Drought, monsoon failure, flash floods and receding water level in local streams are matters of serious concern and need immediate attention.

This was stated by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh while inaugurating the Eighth World Congress on Environment Management, which began here last night.

He said the country needed immediate steps to maintain the eco-system, particularly in mountains, as the present scenario was quite alarming.

Over 300 delegates from India and abroad are participating in the three-day congress.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said the rain pattern in the state had completely changed. The impact of global warming could be easily gauged from the fact that the state had faced flash floods during monsoon and drought conditions in winter, which was not a healthy sign.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said it was a matter of concern that five major glaciers in the Kinnaur and Lahual-Spiti areas were melting at a fast speed for the past five years. The overflowing of the Parechu lake in Tibet in June last year was also attributed to the melting of glaciers in Tibet, which had caused a huge loss to the state and adversely affected the power generation at the biggest power project in Asia at Nathpa Jhakri .

He said the change in the rain pattern in mountains was an unhealthy sign and the state the Centre should take it seriously.

The substantial increase or decrease in greenhouse gases had induced climate changes within a period of decades, with possibly devastating consequences for several countries.

He said the world energy system was responsible for more than half the anthropogenic gas emissions. As such a majority of the emissions were due to fossil fuel use, representing about 75 per cent of the total energy use.

He cautioned the Union Government over the future of the Bhakhra and Pong dams built at a very high cost since no steps had been taken in past for large-scale energy plantations in its catchment areas as recommended by the state government and environmental agencies from time to time. Their capacity to hold water was falling by the year because of heavy siltation caused by destruction of forests because of execution of power projects.

He said the state alone could not do much and the Union Government should initiate projects to check environmental degradation in the Sutlej and Beas valleys