Socio-economic and environmental implications of the hydroelectric projects in Uttarakhand Himalaya, India

Rana, Naresh; Sati, S. P.; Sundriyal, Yaspal; Doval, Madan Mohan; Juyal, Navin

doi:10.1007/s11629-007-0344-5

Cited by 21 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The construction of large dams in seismically active Himalayan region has been a highly debated issue but the advantages of Tehri dam (highest dam in India), including increasing irrigation potential and generation of hydro power (Rana, Sati, Sundriyal, Doval, & Juyal, 2007), has led to the proposal and construction of numerous dams in Uttarakhand and in near future Uttarakhand will have the highest dam density in the world (Grumbine & Pandit, 2013). These infrastructural developments are being implemented at the expense of deforestation and loss of prime agricultural land (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-temporal analysis of trends in seasonal vegetation productivity across Uttarakhand, Indian Himalayas, 2000–2014

Mishra

Chaudhuri

2015

Applied Geography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-temporal analysis of trends in seasonal vegetation productivity across Uttarakhand, Indian Himalayas, 2000–2014

Mishra

Chaudhuri

2015

Applied Geography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Broadly, four major lithological units, the Sub-Himalayan Shiwaliksediments, the Lesser Himalayan Metasedimentary sequences, the Higher Himalayan crystallines and the Tethyan Sedimentary successions [15] are found north-east to south-west across the Bhagirathi Valley. The main rock types are quartzites, phyllites, slates, gneisses, intrusive granites and metabasics.…”

Section: Physiographic Description Of the Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between Selected Physiographic Features and Landslide Occurrence around Four Hydropower Projects in Bhagirathi Valley of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, India

Ballabh¹,

Pillay²,

Negi³

et al. 2014

IJG

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Himalayan mountain range is an internationally recognised landscape but one under increasing developmental threat. The lower Himalayan region possesses immense potential for hydropower generation but is also highly susceptible to tectonic deformation and mass wasting, especially landslides. Susceptibility to landslides increases markedly with human activity, especially large scale developmental projects. The impacts of massive hydropower plant construction in the Bhagirathi Valley, Uttarkhand, India on the generation of landslides are the focus of this study. Whilst many positive impacts derive from such projects, devastating negative impacts also accrue. The frequency and characteristics of land sliding within the sphere of influence of the construction sites of the various hydropower plant components were investigated. Landslide frequency was related to parameters of geology, prior land use, drainage density, slope steepness and location in terms of construction aspect. Landslide frequency was found to be greatest in gneissic terrain as well as on previously agricultural and forested lands. Statistical analysis revealed significant relationships between landslide frequency with slope and, frequency with construction aspect, especially the construction of access roads. As with other studies, road construction is the key initiator of land sliding due to slope over steepening and the indiscriminate dumping of debris. The study concludes with recommendations for reducing the frequency and magnitude of mass wasting in * Corresponding author.H. Ballabh et al. 1089 this environment.

show abstract

“…There are local livestock herders and pastoral migrant communities such as Gujjar (outside the protected area) and Gaddis (in the Trans-Himalayan part of Gangotri National Park), with large herds of livestock (c. 30,000 sheep, goats and mules) grazing the alpine pastures of the National Park (Chandola et al, 2008) for 4 months annually (June–September). Anthropogenic activities in the lower and mid-altitude forests (500–2,500 m) of the Bhagirathi basin include livestock grazing, extraction of non-timber forest products and collection of fuelwood, activities that have been conducted for centuries (Awasthi et al, 2003; Rana et al, 2007). Additionally, tourism, mountaineering, and pilgrimage attract numerous visitors during April–November.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mammals of the Bhagirathi basin, Western Himalaya: understanding distribution along spatial gradients of habitats and disturbances

Pal

Thakur

Arya

et al. 2020

Oryx

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the distribution of wildlife species and their response to diverse anthropogenic pressures is important for conservation planning and management of wildlife space in human-dominated landscapes. Assessments of anthropogenic impacts on mammals of the Indian Himalayan Region have mostly been limited to locations inside protected areas. We studied the occurrence of mammals in an unexplored landscape, the 7,586 km2 Bhagirathi basin, at an altitude of 500–5,200 m. The basin encompasses wilderness areas of various habitat types and protection status that are exposed to a range of anthropogenic pressures. Camera trapping at 209 locations during October 2015–September 2017 confirmed the occurrence of 39 species of mammals, nine of which are categorized as threatened (four Vulnerable, five Endangered) and four as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. We recorded five mammal species that were hitherto undocumented in Uttarakhand State: the argali Ovis ammon, Tibetan sand fox Vulpes ferrilata, woolly hare Lepus oiostolus, Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx and woolly flying squirrel Eupetaurus cinereus. In addition, we recorded two Endangered species, the dhole Cuon alpinus and tiger Panthera tigris. Threatened species such as the sambar Rusa unicolor, common leopard Panthera pardus and Asiatic black bear Ursus thibetanus occur in a wide variety of habitats despite anthropogenic disturbance. We recorded the snow leopard Panthera uncia in areas with high livestock density but temporally segregated from human activities. The musk deer Moschus spp. and Himalayan brown bear Ursus arctos isabellinus were recorded in subalpine habitats and appeared to be less affected by human and livestock presence. Our findings highlight the potential of the Bhagirathi basin as a stronghold for conservation of several threatened and rare mammal species.

show abstract

Socio-economic and environmental implications of the hydroelectric projects in Uttarakhand Himalaya, India

Cited by 21 publications

References 3 publications

Spatio-temporal analysis of trends in seasonal vegetation productivity across Uttarakhand, Indian Himalayas, 2000–2014

Spatio-temporal analysis of trends in seasonal vegetation productivity across Uttarakhand, Indian Himalayas, 2000–2014

Relationship between Selected Physiographic Features and Landslide Occurrence around Four Hydropower Projects in Bhagirathi Valley of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, India

Mammals of the Bhagirathi basin, Western Himalaya: understanding distribution along spatial gradients of habitats and disturbances

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About