| Feedback | | NMHS Portal | | HIMAL | | Jal Abhyaranya | | Fight against COVID-19 | || |LiFE-Lifestyle for Environment|

National Mission on Himalayan Studies
Implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC)
Nodal and Serving hub with G.B. Pant "National Institute of Himalayan Environment"(NIHE)

Broad Thematic Area 5: Infrastructure Development



Significance of Infrastructure Development in the India Himalayan Region (IHR)

In Himalayan region, many infrastructures–physical structures such as dams, hydropower projects, unscientific ways of building road and hotels, tunnels etc. have been constructed so far that provide the underpinnings for the modern society. Hence, it is necessary part of the development associated with a growing human population, which also lead to development of ancillary industries, communication routes, transportation, tourism and other development work in the area, but it can also have devastating impact on the environment. Additionally, devastating impact of climate change is also seen with disastrous cloudbursts and floods taking place with increasing frequency in this region. In this context, there is need to adopt an alternative model which will ensure economic security of the local communities, alternative sources of energy, encourage indigenous knowledge and methods of organic agriculture, support eco-tourism, afforestration etc. In this direction, the following 12 projects are ongoing under the NMHS, which aims to directly address alternative field/demonstration models/techniques in the mountain region.


IHR States Covered: 09 (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya)

Overall Objectives

Study the impacts of renewable energy projects and its effectiveness as an adaptation and mitigation strategy for the Ladakh region.
Design and formulate effective environmental management strategies and devise strategies to enhance human ecosystem processes for the Ladakh region;
Demonstration of low cost and durable model house using bamboo bricks/laminates;
Development of landslide early warning system for its societal use;
Preparation of digital database dedicated to the indigenous knowledge system;
Development of scientific and sustainable strategies for cultivation and harvesting of bio-resources;
Development of value added products;
Development of communication network using LoRa technique;
Development of a Web/App based Graphical User Interface (GUI) and interactive map.

Ongoing Projects: 15
FY 2016-17
1 Study and Monitoring of Climate Change Impacts and Health of the Environment of the Trans Himalayan Region of Ladakh and the Designing of Effective Development Strategies and Interventions for Adaptation and Mitigation.
2 Bamboo bricks/laminates from BMFs (Bamboo Micron Fibres) for low cost housing structures for North Eastern Himalayan region.
FY 2017-18
3 Conservation of traditional buildings and dissemination of traditional knowledge while simultaneously generating alternate livelihood opportunities.
4 Evaluation and design of low cost ground instrumentation with real time monitoring for the development of Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS).
5 Documentation of Indigenous knowledge system of selected major tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and the relevance of Intellectual property right to IKS.
6 Development of Sustainable Rural Livelihood Options Utilizing Locally Available Bio-resources through Transformative Rural Technologies in the Indian Himalayan Regions of Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
7 Sustainable Tourism and Revival/ Preservation of Hill Cultures and Ecology in abandoned villages of Uttarakhand: A pilot project.
8 Technological Interventions and Their Application for Sustainable Livelihood of Women Folk Involved in the Production of Various Traditional Milk-based Fermented Foods of Himalayan Belt of J&K.
9 Development of sustainable technology for production of biomass pellet based fuel and herbal by-product from residue of pruned tea plant: Augmenting rural development.
10 Cloud-assisted Data Analytics based Real-Time Monitoring and Detection of Water Leakage in Transmission Pipelines using Wireless Sensor Network for Hilly Regions.
11 Remote Monitoring and Control for Smart Agriculture with Internet of Things (IOT) in North-East (NE) Region of India.
FY 2019-20
12 Identification of vulnerability and potential risk factor zone at district and village level in Manipur.
FY 2020-21
13 Green technology for detection of Leakage & Heavy Metals and prevention of choking in pipe networks and its demonstrations in Himalayan setups.
FY 2022-23
14 Mainstreaming passive solar heated buildings in the Indian Himalayan Region: Integrating science with traditional practices to enhance climate resilience
15 Revival of Climate cum Disaster Resilient Vernacular Housing Techniques of the North-Western Indian Himalayan Region: Documentation, Investigation, and Knowledge Dissemination

Measurable Targets up to 2020

Initiate a state-wise programme for rejuvenation of Himalayan springs in all 12 IHR States.
Develop inventories of mountain springs in selected 8 States of the IHR.
Local scale watershed planning.
Monitoring of water quality and ecological integrity of selected springs, lakes and rivers.
Database on weather and extreme climatic events from high altitude basins in 4 States
Monitoring and modelling for prediction of water-induced disasters.
Capacity building and training for water resource management.



Monitoring Indicators

No. of new Database/Datasets generated on the identified dynamics , e.g. traditional heritage eco-tourism, traditional Himalayan structures/buildings, Homestays, viz., Transformative rural technologies; Sustainable harvesting of biological resources; etc.;
Region-specific best practices/demonstrative models/interventions (No.), e.g. sustainable harvesting models/ techniques; Processing technological models; Community participation and ownership models; etc.;
No. of Skill building programs organized, including No. of stakeholders benefitted (No. of craftsmen and total No. of beneficiaries) with update on income generation (Rs./ person);
Technology Transfer Manual for Rural Entrepreneurs/ Eco-preneurs; etc.;
No of Homestays models developed/promoted/ No of design tested;.
New packaging practices/Quality improvement process developed (No); with Market Linkages; etc.;
No of sensor developed and tested on ground for efficacy;
No. of Capacity building programmes and No. of stakeholders benefitted; Publications and knowledge products (Nos.).

Deliverables

Establishment of two (2) research cells for awareness building;
Five (5) demonstration models of low-cost and durable Model Housing Structures;
Development of 01 low cost Landslide Early Warning System for Himalayan;
Establishment of 01 Technology Incubation Centre (TIC);
Development of approx. 10 Demonstration models/Field models;
01 web-based system for early detection of leakages and bursts for preventive maintenance;
Approx. 100 Capacity building programme will be conducted.
Achievements till date ...

Developed Low-cost and durable Model Housing Structures by using Bamboo Micron Fibres (BMFs) –Assam
Developed low cost sensor for Landslide Early Warning System –Uttarakhand
One patent is filed on Bamboo Micron Fibres (BMFs)