The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Soon, more stations to monitor air quality
Air monitoring station at Clock Tower in Dehradun. Dehradun, February 9
After successfully operating two ambient air-quality monitoring stations here, the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board has submitted a proposal to install another station in Dehradun. Monitoring stations across cities including Rishikesh, Haridwar and Roorkie have also been proposed.With this, permanent air-quality monitoring will be introduced in several cities of the state.
Air monitoring station at Clock Tower in Dehradun.

Come November, Uttarakhand to go fully online
Dehradun, February 9
e-governance continues to be on the priority list of Uttarakhand as it is in the process of successfully implementing of the State Wide Area Network (SWAN) project. The project began in August 2008.

Pilgrims throng Magh Poornima mela for holy dip
Haridwar, February 9
On the auspicious occasion of Magh Poornima, thousands of people took bath in the Ganga river here today.

Masked intentions

Masks used to ward of evil spirits on sale at the Rajpur Road in Dehradun. A Tribune photo:Anil P. Rawat

Many a slip-up behind landslips
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

n Hydro projects n Construction n Changed land-use patterns

Dehradun, February 9
The massive landslides that have threatened to impede the flow of Kali river at Tawaghat, in the border district of Pitthoragarh, since the past five days have once again brought to fore the problems associated with developmental activities in the state.

Fearing blockade of the river, Pitthoragarh district administration has issued warnings to people living on the banks of the Kali following Tawaghat landslides, as these have taken a heavy toll on people and their properties in the past.

Landslides are a recurring phenomenon in the state, as seismic movements are constantly taking place in the Himalayas. On an average, as many as 200 earthquakes of smaller magnitude occur every year in the region. However, most of these remain undetected.

On the other hand, since formation of the state, developmental activities in the shape of roads, hydro-electric projects and buildings have also triggered landslides.

In a survey conducted by the State Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre in collaboration with National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad, and Geological Survey of India (GSI), 1,200 places in the state were identified as landslide-prone.

As many as 500 villages will be affected in case landslides occur, and people in 105 villages are in urgent need of rehabilitation. Many of the villages around the Tehri dam reservoir are facing the problem of landslides and sinking.

Families living in Chai village in Chamoli district are facing dislocation following landslides caused by the digging of underground tunnel for Vishnuprayag hydro-electric project. The origin of the tunnel for Dauliganga hydro-electric project on Kali river is also near the present site of Tawaghat landslides.

Authorities here have identified more than 20,000 MW of power potential to be tapped through 190 projects. Already 14 projects worth 5,255 MW are being constructed while 61 other hydro-electric projects are in various stages of planning and investigation. A total of 750 kilometres of underground tunnels would be dug for these upcoming projects.

Apart from geological reasons, change in land use pattern in the mountains has led to increase in the frequency and magnitude of landslides. The most obvious reason is the rapid destruction of forests, which has left large tracts in the entire Himalayan region with denuded slopes.

The deforestation and vegetative cover that bind the top soil has been going on at a rapid pace because of various developmental activities in the region, including expansion of road network, hydro-electric projects, new townships etc.

Local communities are also resorting to terraced agriculture in a bid to grow cash crops like paddy - a switchover that has made the area more ecologically fragile. Scientists feel that changes in the cropping pattern has increased the seepage of water into the rocky surface of mountains.

“The cultivation of cash crops like paddy has added to the problem as water seepage breaks up the inter-locking eco-system that binds the mountains in the longer run,” said Dr Anil Joshi from the voluntary group Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO).

The use of explosives to blast roads and underground tunnels has wrought its own brand of havoc on the hill slopes. A study conducted in 1984 on the relationship between the building of Mussoorie-Tehri road and landslides occurring in the region revealed that landslides caused more devastation in deforested areas rather than those having a forest cover.

The study found that 148 landslides took place on the slopes where the tree cover was less than 40 per cent, and 118 took place where the tree cover was more than 60 per cent. It was found that the debris in the afforested area was only 12 cubic metres as compared to 26 cubic metres in deforested areas. Similarly, 30,000 to 40,000 cubic metres of soil needs to be excavated to carve out one kilometre of road in the Himalayas.

To compound the problem, there is lack of proper scientific studies on the phenomenon of landslides vis-a-vis developmental activities in the past one decade in the state.

Landslides are particularly frequent in active seismic belts like the Himalayas, which are the youngest, tallest and one of the most fragile mountains in the world. But unlike earthquakes, their occurrence can be predicted and planned for. “There are no scientific studies but landslide zonation maps of few areas, near some of the roads, have been made by National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad,” said Dr Piyush Rautela, executive director of Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre.

