“If Bharat is our mother, then Himalaya is our father,” says Dr Murli Manohar Joshi

New Delhi: A seminar on the topic “Save Himalaya” was organised by Jigyasa DU at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, on February 19. Former HRD Minister Dr Murali Manohar Joshi participated in this programme as the keynote speaker. Addressing the gathering, he said that today, we had created many problems against the environment. It is also affecting the Himalayan Mountains. The Himalayan glaciers are continuously melting, causing an imbalance in nature. Apart from this, Dr Joshi said that many important things have been written in Indian scriptures about the Himalaya. The importance of the Himalaya has been explained well in Geeta and Mahabharata.

अस्त्युत्तरस्यां दिशि देवतात्मा हिमालयो नाम नगाधिराजः।

पूर्वापरौ तोयनिधी वगाह्य स्थितः पृथिव्यां इव मानदण्डः ॥

Translation: There is, in the northern direction, the supreme bhagwan (Adhirajah) of mountains, possessed of a divine nature (Devatatma) by the name Himalaya, who has plunged into the Eastern and the Western ocean, stands as if he is the measuring rod of the Earth.

Melting Himalaya
As human occupation of the Himalaya increases, the situation there continuously worsens. If an earthquake occurs in the Himalaya or the areas adjacent to the Himalaya, there will be huge devastation due to which millions of people can die. The glaciers associated with the Himalaya are continuously melting, and the temperature is increasing. In the coming time, summer days will increase while winter days will decrease. Uttarakhand, a state situated in the lap of Himalayan Mountain, has 17 sensitive lakes. He further said that recently, we saw that 43 labourers were trapped inside when a part of the Silkyara Tunnel collapsed. Many machines were used to save labourers from the tunnel, but modern technology has not succeeded. The task was given to rat miners, the people who work in the mines they successfully rescued the 43 labourers.

Human occupation of mountains
I want to ask what was the need to build this Silkyara Tunnel. Now that such a big accident has happened, the work of Silkyara Tunnel has started again. He further said that the roads in the mountains are collapsing, and houses are sinking. Many reports are coming out regarding this, but the government is not very concerned about this. Human occupation of the mountain is continuously increasing, and the plants and animals there are becoming extinct. Recently, we saw that land was sinking in Joshimath, Uttarakhand. The media highlighted the issue, but now there is no discussion on this critical problem. This happened because there was more construction than capacity for mountains.

A monolithic mountain
He further said the mountains cannot bear the burden of construction and are sinking. No one can forget the tragedy of Kedarnath. Hundreds of people lost their lives in that terrible flood. We all have to work together to save the Himalaya and nature. We see the Himalaya in fragments. We should not do this, the Himalaya is a monolithic mountain. Every citizen of the country is responsible for saving the Himalaya. We have to decide how much culture and how much spiritual environment we want in the mountains of our country. The mountains of Bharat were known for spiritual activities; now, gradually, all this is ending.

Emotional bond with nature
He added we have to understand that the basis of development is sustainable development. In 1947, the population of Bharat was 30 crores; today, it has increased to more than 140 crores. We have to create a similar bond with nature because we have an emotional bond with our family. He further said that if we want to save human civilisation, we must conserve nature. In the end, he said that if Bharat is our mother, then the Himalaya is our father.

In this programme, Rajkumar Bhatia, ex-ABVP national president, said that we should be concerned about protecting the  environment. He said that 90-year-old Dr Murli Manohar Joshi is so conscious about environmental protection, so we must contribute in this direction. It is essential for us today to save the Himalaya and all the small and big mountains of the country.

Dinesh Khattar, Principal of Kirori Mal College, said that Jigyasa University of Delhi has organised this programme. The presence of Dr Murli Manohar Joshi in the programme proves its significance. The Himalaya are an important source of our Indian culture, and it is the responsibility of every Indian citizen to preserve them. It is necessary to discuss such serious issues continuously so that the message of natural conservation reaches every home.

Himalayan glaciers risk losing 75 per cent of their volume by 2100 due to global warming

• The Hindu Kush Himalaya region spans across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan, encompassing iconic peaks like Everest and K2
• The report indicates that at a global warming level of 1.5 degrees Celsius or 2 degrees Celsius above pre industrial temperature, glaciers throughout the entire region could lose 30 per cent  to 50 per cent of their volume by 2100
• According to a recent report, the glaciers in Asia’s Hindu Kush Himalayan region are melting at an alarming rate due to global warming, which causes both dangerous flooding and water shortage
• According to the assessment conducted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the glaciers in the region shed ice about 65 per cent faster during the 2010s compared to the preceding decade
• The study predicts that by the end of the century, these glaciers could lose up to 75 per cent of their volume, leading to significant flooding and water shortages for the approximately 240 million people residing in the mountainous area. ( Inputs from The Economic Times)