Frame sustainable Himalayan development policy: Bahuguna

Noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna today pitched for framing a sustainable Himalayan development policy to prevent receding of glaciers, a development, he said, is leading to climatic problems and trigerring unrest among the people.
   
Bahuguna, who led a delegation to Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast states to create awareness on decreasing water-level in rivers, said the Himalayan policy should be framed keeping in mind the native population of the region.
    
"The policy should be in contrast to the present policy of setting up large dams, which do not give water to local inhabitants but shift the resources to large towns," he told reporters here.
    
Even large towns would not get water for long as the dams lead to siltation in rivers, he claimed.
    
"A number of dams are also coming up in Arunachal Pradesh, displacing people and damaging flora and fauna," Bahuguna said.
    
He expressed concern over "gradual drying" up of the Dal lake in Kashmir due to deforestation and silting.
    
The environmentalist charged that setting up of huge cement factories, large dams and deforestation are causing unrest in Himachal Pradesh.
    
He asked the governemnt to frame the Himalayan policy in such a way as the people are encouraged to grow water retaining plants like chestnuts, mulberry, rhododendron etc instead of pine.