Sadly, despite the suffering and losses caused to people, the state is yet to form its own rehabilitation policy.

Shopkeepers foil kidnap bid
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, February 9
Crime in Haridwar city is on the upswing with incidents of murder, theft and ransom on the rise. Today, at one of the prime locations in the heart of the city at Ranipur Chowk, four persons came in a Scorpio (UA08- J 3888) with the intention of kidnapping 19-year-old Cheeku, who works in a cell phone accessory shop.

They failed in their intentions following a protest from nearby shopkeepers and quick action from beat police constables.

The culprits, residents of Roorkee, parked their vehicle near Surya Complex at 1.30 pm. One of them, Sonu, came entered a shop, MahaKali Communications, and asked Cheeku working there to come out as he wanted to talk to him. Both belonged to Roorkee and knew each other.

As soon as Cheeku stepped outside the shop, Sonu with the help of his three three accomplices pushed him into their vehicle. When Cheeku resisted, Sonu slapped him. As Cheeku cried for help nearby shopkeepers and passersby came to his rescue. One of the shopkeepers took away the keys of the Scorpio and fled.

Seeing a crowd gathering around them, the three fledran the spot but Sonu was caught by the peole. He was beaten by angry traders.

Soon the police arrived at the site and impounded the vehicle and arrested Sonu. Sonu alleged that Cheeku had made lewd remarks about his sister several times and despite warnings, he had not mended his ways. So he wanted to teach him a lesson. Cheeku admitted he knew Sonu’s sister but said he had never misbehaved with her.

Two of those who fled were identified as Bittu and Pushpendra, relatives of Sonu. Till late evening, the police was searching for them. An alert has been sounded at all Roorkee police stations.

Station officer of the Jwalapur police station, BS Chauhan, said the families of all involved in the incident had been informed but no case had been registered yet.

The brazen attempt to kidnap an employee in broad daylight has created fear among the residents. The incident, as it occurred in a plush area and one of the busiest shopping complexes, remained the talk of the town today.

A police post is barely 50 metres from the crime site.

Soon, more stations to monitor air quality
Jotirmay Thapliyal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 9
After successfully operating two ambient air-quality monitoring stations here, the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board has submitted a proposal to install another station in Dehradun. Monitoring stations across cities including Rishikesh, Haridwar and Roorkie have also been proposed.

With this, permanent air-quality monitoring will be introduced in several cities of the state. This will also reveal the air-pollution levels being caused by vehicular traffic in these cities.

The new stations will, for the first time, ensure complete data linked to suspended particulate matter and oxides of sulphur and nitrogen present in the air in these cities due to vehicular traffic.

The two stations at Dehradun - at Clock Tower and Raipur - are successfully monitoring air quality in the city.

“The new monitoring stations will help us get a comprehensive data on pollution levels in these cities,” said CS Rawat, chief environment officer, Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board.

The Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board also monitors sound pollution levels from time to time. These statistics assume significance during Diwali.

The Society for Protection of Environment and Conservation Studies (SPECS), a voluntary organisation, has welcomed the proposal to increase monitoring stations in the state.

The association has been at the forefront in sensitising people on the ill-effects of rising pollution levels. “Such monitoring stations are welcome provided the data is made public,” Brijmohan Sharma, director, SPECS, said.

Come November, Uttarakhand to go fully online
Jotirmay Thapliyal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 9
e-governance continues to be on the priority list of Uttarakhand as it is in the process of successfully implementing of the State Wide Area Network (SWAN) project. The project began in August 2008.

On its completion, it will put Uttarakhand on the e-governance map of the country. The National Informatics Centre, which is implementing the Rs 76 crore project, is hopeful that the project would be completed by November.

“The state is taking big strides towards e-governance and the completion of the SWAN project will certainly be a big achievement,” said Dr Devratna Shukla, director, National Informatics Centre, Dehradun.

He said the state has already achieved targets through e-governance in public service institutions like transport and land records departments. As many as eight regional transport offices have gone online while rural land records up till tehsil levels are online.

The implementation committee will hold consultations with various district magistrates shortly for the speedy implementation of the project.

Welcoming the NIC efforts towards speedy implementation of SWAN projects, IT experts see a better future for Uttarakhand on the e-governance front. “Completion of the SWAN project will certainly boost e-governance,” Dr Harish Kumar, scientist E at the Information Technology cell of Indian Council of Forestry Research Education.

Dr Kumar, who had been working on state-of-the-art e-governance in the state, has been contemplating comprehensive Information Technology software solution called Indian Forestry Research Information (IFRIS).

The software aims to transform the present manual working environment into an automated system. Taking into account the IFRIS success, many national agencies are approaching ICFRE to generate in-house talent pool.