PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
With more than 400 glacial lakes formed by global warming being identified in the State, a great earthquake could cause devastation which the State is not prepared for. Stating this, Maiti movement founder and Padma Shri recipient Kalyan Singh Rawat said that the lack of connection between traditional knowledge and modern science is a gap that needs to be bridged, along with other factors, to tackle climate change in Uttarakhand.
He was speaking at a workshop organised in the Doon University by Public Advocacy Initiatives for Rights and Values in India (PAIRVI) to address climate change and its impacts. This workshop was part of a series of consultations and workshops conducted by PAIRVI in the state, focusing on topics such as climate governance, traditional knowledge, and adaptation in mountain regions. The main objective of the event was to create a platform for policymakers, researchers, civil society and local communities to engage in constructive discussions on government policies, their implementation, the impacts of climate change, and both traditional and scientific approaches to adaptation.
Rawat said that boars are now frolicking in bugyals (high-altitude alpine meadows) while peacocks are thriving in the jungles of Rudraprayag district due to climate change. He stressed on the need for the youths to visit the mountains, villages and learn about ground reality in order to ensure a better response to climate change.
Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre director Shantanu Sarkar said that significant work is being done to address landslide challenges in Uttarakhand, but there is a need to prepare preventive measures well in advance of disasters. He added that sharing information about disaster management and early warning systems with communities can help minimise losses during disasters.
During various sessions of the workshop, speakers including retired IIT Roorkee professor Virendra Painuli, environmentalist Suresh Bhai, Kusum Arunachalam from Doon University and others discussed in detail the factors worsening climate change in Uttarakhand, its impacts on the general population, and scientific as well as traditional efforts to address these challenges.
The speakers emphasised that along with scientific solutions, traditional ecological knowledge held by local communities—such as water conservation, biodiversity protection and climate-resilient farming—should also be incorporated into policy frameworks. They stated that climate change should not be limited to academic discourse but must be made a priority and addressed as a public movement for policies suited to the State’s unique geography and characteristics. It is important to understand both the carrying capacity and bearing capacity of the mountains so that development can be regulated accordingly.
PAIRVI director Ajay Jha stated that the Himalayan region is currently considered one of the most climate-vulnerable regions globally. In Uttarakhand, events like erratic rainfall, glacier melting, frequent landslides and forest fires are becoming increasingly common. Problems like unplanned infrastructure development and deforestation have further intensified the severity of this crisis in the state, making it essential to strengthen efforts related to climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation, he said.
