EIACP PC-Hub: Himachal Pradesh
Status of Environment and Related Issues

Himalayas, which were formed about 45 million years back while the Indian Plate collided with Eurasian Plate at the rate of 15cm per year. The stress was great between the plates that caused earthquakes of high magnitude.  Indian Plate is still moving northward today into the Eurasian Plate at the rate of about 2cm per year. Because of this the Himalayas are rising at the rate of about 5mm per year. This means that the Himalayas are still geologically active. When two plates move sideways against each other (at transform plate boundary), there is tremendous amount of friction, which makes the movement jerky. The plates slip, then stick as the friction and pressure build up to incredible levels. When the pressure is released suddenly, and the plates jerk apart, result in the occurrence of an earthquake. For this reason, earthquakes are a frequent occurrence in the entire Himalayan region.

The state of   Himachal Pradesh, which forms a part of the Northwestern Himalayas, is environmentally fragile and ecologically vulnerable. Geologically the Himalayas are considered to be the youngest mountain chains in the world and are still in the building phase. Natural hazards are a matter of immediate concern to the state of Himachal Pradesh  as every year the state experiences the fury of nature in various forms-like earthquakes, cloudburst, flash floods, landslides, snow avalanches droughts etc. The fragile ecology of the  mountain state coupled with large variations in physio-climatic conditions has rendered it  vulnerable to vagaries of nature. The incidence of cloudbursts in the last few years has baffled both the meteorologist and the common man equally. Notwithstanding, continuous efforts made by the Government to cope with natural hazards through relief and rehabilitation measures the recurrence of landslides and snow avalanches continue to inflict widespread harm and damage to human life as well as property. The roads that are the state’s lifeline are repeatedly damages, blocked or washed away by one or the other acts of nature. In the circumstances,

Government have to divert the already scarce resources of the state for relief and rehabilitation measures as opposed to long-term development efforts

Source:Disaster Management Authority, Govt. Of Himachal Pradesh