‘Globalisation Has Increased Inequity’
Himachal This Week
Amidst the titles and covers that the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival has brought together, this one stands out — for simply telling the truth as it is. The State of India’s Environment 2017, an annual publication brought out by ‘Down To Earth’ magazine, is unique in many other ways. One of them is that it is perhaps the only compilation of its kind in the country of facts, figures and narratives on environment and development. It was officially released at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) by Sunita Narain, the director general of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Narain released the book with an address on ‘De-globalisation in the age of climate change: New pathways for sustainable development’. “In 2016, we had Brexit, the coming of Trump in the US, more of erratic weather and unseasonal rains and resultant havoc. 2016 has told us that something must change drastically so that our tomorrow is different, better and more secure. It has told us that there is something fundamentally wrong in the way we are managing our economies and our societies, because of which there is so much dissent,” Narain said. “In India, we are seeing the same dissent – in the ‘revolt of the rich’: when the powerful land-owning castes like Jats and Patels want to be labelled backward because they feel they are being left behind,” she added. Narain went on to connect this state of affairs with the numerous environment-development quandaries that India is faced with. “The lesson of the past two years is that environmental issues cannot be ignored if we want to secure life and health,” she said. “The breakdown of liberal and secular democracy that we see in the rich world tells us that there is a growing dissent against what was considered a successful economic growth model,” said Narain. Globalisation, according to Narain, has increased inequity. “This is at the core of our problems today. This is also the crux of the climate change debate,” she added. Narain points out that this could be an opportunity to reconsider future strategies of growth. “Localisation, to me, therefore, is not a bad idea. It is building a new future, with local resources, by local communities. This challenge of affordable growth is what will drive sustainable growth in the future,” she said.
Disturbing Facts
The State of India’s Environment 2017– or SOE in short – which Sunita Narain released at the JLF, contains a clump of disturbing data from India which give credence to her argument. It shows that: On an average, India has only two buses for every 1,000 people. This is despite the growing emphasis on public transport as cities across the country succumb to severe air pollution.
* Many water bodies in India are now severely polluted. Three of Rajasthan’s most well-known lakes – the Jalmahal, Jaisamand and Udaisagar – are in a list of the most severely polluted water bodies of India, with BOD levels above the safe limit of 3 mg/l3
* While there has been an overall decline in environmental crimes reported in the country, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan account for 76% of the cases and the maximum number of people arrested for environmental crimes.
* 26 of India’s 29 states have reported a rise in area undergoing desertification in the past 10 years. Almost 30% of the country’s area is degraded.
* India ranks among the lowest in the list of countries on the Sustainable Development Index.
Himachal-o-Meter
The state’s ups and downs this week
Forest Department for Eco-Tourism
Shimla: The Forest Department is all set to enter tourism area in a big way after as it has charted out a blueprint for promotion of eco-tourism activities in the state. The department will throw open 100 forest rest houses in high tourism potential areas for tourists who can avail the specially designed package tours. Eco-tourism will be given a major boost in the state as there is a proposal to promote the identified destinations and walking trails for nature lovers. An exhaustive road map to develop and promote about 50 newly identified eco-tourism sites has been prepared to woo tourists who wish to explore nature and visit the unexplored pristine areas of the state. The eco-tourism wing of the Forest Department has identified about 100 sites, out of which 50 will be run by the HP Forest Corporation and the remaining by the eco societies. While the HP Forest Corporation can lease these sites under PPP mode, the department will run them on their own. EcoSoc (Eco-Tourism Society) will manage the Forest Rest Houses that will be linked to eco-tourism.
Tangunu Village Reduced To Ashes
Shimla : New Year seems to have not brought good for Shimla district as whole of the Tangunu village of Chirgaon sub-division district was gutted in fire. As many as 57 houses were reduced to ashes and 14 head of cattle perished in a devastating fire incident. About 48 families were rendered homeless and property worth Rs 12 crore was also destroyed in the fire incident. The fire broke out at 11 pm when the villagers were asleep, said Bhagat Chand, Tangnu panchayat head. He had alerted Rohru SDM Anupam Thakur and the Fire Brigade at 11.30 pm. Residents of nearby Chantwari, Thaitwari and Diudi villages rushed to the burning village to help douse the flames. Those rendered homeless were provided temporary shelter at the government senior secondary school in Tangnu. “Residents of Chantwari, Thaitwari and Diud volunteered to provide accommodation to fire victims. We provided ration, tents, blankets, quilts, bedding, gas cylinders, stoves and Rs 40,000 to each of the affected families,” the SDM said, adding that the DFO had sanctioned timber for the fire victims to help them rebuild their houses. To add woes to their misery, fresh snowfall cut off the village from the Rohru town, snapping road and power connectivity. As a result, rescue operations were hit as the Rohru administration failed to supply cattle feed and other essential items of daily use to the fire victims.
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