2. About the Himalayas
• The Himalayas, one of the youngest and loftiest geo-entities that the
planet has ever produced.
• According to the geological and geomorphic concepts the Himalayan arc
extends between latitudes 26’40’’ to 35’40’’ North and between longitude
74’50’’ to 95’40’’ east, which refers to the great range of mountains that
separate India from China, Tibet.
• The Himalayas extend 2500 km in length and 200-300 km by width.
• The region directly provides life support base for over 65 million mountain
people.
4. FOUR MAJOR EARTHQUAKES (TABLE 1)
PLACE YEAR MAGNITUDES IN RICTOR
SCALE
SHILONG 1897 8.7
KANGRA 1905 8.4
BIHAR 1934 8.1
ASSAM 1950 8.7
5. MAXIMUM OBSERVED 24HR RAINFALL AT SELECTED
MOUNTAIN STATION (TABLE 2)
STATION 24hr. Rainfall (mm)
Cherrapunji 1036
Dibrugarh 745
Darjeeling 640
Almora 221
Dehradun 152
6. Man-Made Environmental Insecurity
• Unscientific Growth of Human Population
• Forest Degradation and Loss of Biodiversity
• Forest Fires
• Unplanned Urbanization (development project, faulty governance,
inadequate knowledge)
• Tourism
• Conflicts, tension and suppression
7. Conclusion
There was a symbiotic and intimate relationship between man and environment
in the early days . The Himalayas, often regarded as the cradle of the South Asian
civilization. The situation is detriorating with every passing day and future of
Himalayas is looking grim. The politicized significant environment issues related
to the region and hence has done little good to the region. In the process the
indigenous and tribal population of the Himalayas have been sidelined and are
often regarded as direct agents of Himalayan Environmental Degradation