Article | A lesson from Joshimath : Don't play with environment and climate | Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh | Central Chronicle

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A lesson from Joshimath : Don't play with environment and climate
       -    Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh
Writer, Author & Social Activist
Blogger - "Climate Diary Of Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh"

*Today, the importance of Joshimath is not only because it is an area of religious importance, but also because it is sacrificing itself to teach us a lesson. He is reminding not to run blindly in the race for development. First check the condition of environment and climate, then take steps for any major construction. That too keeping in mind that the damage caused to the environment and climate can be compensated. Remember that our rigid looking land rests on tectonic plates floating on liquids. Any construction of skyscrapers, dams or tunnels without checking these plates or testing their fragility can repeat the Joshimath disaster. That's why it is important that we take lessons from the Joshimath disaster.*

In October 2021, cracks appeared for the first time in some houses in Joshimath city of Uttarakhand. A year later, as of January 11, 723 houses in all nine wards of the city have developed major or minor cracks in the floors, ceilings and walls. Poles were uprooted in many houses. In response, 145 families have been temporarily moved to safer locations within the city. Joshimath at an altitude of 6,107 feet is a busy town in Chamoli district. Despite a population of around 23,000, it is heavily built up with hotels, resorts and a bustling market, which mainly caters to tourists, pilgrims, trekkers and personnel of the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

When the famous Swiss geologist Arnold Heim and colleague Augusto Gaster undertook the first expedition on the geological structure of the Central Himalayas in 1936, they recorded their travelogue "The Throne of the Gods (1938)" and research work "Central Himalaya: Geological The Observations of the Swiss Expedition 1936 (1939) identified the presence of tectonic rifts, the Main Central Fault (MCT), and described the area from Helang to Tapovan in Chamoli Garhwal as geologically sensitive. Research and studies on the geology of the Central Himalayas progressed further. After this, in 1976, the Mishra Committee also studied and declared Joshimath as sensitive and gave suggestions for treatment. In 2022, the Disaster Management Department of the Government of Uttarakhand had also drawn the attention of the government towards the danger looming over Joshimath. After all these warnings, efforts were not made to save Joshimath, but a forest of huge buildings kept growing there. The water used by the increasing population kept descending into the womb of Joshimath. Today Joshimath is sliding down towards Alaknanda under the unbearable burden on the same swamp. The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority constituted a multi-institutional team in August 2022 for the geological and geotechnical survey of the city. The team submitted its report in September, noting that Joshimath "stands on an unstable foundation that can be damaged by rain, irregular constructions. Apart from weak natural foundations, the report noted that many houses along the Joshimath-Auli road, Resorts and small hotels have been built which are weakening the land.
For some time, the speed of sliding of Joshimath has suddenly increased. The entire Joshimath is sinking due to the subsidence of the land. Hundreds of buildings are no longer habitable. In many places, wide cracks have also started emerging on the ground. In some places, water is coming out due to bursting of the ground. Cracks have also appeared on the walls of Jyotirpeeth, one of the four highest religious shrines in India. Geologists have already been warning to evacuate the city immediately.

Joshimath is not an ordinary city. It is Jyotirpeeth, one of the four supreme religious peeths established in the four corners of the country by Adiguru Shankaracharya to protect Sanatan Dharma. It is the ancient capital of Uttarakhand, from where the Katyuri dynasty initially ruled. This is where the formalities of the pilgrimage to the supreme pilgrimage Badrinath are completed. The seat of Shankaracharya resides here. This city is also the base of Valley of Flowers and Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. Hemkund Yatra is also controlled from here. Chinese movements on the Niti-Mana passes and the Barahoti plateau are monitored from this city. It is known that the Chinese army repeatedly tries to infiltrate from Barahoti side. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police battalion and its Mountain Training Center are here to keep an eye on them. This is also the headquarters of the Garhwal Scouts and the headquarters of the 9 Mountain Brigade.

This city with a population of 20-25 thousand is falling prey to uncontrolled short-sighted development. On one hand the tunnel of NTPC of Tapovan Vishnugad project hollowed out the ground from inside, on the other hand by digging at the root of the bypass road Joshimath shook the whole city from below. The reason for this is being told by NTPC's Tapovan Vishnugad Hydropower Project. In this project, a long tunnel is being made by cutting the mountains. This project was started about 2 years ago, after which cases of cracks in the ground started coming to the fore. According to environmentalists, the clues inside the Joshimath mountain region will act like a leaking balloon. The way water seeps out of a balloon and gradually loses its shape, something similar can happen in the mountains of this area.
Due to the imbalance of weight on the mountains, cracks started early, but such cracks can also occur in the plains. It is a matter to think that if we cut a very large scale of solid rock from one place, remove it from there, make a dam there, then in this way we hand over a stable land to unstable water with waves. Now it can be easily guessed that what will be the result? In this way we dig a pit for ourselves and get surrounded by troubles. Today, when we have sophisticated instruments from which we can see the condition of the earth within seven layers, then in this way the geographical element of climate should not be ignored. It doesn't matter what kind of land we are on, hilly or plain, because a danger like Joshimath can arise anywhere. The thing to remember is that if we play with the existence of the land, then the land too will not delay in erasing our existence. It is in our hands whether we want to live with a beautiful and safe nature or want to wander as manmade disaster refugees?
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(05.02.2023)
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Article | Gender Balance Is Necessary for Healthy Climate & Environment | Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh | Central Chronicle

