The Hills Are Alight
The Himalaya have been making news lately for all the wrong reasons. As fires ravage the forests of Uttarakhand, nearby Shimla is in the grip of an unprecedented water shortage that has led to angry locals taking to the streets. The Kedarnath tragedy of 2013 is still well remembered. Last year, an 18 ft drop in Nainital’s lake water level made national news. Not a year goes by without reports of major fires, droughts, floods or ice storms. In fact, while over 4,000 hectares of forest burnt in Uttarakhand in the past weeks, this was no worse than the forest fires of just two years ago.
Climate change is upon us—and surely it has a role to play. The increased heat trapped by the blanket of greenhouse gases we emit leads to erratic and unpredictable weather patterns. Climate change exacerbates the fire season due to higher temperatures and longer dry periods. Rainfall is heavier but shorter in duration leading to lower water recharge into the ground. Shimla’s water shortage can be attributed in part to low winter precipitation, which this year was only a third of normal. But while climate change worsens the problem—it is not the cause of all the Himalayan disasters. While it is convenient to point a finger at climate change, we need to look at the three fingers that point right back to us.
Hot dry weather in the summer does not cause forests to spontaneously combust. While lightning strikes can start a blaze under the right conditions, such fires are rare in the Himalaya and almost all fires are the result of humans. Blaming the timber mafia or a callous forest department creates readable press, but the reality is often more mundane. Burnt trees are of little benefit to anyone. Many fires originate from the local practice of burning pine needles, a process which releases their nutrients and promotes good grass growth. Other fires start from a carelessly thrown cigarette or bidi. With hundreds of fires starting daily, the forest department simply does not have the manpower or resources to effectively control their spread.
In the case of Shimla, the root of the water crisis lies in the poorly maintained pipelines that leak copiously, the contamination and closure of some water sources, and years of neglect to the recharge zones of aquifers. As a result, Shimla’s water system—designed to deliver 65 million litres per day—is unable to provide even half this amount.
While global warming is exacerbating environmental disasters, the root causes often lie in poor planning, disregard for good science and citizen apathy. Fires may become more severe due to climate change—but they are started by human beings. Swift action by locals will often stop a forest fire in its tracks and prevent it from becoming a devastating inferno. The recognition of the importance of community action in preventing fires is as old as the reports of Himalayan fires, but efforts at incentivising local action continue to fall short.
Similarly, while solving erratic rainfall in Shimla may be beyond our control, repairing leaky pipelines is not. Moreover, recognising the importance of protecting water sources and their recharge zones cannot be overstated. A roof water tank can hold only a few thousand litres of water, but the aquifers that lie beneath hold billions of litres. In the case of Nainital, the unprecedented drop in the lake level last year helped catalyse citizen action to protect lake Sukhatal, a small ephemeral lake responsible for much of Nainital’s subsurface recharge. Already, positive action is yielding results, and this year the drop in Nainital’s lake level has been much less.
The internet, which gives us the tools to report, sensationalise and view disasters in real time also gives us the ability to highlight ways to manage our resources better. Proactive management through empowered citizens is better than restrictive policing of our forest and water resources. Much can be achieved if we follow the old adage of ‘think globally, act locally’.
Forests do not combust spontaneously. Many fires stem from the locals burning pine needles. Others may start from a carelessly thrown bidi. The forest department does not have the manpower to control their spread