Underperforming solid waste plant turns Sheeshambada village into smelly, fiery landfill

Created in a bid to manage Dehradun's burgeoning waste disposal problem, Sheeshambada has had to pay the price for bad plant management and a lack of civic consciousness among waste generatorsDehradun, Uttarakhand: The journey to Paonta Sahib, about 20 km from Dehradun, has turned into a distressing ordeal for commuters due to the overpowering stench emanating near Sheeshambada. For over four years, residents of Sheeshambada and its surrounding villages have endured this misery. After the inception of Uttarakhand in 2000, Dehradun was made the temporary capital, leading to a rapid rise in population and subsequently, garbage in the city. Sixteen years later in 2016, the construction of a Rs 23.50-crore waste disposal plant near Sheeshambada village and on the banks of the Asan river was initiated to get rid of this problem. Yet, the facility near Sheeshambada emerged with a foul odour, leading to public outcry.In 2018, under the Municipal Corporation’s Solid Waste Management Scheme, the Sheeshambada Compost Plant and the Sanitary Landfill Site was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. The contract of the Sheeshambada Solid Waste Management Plant was given to Ramky Private Limited and a few months after its commencement, people living in its vicinity started facing the problem of foul odour. Despite repeated complaints, no solution was found. Eventually, Rajendra Gangsari, secretary, Pachhwa Doon Sangharsh Samiti, who was agitating against the plant, filed a petition in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to shift the plant.Taking cognisance, the NGT formed a high-level committee to look into the functioning of the plant. The committee found multiple flaws in the functioning of the plant and in November 2022, the contract was handed over to the National Federation of Farmers on Procurement Processing and Retailing Cooperative India Limited (NACOF) from the current operator, Ramky Group. The Tribunal even instructed the Uttarakhand Government to find a solution to waste management in the city.The battle, however, continues as Sheeshambada grapples with pollution, proximity concerns, and operational hurdles.Residents of Sheeshambada agitated by the garbage dump (Photo - Satyam Kumar, 101Reporters)Residents at the receiving end On one side of the plant is Himgiri Ji University. According to the university, the stench is so strong that even if the doors of the classrooms are closed, it is difficult to sit comfortably.Kushum Bhatt, a resident of Baya Khala, said, “Our house is about half a km away from this plant. We face the issue of this foul smell throughout the day. Our children complain of headaches and we are hesitant to invite anyone to our home because of the stench.” Bhatt rued that eagles and crows kept hovering over the garbage in the plant and would pick some of it along with dirt and pollute the nearby areas, including the homes in the vicinity.Jitendra Kumar Gupta, another resident, said in April 2022, a massive fire broke out in the plant. The blaze couldn’t be controlled for days and resulted in air pollution, thus leaving many people gasping for breath. Information sought by the RTI from the Selakui Fire Officer shows that from January 1, 2017, to April 18, 2023, no fire extinguishers were installed at the garbage disposal centre.Waste plant ops challengesReportedly, the Sheeshambada plant can dispose of 300 tonnes of waste per day. According to the 2020-21 annual report of the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board, the plant receives garbage from the Dehradun Municipal Corporation as well as three additional urban local bodies — Mussoorie (18 tonnes), Vikas Nagar (10 tonnes) and Harbatpur (three tonnes) — daily. The inquiry committee report, however, revealed that about 450 tonnes of solid waste was received from various bodies every day.According to the report of an inspection carried out from January 2018 to September 30, 2022, a total of 5.81 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of urban solid waste has been brought for processing, of which 2.88 LMT is stored in the sanitary landfill and has not been segregated.Wet and dry waste is brought to the plant without separating it, resulting in it not being completely segregated. According to the Solid Waste Rules-2016, it is the responsibility of the waste generator to separate the biodegradable and inorganic waste generated at the plant and give it to the collector. Due to the improper disposal of the effluents coming out of the garbage dump, it was found seeping from the wall of the plant. This increases the possibility of water pollution in the Asan river due to its close proximity to the plant.Dr Avinash Khanna, Chief Municipal Health Officer at Municipal Corporation Dehradun, tells 101Reporters that Ramky's main focus was on waste to energy, due to which the pile of Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) in the plant was continuously increasing. But the new company NACOF has installed a new machine which can dispose of RDF every day. The work of the new company is much better, but because most of the garbage in Dehradun is mixed, there is a lot of problem in the disposal of garbage in the plant. So we are trying to separate the dry and wet garbage directly at the homes.Dr Khanna further says that work is happening in parallel to move the garbage disposal plant from Shishambada. "We have identified a piece of land belonging to the forest department and further work is being done for the same. Along with this, our talks with IIT Roorkee have been concluded to get rid of the pile of garbage in the Sheeshambada plant and soon the DPR will be ready and further action will also be taken soon."Overfilled garbage dump in Sheeshambada (Photo - Satyam Kumar, 101Reporters)Inappropriate locationIn December 2012, in the meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) regarding the construction of the Shishambada Garbage Disposal Centre, it was proposed that the plant is quite close to the Asan river, so another place should be found for it. However, on April 6, 2013, the project proponent said the plant was 400 m away from the river, so it does not fall in a floodplain. The project proponent also placed this point before the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC). To this, the SCMC said the geographical location of Dehradun was such that all places were the catchment areas of one or the other water source and it was difficult to find alternative areas. But once again the committee of the EAC’s Regional Office, Lucknow, investigated and found that the project is surrounded by a university, officers’ colony, residential areas and a river, and the project proponent cited the SCMC order. In