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Gender Balance Is Necessary for Healthy Climate & Environment

       -    Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh

Writer, Author & Social Activist

Blogger - "Climate Diary Of Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh"

     Eco systems contain biotic or living, parts, as well as biotic factors, or nonliving parts. Men and women both have equal importance in ecosystem. If a single link in the ecosystem is broken or imbalanced, the entire ecosystem is affected. Gender Balance Is Necessary for Climate & Environment. The increasing violence against women has started creating gender imbalance. Gender imbalance means weakening of the links between environment and climate.

     What is the role of women in the ecosystem? In communities around the world, women manage water, sources for fuel, and food, as well as both forests and agricultural terrain. In developing areas of the world, women are considered the primary users of natural resources (Land, forest, and water), because they are the ones who are responsible for gathering food, fuel, and fodder. 

Women play a critical role in managing natural resources on family and community levels and are most affected by environmental degradation. In communities around the world, women manage water, sources for fuel, and food, as well as both forests and agricultural terrain. Women produce 60 to 80 percent of food in developing countries, while inheritance laws and local customs often prevent them from owning or leasing land and securing loans or insurance. From the high level to the grassroots, the 1992 UN Earth Summit, India’s Chipko movement and Kenya’s Green Belt Movement all highlighted the role of women’s voices and perspectives in sustainable development.

An ecosystem consists of a community of organisms together with their physical environment. Ecosystems can be of different sizes and can be marine, aquatic, or terrestrial. Broad categories of terrestrial ecosystems are called biomes. In ecosystems, both matter and energy are conserved. An ecosystem can be defined as the biological community of living beings, communicating with the physical environment and other nonliving components. It can also be defined as the chain of communication or interaction between the living organisms and their environment. In ecosystem every creature and his behavior is important. In ecosystem every creature and his behavior is important. So, how can we neglect an importance of women as human being or a living creature in ecosystem?

Climate scientists say change, including United Nations chief Antonio Guterres had said to end violence against women that every 11 minutes a woman or a girl loses her life at the hands of her intimate partner or family member. He also urged everyone to make violence against women and girls a thing of the past on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2022, to be celebrated on 25 November. He said that all kinds of pressures and instabilities, ranging from the Covid-19 pandemic to economic upheavals, have intensified physical and verbal abuse. Meanwhile, the use of hate speech about women and sexual harassment has further intensified and intensified the exploitation against women and girls on online forums. The UN Secretary-General said in his message, “This discrimination, violence and abuse with half of humanity has a heavy price to pay… It limits the participation of women and girls in all areas of life, violates their basic rights and freedoms hinders the equitable economic recovery and sustainable progress the world needs."

The UN Secretary-General said in his message, “This discrimination, violence and abuse with half of humanity has a heavy price to pay… It limits the participation of women and girls in all areas of life, violates their basic rights and freedoms hinders the equitable economic recovery and sustainable progress the world needs." The UN chief underlined that it is time for transformative action to end violence against women and girls. Keep in mind that this is the most prevalent form of human rights violation around the world. He also explained what needs to be done, which includes preparation of national action plans by the governments of the countries, availability of funds for them and implementation, to combat this curse.

More importantly, grassroots and civil society groups should be involved at all levels of decision-making, and all laws should be implemented effectively and respected, so that justice and rights of the victims are guaranteed. The rights to get help can be respected. He also urged everyone to support public campaigns that challenge patriarchal and so-called forms of masculinity that do not recognize the practice of misogyny and violence against women. Five years ago, the #MeToo movement erupted, sparking global activism to confront and prevent violence against women and girls. Since then there has been extraordinary awareness and activism. However, during this time, there has also been an increase in anti-feminist groups resulting in limited space for civil society, increased opposition from organizations working for women's rights, and an increase in attacks against women human rights advocates and activists.

Due to the presence of impunity, silence, stigma and shame around violence against women and girls, human rights abuses continue to limit the registration of cases. Violence against women is defined as any gender-based violent act that results in physical, sexual and psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, harassment or arbitrary deprivation of liberty are also included, whether in public or private life. Adverse psychological, sexual and reproductive health consequences affect women at all stages of life, and can happen to anyone, anywhere. Men and women both have equal importance in ecosystem. If a single link in the ecosystem is broken or imbalanced, the entire ecosystem is affected. Gender Balance Is Necessary for Climate & Environment. The increasing violence against women has started creating gender imbalance. Gender imbalance means weakening of the links between environment and climate. That's why we have to try to remove all the causes of gender imbalance, be it female mortality or crimes against women.

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 (04.12.2022)

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