The HKH Snow Update 2025 highlights a significant decline in seasonal snow across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, with snow persistence 23.6% below normal — the lowest in 23 years. This trend, now in its third consecutive year, threatens water security for nearly two billion people. All twelve major river …
The term bioprospecting has been widely used to assess the economic potential of different plant species and their value-addition. Our folklore with embedded cultural heritage has tremendous possibilities and potential for bioprospecting. Among the over 8000 species of flowering plants growing in the Himalaya, nearly 4000 are identified from the …
A study conducted in 45 villages in the central Himalayas assesses the current status of van panchayats, an old institution of decentralised forest governance. It finds that locals are indifferent to the administrative jurisdiction of the forest in the course of their resource extraction activities. There is no quantitative evidence …
In this paper, the role of "seabuckthorn" in greening the cold deserts of Himalayas in terms of its various uses like medicinal values, nutritional/food values and controlling soil erosion/landslides has been detailed.
The Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) said that Inter-linking of river can be taken up as a national project. The Minister, however, clarified that no river-interlinking project under National Perspective Plan (NPP) is currently under implementation and the Project depended on the consensus and cooperation of the States and agreements …
The present study evaluated the options of silt disposal from Beas Satluj Link (BSL) hydroelectric project in Himachal Pradesh in India. BSL project is basically a run of the river power project, envisages diversion of about 4700 MCM per annum of Beas river water into Satlej river falling through an …
The North Eastern Region of India has a total geographical area of 26.23 million hectares with a population of 39.08 million. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. Crop production in this region is carried out under diverse slopes and altitudes having different agro-climatic conditions. Crops are grown mostly …
Report by the task group set-up for analyzing the problems of hilly habitations in areas covered by the Hill Areas Development Programme/Western Ghats Development Programme. The mountain ranges and hill areas of India have a crucial role to play in determining the climate and physiography of the country and are …
Black carbon in soot is the dominant absorber of visible solar radiation in the atmosphere. Anthropogenic sources of black carbon, although distributed globally, are most concentrated in the tropics where solar irradiance is highest. Black carbon is often transported over long distances, mixing with other aerosols along the way. The …
It won't take more than a few decades for many Himalayan glaciers to disappear, leaving the Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra as seasonal rivers. These glaciers are receding just like others at low latitudes. Data from almost 30 such reference glaciers in nine mountain ranges indicate that between 2004-06, the average …
The geochemical investigation of sediments deposited in the Renuka Lake basin and its adjoining wetland has shown variation in the distribution and concentration of major, trace and REEs. The major elements are depleted in the lake in relation to wetland and that of Post Archaean Australian, Shale (PAAS), except for …
Effect of forest fire on woody vegetation and regeneration behaviour was studied in Chir pine forest situated between 1150-1800 m in Solan Forest Division in Himachal Pradesh, India. Fire is considered to be one of the main causes of disturbance in Chir pine forests. The disturbance has become a requirement …
The impact of climate change on Himalayan glaciers is becoming apparent. Studies show that most valley glaciers are retreating. Vertical shifts of up to 100m have been recorded during the last fi fty years with retreat rates of 50m per year. There is evidence that glaciers have been melting faster …
The document on Project Snow Leopard launched by MoEF recently. It stresses on the landscape approach to wildlife conservation in the Himalayan high altitudes and is based on principles of robust science and community involvement in conservation. On 20 January 2009, the Government of India announced a new and ambitious …
Annual extreme rainfall series of 1-3 day durations at stations located inside the Indus basin in India were subjected to statistical analysis in order to estimate point Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) and maximum rainfall of different return periods for the durations of 1-3 days. Daily rainfall data of 210 stations …
Patients seek cures from a variety of medical systems. In the traditional medical systems, medical traditions partly cover other sectors of social life. In contrast to traditional health care system, the official health care system is based on Western science and technology. Gaddis employ different ways in case of sickness. …