September 2014, the ECA granted permission to the project with certain conditions and recommendations, including fulfilment of the environmental impact assessment conditions. Talking to 101Reporters, Pachhwa Doon Sangharsh Samiti secretary Gangsari said the Shishambada Waste Disposal Centre was not built on the river banks, but on the riverbed itself. “We have been opposing the plant ever since its construction started in 2016. The area residents protested and also laid siege to the plant,” he said, adding that in April 2022, when this plant caught fire and there was a demonstration, following which Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered the District Magistrate to find new land for the plant. Members of Sangharsh Samiti opposing the plant (Photo - Satyam Kumar, 101Reporters)Need to opt for compact plantsBijay Bhatt of Doon Science Forum said Dehradun was such a city that it was not possible to accurately measure the amount of garbage generated daily because a large quantity also depends on tourists. “One can’t tell when the number will increase. So, instead of disposing of the garbage generated in Dehradun city in only one place, small garbage disposal centres should be made in each ward. This will be helpful as even if the garbage increases, the burden on all centres will rise only marginally,” Bhatt said, adding that they were also facing the problem of garbage segregation in Dehradun. Notably, a study conducted by activists Anita Joshi and Neeraj Joshi on Nathuvawala Sanitation Park, established by the Municipal Corporation and the Feedback Foundation, in Ward No. 100 of Dehradun found that carrying out waste segregation at small levels was effective. The study revealed that around 2 to 2.5 tonnes of garbage is daily generated in this part of the ward, having a population of about 20,000. This waste is being disposed of in a scientific manner as per the Solid Waste Rules-2016.However, the Nathuwala Swachhata Park in Dehradun presents a contrasting picture. The distinction arises from a prior waste separation system that has been successfully implemented. Thanks to the efforts of the Feedback Foundation, residents have been sensitised to their role in managing household waste effectively, encouraging the separate disposal of wet and dry waste. This concerted endeavour has not only simplified the tasks of park personnel but has also resulted in an entirely hassle-free park environment. Notably, the absence of waste accumulation speaks volumes about the effectiveness of this initiative. Edited by Jasriman KaurCover photo - The fiery dump that turns Sheeshambada into a smelly landfill (Photo - Satyam Kumar, 101Reporters)

On shaky ground, Joshimath CHC’s emergency wing needs immediate care

People forced to travel 60 km for treatment as emergency services shifted to a smaller space after cracks appeared on the building; tourists likely to be hit when Chardham Yatra begins on April 27Joshimath, Uttarakhand: Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, Joshimath Community Health Centre (CHC) in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district seems like any other public facility from a distance. But not all is well with the building, where cracks that surfaced over two years ago are slowly expanding. Joshimath has been recording fresh incidents of land subsidence since October 2021, which has had an impact on the buildings and roads in the area.Fissures badly splayed an adjacent building catering exclusively to emergency cases in December last, a time when the Joshimath issue caught the attention of people across the country. Very soon, the 10-bedded unit had to be shifted to a small room in the CHC’s main building, which is located at a higher elevation. However, the health staff face challenges on the new premises as space constraints make it difficult to accommodate the necessary medical equipment.As many as 56 medical staff, including nine doctors, are in service at the CHC which caters to the health needs of the people coming under 58 gram sabhas and Joshimath town. Around 80 patients visit the facility daily. However, it may go up to 150 during the tourist season and the winters when it snows in Auli, a hill station nicknamed ‘Switzerland of Uttarakhand’ and located just 13 km from Joshimath.Being the last major town on the Indo-Tibetan border, Joshimath serves as the gateway to both Himalayan expeditions and pilgrimages. Be it a visit to the Sikh holy site Hemkund Sahib, Auli, or the Valley of Flowers National Park, Joshimath is an important location for all pilgrims and tourists on the go. The Badrinath shrine, one of the Chardham pilgrimage sites, is located 43 km from Joshimath. With the Chardham Yatra set to commence on April 27, offering 24x7 health services is of paramount importance to this place.Explaining the need for a full-fledged emergency unit in the town, Dr Gautam Kumar Bhardwaj told 101Reporters that lack of oxygen was one of the common problems that tourists faced during their journey. “One feels tired and breathes heavily. Blood circulation slows down. The risk of brain haemorrhage and heart attack also increases. For diabetes patients, lack of oxygen can be fatal due to the sudden surge in blood sugar level. In such cases, the patient first needs oxygen, which is available 24 hours at our CHC.”The facility has a major role to play in the lives of the local public too. As many as 19 health sub-centres function under the CHC, but they do not have in-patient facilities or labour rooms. Pregnant women from all the sub-centres are dependent on the CHC for delivery as the place does not have private hospitals equipped for this service. The hospital nearest to Joshimath CHC is the District Hospital in Gopeshwar, located 60 km away.Though seven months pregnant, Karishma Devi was yet to get an ultrasound done (Photo - Satyam Kumar, 101Reporters)Labour pangsUltrasound facility is present in only a select few CHCs of Uttarakhand. Sadly, despite being a vital resource for people in the difficult terrain, Joshimath does not have this facility for the last few months after the machine operator was transferred.Though seven months pregnant, Karishma Devi was yet to get an ultrasound done when 101Reporters met her. Generally, doctors suggest ultrasound screening in every three months of pregnancy to assess the child’s growth. “In the CHC, there is nobody to operate the ultrasound. It costs more than Rs 1,500 in a private facility. My husband is a labourer. Our six-member family already faces difficulties in meeting food-related expenses. So we have decided to get it done only in the ninth month,” Devi said emphatically.There are other problems too. Social activist Jitendra Rautela said Usha, who lives near his home in Joshimath, went into labour around 1.30 am on January 26. When she was taken to the CHC, the doctor referred her to the District Hospital citing possible complications. However, Usha had a normal delivery at Gopeshwar, after travelling for almost three hours.