Sagarmatha Sambaad and Preserving Himalayas

• 26 May 2025

For Prelims: Sagarmatha Sambaad, Himalayas, International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), International Big Cats Alliance, Snow Leopards, Biodiversity Hotspot, Kailash Mansarovar, Indian Monsoon, Char Dham Project, Hindu Kush Glaciers, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Ramsar sites, Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs). 

For Mains: Significance of Himalayas and mountain ecosystems, Key challenges associated with the Himalayan and way forward. 

Source: PIB 

Why in News? 

Union Environment Minister represented India at the inaugural Sagarmatha Sambaad in Nepal, reaffirming India’s commitment to climate action and calling for collaborative efforts to protect the Himalayas and mountain ecosystems. 

• The Himalayan ecosystem is vital to sustaining India’s environmental integrity and driving its economic resilience.

What is Sagarmatha Sambaad? 

• About: It is a biennial global dialogue forum initiated by the Government of Nepal, named after Sagarmatha (Mount Everest), to deliberate on pressing global issues, with an emphasis on mountain ecosystems and climate resilience. 
  • It coincided with the ”International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025”. 
• Theme and Focus: The theme of first edition (2025) was “Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity.” 
  • The focus areas include the impact of climate change on mountain ecosystems, particularly glacial melt, lake outbursts, biodiversity loss, and downstream effects on water cycles and natural disasters. 
• India’s Stand: India outlined a 5-point call for global action to address the shared ecological challenges of mountainous regions. 
  • Enhanced Scientific Cooperation: Joint monitoring of climate and biodiversity in high-altitude ecosystems. 
    • India stressed regional cooperation via the International Big Cats Alliance to conserve snow leopards, tigers, and leopards, and lauded its success with 718 snow leopards recorded under Project Snow Leopard (2019–2023). 
  • Building Climate Resilience: Develop early warning systems and adaptation infrastructure for mountain hazards like glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF). 
  • Empowering Mountain Communities: Prioritize local welfare, integrate traditional knowledge, and support green livelihoods. 
  • Providing Green Finance: Urged for adequate and predictable climate finance aligned with the Paris Agreement. 
  • Recognizing Mountain Perspectives: Advocate for mountain-specific concerns in global climate and development forums 

What is the Significance of Himalayan Ecosystem for India? 

• Hydrological Significance: The Himalayas, known as Asia’s water towers, is a major source of rivers like the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Indus, with vast snow and ice deposits supplying around 1.2 trillion cubic meters of water annually to support agriculture, drinking water, and hydropower. 
• Ecological Significance: The Himalayas, a biodiversity hotspot, host over 10,000 vascular plants, 979 birds, and 300 mammals—including the snow leopard, red panda, Himalayan tahr, and Himalayan monal—across diverse climate zones from tropical to alpine. 
• Cultural Significance: The Himalayas hold spiritual significance in Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism, featuring sacred sites like Kailash Mansarovar, Kedarnath and Badrinath, attracting millions of pilgrims annually. 
• Economic Significance: The Himalayas support millions through tourism, agriculture, and forestry, with sustainable growth driven by organic farming, eco-tourism, and renewable energy.  
  • In states like Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, and Meghalaya, the tourism sector has been contributing more than 10% to the state GDP.  
  • The Ganges river basin supports around 40% of India’s population and is vital for agriculture and industry. 
• Renewable Energy: Himalayan rivers offer vast hydropower potential, vital for India’s energy security and green transition.  
  • The Northeastern states, especially Arunachal Pradesh with its 13,000 MW Lohit Basin project (2023), lead in hydropower development. 
• Climate Regulation: Acting as a colossal natural shield, the Himalayas block frigid winds from Central Asia, thus preventing extreme cold in northern India.  
  • Their towering presence also influences the Indian monsoon by forcing moist oceanic air to rise, causing heavy rainfall vital for crops.  
  • Without the Himalayas, much of India could face harsher winters and erratic monsoons, disrupting food security.      
• Carbon Sink: The vast forests and alpine meadows of the Himalayan region act as an important carbon sink, absorbing significant amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide and helping to mitigate climate change.  
  • These ecosystems store carbon in their dense vegetation and soil, reducing greenhouse gas levels and buffering global warming impacts.  
  • Protecting Himalayan forests from deforestation and degradation is crucial to maintain their carbon sequestration capacity and preserve regional climate stability. 

 

What are the Key Issues Related to India's Himalayan Ecosystem? 

