Garhwal District Research Articles

Evaluation of spring flows using recession flow analysis techniques

ABSTRACT This study delves into the analysis of recession characteristics of spring base flow, focusing on the Hill campus spring (elevation of approximately 2,150 m) and Fakua spring (elevation of approximately 1,850 m) in the Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, India. Spanning from January 1999 to December 2004, discharge data from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology's Hill campus are employed. The research employs an automated, objective-based method to generate master recession curves (MRCs) and categorize them into early, intermittent, and late recession segments. Statistical parameters and low-flow indices from flow duration curves (FDCs) are utilized for flow assessment, while base flow indices (BFIs) are analyzed using the Web-based Hydrograph Analysis Tool (WHAT). The findings highlight the importance of water storage strategies during the rainy season for the sustainable utilization of spring water. The study suggests that the techniques applied are equally applicable for analyzing river flow recession characteristics, emphasizing the broader implications for integrated water resources planning and management in mountainous regions.

Perception and Approach of Rural Population Towards Rural Transformation in Tehri Garhwal District, Uttarakhand: A Geographical Analysis

Perception and Approach of Rural Population Towards Rural Transformation in Tehri Garhwal District, Uttarakhand: A Geographical Analysis

An observational study on the facilities of Anganwadi centers for early childhood education in Chamba block of Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand

An observational study on the facilities of Anganwadi centers for early childhood education in Chamba block of Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand

Incidence and epidemiology of rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i>) false smut caused by <i>Ustilaginoidea virens</i> in northern India

False smut of rice (Oryza sativa L.) caused by Ustilaginoidea virens (Cooke) Takah., 1896 is an important emerging disease of rice. An experiment was conducted during 2018–19 and 2019–20 at Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh to study the U. virens prevalence and morphological variability in northern India with the effect of weather variables on the percentage disease incidence (PDI) of false smut of rice. The study revealed that the false smut incidence was higher in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh (53.64%). The lowest percentage (20.68–27.55%) of infected tillers was found in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, and Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. The grain replacement percentage was highest in the Moti cultivar (51.17%), while the highest yield loss percentage was in the Pusa Basmati (57.11 %) variety. The majority of the isolates in our investigation had fluffy, raised, and irregular colony morphology. The correlation between the false smut disease incidence and weather has been evaluated in the Varanasi district, and found that the temperature of 20.36°C with an RH of 85.13% and low rainfall of 8.92 mm was conducive to disease initiation and positively correlated with the PDI. Other epiphytotic factors like sunshine hours, and wind speed were all found to be negatively linked with PDI. In this investigation, for the first time, the viability of spores was also checked. It was found that 2-year-old spores were not viable because they did not retain any Brilliant Cresyl blue colour dye, which stains the stored food material in spores, while 1-month-old spores were found to be 100% viable. All the isolates were further confirmed with the specific ITS marker.

A sustainable rural entrepreneurship model developed by the organic farmers of India

Learning outcomes Teaching objective 1: To flourish and explore the current business model to get socioeconomic benefits from organic farming compared to conventional farming; in the context of hill farming. Teaching objective 2: To explore and design innovative entrepreneurship opportunities in the field of organic farming and how these opportunities can be seized by using managerial skills. Teaching objective 3: To analyze the economic benefits of organic farming compared to conventional farming. Case overview/synopsis Manj Gaon is a small village in the Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. This village serves as the Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board’s training facility. Organic farming was the primary source of income for farmers in the late 1970s, but the Green Revolution in India had a negative impact on agriculture, the environment and the economy of the country. After the Green Revolution, the agriculture sector was completely dominated by conventional farming, and the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides affected the village to some extent. But farmers like Bhagchand Ramola paved the way for other farmers to grow and shine through organic farming. The organic farming model developed by Ramola was helping farmers and society in several aspects, such as the economy, health and the environment. A self-developed organic farming model had been generating fair revenue for the farmers and uplifting their socioeconomic status as compared to conventional farming. Complete adoption of organic farming in the village requires an analysis in terms of sustainable economic growth. However, there was a certain dilemma that was stifling the growth of the newly adopted business model because farmers were dependent only on Japanese buyers and input providers. So, there was a huge need to tie up with other consulates across the country. Secondly, expanding a business model requires more input and output in terms of manpower and revenue, so persuading conventional farmers to adopt the organic farming model was quite a challenge for Ramola. Complexity academic level The case can be taught to the MBA-level students. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.