“The state of affairs in the CHC is evident from the fact that referrals have become so common,” Atul Sati, the convenor of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti told 101Reporters. However, Dr Bhardwaj claimed the CHC admitted women if it seemed to be a normal delivery during their check-ups. “We refer a woman in labour to the district hospital only after assessing the possibility of a Caesarean section (C-section). As for the ultrasound, we send the women to Gopeshwar at the expense of the CHC,” he claimed.At the time of writing this story, about 70 pregnant women were enrolled at the CHC, and to ensure safe deliveries, three CHC ambulances and one 108 service ambulances have been deployed round the clock. Arrangements have also been made to shift the new mothers directly to the Sub-District Hospital in Karnaprayag or the District Hospital, in case of an emergency. Meanwhile, land subsidence has affected many pregnant women. “Those displaced due to cracks on their houses have been sent to live with their relatives to ensure that they get proper care,” said Joshimath block ASHA coordinator Anita Pawar.Alarm bellsAt present, the displaced families live on rent in hotels or houses that have not developed cracks. Indresh Maikhuri, a social worker and key activist of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, said several sit-in protests have been organised in the last few months, but both the Uttarakhand and Central governments have not come clear on compensation, rehabilitation and reconstruction. “Only statements that the double engine government will devise the best policy for Joshimath make the rounds. There is no trace of the policy even after this many days,” he said.  When it comes to the CHC, better facilities to deal with untoward incidents are the need of the hour. Upgrading the hospital to a First Referral Unit with facilities for C-section deliveries and 24-hour surgical emergencies will save lives as taking the patients to Gopeshwar would mean wasting precious three hours. However, even the CHC ambulances are in a state of disarray at present. The three CHC ambulances and one 108 service ambulance are unreliable because of their state of disrepair (Photo - Satyam Kumar, 101Reporters)On February 28, two persons died and seven others suffered injuries when an SUV fell into a gorge on the Joshimath-Thaing route. On information, a CHC ambulance was despatched to transport the injured. However, following its breakdown, another ambulance and private vehicles had to be deployed. When they finally reached the CHC, there were no vacant beds to accommodate them.At that time, Facebook videos of a fracas between the relatives of accident victims and hospital staff over the lack of facilities also surfaced. However, hospital staff were not ready to speak to this reporter about the incident and the issues leading to it.Right now, there is no clarity on what will happen if the minor cracks on the CHC’s main building get bigger in the near future. The hospital authorities did not respond to queries on where the CHC services will be moved in such an eventuality. Efforts to get in touch with Dr Rajeev Sharma, the Chief Medical Officer for Chamoli, also proved futile. Cover photo - The main entrance to the Joshimath Community Health Centre (Photo - Satyam Kumar, 101Reporters)Edited by Rekha Pulinnoli

Poor market access, absence of exclusive outlets eat into profits of Uttarakhand organic farmers

In some cases, the main mandis are located almost 150 km from the villages where organic farming is doneTehri, Uttarakhand: One of the verticals of the Namami Gange Programme, launched by the Union Government in 2014 to rejuvenate the holy Ganga, is to steer the river clear of chemical fertilisers by promoting organic farming along its banks.Launched in 2020 with 90% Central funds of Rs 400 crore, the project is implemented by Uttarakhand's agriculture department with an aim to bring 50,000 hectares of village land under organic farming by adopting a cluster approach. Apart from providing training to farmers, funds are utilised to purchase agricultural machinery and quality seeds.Like Namami Gange, there are other Central schemes to promote organic farming. One such is the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, which also is based on a cluster model. Next is the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana-Jaivik, which helps to reduce the risk in farming, promotes high-quality organic produce, makes provisions for crop storage and market arrangements, and prepares plans according to local needs.About 70% of the state's population is dependent on agriculture. Generally, farmers in hilly areas do not prefer chemical fertilisers as that would mean spending more on irrigation. Rain-fed crops are the mainstay in the state, where 54% of the total agricultural area is in hilly terrains. As for irrigation, hilly areas form only 13% of the total irrigated land in the state.If this is the case, why should there be so many schemes to promote organic farming instead of ways to market quality products at a decent price to the outside world? This is exactly the point that farmers have been making for a long time. Fair price, easy market accessA buyer-seller conference was organised at Gopeshwar in Chamoli district last December, which saw the participation of buyers from Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and the local people. Chamoli district has put up a good show with 128 clusters involving 9,427 farmers practising organic farming on 5,000 hectares of land in villages along the banks of the river and its tributaries under the Namami Gange plan.  At the conference, farmers were vocal about their needs. “The state government is implementing many projects to promote organic farming, but our biggest worry is how to sell the produce. There is no government mandi (market) near our village. The nearest one is Niranjanpur market in Dehradun, located 50 km away,” Bhagchand Ramola from Manjh Gaon in Tehri district told 101Reporters.Notably, most of his lot are marginal farmers who produce only a little more than what is needed to sustain themselves. If they spend so much money trying to sell their produce at distant places, they would end up with losses as they have to bear travel expenses too.  