IS THE ENVIRONMENT OF ALMORA ENDANGERED?

Almora Township is situated on a horseshoe shaped five-kilometer long ridge at an altitude of 1646m. An important district in the newly formed state of Uttarakhand, the historical town has a mention in the Skand Puran as well. It has been described as a holy mountain between the Kaushik (Kosi) and Shyamli (Suwal) rivers.
During the dynastic rule, the Chand Raja shifted his capital of Kumaun from Champawat to Almora due to strategic reasons. Apparently the location on the ridge gave an unhindered view of the approaching enemy. The availability of plenty of water from the springs surrounding the ridge must have given the place an edge over others.
At the time of independence the population of Almora town was around 5000. Now it has crossed 60,000. The rising population and the pressure of tourists have brought the ecosystem of the area under great stress. Land for urbanization and water for drinking, both are in short supply. Hill towns situated on the ridges require special attention of the planners and builders. Construction activity on the hill slopes upsets the slope stability resulting into landslides. Though no major landslides are reported, yet during the monsoon of 2000, as many as 17 landslides were noticed around the ridge of the town.
The pressure on the land is tremendous. While constructing houses people ignore the fact that a construction across the dry nala bed can be hazardous. Any construction on the slope has to provide adequate drainage for the rain - water. This is ignored and consequently due to pore pressure water bursts out from the weak points of the retaining or breast walls. Result is a small slide, causing misery to the people living in the houses down the slope. The daily requirement of water in Almora town is nine million liters whereas the available supply is only five million liters. Though population has increased in logarithmic proportion, the waste disposal system for solids and fluids, both has not been developed. Consequently, litter can be found rolling on the hill slopes. Even today the waste is burnt on the slopes. A proper sewage disposal system is the need of the hour. Since the availability of water is scarce the sewer system should be of a type which can be run on small quantity of water. A biological degradation of waste should be preferred.
The natural hazards plaguing the Almora district are: earthquake, landslide, and scarcity of water, forest fire, and flash floods. The anthropogenic hazards that affect the environment at Almora are: unchecked urbanization, lack of sewer system and interference with the springs
When Chand Raja established Almora as the Capital of his kingdom, the strategic location and availability of water from about 120 springs situated around the ridge must have been the guiding factors. Later generations of society in a hurry to develop the historical town into a tourist center perhaps ignored this fact. Today only a handful of springs are left as remnants. The springs located on a ridge can have only one source of water, that is rain. No doubt the change in the rainfall pattern must have affected the discharge of the springs, but the human interference cannot be absolved of the responsibility. Efforts can be made even now to save the remaining ones.
In a recent study published by the Geological Survey Of India, it has been recommended that rain water harvesting in Almora town will definitely help to boost the scarce water source. It may be mentioned here that hill women practiced this in the recent past and Almora was no exception. The concept can be scientifically and practically popularized amongst the townsfolk once again. For the development of a sewer system it has been recommended that the town may be divided into four sectors, two on either side of the ridge, and treatment plants be suitably located to take care of the waste product. GSI has also carried out a slope study for the Almora town and slopes on the northwest towards Kosi River and southern slopes have been found suitable for urbanization.
This pristine, historical town can revive its glory with just a little care on part of planners and a firm hand on part of the authorities. A balance between the demand and supply of resource like land and water has got to be struck. If the construction activity goes on unchecked and rampant, the day is not far when fresh drinking water will be available at Almora in bottles only.

-- VK Joshi