For the love of Pangong tso

List of abused tourist is long and never ending. People come and enjoy their part and leave with some irreversible damages to the environment. Latest and sad entrant to the list is Pangong tso (tso for lake in Ladakhi). Located in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,250 m (13,900 ft) and is 134 km (83.3 mi) long. Most of its part lies in Tibet and is claimed by India.

Once it was featured in mani ratnam’s movie dil se in song satrangi re there was no stopping the affair between Bollywood and Pangong tso. Long gone are the days when only the enthusiasts could make it across the rohtang pass to reach Leh and then to the Pangong lake and gone are the days when you would be alone on the Leh - Manali highway for countless kilometers on your bike. Its appearance in the movie ‘3 idiots’ triggered a tsunami of tourism in this region.

With increased Chinese intrusion in this region it became more important for India to strengthen its claim over this region. As a result the Inner Line Permit (ILP) was abolished and now Indians are free to visit this place without any permission, thus going one step further to trigger that wave of tourism in the region. Where the increased tourism meant more income and better lifestyle for the people of Leh and Ladakh it also meant a huge overload of tourism wastage generated every month. The serene mountains, the shining blue lake never saw so many people in their lifetime.

Although boating is banned in this lake for security reasons, driving big SUVs into the lake for a ‘perfect click’ and littering in and around the lake has worsened the situation for Pangong tso. Never seen hikes in the temperature have been recorded in the area. Today we cannot say that people are not aware enough that they don’t know about the concept of garbage disposal and simple dustbins or simply the term global warming. People have become insensitive towards the need of our environment.

We the people of India need to realize that these tourist destinations are in important source of local as well as global economy,we need to collectively protect them so that our future generations can see them in their true colors and you don’t have to point to a barren piece of land and say that there used to be a beautiful lake here which used to freeze in winters without being salty in nature. Let’s come forward and help Pangong tso to flourish as it has been forever.

Arun Dahiya

TOP 5 ENVIRONMENTAL MODELS FROM INDIA AND ABROAD

In recent years, the management and mitigation of the various phenomenon brought about by anthropogenic manipulation of the environment has assumed considerable importance. Many countries, including India, have endeavoured to develop innovative techniques to curb environmental degradation and optimize the use of their natural resources. The need for adoption of environmentally sustainable practices has been globally recognized and numerous projects have been developed to that end. Here are a few examples from India and around the world:

Use of Ducks To Treat Grey And Black Water, India

Treatment and management of sewage is a serious issue in India. The average wastewater generated per capita per day in India is around 121 litres. Also , it has been found that around 73% of sewage generated in Indian cities finds its way into rivers and other water bodies sans any treatment. Economic, easy to maintain and sustainable solutions are needed for efficient sewage management in our country and the Indian green service, a trust operating out of Tamil Nadu, has taken a step towards that. Developing an ingenious way to reduce the biological oxygen demand while ensuring aeration, the IGS has used ducks and catfishes to treat the municipal sewage generated at Vellore. The infrastructure consists of five treatment tanks, inhabited by around 150 ducks. The ducks take up all algae, insects, worms and other organic matter as food. This results in increased penetration of sunlight which acts as a natural disinfectant, preventing mosquitoes. The constant paddling action of ducks facilitates increased aeration. After about a month, 10-15 catfishes are introduced in the tanks. These consume the algae on the side walls and other small organisms that escape the ducks. In this manner, 3,00,000 litres of water is recycled each day. In addition to recycled water, the rearing of ducks also results in other commercial gains. Their droppings serve as good source of manure and their eggs are consumable and provide a good source of income.