Generally, farmers in hilly areas do not prefer chemical fertilisers as that would mean spending more on irrigation (Photo - Charanjeet Dhiman/Unsplash) Opening separate mandis for organic produce close to their respective locations could help farmers a lot. Several farmers told 101Reporters that both organic and non-organic products are sold in the same market, which affected the farmers’ capacity to bargain for a better price.In organic farming, work is more and production less. Weed killers and chemical fertilisers are used in non-organic farms. However, weeds are removed manually in organic farms and no chemical fertiliser is used to increase output. If an exclusive mandi for organic produce is functional, the farmers could attract the right buyers and get a better price.  Uttarakhand has 23 functional market committees. “Vegetables coming from the mandis of Kotdwar and Najibabad are available in our markets at very cheap prices, due to which we have to sell our organic vegetables at low rates. There is no profit in this. Most of the farmers now avoid farming and try to go to Dehradun, Delhi or any big city to get a job,” said Ashu Rawat, a young farmer from Dharki Bina village in Pauri Garhwal district.Rawat, the chairman of a farmers’ cooperative society in the area, said the mandi nearest to his village was located in Kotdwar, over 150 km away. “It is not possible for a marginal farmer to sell his crop by taking them there… Last year, I got only Rs 30,000 for tomatoes worth over Rs 2 lakh.”Noting that only big farmers get the benefit of the government schemes, Rawat said marginal farmers could do far better if a government purchase centre was constructed near the village. Lata Devi of Dharki Bina added that she could not cover input costs as her crops could only be priced the same as the regular produce coming from Najibabad.Ramola said farmers had raised the need to open local mandis for organic produce with agriculture officials many times, but no solution had been found. “Right now, we pin our hopes on the Sunday morning market for organic vegetables and hill produce near Survey Chowk in Dehradun, where our produce gets Rs 10 to 20 more than the non-organic vegetables. Though the same produce can earn us double the price in Delhi, taking them to faraway places is not a cost-effective choice,” he added.Despite repeated attempts via phone call and email, the state agriculture department cannot be reached to comment on why mandis were not built near villages and why there was no proper price mechanism. Meanwhile, agriculture expert Dr Rajendra Kuksal told 101Reporters that the schemes in Uttarakhand seemed quite different on paper and on the ground. “In 2003 itself, the government started promoting organic crops. But the fact that farmers have not found a proper market for their products even now suggests that the government should now make arrangements to buy the produce directly from them.”Cover photo - A farmer sells his vegetables at the Sunday organic market in Dehradun (Photo - Satyam Kumar, 101Reporters)Edited by Rekha Pulinnoli

The forest is calling, but Van Gujjars cannot return

The nomadic community displaced from the Rajaji National Park area played a key role in preventing forest fires and increasing tree coverDehradun, Uttarakhand: “In olden times, the call of the Indian Cuckoo would tell us it is time to go to the mountains to graze animals,” says Taukeer Alam, a Van Gujjar resettled at Laldhang from the Rajaji National Park area. Van Gujjars belong to the Other Backward Classes in Uttarakhand, and are mainly found in Garhwal division. Their population stands at around 70,000 in the State. The contentious history of the relationship between this animal-rearing nomadic community and the van (forest) is more widely recorded than their ethos, which is intrinsically linked to forest conservation and sustainable use of resources. For centuries, Van Gujjars have moved between hilly areas during summers, and plains during winters. They depend on natural resources for their survival. Hence, neither their customs nor daily lifestyle harm nature. “Even our deras (houses) are made of biodegradable materials from the forest. Once we leave an area, our houses decompose on their own,” Alam tells 101Reporters.“Before we were resettled here, we used to live in the forest. We could predict changes in weather just by noticing the behaviour of wild animals and the call of birds,” Gullo Bibi tells 101Reporters. Bibi is a resident of Laldhang Gujar Basti, one of the colonies where the Uttarakhand government had resettled them from the park. “Deer and nilgais used to come in search of warmth when we lit fires at night in the middle of our deras. They rest near our settlement and return to the forest only at dawn. That was the kind of relationship we had with the animals,” she says.“Now, you hear stories of wild animals moving towards the plains. Our colonies acted like a boundary between the forest and human settlement. The animals would only come up to our colonies and never move beyond. Now that we have been displaced, this border is getting breached,” she saysVan Gujjars belong to the Other Backward Classes in Uttarakhand and are mainly found in the Garhwal division. Their population stands at around 70,000 in the State (Photo - Satyam Kumar) A fine example of coexistenceThough most of the forests in the hilly districts of Uttarakhand have been notified as wildlife sanctuaries, around 2,000 families living near Haridwar and Dehradun still migrate during summers to the barrage area built on the Ganga along the Muzaffarnagar-Bijnor district borders in Uttar Pradesh. The practice of winter migration also continues, though it is not prevalent nowadays. “We still live in our old settlement in Gauri range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve near Rishikesh,” says Mir Hamza, founder, Van Gujjar Tribal Youth Organisation. Notably, the Van Gujjar settlement in Gauri range is the only one remaining in Garhwal as its members have consistently dodged resettlement offers.“To the east of our settlement is the east Ganga canal, and ahead of it is a dense forest. We come here after the winter migration, and the Gojri buffaloes we rear cross the canal to enter the forest, where they eat the half-eaten seeds and fruits thrown on the ground by monkeys and langurs. When they excrete on reaching back the settlement, the seeds fall here with the dung, helping in the growth of more trees,” he explains.According to Hamza, there were only shrubs and thorny trees like keekar and ber when they arrived at the resettlement area west of the canal in 2006. Today, different varieties of trees thrive there, mostly those their animals feed on.Clockwise from left: Taukeer Alam, a Van Gujjar resettled at Laldhang; Gullo Bibi, who was shifted out of the Rajaji National Park area; Mir Hamza, founder of Van Gujjar Tribal Youth Organisation (Photos - Satyam Kumar)Van Gujjars take buffaloes through different routes every day as the rubbing of cattle hooves tramples the grass and prevents its regrowth. This very line acts as a barrier against forest fires during summer.  “Our movement in the forest is also beneficial to herbivores. In summer, we chop tree leaves and drop them on the forest floor since there is a shortage of grass in the plains at that time. They are consumed both by our animals and those in the jungles,” says Hamza, adding that they take care to cut only the branches without harming the trees.Speaking on condition of anonymity, a forest department official said, “During forest fires, we work jointly with Van Gujjars. Even when the department has to prune trees to aid in growth, we enlist their help. They are only stopped when they use more than the allowed forest produce.” Without official forest rights, what is allowed or not is an arbitrary and unilateral decision by the forest department. While acknowledging the role of Van Gujjars in conservation, Amit Rathi, a legal associate with the Centre for Pastoralism, states that wild animals can be easily spotted around their settlements, which negates the argument that conservation is only possible by removing the community from the forest. Neither here nor thereTalks of resettling Van Gujjars first began in the 1980s, when the area was declared a tiger reserve. In the first phase of rehabilitation in 1994, 512 families were settled in Pathri village near Haridwar. Each family was given a house and 10 bighas of land inside the forest.In 2003, another 881 families were settled in Laldhang near Gaindi Khata. Each family got 10 bighas of land outside the forest for cultivation and one bigha to build a house.The way of life of Van Gujjars has completely changed after the rehabilitation. For example, about 1,400 families settled in Pathri and Gaindi Khata no longer migrate. They are full-time agriculturalists now (Photos - Satyam Kumar)Very few of the resettled Van Gujjar families have cattle or continue to migrate along their traditional grazing routes (Photos sourced by Mir Hamza)Speaking about her life after resettlement, Gullo Bibi says, “It has been 18 years. But even today, we do not have ownership rights to the land we cultivate. It belongs to the forest department. We are deprived of the government benefits that other farmers receive.” She refers to the Kisan Credit Card, crop insurance and other cooperative schemes that farmers commonly access.At the time of Van Gujjar rehabilitation, an agreement was made, according to which the land would remain with the forest department for the next 30 years and all the displaced families would continue to use it for agriculture. A decision on giving them land would be taken only after the 30-year agreement lapsed. The way of life of Van Gujjars has completely changed after the rehabilitation. For example, about 1,400 families settled in Pathri and Gaindi Khata no longer migrate. They are full-time agriculturalists now. Those who received forest lands were inexperienced in preparing them for cultivation initially. Hence, they were leased out to local farmers for three years. A few Van Gujjars still follow this practice. On why they have not made claims under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, Hamza says, “Most of the community members are not aware of it. We never had a formal education. Van Gujjar Tribal Youth Organisation was formed in 2017 to create awareness on such matters. Presently, we have 180 active members working mainly towards educating the community members about forest rights, biodiversity conservation and preservation of traditional knowledge.” The organisation also processes several applications and puts together documents to prove the historic link between the Van Gujjars and forests. However, only a handful of rights have been attained so far. One such is the granting of forest rights to around 60 families of a small settlement in Uttarkashi.Senior officials of the Uttarakhand forest department did not respond to email queries on the impact that Van Gujjar resettlement has had on the forest.Cover Photo: A Van Gujjar 'dera' near Dehradun (Photo - Satyam Kumar)Edited by Tanya Shrivastava This article is a part of 101Reporters' series The Promise Of Commons. In this series, we explore how judicious management of shared public resources can help the ecosystem as well as the communities inhabiting it.

No more pining for fodder: Oak rescues Paini women from hardship

The Mahila Mangal Dal comprising 70 women nurtures an oak forest in Uttarakhand, to relieve themselves of the task of bringing cattle fodder after walking 10 km.Chamoli & Gopeshwar, Uttarakhand: “Winters were hard on us. We had to walk 5 km each, up and down, to bring oak leaves for our animals. Every blade of grass wilts due to chilly weather, and we have to struggle to find cattle fodder,” Hema Rautela, the president of the Mahila Mangal Dal in Uttarakhand’s Paini village, tells 101Reporters.But that was four years ago. Things have changed a lot since then, with an oak forest catering to their needs. “We planted this forest,” says Rautela, beaming with pride. “It is just 500m from our village.” Farming is the main source of livelihood on the hills of Uttarakhand. In Paini village of Joshimath block in Chamoli district, the farmers mainly cultivate vegetables and pulses. To ensure a good yield, they use animal dung for manure, and hence require a lot of fodder to feed them.Women of Paini village, Chamoli, Uttarakhand walking back home after collecting grass to be able to feed their cattle (Photo: Dheeraj Parihar) But the limited fodder options led the women of Paini to plant oak saplings on two hectares of forest panchayat land in 2006.  Today, the land is a flourishing oak forest that provides the much-needed fodder to farmers.  “The land was lying vacant and was in constant danger of encroachment. So, we women got together and decided to plant around 2,000 oak saplings on two hectares,” explains Rautela, who owns three cows that require two to three bundles of grass daily. The fruits of teamworkThe beautiful oak forest is an inspiring example of community involvement and team effort, especially by the women who shoulder the responsibility of fetching fodder for animals in these parts of the country. First, the 70-odd women of the Mahila Mangal Dal brought cow dung manure and water from their homes to plant the saplings. They received help from both the Nanda Devi National Park and the Van Panchayat authorities.Then began their biggest challenge — of nurturing the saplings and preventing them from wilting. There was also an added danger of the saplings being destroyed by wild animals.The woman tackled the challenges head-on by dividing themselves and the land into four groups. Each group was responsible for watering the saplings on their patch of land, until they grew into small trees. The national park offered financial assistance for the initiative. To protect the saplings from wild animals, the locals fenced it with metal wires. The oak trees planted by the Paini villagers, Chamoli, Uttarakhand (Photo: Satyam Kumar)Their lovingly tended oak forest was gradually taking root, when another challenge knocked at their doors. In May, all of a sudden, a fire began to rage in a pine forest located near the village. As the fire spread rapidly towards the oak forest, the villagers, including those from the Dal, and the forest department staff rushed in to put it out.  “Soon, we gathered ourselves together and carried water in buckets and containers from our homes. Some people suffered burns, but thankfully no one was seriously injured. The fire could be brought under control only after four to five hours,” narrates Paini resident Manmohan Singh.Also Read: Living inside a wildlife sanctuary, this community marries conservation and co-existence“Whenever there is a fire around our village, it will be in the pine forest as its leaves are highly flammable. The fallen leaves are like a sheet on the ground, and the fire spreads quickly,” Singh claims.According to the information available on the Uttarakhand Forest Department website, this year, a total of 6,601 pine trees were damaged in forest fires, and two lives lost. At least seven persons received injuries while extinguishing it. The monetary loss suffered by the department stands at Rs 89,25,638. Oak vs pineBesides fodder, the villagers value the oak forest for its myriad uses. According to SP Sati, an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at the College of Forestry, Ranichauri, the oak trees help balance carbon dioxide levels in the forest and maintain low soil temperature. “The oak roots are very deep. So, they bind the soil and recharge ground water.”Kamla Devi, a Paini resident, points out that the soil around oak trees contains moisture that helps grass grow well in the forest. “We feed oak leaves to livestock, while its wood is used to make agricultural tools. For cooking too, oak wood is better than that of pine, as the latter emits a lot of smoke,” she tells 101Reporters.“Pine wood can only be used for construction, but lisa (resin) extracted from it can be sold. But a methodology set by the forest department should be followed during the process. Hence, locals are not keen on it. In other words, oak is more useful to us than pine,” explains Devi.“While there can be many reasons for fires, their rapid spread in the mountains is due to pine leaves, which act as petrol,” Singh insists.On the other hand, Hem Gairola, founding member of the Himalayan Centre for Community Forestry, Uttarakhand, tells 101Reporters, “The reason for the fires is poor management, not the pine tree. Earlier, there would be a fire line in the pine forests and for this line to work properly, dry leaves were removed from time to time so as to stop the fire from spreading. However, these days, this fire line is not given much attention.” Gairola adds that people used pine wood to build their houses earlier, but today they use cement and bricks. Just because humans have reduced their use of pine wood, it cannot be said that pine has no use. “Even today, pine trees have tied down the mountains to prevent landslides. It is fine to plant oak trees, but it should not be done by cutting down pine trees.”Edited by Gia Claudette FernandesThis article is a part of a 101Reporters' series on The Promise Of Commons. In this series, we will explore how judicious management of shared public resources can help the ecosystem as well as the communities inhabiting it.The cover image is of a woman in Paini village, Uttarakhand, returning after collecting grass for cattle fodder, captured by Dheeraj Parihar.

Char Dham rail tunnel leaves Uttarakhand village high and dry

Panai Pokhari in Chamoli district lost its sole source of clean water due to the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag phase of the project, worsened by the lack of help from the local administration. Panai Pokhari, Uttarakhand: "Wherever tunnels are built in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand, water sources dry up. This is a plain fact, irrespective of whether these constructions are for hydroelectric projects or for rail connectivity," explains Dr Hemant Dhyani, who has been a member of the Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee to assess the environmental impact of the Char Dham highway project. Nobody can attest to this claim better than the people of Panai Pokhari, a hilltop village located in Karnaprayag block of Chamoli district. The 50 families that reside here mostly depend on agriculture and daily-wage labour to make a living."Up until two months ago, we used to draw fresh water from a natural spring to meet our daily needs. Trees on the hills absorb water during the rainy season and release it slowly throughout the year. Our village had one such spring, but not anymore. The tunnel being dug at a depth of around 70m underneath our village for the Char Dham rail line has left us high and dry since April," laments Vinod Gusain, the village head. "We don't know when the train will pass through here, or how important it will be for us, but we clearly know that our only source of water has been irreparably lost due to this project." The villagers of Panai Pokhari have been bearing the brunt of the excavation activities for the tunnel since construction began in December 2020. Many houses developed cracks due to the explosives used in the process. "The panchayat immediately brought the matter to the notice of the district administration, tunnel contractor Dilip Buildcon Limited and the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). The villagers also petitioned the Karnaprayag sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), who is in charge of all the work related to the rail route," Gusain says.  