The responsibility to conserve the richness & resourcefulness of the Himalayas should be shouldered by every member of the public, environmentalist stressed.

Concerned social and environmental activists gathered in Delhi on Sunday, September 9, to celebrate “Himalaya Day.” They underlined the need to conserve the ecology, resources as well as livelihood-practices of the Himalayan states.

Eminent environmentalist Anil Joshi urged the citizens of India to play their part in developing strong collateral affairs between mountain and non-mountain regions to counteract the intimidations posed to natural resources, such as water and oxygen.

Speaking on the issue, Joshi said, “Himalayas is not a concern for the Himalayan communities alone; it rather is a question of the security of livelihood which involves all the parts of the country that reap multiple benefits from it.”

He added that Himalayas are taken as a commodity and are being exploited everyday, but nobody is ready to address the crisis being faced by this region.

He pointed out that Himalayas are dying due to drastic alterations in the snowfall patterns and the melting of glaciers. He said natural calamities like landslides and cloudburst are the product of mistreatments the nature is getting from humans.

Environment activists suggested that there should be a separate board to deal with environment issues in the Himalayan region.