Rice-Fish Culture

Excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides results in rampant pollution of the groundwater and rivers in addition to soil degradation. A notable solution to this problem, practiced in rice growing countries like India, China and Bangladesh is Rice-Fish Culture. It involves farmers introducing small, indigenous fish into their rice fields. The fishes provide a source of fertilizer with their droppings, eat pests and help to circulate oxygen around the rice fields while being protected from birds among the dense rice plants. Farmers have reported that keeping fish can increase rice yields up to 10% while also providing an additional supply of fishes. This practice results in better crop yield while significantly reducing the pollution caused by the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Waste Handling And Management, Germany And Singapore

Management of municipal wastes, both solid and liquid, is an uphill task for any growing economy. While most countries struggle with staggering figures and insufficient infrastructure, Germany and the city-state of Singapore lead by example. Power generation and recycling take care of 98% of Singapore's solid waste while only 2% is sent to landfills. Almost 3% of the country's electricity needs are met by its waste-to-energy plants and the recycling rates are at an all-time high of 60%. The European Union has set a target of 50% waste recycling to be achieved by 2020. In Germany, this target has been already met with 62% of their waste being recycled as of 2010. The target for biodegradable municipal waste, set for 2016, was met in 2006. Both Germany and Singapore have displayed exceptional capacities in waste handling by following one simple methodology: reduction in amounts of landfills and a move towards incineration as final disposal. Also, an increased stress reduction and recycling of wastes- looking at disposal as a final option.

Potatoes From Briny Soil, Netherlands

Approximately 70% of the world's freshwater is used by the agriculture industry. Studies have shown that the worldwide salinisation of agricultural land will escalate under the influence of climate change. To combat this issue, the research facility 'Tested on Texel' in Netherlands is testing the possibility of agriculture under salty conditions. The research focuses on cultivation of vegetation, including potatoes, in briny soil. The 'briny potato' has a very rich mineral composition and an exceptionally good taste. Similar projects have been started in Egypt.

Water Square, Netherlands

Only about 50% of the land in the Netherlands exceeds one metre above sea level and most of the area below sea level is manmade. Netherlands is a very densely populated country with insufficient land available to combat the increasing frequency as well as intensity of rains. The idea of water squares was conceived to compensate for the unavailability of land to harvest rainwater. A multifunctional water square has been created in the city of Rotterdam with temporary rainwater catchment area at the square and a special public area for the citizens.

Ajinkya Puranik

Exotic beaches, a rich heritage, scenic mountains and even a hot air balloon ride over a world’s wonder… Welcome to Incredible India. Earlier people used to buy an air ticket and fly abroad to see and experience these things. But for the last few years domestic tourism has gathered a tremendous growth and more and more Indians are choosing Indian places instead of foreign destinations. From the time immemorial to many people India is considered as a land of rich heritage, culture and history.

Whether it is British, Mughals, Afghans or Portuguese India still blossoms with a touch and mix of these cultures together in one place. This rich culture of India has played such a strong role in rising index of tourism in India that it can be seen from the fact that the Indian government has set up Ministry of tourism and culture. Aim of this ministry is to promote cultural tourism in India. According to the World travel and tourism council tourism generated around 6.4 trillion USD or say 6.6% of nations GDP in 2012. It provides employment to over 39.5 million people and around 7.7% of total employment in the country.

A report by travel and tourism competitiveness states that India stands at 65^th place in tourism out of the 144 countries. Moreover India’s receipt from tourism was ranked 17^th in the world. So, such a large industry can make a rapid growth if we promote Indian culture and heritage globally. India is the country with unity and diversity. India is a beautiful amalgamation of religions, regions, languages, believes, customs, traditions and even different foods and music. Over the decades and centuries India has preserved its cultural heritage, be it architectural extravagance of its forts, palaces and havelis, or various religious influences as seen in various temples, mosques, churches or gurudwaras, or even traditional folk music and dance.

Considering all this, India is the most preferred place to visit to experience all these diverse things at one place. But there is also a different side to this story. Our environment is taking a big hit with rising tourism. For example the Pangong lake in Ladakh is being polluted at such a rapid rate that the average temperature of that place has risen considerably. With such a blooming industry we need to control its side effects on our environment.

Thus culture can be used as a catalyst in the growth of tourism in India but with a responsibility to control environmental pollution and hence the global warming in the country.