However, the residents have not received any positive response so far. They say Dinesh Chamola, the RVNL Deputy General Manager appointed by the administration to deal with railway development-related complaints, has often asserted that the project has nothing to do with Panai Pokhari and its lands. A pipe dreamPanai Pokhari has had a pipeline in place for the past 20 years, but the water that comes through it belongs to an open source — a small river formed by streams emerging in the hills. "Sometimes, heavy downpour or landslides lead to pipeline breakage, which takes a long time to be rectified," says Girdhar Singh, a resident.Furthermore, the water gets dirty during the monsoon and is not the best quality even the rest of the year. Hence, the villagers use it primarily to wash clothes. But now, with the contamination of their sole source of drinking water, they have no option but to boil and drink it."That was not the case earlier. Irrespective of the season, we used to get sufficient quantities of clean water from the now-dry source. Be it a wedding or a religious event, the natural spring was worshipped first. It was of such significance to us," Singh adds.Janaki Devi, an elderly woman, adds: "I have had this water ever since I got married here. Even after the pipeline installation, we used to drink this only. There is no desire to use pipe water even now, but what can we do?"Jailal Singh, another resident of the village, says, “The vegetables and crops such as red paddy and maize that we usually plant around our homes have never been affected by water shortage, as the presence of the stream ensured moisture content in the soil. However, in the new scenario, we are solely dependent on rainwater to save our crops. Unfortunately, it has rained less this time." As Giridhar Singh claims, "It would be absolutely wrong to state that there won't be water shortage in the village."Which leads one to wonder how authorities are concerned with the situation...The rail scheme In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Char Dham Railway Project connecting the famous Himalayan shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamanotri and Gangotri. Since then, the RVNL and Uttarakhand government have been working in unison to complete the project.According to the RVNL's official YouTube channel, the 327km line is expected to cost around Rs 75,000 crore. At least 16 bridges and 17 tunnels are part of the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag line. The tunnel to be built in Devprayag will be the longest in the country, at about 15km in length. The Karnaprayag-Joshimath extension line will touch the Badrinath Dham, with12 bridges and 11 tunnels proposed in this path. The Karnaprayag-Sonprayag line connecting the Kedarnath Dham will have 20 bridges and 19 tunnels. Similarly, a proposed line from Doiwala in Dehradun to Uttarkashi will connect Gangotri and Yamunotri. The construction of tunnels and stations in the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag line has started, and the final survey for the remaining phases has been completed.However, environmentalists in the region are least impressed by the developmental works. Dr Dhyani, also the convenor of the Ganga Ahwan Movement, cites the case of a hydropower project work in Joshimath to prove his point. "Water just gushed out of the hill when a tunnel was being dug for this project in 2009-10. That was the elixir the hill kept locked inside during the rains and slowly let out as a source of water during the dry months."With the tunnel work disturbing this delicate balance of the ecosystem, water sources present on the hill that housed Joshimath city were affected. The result is clearly visible today, with many houses on the verge of collapse in the region."Such activities in the name of development not only kill the water sources used by humans but also affect wild animals, which then stray into human habitats in search of water. Such projects also seriously hamper the capacity of the hills to absorb and retain water. As a result, the water level in rivers no longer remains steady throughout the year. All these factors reduce the moisture content in surface soil, which further increases the risk of forest fires," Dr Dhyani explains.In this context, Dr SP Sati, Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences, College of Forestry in Ranichauri, says, "Even if eco-friendly technology is used for tunnelling, the drainage system of the hills is affected, and water sources go dry.”So is there any technique to restore these resources? Dr Sati says it is near impossible."Yes, water does fill them up during the rains, but it does not stay for long."   Knowing this fact well, Gusain has been demanding that alternative arrangements for clean drinking water be made for Panai Pokhari. However, no one from the administration has reached out to them so far. The demand for compensation for the houses that developed cracks has not been heard either. "If our demands are not met, we will be forced to stage protests before the district administration," he says.Asked about the discontent brewing in Panai Pokhari, SDM Santosh Kumar Pandey says he has no information about any water resource drying up in the region, though such an issue has been reported in the neighbouring Siwai village."We resolved the issue by holding a meeting there. Similarly, appropriate steps will be taken if we are informed about Panai Pokhari," he clarifies. Incidentally, a meeting with the residents of Siwai was held only after they protested before the administration.Edited by Rekha PulinnoliAll photos: Satyam Kumar

The cost of new infrastructure in Dehradun: Rivers Rispana and Bindal

Citizens of the Uttarakhand capital fear that the planned infrastructure project over the two rivers will heighten their water woes and worsen water pollution in their city.Dehradun, Uttarakhand: Even as the Uttarakhand government pushes for an elevated road over the Rispana and Bindal rivers that serve Dehradun, residents and activists cry foul. An elevated 11km road over the Rispana and another 15km road over the Bindal, to be built at a cost of Rs 4525.53 crore and 4927.18 crore respectively is planned to rid the city of its traffic congestion. But the people here would rather have authorities rejuvenate these dying rivers that are the lifeline of the city. Of the two, Bindal is a seasonal river that flows only during the monsoon and helps prevent flooding in the city. Rispana, on the other hand, is a perennial river that originates in the Laal Tippa hills of Mussoorie, and after flowing past the Massey Falls and Sikhar Falls, enters Dehradun near Rajpur. Journeying through Amwala and Tapovan, it meets the Bindal at Ajabpur. In its 27km journey, Rispana covers a catchment area of 53.45 sq km. The deteriorating state of RispanaDr Sunil Naithani from Doon University’s Environmental & Natural Resources Department emphasised the importance of the Rispana river to the location. "Rispana flows both on the surface and underground. Hence, it plays an important role in maintaining the groundwater level in the city," he said.Until recently, Rispana catered to the needs of the city’s population, as the Rajpur Canal built on the river brought its waters to central Dehradun, while helping irrigate farms on its rural banks, said Doon Science Forum Coordinator Vijay Bhatt."Although there are some other rivers around Dehradun, Rispana was instrumental in recharging the city’s waters due to its proximity,” he explained, adding that the city's growing population took a toll on what was once a broad, clean river."People took to throwing household garbage directly into the river. Once Dehradun became the capital of Uttarakhand, slums housing migrant labour came up along