Hot water springs in Uttarakhand

Hot water springs are very much in vogue for the tourists in the developed countries. In India, it is still in the underdeveloped stage. There is no systematic tourism in this sector. Uttarakhand has around 62 hot springs out of total 320 in India. The state department is taking step in the direction to develop these geo – thermal hot water into wellness spa. These places could become world class destination for the tourists interested in hot water spring spa. The whole idea is to replicate the already established system at other places. This concept of tourism is especially designed for high end tourists, the niche segment. At initial phase the places which have been selected are as follows:

1                    Gaurikund in Rudraprayag

2                    Madkot in Pithoragarh

3                    Rishikund on the way to Gangotri

4                    Suryakund in Chamoli

    

It is estimated that more than Rs. 400 crore will be spent on each destination and would take at least three years to complete. These places shall have spa complex, yoga / meditation centre, golf course, dance and aerobatics complex and amphitheatre. The implementing agency shall be Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB), which shall be assisted by New Zealand Geo Thermal Association,  Geo thermal Institute of University of Aucland and Geological Survey of India (GSI).

The GSI has already conducted the survey of the above destinations in November, 2015 and a competent agency is also set to put the report regarding feasibility, economics and viability of these projects. The report shall cover the exact source of hot spring, analysis of fluid type / geochemical and geological understanding.

The market of hot water spring is very lucrative and is estimated around USD 50 billion and is considered one of the fastest growing tourism segments. The countries dominating this segments are China and Japan with 51% and 43% with Europe.  India hosted the first meeting of the Hot Spring Industry Forum in Delhi in October 2013 which paved the way to the formation of Global Hot Spring Initiative.

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Poaching of musk deer

The lawmakers and the wildlife experts fear that the forests of Uttarakhand and Nepal – China border have become hunting ground for musk – bearing stag . Musk is a strong scented secretion glands of male musk deer, normally used for perfume and medicinal use in China and its neighbours. This very thing makes the deer vulnerable to hunters and poachers due to its demand in the international market. The population of the musk deer in Uttarakhand was 274 in 2003 and 279 in 2005. The last census was taken in the year 2008, when the count was 284 as per the official record. There are two musk deer sanctuaries in Uttarakhand – Askot (Pithoragarh district) and Kedarnath (in Chamoli and Rudraprayag district). There are no statistics on the population of the musk deer in these two sanctuaries.

The hunters and poachers of India and Nepal hunt the deer and coordinate closely to make trade on the musk pod. The animal parts are smuggled from this area to other places of commercial interests.   Due to lack of forest staff, the poachers have easily been carrying out this activity. The poachers set forests on fire to disturb the habitats of the deer, and snare those that come out in order to escape the fire. There have been the cases of seizing the musk pods from the poachers. The last musk pod was seized in 2014. Prior to that, in 2012, two musk pods were seized.  The districts – Chamoli, Uttarakashi, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar are vulnerable to this poaching. 

The weight of the musk pod is around 100-250 grams making it is to carry. So, it’s not very difficult to smuggle this item on the borders. The solution to resolve this problem lies by strengthening the information between forest, police, informers etc.  As per the official record, against sanctioned positions of forest guard of 3650, only 2700 have been filled. So, by improving the networking and strengthening the areas where there are vacuums, this menace can be prevented. 

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New evidences of snow leopards in Uttarakhand

The Uttarakhand forest department found evidence of the presence of snow leopards in six valleys during the survey conducted to study the population of the endangered cat in the upper reaches, an official said on Monday (8^th Febraury, 2016). The 15-day survey in June 2015 – the first in the state to map the population of the endangered high – altitude species – was conducted in the hill state and the evidences of its presence were found in six, said Uttarakhand chief wildlife warden.

The snow leopard, a species found at an altitude of 3,000 m, is a Schedule I animal under Wildlife Protection Act of India and is listed as
“endangered” by International Union for Conservation of Nature. Uttakhand is among the five states in the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh where snow leopards have been sighted. Presence of snow leopard has been recorded on the camera traps in Gangotri and Nanda Devi earlier. However, this is the first time that their evidence in 6 valleys out of 16 has been recorded.

