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India Gazette
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
India underscores urgency of glacial retreat at high-level summit in Tajikistan
By Dr. Chandan Kumar Dushanbe [Tajikistan], June 2 (ANI): In a significant diplomatic outreach, India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, is leading a high-profile official visit to Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, aimed at deepening India's strategic, economic, and environmental partnerships in Central Asia. In Dushanbe, Singh attended the High-Level International Conference on Glacier Preservation, where he delivered a strong message about the urgent threat posed by glacial retreat. Addressing the plenary session, Singh warned that the accelerating pace of glacial melt -- particularly in the Himalayas -- has become an 'immediate global crisis' with far-reaching consequences for water security, biodiversity, and the livelihoods of billions. Representing India at the climate-focused summit, Singh highlighted national efforts under the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) -- part of India's broader National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). He emphasized the importance of scientific research, citing the establishment of the Centre for Cryosphere and Climate Change Studies, which supports glacier monitoring and climate adaptation initiatives in the Indian Himalayan region. 'India is utilizing advanced Remote Sensing and GIS technologies, led by ISRO, to monitor glacier mass and dynamics,' Singh noted. These technological efforts are complemented by collaborations with key institutions such as the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), and the GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE). In addition to environmental priorities, Singh stressed India's work in disaster mitigation, particularly in strengthening early warning systems and mapping risks from Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), through the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). He called for greater regional cooperation to build resilience and improve data-sharing to address growing climate threats to mountain ecosystems. On the diplomatic front, the Minister held bilateral meetings with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin and other senior officials. Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in defence, counter-terrorism, regional security, energy, and cultural exchange. Singh also engaged with the Indian diaspora in Tajikistan, recognizing their vital role in promoting people-to-people ties and India's cultural diplomacy. Following the Tajikistan leg, Singh will travel to Kyrgyzstan, where he is scheduled to meet the Kyrgyz Foreign Minister and senior government representatives to explore avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation. Key agenda items include trade, defence collaboration, regional connectivity, education, and technological innovation. The visit to Kyrgyzstan will culminate with Singh's participation in the IX Meeting of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP) Steering Committee, to be held on June 5-6 in Issyk-Kul. India's leadership at the GSLEP forum underscores its commitment to conserving fragile mountain ecosystems and protecting biodiversity, especially in the context of snow leopard habitats. India's relationship with both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan dates back to the early 1990s, rooted in mutual concerns over regional security and expanded through sustained engagement in trade, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. Singh's visit is being viewed as a key step in advancing India's 'Connect Central Asia' policy and reinforcing New Delhi's growing role as a strategic partner in the region. (ANI)
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Single-use food, beverage packaging 84% of Himalayan plastic waste: report
Single-use food and beverage packaging forms more than 84% of the plastic waste in the eco-sensitive Himalayan region, an anti-waste collective of NGOs has found. According to the Zero Waste Himalaya Alliance, about 70% of the plastics collected from across the Himalayan belt from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh are non-recyclable and have no market value. The gravity of the environmental reality came to light at the Zero Waste Himalaya Network Meet held in Himachal Pradesh's Bir in April, where the constituents of the alliance lamented the failure of the current policies in addressing the unique challenges of mountain ecosystems. The alliance was initiated by the Zero Waste Himalaya, an organisation based in Sikkim's Gangtok, and the Integrated Mountain Initiative based in Uttarakhand's Dehradun. The two organisations have been spearheading The Himalayan Cleanup (THC), one of the biggest movements against plastic pollution in the Indian Himalayan region, since 2018. The Bir convergence of anti-plastic groups was held a month ahead of their annual plastic waste collection from May 26-30. The meeting was supported by the GAIA-Asia Pacific and Break Free From Plastic, two global networks 'committed to ending plastic