its banks. These slums have metamorphosed into permanent colonies now.”River Rispana almost turned to a nullah near Adhoiwala, Dehradun, Uttarakhand (Photo Credits - Satyam Kumar)From a breadth of 100m, the river has now narrowed to a 10-20m drain. The many tributaries that flow into it have also become victims of unplanned development all over the city. Activists working to rejuvenate the river believe that the administration had provided water and electricity connections to the many unauthorised slums on the riverbank, nurturing these housing developments as a vote bank by political parties. These unauthorised slums in Dehradun, have been questioned through many public interest litigations filed in the Uttarakhand High Court and explanations have been demanded from the Mussoorie-Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) and Dehradun Municipal Corporation. The resulting water crisis in Dehradun The deterioration in the state of the Rispana has resulted in a major water crisis in Dehradun, since the water requirement in most homes is met by groundwater. According to a March 2022 news report, of the total demand for 324.91 million litres per day (MLD), only 275.12 MLD is being supplied. In the summer months, the water crisis becomes acute. In some parts of the city, tankers are needed to supply water all through the summer months. Lekhraj, who lives on the banks of the Rispana in Karanpur, told 101Reporters that in summer, the water level drops so low that in spite of using a motor, their tanks don't get filled. The issue has worsened markedly in the past decade, with open spaces in Dehradun, which once helped recharge groundwater in the river’s many tributaries, being built over by concrete structures to cater to the growing population. According to the World and National Data, Maps and Ranking, the groundwater level of Dehradun has dropped by 12.33m from 2015 to 2019. The Preparation of Strategic Land Report tells us that Rispana recharges the groundwater level in Dehradun at the rate of 23.556 million cubic metres (MCM). In the monsoons, Rispana has 120.102 MCM of water, out of which 55.601 MCM flows away and 40.939 MCM gets evaporated.A draft report from November 2019 prepared by the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee — titled 'Preparation of Strategic Land & Water Management Plan for Rejuvenation of Rispana River' — for the Government of Uttarakhand’s Irrigation Department, claims that the river starts getting polluted immediately beyond the Rajpur Canal. The level of pollution rises as it proceeds further. And when it joins the Bindal near Mothrowala, the Bindal brings along the dirty waters from sewers and drains in the city. As per the NIH report, 9.386 MLD of dirty water from 177 drains and outlets of 2,901 homes finds its way into the Rispana. In the same manner, 18.14 MLD of dirty municipal waste finds its way into the Bindal. When these rivers meet at Mothrowala, the pollution level of the water spikes so much that the Rispana transcends all prescribed parameters.Speaking to 101Reporters, human rights advocate and conservation activist Reenu Paul said, “I had filed a suit regarding the encroachment and illegal structures in the catchment areas of the Bindal and Rispana rivers in the Uttarakhand High Court in December 2021. A joint bench comprising Chief Justice RS Chauhan and Justice ND Dhanik, directed the MDDA Secretary and Dehradun District Magistrate to file their response on the issue within four weeks. In spite of so much time having elapsed, there has been no action yet.” Settlements along the river bank of Rispana, Dehradun, Uttarakhand (Photo Credits - Satyam Kumar)In 2018, journalist Manmohan Lakhera filed a public interest litigation in the Uttarakhand High Court  regarding encroachments on the banks of the Rispana and Bindal and across Dehradun. The court had ordered all encroachments to be cleared within three months. When some residents of this settlement challenged the order in the Supreme Court, it ruled in favour of removal of encroachments from the streets, while allowing a hearing on riverbank encroachments. The municipal authorities then complied with the order, while the Uttarakhand government obtained a stay on the demolition of riverbank slums for three years.Mission RispanaIn view of the sorry state of the river, the then Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat had announced Mission Rispana in 2018, wherein the river would once again be turned to the ‘mythical Rishiparna’. As per the project, 2.5 lakh trees were to be planted from the mouth of the Rispana until where it met the Bindal. The sewer outfalls into the river were to be shut and instead connected to sewage treatment plants. Around 10,000 people had contributed saplings to the project back then.Since the Rispana and Bindal join the Ganga at Suswa, and later Raiwala, as tributaries, the project was brought under the Namami Gange Programme, the National Mission for Clean Ganga, and Rs 63.75 crore was planned to be spent under it. However, Mission Rispana was reduced to a pipe dream when neglect killed the saplings planted under the project. Citizens' apprehensions over the elevated road project Located between the Ganga and Yamuna, and once famed for its picturesque valleys, Dehradun has slowly been losing its identity over the years. The logging of the Asharodi forest for the Delhi-Dehradun Highway and construction of the elevated road over Rispana and Bindal rivers spell a long series of assaults on Dehradun and its precincts.“We have yet to learn of the technical features of this elevated road. But if pillars are inserted into the river to build this elevated road, it will certainly affect its ecology," warned Dr Ravi Chopra, director of the People’s Science Institute, Dehradun. “If the water level of the river is higher than the level of the groundwater, the river recharges the groundwater. In case the groundwater level is higher than that of the river water, then the groundwater gets discharged. When pillars are dug into the river, there's a fair chance of an untoward effect.” Advocate Reenu Paul echoed Dr Chopra's view and cautioned: “Encroachments on the riverbank have narrowed down the river and blocked the flow of water. Every monsoon, water enters homes, resulting in a flood-like situation. With pillars being put up for the elevated road, the situation is bound to worsen.”A detailed project report is underway for this elevated road construction which should include an Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) of the same.Note: Despite several attempts to reach of the department concerned with the elevated road project over the Rispana river, the reporter is yet to receive a response. This story will be updated once an official response is shared.Edited by Rina Mukherji