Uttarakhand will soon become the first State in India to establish a special authority on glaciers and climate change with Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank approving its formation. Though there are many academic institutions involved in research on the condition of glaciers and climate change, the authority to be formed in Uttarakhand will be the first of its kind to work on the practical aspects of climate change and its impact on glaciers.
The Chief Minister will be the head and the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC) will be the nodal agency of this authority.
Talking to The Pioneer, USAC Director MM Kimothi said that the formation of an authority specifically for snow glaciers and climate change in Uttarakhand will be the first step of its kind in India which will focus on the practical aspects of research on the condition of glaciers and effect of climate change on the Himalayas in Uttarakhand.
There are about 1,400 glaciers of varying dimensions in the Himalayas in Uttarakhand which are the source of 11 major perennial rivers including the Bhagirathi and Yamuna and numerous smaller rivers originating in the State.
According to Kimothi, the water and other resources of the rivers originating in the glaciers of Uttarakhand have so far been used in the State only for power generation. The work to be undertaken by the authority will find out the present condition of glaciers and simulate the future conditions, which will prove to be valuable data for optimising the use of water resources while also ensuring protection of the glaciers and environment. Even the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) in America and the European Space Agency (ESA) have worked on satellite imaging of the Himalayas as it is considered to be one of the most important mountain systems in the world.
In India the Chandigarh-based Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) and Dehradun-based Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) are involved in studies on glaciers and climate change but such research is largely academic. The dynamic data available through satellite imaging provided by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be used effectively by USAC.
The authority to be formed in Uttarakhand will ascertain the present condition of glaciers, the impact of global warming on these and their projected condition in the future which will help in preservation of glaciers, optimum use of resources and facilitate measures for mitigating the negative impact on livelihood of the people.
The authority will also frame guidelines for ensuring the protection of glaciers in the State. Apart from national institutions involved in glacier and climate change research, members of this authority will include prominent environmentalists of Uttarakhand. The formation of this authority is expected to be announced in the coming State Cabinet meeting.
