12.5 Conclusion
The struggle of the people of Garhwal Himalaya is
not just a part of environmental concerns but finds
its essence in the fulfillment of human needs. It is
good for interdependence and interaction between
human and natural resources. At last we can say
that the objective of forest and water conservation
is not only to manage these resources, but active
involvement and participation of local communities to sustain their environment means sustainable development without destruction. It is not
only soil and land management, but also magnify
the sustained endeavors of the mountain communities of Garhwal Himalaya to nourish and
reuse the thinning headwaters of the Himalayan
rivers and recharge and increase their volume in
the upper and lower watersheds. Their sizes are
small but the water of hundreds of Jal Talais along
the hillsides evokes a powerful image of small
water bowls, emptying out their pockets in the
humble tribute, to the large vessel of milk, their
benefactor, their native place, that is, Raath
(Doodhatoli) through ecological restoration.
Ecologically sustainable development is the basic
prerequisite for disaster mitigation and sustainable development. Equitable development will
reduce the vulnerable populations through livelihood diversification. We strongly believe that if
all national governments and NGOs took collective and coordinated action to implement these
three goals, Sustainable Development Goal 13
(Climate Action), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and
Communities), and SDG 15 (Life on Land), it
would significantly increase human health and
quality of life around the world, and would slow
the progression of global warming.
References
Alford D (1992) Hydrological aspects of Himalayan
regions. In: ICIMOD Occasional Paper, vol 18, p 68
Bandooni SK (1999) Land resource potential and development in Alaknanda Basin. PhD thesis, University of
Delhi
Bandooni SK (2004) Land resources management and
development in hill areas. Research Press India, Delhi
Bandooni SK, Prasad AS, Devi M (2017) Water resource
management through community, social workers and
NGOs participation in lesser Garhwal Himalaya. In:
Pandey BindhyWasini (ed) Water resources potentiality, vulnerability and management Indian experiences.
Research India Press, New Delhi
Gupta RK, Katiyar VS (1982) Rainwater cistern systems
for the Himalayan Region. In: Proceeding International Conference on Rainwater Cistern System,
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Global Water Partnership (2000) Integrated river basin
management Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
TAC Background Papers no. 4
Indian Water Resource Society (IWRS) (2015) India
water resource at glance
Mitchell B (ed) (1990) Integrated water management,
international experiences and perspectives. Bel-Haven
Press, London
Pandey BW (2017) Water resources: potentiality, vulnerability and management: Indian experiences. Research
India Press, New Delhi
Pandey BW, Mishra NP (2013) Sustainable use of water
resources: the need for new management options. In:
Anand S (ed) Progress in environmental management:
Indian experiences. Research India Press, New Delhi,
pp 250–271
Pandey BW, Bandooni SK, Negi VS (2004) Community
participation in water resources conservation and
management in Raath region of Garhwal Himalaya.
In: Chauhan GS, Dubey RN (eds) Water resources
management. Nataraj Publications, New Delhi,
pp 203–224
Pandey BW, Negi VS, Kumaria P (2017) Environmental
concerns and sustainable development in Himalaya.
Research India Press, New Delhi
Prasad AS, Pandey BW (2017) Climate change, land use
and land cover change detection and its impact on
hydrological hazards and sustainable development: a
case study of Alaknanda River Basin, Uttarakhand,
India. Riscurisi Catastr J An XVI 20(1). Editor: Victor Sorocovschi Riscurişi catastrofe, Casa Cărţii de
Ştiinţă Cluj-Napoca (2017), pp 55–68. ISSN 15845273
Negi VS, Pandey BW, Kumaria P (2017) Whither
sustainable development: Studies in planning and
management of land and water resources. Research
India Press, New Delhi
Planning Commission Report on Development Report of
Uttarakhand (2009) Government of India, Delhi
Rautela P (2000) Water resource in the Himalayas,
harvesting, tradition and change. Concept’s Discovering Himalayan Series No-5
Roy SS, Singh RB (2002) Climate variability, extreme
events and agriculture productivity in mountain
region. CIDA-SICI Project Contribution to International Mountain Year, Oxford and IBH Publishing Co.
