Vice President Hamid Ansari on Tuesday said people who live in hilly terrains should have a greater say in the governance of their environment to protect the fragile ecosystem of the mountainous region.
Ansari delivered the convocation address at the Himachal Pradesh University here and said the geographic location of the young Himalayan range makes them susceptible to natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts and soil erosion.
He said these hazards are magnified to disasters when they overlap with human habitations and activities such as road building, agriculture, deforestation, mining and dam building.
"While all those who live in these fragile ecosystems are vulnerable, the poor, the weaker and weakest segments of society are more vulnerable to any risk from a natural or man-made environmental hazard."
"It is, therefore, only reasonable that the people and communities who are most closely associated with the natural landscape should have the greatest say in governance of their environment," he said.
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"The Himalayan landscape is enchanting and recent happenings have reminded us that human excesses extract a cost."
Going down memory lane in his speech which was mainly focused on the deteriorating environment, the vice president said a visit to Shimla "brings back memories of some pleasant years spent here as a school boy".
"A careful observer noted last year that over the years we have witnessed relentless spoliation of the fragile mountain ecology as population pressure, the damming of swift mountain streams and the cutting down of forests has upset the region's ecological balance and this is now being exacerbated by global warming," he said.
India makes up 2.4 percent of the world's land, while supporting 16 percent of the world's population. "The compounding result is a severely unsustainable use of natural resources for several generations."
Currently, he said, India is experiencing a rapid and widespread environmental degradation at alarming rates.
Batting for increasing awareness of environmental problems, he said new institutional arrangements are needed to respond to the challenges of environmental valuation.
"The time has come for us to re-examine the priorities, pathways, and qualitative and normative goals of sustainability," he added.
