Himalaya

Himalaya is most popularly known as Roof of the World. Stretched across Nepal, India, Bhutan, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Himalayas shelter over 200 mountains exceeding 7,200m amongst which nine are the world highest peaks; Mount Everest [8,850m/29,035ft] on the Nepal-Tibet border; K2 or Mount Godwin Austen[8,611m/28,251ft], on Pakistan - Jammu & Kashmir boarder, Kanchenjunga [8,598m/28,209ft] on the Nepal-India border, Makalu [8,481m/27,824ft] on Nepal-Tibet border, Dhaulagiri [8,172m/26,811ft] and Annapurna I [8,091m/26,545ft] in Nepal, Nanga Parbat [8,125m/26,657ft] in Jammu and Kashmir of Pakistani territory and Nanda Devi [7817m/25,645ft] in India. Geographical, historical, cultural and adventure variations have made Himalaya the most sought after travel destination for trekking, mountaineering and pilgrims. The term, Himalaya, was derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "the Abode of Snow" and is believed to have been coined by the ancient Indian pilgrims who traveled in these majestic mountains since time immemorial. The mighty Himalaya is also revered as the abode of divinity.

. Geodynamically active and ecologically sensitive Himalaya; apart from having the inherent environmental problems of natural occurrence such as, earthquakes, landslides, soil erosion and flash floods; is confronted with a range of other problems of anthropogenic origin. They include: accelerated soil erosion, rain water runoff, increasing incidence of landslides, siltation and pollution of water bodies, drying up of springs, deforestation and degradation of forests, scarcity of fodder and fuel wood, overgrazing , forest fires, alterations in wildlife habitats and wildlife attacks, low crop yield, increasing wastelands and invasion of alien weeds, eroding biodiversity, shifting cultivation, etc. Most of these problems are interconnected and one problem gives rise to another. The aforementioned vicious cycle of degradation of natural resources, poverty and out- migration add to the fragility to the Himalayan ecosystem.

Hard as it may sound to those overcome by the sheer magnificence of this mountain chain, the majestic Himalayas are surprisingly vulnerable to both natural processes and man-made ones. The mountain chain is young and, as has been proved in recent years, it is still geologically active. The Indian landmass continues to move towards the Eurasian landmass as a result of which the Himalayas rise by a few millimeters every year. Due to this, the Himalayas are still structurally unstable.

The Himalayas also feature a fragile ecosystem. For centuries, this ecosystem has remained delicately balanced, and has been responsible for the tremendous biodiversity of the Himalayas. Only in recent years has the ecosystem been disturbed in various parts due to processes both man-made and natural.

Man has also been responsible to a large extent for some of the environmental problems faced by the mountains. As he strives