Pvt. Ltd
Recdlift M (1990) Developing sustainability: designing
agro/ ecological zones. Land Use Policy 7(3):202–216
166
A. S. Prasad et al.
The struggle of the people of Garhwal Himalaya is
not just a part of environmental concerns but finds
its essence in the fulfillment of human needs. It is
good for interdependence and interaction between
human and natural resources. At last we can say
that the objective of forest and water conservation
is not only to manage these resources, but active
involvement and participation of local communities to sustain their environment means sustainable development without destruction. It is not
only soil and land management, but also magnify
the sustained endeavors of the mountain communities of Garhwal Himalaya to nourish and
reuse the thinning headwaters of the Himalayan
rivers and recharge and increase their volume in
the upper and lower watersheds. Their sizes are
small but the water of hundreds of Jal Talais along
the hillsides evokes a powerful image of small
water bowls, emptying out their pockets in the
humble tribute, to the large vessel of milk, their
benefactor, their native place, that is, Raath
(Doodhatoli) through ecological restoration.
Ecologically sustainable development is the basic
prerequisite for disaster mitigation and sustainable development. Equitable development will
reduce the vulnerable populations through livelihood diversification. We strongly believe that if
all national governments and NGOs took collective and coordinated action to implement these
three goals, Sustainable Development Goal 13
(Climate Action), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and
Communities), and SDG 15 (Life on Land), it
would significantly increase human health and
quality of life around the world, and would slow
the progression of global warming.
References
Alford D (1992) Hydrological aspects of Himalayan
regions. In: ICIMOD Occasional Paper, vol 18, p 68
Bandooni SK (1999) Land resource potential and development in Alaknanda Basin. PhD thesis, University of
Delhi
Bandooni SK (2004) Land resources management and
development in hill areas. Research Press India, Delhi
Bandooni SK, Prasad AS, Devi M (2017) Water resource
management through community, social workers and
NGOs participation in lesser Garhwal Himalaya. In:
Pandey BindhyWasini (ed) Water resources potentiality, vulnerability and management Indian experiences.
Research India Press, New Delhi
Gupta RK, Katiyar VS (1982) Rainwater cistern systems
for the Himalayan Region. In: Proceeding International Conference on Rainwater Cistern System,
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Global Water Partnership (2000) Integrated river basin
management Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
TAC Background Papers no. 4
Indian Water Resource Society (IWRS) (2015) India
water resource at glance
Mitchell B (ed) (1990) Integrated water management,
international experiences and perspectives. Bel-Haven
Press, London
Pandey BW (2017) Water resources: potentiality, vulnerability and management: Indian experiences. Research
India Press, New Delhi
Pandey BW, Mishra NP (2013) Sustainable use of water
resources: the need for new management options. In:
Anand S (ed) Progress in environmental management:
Indian experiences. Research India Press, New Delhi,
pp 250–271
Pandey BW, Bandooni SK, Negi VS (2004) Community
participation in water resources conservation and
management in Raath region of Garhwal Himalaya.
In: Chauhan GS, Dubey RN (eds) Water resources
management. Nataraj Publications, New Delhi,
pp 203–224
Pandey BW, Negi VS, Kumaria P (2017) Environmental
concerns and sustainable development in Himalaya.
Research India Press, New Delhi
Prasad AS, Pandey BW (2017) Climate change, land use
and land cover change detection and its impact on
hydrological hazards and sustainable development: a
case study of Alaknanda River Basin, Uttarakhand,
India. Riscurisi Catastr J An XVI 20(1). Editor: Victor Sorocovschi Riscurişi catastrofe, Casa Cărţii de
Ştiinţă Cluj-Napoca (2017), pp 55–68. ISSN 15845273
Negi VS, Pandey BW, Kumaria P (2017) Whither
sustainable development: Studies in planning and
management of land and water resources. Research
India Press, New Delhi
Planning Commission Report on Development Report of
Uttarakhand (2009) Government of India, Delhi
Rautela P (2000) Water resource in the Himalayas,
harvesting, tradition and change. Concept’s Discovering Himalayan Series No-5
Roy SS, Singh RB (2002) Climate variability, extreme
events and agriculture productivity in mountain
region. CIDA-SICI Project Contribution to International Mountain Year, Oxford and IBH Publishing Co.
Pvt. Ltd
Recdlift M (1990) Developing sustainability: designing
agro/ ecological zones. Land Use Policy 7(3):202–216
166
A. S. Prasad et al.