Context

Sonam Wangchuk, a Ramon Magsaysay Award laureate and climate activist, declared a 21-day climate fast to a gathering of 30,000 in Leh, Ladakh.

About Union Territory of Ladakh

• Ladakh, located between India’s neighbors Pakistan and China, faces the dual difficulties of border disputes and the negative consequences of climate change.
• Threat of Climate Change: Ladakh, which has 97% indigenous communities, is primarily reliant on farming and animal husbandry for a living, yet it is threatened by climate change-related floods, droughts, landslides, and pollution.

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Ladakh Map

• Significance of the Himalayan Region: The Himalayan region, known as the Third Pole, has approximately 15,000 glaciers that are crucial to the hydrological cycle but are under risk of melting owing to global warming.

Environmental Concerns Amid Ladakh’s Infrastructure Surge

• Launch of National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE): The NMSHE, established as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), intends to analyze the Himalayan region’s vulnerability to climate change and monitor ecosystem health.
• Rapid Development in Ladakh: However, fast infrastructural development in Ladakh since its status transition to a Union Territory appears to have overshadowed the NMSHE’s objectives.
• Infrastructural Development: Bridges, roads, tunnels, trains, and solar energy projects are all being built at a rapid pace, prompting concerns about their environmental impact.
  • Despite the region’s vulnerability to climate change-related calamities, initiatives such as the Zojila tunnel, the Kargil-Zanskar National Highway, and large-scale solar projects are being developed.

Other Challenges:

• Fragile Region: The Himalayan region has witnessed disasters such as the 2013 Kedarnath flash floods, the 2023 Joshimath accident, and the 2023 Silkyara tunnel collapse, but the lessons from these tragedies appear to go unheeded.
• Lack of Learning: Despite warnings from experts, infrastructure projects proceed unabated, endangering the lives and livelihoods of inhabitants, tourists, and pilgrims.
• Scant review: The Himalayan ecosystem’s fragile balance and biodiversity are under threat as a result of unregulated development activity.

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Conclusion

Urgent action is required to preserve the preservation of the Himalayas and the well-being of its inhabitants, demonstrating humanity’s common responsibility for future generations’ welfare.