Thirty nine pieces of evidence, including dropping and scats were found. The dropping will be sent for DNA analysis. DNA analysis will help subtract duplication and identify the number snow leopards. With all these findings, it is expected that the state will now be covered under the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection programme that includes 12 range countries, where the elusive the big cats are found.

Through this project, the forest department shall be able to do better habitat management of the species. In 2013, 12 snow leopard large countries including India, Russia, Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed the ambitious Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Conservationists say the number of snow leopards have decreased due to the receding snowline and poaching in the hill state. The lack of population map of snow leopards in Uttarakhand had created a hurdle for the state’s inclusion in the project Snow Leopard launched by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change in 2009. Under the project, state had to identify the snow leopard habitats and draft management plans. The Centre, under the project, provides funds for the research, including the use of camera traps and satellite collaring to collect more data on the elusive big cat. Snow leopard prefer steep rugged habitat with broken terrains, rocky outcrops. These landscape give the elusive cats a clear view and good cover to hunt the prey.    

Visit www.dreammountain.net for more on Uttarakhand tourism, ecosystem, wildlife etc.

Deoria tal - Chopta - Tungnath - Chandrashila

Deoria tal

One of the exotic and beautiful places in Uttarakhand is the Deoria tal –Chopta – Tungath – Chandrashila circuit. To reach Deoria tal, you have to trek 2.5 km from Sare village which is last road head 220 km from Rishikesh. The trek is steep and very exciting, which shall give you breathtaking scenery of Chandrashila peak. After reaching at the top of the mountain, you sudden explore this lake and the Himalayan range behind it. The famous Chaukhmba peak is the prominent one. The reflection of the Chaukhamba peak can be seen on the surface of the Deoria tal lake.  The moment you reach here and see the aura of this place, you forget your tiring journey and the trek. The fresh air and the lake in the midst of the Himalaya would take you to a totally different world. One can stay overnight here. Dream Mountain provides overnight stay here by the lake side.

Chopta 

 It takes 6 – 7 hours from Rishikesh to reach here at Sare village by motor road (200 km) and 2.5 km trek further (2-3 hours). After staying one night and another day till noon here, one can move further to Chopta which is only 25 km by road from Sare village. The tourists get a totally different view at Chopta which is famous for its big lush green meadows. In Chopta, there are few short treks, which can be enjoyed by going from one meadow to another. One can spend whole day here and crave to stay here for more period. The next day is kept for Tungnath and Chandrashila trek, since the trek starts from Chopta.     

Tunganth - Chandrashila trek

Tungnath-Chandrashila is one of the most sought after treks in Uttarakhand. Visitors from India and abroad can be seen here in these places. Chandrashila summit is the end of this trek. If you are lucky and the weather is clear, the majestic view of Himalayan range will take your breath away. This trek is normally completed in a single day, which is around 10 km. After the completion of the trek at Chopta, one can move further down to Ukhimath which is 30 km from here. This should be done in order to reduce the journey time next day.

Chandrashila summit

The above circuit is very interesting as the people don’t know that these places are so nearby and missing anyone of these places would mean missing one whole tourist destination. There have many instances when people visit Chopta and miss other places or vice-versa. Dream Mountain offers this circuit to enjoy three types of destinations on a single itinerary. You would get a lifetime experience after this journey. 

The travel itinerary is shown below :

Delhi to Rishikesh - 220 km 

Rishikesh to Sare - 200 km

Sare to Chopta - 25 km

Chopta to Ukhimath - 30 km 

Ukhimath to Risshikesh - 190 km

 For a better look at the distances and altitudes please visit : http://www.dreammountain.net/chandrashila-trek/.

To know about other treks please visit : http://www.dreammountain.net/trekking-in-uttarakhand/

Kalpvriksha in sacred town Joshimath

Kalpvriksha in Joshimath

The town Joshimath is said to have derived its name from the word Jyotimath, which itself originates from the belief that Adiguru Sankaracharya received the Jyoti or enlightenment while meditating in this place around the 8^th century.

It is believed that Adiguru Sankaracharya came to present-day Joshimath all the way from Kerala at the young age of 11 and spent some 5 years meditating in a cave under a mulberry tree. He received jyoti here and went on to establish one of his four mathas in Joshimath, the Jyotirmath. Adiguru Sankaracharya is also said to have recovered the idol of Lord Badrinath from the NaradKund where it had been thrown into, and re-established it in what is today the temple of Lord Badrinath.

