Development Disorders in the Himalayan Heights Challenges and Strategies for Environment and Development- Altitude Geography

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About the Book Experts are stressing more on science than on conscience to solve the problems of environment. Environmental problems cannot be solved only with modern technology and age-old traditional outlook. Human society must take responsibilities to save the earth for the sustainable environment and hand over healthy society and ecology to the future generation. There are unncountable research studies and use of technological know- how but societal needs have not yet been fulfilled to create a sound environment on the earth, the only home of life. The root cause of environmental deterioration is the man himself. An appropriate education as such is the most essential factor to compromise the conflicts between nature and man. Linkages are lacking between people and research, research and planning as well as planning and people. Current practices are limited only within the repetition of research and reproduction of reports. The field-based grass-root planning and programming have been neglected. Integration of integrated projects and personnel is lacking. Geography as a bridge of natural and social sciences can be a core field in the common concerns of development efforts through its holistic and generalistic approaches. The centre part of the text deals with the exploration of altitude geographic ecology and alticultural economy and lists measures to improve the condition of poor people inhabiting in the country of rich altipotential resources of the Himalayan heights. The supportability of the development agencies and sophisticated experts working for the rural poverty, in reality, has been weakening the social foundation in the recent decades. The use of available resources have been centralized and hardly few project works are under practice to help grass-root workers like peasants. The development project in Nepal is controlled by a handful of highclass people. Rural people are becoming mere means of research, not an end of development output. In fact, poverty has persists amidst plentiful potentialities. The Himalaya region contains world's richest renewal resources. But due to unfamiliarity with native nature and classic culture, the planning of high class planners ins becoming unsuccessful and ineffective to resist the sustainability of rural people living in different height zones of mountains. Altitude in the Himalaya region is an indicator of geographic environment. The spot heights of the South Asian region alone indicates ninety-nine per cent of geographic conditions such as high and low terrain, hot and cold climate, accessibility and linkages, renewable resources, crop productivity and development status in general. As such alitude based potential pocket planning is mostly for the sustainable support of the mountain people and native nature. This book synthesizes the global altitude studies and analyzes the altipotentiality of the Himalayan heights. This work is not an outcome of any loan-loaded project of personal benefit but of an independent geographer's long time observations, research studies and fold work of personal efforts. Geographic concepts found in the general books are really susceptible in regard with the Nepalese application. They are not pertinent to the environment of the Nepal Himalaya. The problem of the spatial study and relevance of geography thus arises as Inescapable.

The chapters in this book were completed between 1980-1990 and revised till its publication. The major chapter are related to the study of altitude environment and development strategies. The geographic diversities created by altitude have affected economy and ecology of mountain region. Degradation of the human values and thereby development disorders in the Himalaya is a rising problem. Use of altipotentialities in the management of mountain land use is the core concern of the book Developing countries like Nepal are facing high load of loan which is consumed by a handful of highclass people and whose burden is faced by common people. Without taking money direct to the hand of poors, and in the village, real development cannot be achieved. Ironically, developers talk much more on village development in the high-level hotel conferences than what they do in the rural realms. The people's poverty in the developing countries not due to lack of money (because flow of loan, aid and donation is high) but due to developers' mental Sverty, lack of political commitment and national on, bureaucratic barrier and lowgrade morality of authorities. Environmental deterioration is not the ot cause of the poverty problems; it is due to the poverty in planning and governmental decisions.

The book ensures that altitude approaches will be both stimulating and rewarding. The author has reviewed research studies and recommended useful guidelines for poverty alleviation and eradication in the context of Nepal, Himalaya region of great range of altitude and an infinite variety of environments.

Foreword In his new book The Himalayan Heights Ram Kumar Panday gives a wealth of information on the geography of Nepal with special emphasis on the influence of altitude. The book contains about 100 tables, more than 100 figures, a dozen appendices and a bibliography of more than 200 titles Comparisons are drawn with other mountain areas in the world.