pollution by championing real solutions'. A statement issued by the alliance on Thursday (May 8, 2025) said: 'Over the past six years, the data has indicated that the Himalayan waste crisis is fundamentally a production and systems issue rather than a post-consumer waste management flaw. While the role of individual behavioural change was acknowledged and emphasised, the need for systemic, policy-level interventions and a paradigm shift away from centralised, extractive waste systems was seen as critical.' The participants identified the critical need for producer responsibility enforcement in mountain regions and called for a paradigm shift away from centralised and extractive waste systems toward solutions grounded in local realities and traditional wisdom. Beyond recycling A report released by THC said the 2018 waste collection exercise was conducted at more than 250 sites by volunteers of 200 organisations. In 2024, more than 15,000 members of 350 organisations collected plastic waste from 450 locations. Among the nine Himalayan States targeted in 2025, Sikkim generated the most trash items. A total of 53,814 (44% of the total) pieces of litter were audited across 86 sites. This was followed by West Bengal's Darjeeling with 36,180 items audited across 37 sites. The volunteers in Ladakh picked up and audited 11,958 pieces of trash across 18 sites. Nagaland and Uttarakhand followed Ladakh to take the fourth and fifth spots. The exercise across the nine States yielded 1,21,739 pieces of trash, of which 1,06,857 were plastic, mostly single-use, divided into six categories: food packaging, household products, personal care products, smoking material, packing material, and others. The report said 84.2% of the plastic waste was found to be food and beverage packaging. These packages have been audited to gather data on the top corporate polluters in the Himalayan belt. 'Within food packaging, 71% of the plastic waste was non-recyclable. THC2022 and THC2023 showed 72% and 77.4% of all plastic collected was non-recyclable, mainly, multilayered plastics and tetrapak... These problematic plastics are not collected by any waste pickers and scrap dealers and are found littering mountain landscapes, choking waterways and filling up landfill sites,' it said. 'Thus, there is a need to look at solutions beyond the recycling lens,' it added. The THC2024 was conducted across villages, schools, tourist spots, and protected areas. Water bodies and rivers were the most littered in the tourist spots. The report further said that the alliance will call for mountain-sensitive policies, increased resource allocation, and urgent attention to the intersection of waste with climate, food security, and biodiversity in the Himalayan region. This year, organisations from Bhutan and Nepal have joined the campaign for a cleaner Himalayan region.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Single-use food, beverage packaging forms 84% of Himalayan plastic waste
GUWAHATI Single-use food and beverage packaging forms more than 84% of the plastic waste in the eco-sensitive Himalayan region, an anti-waste collective of NGOs has found. According to the Zero Waste Himalaya Alliance, about 70% of the plastics collected from across the Himalayan belt from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh are non-recyclable and have no market value. The gravity of the environmental reality came to light at the Zero Waste Himalaya Network Meet held in Himachal Pradesh's Bir in April, where the constituents of the alliance lamented the failure of the current policies in addressing the unique challenges of mountain ecosystems. The alliance was initiated by the Zero Waste Himalaya, an organisation based in Sikkim's Gangtok, and the Integrated Mountain Initiative based in Uttarakhand's Dehradun. The two organisations have been spearheading The Himalayan Cleanup (THC), one of the biggest movements against plastic pollution in the Indian Himalayan region, since 2018. The Bir convergence of anti-plastic groups was held a month before their annual plastic waste collection from May 26-30. The GAIA-Asia Pacific and Break Free supported the meeting From Plastic, two global networks 'committed to ending plastic pollution by championing real solutions'. A statement issued by the alliance on Thursday (May 8, 2025) said, 'Over the past six years, the data has indicated that the Himalayan waste crisis is fundamentally a production and systems issue rather than a post-consumer waste management flaw. While the role of individual behavioural change was acknowledged and emphasised, the need for systemic, policy-level interventions and a paradigm shift away from centralised, extractive waste systems was seen as critical.' The participants identified the critical need for producer responsibility enforcement in mountain regions, calling for a paradigm shift away from centralised and extractive waste systems toward solutions grounded in local realities and traditional wisdom. Beyond recycling A report released by THC said the 2018 waste collection exercise was conducted at more than 250 sites by volunteers of 200 organisations. In 2024, more than 15,000 members of 350 organisations collected plastic waste from 450 locations. Among