• Climate-Driven Disasters: The Himalayas face increasing disasters like avalanches, landslides, and flash floods due to rising temperatures, glacier retreat, and erratic weather, including more frequent cloudbursts.  
  • Recent events like the 2025 Uttarakhand avalanche and 2023 Sikkim Glacial Lake Outburst Flood highlight rising disaster risks. 
• Fragile Economic Development: Slope cutting, deforestation, and blasting weaken mountain stability, causing landslides and subsidence.  
  • Heightened seismic activity in the Indus–Tsangpo zone combined with unsustainable projects led to crises like the 2023 Joshimath land subsidence linked to the Char Dham Project. 
• Retreating of Glacier: Himalayan glaciers, key to India’s rivers, are rapidly melting due to global warming, risking water scarcity, droughts, reduced hydropower, and conflicts;  
  • A 2023 report warns Hindu Kush glaciers may lose 75% volume by century’s end if trends continue. 
  • For instance, over the last 25 years, Gangotri glacier has retreated more than 850 meters. 
• Biodiversity Loss: Deforestation, encroachment, and climate change drive significant biodiversity loss in the Himalayas, also fueling invasive species like crofton weed that threaten native pine trees. 
  • Also, it is leading to displacement of species, for instance, about 90% of the endemic species in the Sikkim Himalayas have been displaced.  
• Unregulated Tourism: Tourism growth, while economically beneficial, often leads to littering, pollution, and strain on local resources.  
  • Overcrowding in pilgrimage sites like Kedarnath and trekking trails damages fragile alpine ecosystems.  
  • The Himalayan Clean-Up (2022) waste audit revealed that 92.7% of the trash was plastic, with 72% consisting of non-recyclable plastic.

What Measures can India Adopt for Sustainable Development of Himalayan Ecosystem?

• Enhancing Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: Infrastructure development must follow strict Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and use nature-based solutions like bio-engineering and climate-resilient designs.  
  • Promote zero-emission transport and electric vehicle corridors in high-altitude towns to reduce pollution.  
• Promoting Sustainable Tourism: Tourism should be regulated with carrying capacity limits, eco-tourism models, and responsible visitor frameworks.  
  • Permit-based entry can control overcrowding in fragile areas, promoting low-impact tourism. 
• Glacier Conservation and Sustainable Water Management: India must prioritize monitoring and protecting Himalayan glaciers through scientific research and advanced technologies like remote sensing and GIS mapping to track glacier health and melting patterns.  
  • Additionally, developing sustainable water management systems—including artificial recharge (ice stupas), rainwater harvesting, and efficient irrigation—can help communities adapt to changing water availability due to glacier shrinkage. 
• Promote Afforestation and Forest Conservation: India should implement large-scale afforestation and reforestation programs to restore degraded forest areas, enhancing biodiversity and strengthening the ecosystem’s role as a carbon sink.  
  • Community-based forest management involving local people can ensure sustainable use of forest resources.  
  • For example, joint forest management (JFM) initiatives have successfully empowered local tribes in Uttarakhand (Van Andolan in Uttarakhand) to protect forests. 
• Implement Climate Change Adaptation Strategies: Adopting early warning systems for glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and climate-resilient agricultural practices will help communities cope with climate change impacts.   
  • For instance, rainwater harvesting has been introduced successfully in some Himalayan villages to mitigate drought conditions. 
• Promote Sustainable Livelihood: Promote organic farming, permaculture, and climate-resilient crops to boost food security and prevent soil degradation.  
  • Incentivize eco-friendly handicrafts, herbal products, and adventure tourism to diversify economies.

Conclusion 

The Sagarmatha Sambaad underscores the critical importance of international collaboration to safeguard the Himalayas’ fragile ecosystems. It calls for urgent action on climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development to address challenges such as glacial melt, natural disasters, and environmental degradation, ensuring the region’s long-term ecological and cultural survival. 

Drishti Mains Question:

Examine the major environmental challenges faced by the Himalayas and suggest sustainable development strategies to address these issues

 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs) 

Prelims

Q. Consider the following pairs: (2020)

Peak                   -            Mountains 

1. Namcha Barwa      -    Garhwal Himalaya
2. Nanda Devi           -   Kumaon Himalaya
3. Nokrek           -          Sikkim Himalaya

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? 

(a) 1 and 2 

(b) 2 only 

(c) 1 and 3 

(d) 3 only 

Ans: (b) 

Q. If you travel through the Himalayas, you are likely to see which of the following plants naturally growing there? (2014) 

1. Oak 
2. Rhododendron 
3. Sandalwood 

Select the correct answer using the code given below: 

(a) 1 and 2 only 

(b) 3 only 

(c) 1 and 3 only 

(d) 1, 2 and 3 

Ans: (a) 

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Mains 

Q1. Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats. (2021) 

Q2. How will the melting of Himalayan glaciers have a far-reaching impact on the water resources of India? (2020) 

Q3. “The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and suggest suitable measures of mitigation. (2016)