The title "Development Disorders in the Himalayan Heights" indicates Mr. Panday's main concern. Rightly the author writes on "development destructions" of the population explosion, poverty and environmental deterioration. He is rightly very critical on development aid which go far failed to stop environmental deterioration and poverty. However, his recommendations to improve the situation are very general. He wants decentralisation, what everybody talks of nowadays, Mr. Panday rightly criticises the "Planners" who fail to visit villages. His demand, that geographers and earth scientists should be more consulted by the planners, is justified. All the recommendations and conclusion Mr. Panday has reached at can be agreed upon. At this point, however, one fails to find real development-related data. It is suggested that geographers and earth scientists gradually move in their research away from generalities and get to development-related facts. There have been many integrated rural development projects completed a long time ago. Their impact should be studied in the field. Which targets have been reached, which tasks failed. Through collecting and publishing development impacts on environment, poverty, local Initiative and selfhelp.

Preface Leam to love baby, book and botany Lead land and life out of tyranny. Altitude geography in the study of spatio-vertical variations in the earth. The term Altitude geography has been used by this author in the pioneering book Allitude Geography: Effects of Altitude on the Geography of Nepal (1987). The thought of this concept first came to this author before 1980, with A Study of Spatial Distribution of Settlements in the Mountains of Nepal. It might be used to describe third-dimensional aspect of geographical knowledge. To some extent this type of concept seems related to highland, high altitude and mountain studios. To some extent it can be taken as a study of distributional differences or vertical zonation. Study of highland or lowland as a single variable and study of mountain cannot express the relation of geography which starts from the sea-level and reaches to the top of the world or valley to any peak part of the mountain. It is a study of third geographical dimension of the earth. This does not mean that the geographers have not analysed the mountain or any altitudinal features found on the earth. It is not a mountain geography which focuses only the mountain dimensions, nor environmental geography of extensive horizontal treatment. The core concept is the geography of altitudinal effects and alti-spatial features and phenomena. Altitude as an element of geography has a prominent role and which this author tried to compile and consolidate Into one area of study. To open the new sub branch in the geography discipline this can be defined as the study of altitude effects and spatial changes which have taken place in vertical differenciation. Cross-sectional study of high and lowland geography covers a wide range of environments in the elevational prospective. This book is the result of the study of altitude geography of which first draft was prepared in 1991 and was the manuscript afterwards. As such this study is the outcome of the geography of twentieth century for the betterment of the geographical thinking of 21st century. Although there are developing many branches and sub-branches of geography. still geography as a broad field subject will extend not only towards applied area but also Integrated and micro-level geographies in the 21st century's development of the discipline. Physical geography and human geography are parents of geography. Along with topical specialization many geographies are emerging. In fact, to the people of mountainous country there are little geographies. Geography can be learned more by just standing on the ridge top rather than reading on the desk top inside any room.

It is obvious that altitudo has a greater effect on the earth.

Introduction The earth is only one beautiful ball of innumerable atoms and elements moving in and out to create forms and figures. It is composed of gas, liquid and solid materials. Action, interaction, reaction and movement of the materials differ in different spheres and layers of the earth. The earth's surface of high and low landscapes becomes smooth like a bright ball when one finds it in the galaxy. Alongwith shape and orbital inclination, elevational differences play a great role in shaping climate, producing bio diversities and even time change along the surface of the earth. Altitude, as such, is one of the prominent factors causing different geographic conditions and changes in environment qualities. The earth in the time of origin might have been ugly and useless. Since then it has passed different stages in taking the present shape. The high and low rellet features found in different latitudinal belts have affected life in different aspects and ways. The Himalayan heights have shaped the human history of Asia producing mutt ethnic cultural mosaics. The altitudinal extremes are found much in the Himalaya. It is the Third Pole of the earth. This region: comprises highest mountains of permafrost and deepest gorges of permanent flow Three stages of water are very active in the Himalaya region. The moisture-laden Monsoon wind, the white water of mountain rivers, the Himalayan snows all are active and powerful resources of the highland lowland system. The Himalayan height consists of the highest ecological differences, blodiversities and geographical variations within the shortest distance of the land surface.

**Contents and Sample Pages**