2.2.1 Pressures ...... 32 2.2.2 Impacts ...... 33 2.2.2.1 Loss of Agro-Biodiversity and Narrow Crop Base ...... 33 2.2.2.2 Shift in Cropping Patterns ...... 34 2.2.2.3 Heavy Reliance on Higher Energy Input ...... 35 2.2.2.4 Rainfed Nature of Agriculture ...... 36 2.2.2.5 Indiscriminate Use of Chemicals in Agriculture ...... 38 2.2.2.6 Threat from Rogue Plants and Animals Damaging Crops ...... 39 2.2.2.7 Large Gaps in Research Achievements ...... 39 2.2.2.8 Untapped Potential of Varied Agro-ecological Sub Zones ...... 40 2.2.2.9 Unexploited Organic Farm Produce ...... 40 2.2.2.10 Problematic Market Access ...... 40 2.2.2.11 Lopsided Policy Issues ...... 40 2.2.2.12 Inadequacy of Soil and Water Conservation Programmes ...... 41 2.2.2.13 Environmental Issues in Agriculture ...... 41 2.3 Emerging Trends in Agriculture ...... 41 2.3.1 Replacement of Traditional Crop Germplasm by ...... 42 High Yielding Varieties xiii 2.3.2 Research Thrusts and Government Support Confined to ...... 42 Major Food Crops 2.3.3