the nine Himalayan States targeted in 2025, Sikkim generated the most trash items. A total of 53,814 (44% of the total) pieces of litter were audited across 86 sites. This was followed by West Bengal's Darjeeling with 36,180 items audited across 37 sites. The volunteers in Ladakh picked up and audited 11,958 pieces of trash across 18 sites. Nagaland and Uttarakhand followed Ladakh to take the fourth and fifth spots. The exercise across the nine States yielded 1,21,739 pieces of trash, of which 1,06,857 were plastic, mostly single-use, divided into six categories: food packaging, household products, personal care products, smoking material, packing material, and others. The report said 84.2% of the plastic waste was found to be food and beverage packaging. These packages have been audited to gather data on the top corporate polluters in the Himalayan belt. 'Within food packaging, 71% of the plastic waste was non-recyclable. THC2022 and THC2023 showed 72% and 77.4% of all plastic collected was non-recyclable, mainly, multilayered plastics and tetrapak... These problematic plastics are not collected by any waste pickers and scrap dealers and are found littering mountain landscapes, choking waterways and filling up landfill sites,' it said. 'Thus, there is a need to look at solutions beyond the recycling lens,' it added. The THC2024 was conducted across villages, schools, tourist spots, and protected areas. Water bodies and rivers were the most littered in the tourist spots. The report further said that the alliance will call for mountain-sensitive policies, increased resource allocation, and urgent attention to the intersection of waste with climate, food security, and biodiversity in the Himalayan region. This year, organisations from Bhutan and Nepal have joined the campaign for a cleaner Himalayan region.
South China Morning Post
28-02-2025
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
Avalanche in Indian mountain state leaves at least 25 people trapped
At least 25 people remain trapped under snow after an avalanche struck the Indian Himalayan mountain state of Uttarakhand, authorities said on Friday, following recent heavy snowfall in the region. Advertisement The avalanche occurred near a highway in the state's Chamoli region, adjoining Tibet, and less than 5km (3 miles) from the Hindu temple of Badrinath, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of devotees every year. It struck a labour site of the federal Border Roads Organisation, where eight containers and one shed, with 57 workers inside, were buried under the snow, according to an Indian army statement. Five of the containers had been located, the statement said, and the search for the remaining three was ongoing. At least 32 workers had been rescued, Chamoli's District Administrator Sandeep Tiwari told news agency ANI on Friday evening, and there was no indication of any casualties. A rescue operation by Indian Army members. Photo: Reuters Members of the army were seen carrying a person on a stretcher through knee-deep snow, in images shared on X, as more snow continued to fall.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
At least 41 trapped after avalanche in Indian mountain state
By Sakshi Dayal NEW DELHI (Reuters) -At least 41 people remain trapped under snow after an avalanche struck the Indian Himalayan mountain state of Uttarakhand, authorities said on Friday, following recent heavy snowfall in the region. The avalanche occurred near a highway in the state's Chamoli region, adjoining Tibet, and less than 5 km (3 miles) from the Hindu temple of Badrinath, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of devotees every year. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. It struck a labour site of the federal Border Roads Organisation (BRO), where eight containers and one shed, with 57 workers inside, were buried under the snow, according to an Indian army statement. Five of the containers had been located, the statement said, and the search for the remaining three was ongoing. At least sixteen workers had so far been rescued, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told reporters. There was no indication of any casualties. Chamoli's District Administrator Sandeep Tiwari said that rain and snowfall were limiting mobility and the use of helicopter services. Members of the army were seen carrying a person on a stretcher through knee-deep snow, in images shared on X, as more snow continued to fall. India's weather department expects "heavy to very heavy" snowfall - defined as at least 12 centimetres (5 inches) of snow - over the state through Friday and to then subside "significantly". Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed for the rescue operation were also facing delays in reaching the workers, senior NDRF official Mohsen Shahedi told Reuters. Uttarakhand, which is located in the Himalayas, is increasingly prone to flash floods and landslides due to rising global temperatures, and environmentalists have urged a review of power projects and other development work there. At least 80 people were killed and more than 200 reported missing when a part of a glacier in the state broke away in February 2021. An avalanche in 2022 killed 16 people.