Arun Dahiya

Mental blocks and Fear

What can you do if you are faced with a difficult situation and see no way clear? The solution lies within the problem! Every question implies its own answer. Your subconscious mind knows all and sees all. You must follow your subconscious mind with confidence. Once you achieve this new attitude, you will always find the answer you seek.

It has been said that people’s greatest enemy is fear. Millions of people are afraid of their past, future, death, etc. But actually fear is just a thought in your mind. This means that we are afraid of our own thoughts. A small child can be paralyzed with fear when someone says that there is a monster under the bed who will grab him in the night. But when the parents turn on the light, there is no monster. The fear is in the mind of the child. He was healed of a false thought in his mind. In the same way, most of our fears have no reality.

If you are an alcoholic or drug addict, admit it. Do not dodge from the issue, many people remain alcoholics because they refuse to admit it. Your disease is an inner fear. We are living in a psychological prison of our own making. We are bound by our own beliefs, opinions and other influences. We are a creature of habit and thus we are conditioned to react the way we do.

If you have a keen desire to free yourself from a bad habit, you are actually 51% healed. When your desire to give up a bad habit is greater than your need to continue it, you will be amazed to discover that complete freedom is just a step away.

“I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

-PSLAM 34:4         

When fear knocks at the door of your mind, or when worry and doubt cross your mind, think of the infinite power within your subconscious mind. Fill your mind with the concept of freedom ie freedom from fear, bad habits, doubts, etc. And slowly this will give you confidence, power and courage. Keep on; keep trying, until the day breaks and the shadows flee away.

-Sahil Shaparia

NGOs and their Assistance to the Government

In the past few decades, we have seen tremendous effort from the Non-government organisations. Call it the upsurge of the youth for a better society or whatever; today many non-governmental organisations have been able to achieve what the government sometimes lacked. NGOs are working in literally every sector that there is, and that is because social causes need people’s initiatives and the government is not always able to reach every person. In this article, we will be discussing environmental NGOs in particular.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change in the government of India constitutes a special NGO cell to oversee the functions of environmental NGOs in the country. It was constituted in May 1992 to promote more NGOs and movement in the society with respect to environment. The forest department and the NGOs many a time collaborate and disseminate information for each other. Surveys conducted by the former and provided with personnel by the NGOs who may also require the information for their campaigns.

International NGOs have been able to carry out campaigns that have been successful in protecting an endangered species, or at least spread enough awareness that people could do something about it. Let us take two case studies, one from India and one from another country.

WWF India, India’s largest NGO working in the environment sector, has launched campaigns for protection of endangered species like the Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, Snow leopard, Ganges river dolphins etc. The way they go about it is that they focus more on the threats that these species have and the issues in their surroundings like poaching and hunting, loss of habitat. So there campaigns stress more upon people’s awareness. Only sometimes they cater to government intervention.

International Fund for Animal Welfare from the United States of America has a different approach towards handling this. Their belief in state is perhaps a little higher, so their direct line of attack is legal and they fight for law reforms that may help their situation. For example, USA and China last month committed to protecting elephants by banning ivory trade in the regions, due to IFAW leaders and campaigners. Similarly for tiger protection, IFAW has leaders fighting the government for protection from poachers, hunting for tiger skins; IFAW, in partnership with Russian government and World Bank among others, helped in organizing the global tiger summit to fight the legal and awareness battle. Similarly, in 2009, revised trade in seal products was seen due to various animal NGOs along with IFAW.

Both these approaches work, and well. But they are thought of differently because people of India are so much more different than any other country. It takes different types of appeals to arouse people’s feelings towards something enough that they do something for it. Therefore, the NGOs in India, although large in number, do in some ways or the other contribute to the environment conditions of the place they operate in. Even if they do not affect the governance and the laws in India, they do impact the way people function in a particular ambience.

Let’s help these NGOs in what they are trying to achieve because at the end, they are working towards causes that the society as a whole faces and therefore, we are the basic units of it. If we just do what we are supposed to, everyone’s work would be so much easier. You don’t have to be or support a non-governmental organisation to protect the place where you live. Although, support some that don’t have the scope of involving you directly. 

Vaibhavi Khanwalkar