The Impact of Co-curricular activities on Teaching-learning Processes in Pauri Garhwal District of Uttarakhand

The primary goals of co-curricular activities are to focus on the individual (student), institutional, and broader community levels. The developmentof an individual is the principal goal of co-curricular activities. Numerous experiences have proven that these activities positively impact thestudent’s emotional, intellectual, social, and interpersonal development. Students can learn to negotiate, communicate, and manage conflictthrough working with others. Taking part in these events out of the classroom activities helps students to understand the importance of criticalthinking skills, time management, and academic/intellectual competence. The study highlights the impact of various co-curricular activities onthe teaching-learning process and further explores the correlation between teachers’ academic experience and students’ academic performancein the purview of co-curricular activities.

A Catalogue of The Higher Plants of The Adhwani Temperate Forest and Its Fringe Areas (Western Himalaya, India)

The present study deals with the floristic inventory of higher plants (angiosperms and gymnosperms) found in a richly biodiverse temperate forest area (Adhwani forest; 30º06′1″–30º06′7″ N and 78º72′3″ –78º72′6″ E; 1700–2200 m asl (above sea level) in western Himalaya, India. A total of 477 species of flowering plants belonging to 105 families and 315 genera were recorded in the Adhwani forest and its fringe areas. The information on plant life form, flowering and fruiting, local elevational distribution, indigenous uses and availability status are provided. An account of the invasive and alien species occurring in the area is also provided. Gentiana cephalodes Edgew. (Gentianaceae) and Buddleja crispa Benth. (Buddlejaceae) are revealed as new distribution recordings among the flora of Garhwal district. Asteraceae (47 species and 33 genera) was the dominant family followed by Fabaceae, Poaceae, Lamiaceae, Rosaceae and Ranunculaceae. Desmodium (9 species) was a dominant genus in the study area followed by Crotolaria, Cyperus and Euphorbia (6 species each). The herbs dominate the life forms of the area with 317 species (66.45%) followed by shrubs (14.46%), trees (12.99%) and climbers (6.07%). The flora of the area represents three IUCN index species viz. Quercus lamellosa (NT), Quercus oblongata (NT) and Ulmus wallichiana (VU) and 57 invasive and alien species. The presented catalogue with comprehensive information on of higher plants will be helpful to the plant scientists, planners and forest department when for developing and managing this richly biodiverse forest area.

Usability and acceptability of the software ‘Arogya Sahyog’ to assess non-communicable diseases in rural India

BackgroundIn rural regions with few doctors to manage non-communicable diseases (NCDs), people rely on community health workers (CHWs). We developed a tablet-based decision support application (app), called ‘Arogya Sahyog’, to support CHWs in the field. ObjectiveTo assess usability of the app for screening, providing lifestyle advice, and referring patients with NCDs to health centers. MethodsSixteen CHWs in the Tehri Garhwal district of India underwent a five-day training program in November 2019. We assessed: (i) acceptability: through a self-administered questionnaire; (ii) fidelity: by comparing the app data with ‘pre-set’ responses, and (iii) usability: through the validated system usability scale (SUS). The ‘Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)’ framework was used to identify enablers of, and barriers to, use of the app. ResultsUsability on the SUS was 88.3% (95% confidence interval 85.6-92.0%), with ratings between ‘excellent’ and ‘best imaginable’. Most CHWs (87-93%) reported that the app was user-friendly, had a pleasing color scheme, and was entertaining to use. Human error on data entry was < 4%, with most errors being in free-text fields. Four main themes were identified in using the app: ‘strengths’ (clear instructions), ‘weaknesses’ (difficulty in using the inbuilt keyboard), opportunities’ (high motivation), and ‘threats’ (increased workload and interference with their routine work). ConclusionArogya Sahyog was well accepted and achieved an excellent usability rating, supporting its use by CHWs. The next step is to test whether CHWs can use the app to identify and manage people with NCDs in the community.

Terrain Variables Based Spatial Mapping of Soil Properties in a Watershed of Himalayan Landscape Using Random Forest Model

