Trends of Urbanization and its Implications to the Environment and Economy: A Case for the Uttarakhand Himalaya,India

摘要

Urbanization has multiple impacts on the society,economy,and on the environment.In mountain regions,where landscape and ecology is fragile and economy is subsistence in nature,urbanization has vast impact on the environment and economy.In the Uttarakhand Himalaya,urbanization provides a way for employment to the educated youth and generates revenue particularly in the wake of mass-tourism and growing number of service centers.It has negative impacts on the environment too.It is leading to the problem of conversion of agricultural land into settlements and land abandonment.Water pollution due to increasing garbage and litter in the water bodies is leading to health hazards.Although,the rapid process of urbanization in the mainland of the Uttarakhand Himalaya has begun quite late,its pace is accelerating.During the last three decades or so,mass-tourism – river rafting,skiing,trekking,mountaineering,and pilgrimage tourism was tremendously developed here and it has manifested a way for mushrooming of service centers along the roadsides.The whole process has led to remarkable job opportunities to the youth as they opened new avenues – tea-stall,dhabas (hotels),and lodges.Migration of the populace from the highlands to the valley regions for jobs has also increased the level of urbanization.Now,a trend of increasing service centers is getting shape along the major roads that connects to the highland sacral places.These service centres are providing services to the tourists and pilgrims and also to the people of remote villages.During the summer,when pilgrims and tourists visit the highland sacral and natural places,these centres provide basic amenities to them.This paper examines the trends of urbanization and its implications to the environment and economy in the Uttarakhand Himalaya.The Census of India data regarding the growth rate of urban population in the service centers,towns and cities of thirteen districts were statistically illustrated.Case study of Dehradun urban center was carried out to know about the pace of urbanization and its environmental implications.