Today the cave in which Adiguru Sankaracharya meditated and the mulberry tree above it are still there for visitors to see and they count among the more interesting places of visit in Joshimath. The mulberry tree in particular is an amazing sight. Its age is estimated to be anywhere between 1500 to 2500 years and its appearance supports this estimate. The girth of the tree is an astonishing 21 meters and it is almost as big as a hut. An interesting characteristic of this tree is that while it flowers regularly, it does not bear any fruits, perhaps because of its great age. This mulberry tree is popularly known as the Kalpavriksha, the legendary tree of life which in Hindu mythology emerged during the churning of the ocean of milk(samudramanthan) by the devas and asuras. A small Mahadev temple and its porch under the Kalpavriksha provide a tranquil place for visitors to rest and meditate.

To visit the Kalpavriksha one has to take a flight of stairs that climbs past the Bhavishya Kedar temple, a small no descript temple that houses a conical stone shivling reminiscent of the shivling of Lord Kedarnath. The interesting thing is that locals believe that this stone shivling is growing with time and if in the future when it becomes impossible to worship Lord Shiva at Kedarnath, he will be worshipped here.  As they say, there is a story or legend associated with almost every place in Uttarakhand! Read more about Uttarakhand on this blog and visit www.dreammountain.net to know more about the opportunities to travel these exciting and mysterious sacred places.

Paragliding competition in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand will organise its first – ever international paragliding championship in March, which will be held under the aegis of the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) with the support of Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN). The competition will be organized from March 14 – 19 in the Pithoragarh district.

KMVN general manager said the championship will be an open event and 40 foreign para pilots are expected to take part in it.  Noting that the biggest paragliding event in India is held in Panchgani, Maharashtra in February, he stated that a team of officials from Uttarakhand will conduct a visit there to obtain technical details of such events.

The committee that would conduct this event has been formed by the government with senior administrative officials. The immense natural beauty of the hills and the locales of Pithoragarh were the reason behind it being chosen as the venue for the event. A technical team is looking at the feasibility of the points from where paragliders would take off.  

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Plastic ban in Uttarakhand

The Uttarakhand government has banned plastic across the state with effect from Monday following the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order and directed all the  local bodies to enforce it effectively, urban development secretary said on Monday. Penalty of Rs. 5000/- will be slapped on violator. However, the government would make a fresh appeal to the NGT for a relaxation in view of the ongoing Ardh Kumbh fair in Haridwar, has said.

The NGT in December 2015 had directed the state government to ensure a complete ban on plastic of any kind – including carry bags, plastic plates, glasses, spoons and allied items – in all the cities falling along the Ganga and its tributaries from February 1, 2016. The NGT had also prohibited procurement, storing and sale of the said items.

However, some officials said that enforcing a total ban could be a challenge for the local bodies due to high tourist influx during the Ardh Kumbh fair and shortage of staff elsewhere. Echoing the same concern, Haridwar municipal commissioner said, “The average floating population (visitors such as tourists and pilgrims) of the city is even higher than that of the city’s population.” However, five teams had been constituted to exclusively monitor the ban in the city.

The Dehradun Municipal Corporation had banned the use of lightweight polythene bags (of thickness below 40 microns) in July 2014. But after initial rounds of prompt action, the drive lost its steam eventually, largely due to “a lack of manpower”, said municipal commissioner.

The chairperson of Uttarakashi municipality – located around 200 km away from Dehradun on the way to Gangotri – said that the municipality had “only four supervising heads” for monitoring of plastic ban for a population around 18,000.

As per the additional commissioner of Garhwal, “It might take some time to (meet the objective), but the need can indeed be implemented successfully if public representative and officials take it seriously.” Experts, however, said that an effective implementation of the plastic ban would not be possible unless efforts were made to supply “alternate options” to the public in the first place. “For a start, the government can make it mandatory for all schools to undertake preparation of paper or cloth bags as a part of socially useful productive work classes,” said Negi, president, Making A Difference By Being The Different (MAD). The social group has already prepared and distributed around 4,000 paper bags among Doon locals so far.

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