Himalayas

Water is the core of life; hence water must be spent in efficient way. Most part of the mother earth is surrounded by water which is essential for having life in our planet. Therefore water conservation must be our deepest concern.

Along the northern boundary of India, the snow clad Himalayas stand like a gigantic wall. The Himalayan ranges extend from Arunachal Pradesh in the east to Kashmir in the west. The mountain wall stretches over a length of about 2,400 km and its width varies from 240 to 320 km. The Himalayan mountain range is among the highest, youngest and most fragile ecosystem of the planet. It has some of the highest peaks in the world like Mt. Everest (8,848 km) and Karakoram. The Himalayas have given us some of the greatest river systems of the earth including the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Nu Salween, Yangtze, Indus, and the Mekong. The Himalayas are also called the ‘Third Pole’, for they contain the largest mass of ice and snow outside the earth’s polar region, the north and the south poles. There is a permanent snowline above 5,000 metres. Some of the glaciers in the region are the longest outside the two poles.

The Himalayas serve as water towers, providing water on a sustained basis to more than 1,000 million people and millions of hectares of land in South Asia. The greenery, benevolent climate, highly productive ecosystems, food production and overall happiness in South Asia are in fact, attributable to the generosity of the Himalayas. They are not only beautiful; they are life-givers. Little wonder that are venerated as the abode of gods.

To keep the Third Pole preserved through assured conservation is one of the greatest challenges for the contemporary world. Himalayan mountains are a common but fragile natural resource. As mountain ecosystems have enormous bearing on the earth’s systems, their special care, regeneration and conservation of their pure resources would only bring more happiness, peace and prosperity to large parts of the world. In Agenda 21, Chapter 13 of the United Nations, the importance of mountains is und:

‘’ mountain environments are essential to the survival of global ecosystems.’’

 

The Himalayas in the state of the Uttarakhand are especially rich in water resources. This area is home to dozens of perennial streams and numerous other rain-fed rivers along with innumerable rivulets, waterfalls and ponds, etc.

Efforts should be done to save water and avoid wastage. It is our duty to protect the environment, wildlife, resources and vegetation in forests. Only human beings has mind and power to protect, save and conserve the free gifts of nature.