Soil information, including their spatial variability is vital for devising various soil and land management policies and strategies as well as assessing the environmental impact of different land use changes. Among the various soil forming factors, terrain plays a vital role in determining the spatial distribution of soil properties especially in hilly terrains due to its impact on soil processes as well as the redistribution of soil materials. The study was carried out for assessing the applicability and efficiency of various terrain parameters for prediction as well as spatial mapping of different soil properties using Random Forest (RF) modeling approach, in a mid-Himalayan watershed located in Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand. Field data collection was done by collecting soil samples from 0-15cm depth (surface layer) at 68 different locations in the study area, following a transect survey method. Collected samples were pre-processed and analyzed in the laboratory for estimating various soil properties such as sand, silt and clay contents as well as soil nutrients such as Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (N). Fifteen terrain parameters derived by digital terrain analysis of CartoDEM of 10m spatial resolution were used as predictor variables during RF modeling. Pearson correlation analysis revealed poor linear relationship of soil properties with various terrain parameters. Variable importance ranking revealed that compound topographic index, elevation, heat load index, integrated moisture index and mean curvature are the most important variables, explaining maximum variability in different properties. The performance of RF models for predicting various soil properties were evaluated based on the coefficient of determination (R2), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) as well as Lin’s Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC). The models were found to perform well with R2 and CCC values of 0.47 and 0.50 for sand, 0.52 and 0.55 for silt, 0.44 and 0.57 for clay, 0.41 and 0.36 for organic carbon and 0.55 and 0.34 for nitrogen, respectively. The validated models were further employed for generating the spatial distribution maps of various soil properties. Such attempts combining various environmental variables with machine learning based models may aid us in mapping the spatial distribution of various soil properties in the hilly mountainous terrains with considerable accuracies.

A Geographical Analysis of Rural Out-Migration And Its Impact on The Rural Landscape of Selected Villages in Garhwal District (Uttarakhand)

Rural out-migration is a common spectacle in hilly areasof Uttarakhand state and is directly associated with the socio-economic conditions of rural people. It plays a major role in the transformation of the rural areas into resonating environments because major populated villages show decline in population growth, agricultural activities, rural development, labour migration and rate of employment. Migration refers to the geographic movement of people from a particular area to another area for various purposes and continues to bethe main problem in the rural areas of Uttarakhand. Unemployment and Lack of basic facilities are the major reasons for out-migration in these areas. In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyze the rural outmigration in Dang, Agrora, Kolri, and Morora villages of Garhwal District. In this study, various dimensions of rural out-migration are considered including the types ofout- migration, purpose of migration, years wise, migration in the age group, inter and intra-state migration. It also analyses the impact of out-migration on the rural landscape through principal component analysis. Results indicate that out-migration harms rural landscape because various attributes are in the declining stage with the out-migration such as agriculture, population growth, working population, and businessin study area.

An Empirical Study on the Trend and Government Policies to mitigate the Rural Migration concerning Garhwal District (Uttarakhand)

: The Uttarakhand state, throughout the long term, has seen a huge mass migration of individuals to the plain region due to fewer employment opportunities in the hill areas. The national lockdown has forced the migrants to return to their native places and rural hilly areas. Rural development is more explicit as this word focuses particularly on poverty and inequality. This study focuses on identifying the forward and backward integration that may be helpful for villagers to livelihood opportunities for large numbers of migrants. Though the coronavirus pandemic has been a huge problem to the world, it has been a blessing in disguise in Uttarakhand in creating reverse migration here. This study assessed the socio-economic impacts of labor concerning reverse migration in Uttarakhand. Various trends and Government policies operating in the economies of hill territories for agricultural improvement and thereby working upon the reverse migration are assessed. This study resolves in understanding the impact of these schemes on the economic and socio-development of hilly areas.

Distribution Pattern of Ichthyofaunal Diversity in Different Habitats in the First-, Second- and Third-Order Streams of Randi Gad from Garhwal Himalaya, India

The present study was undertaken to report the ichthyofaunal diversity on spring-fed hill stream Randi Gad from Pauri Garhwal District, Uttarakhand, India. In this work, the author proposed one novel approach, viz. stream order-wise study of distribution and diversity of fish fauna from Garhwal Himalaya, India. A total of 121 fish species including 4, 12 and 22 fish species were collected from first-, second- and third-order streams of Randi Gad. The ichthyofaunal biodiversity observed belonged to 4 families, 10 genera and 22 species. The first-order stream had shown minimum diversity (4 species) and fish productivity of 07CPPs. The second-order stream showed productivity of 24CPPs (12 species). The third-order stream was the most diverse (22 species) and showed fish productivity of 38 CPPs (calculated productivity points system). Thus, the spring-fed hill stream Randi Gad has good potential for fish fauna.

Avian Diversity of Oak Mixed Forest in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India

The avian diversity of Oak mixed forest in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand was studied during October 2019 to March 2020. Two strands of oak mixed forest located at different sites at 29º 22’-29º 75’ North and 78º, 10’ -78º,80’ East (1750 masl) were selected. Regular field survey was carried out during the morning and evening hours at each site. A total of 63 species of birds belonging to 07 orders and 31 families were recorded. The average bird diversity index H ¯was 3.202. The species richness was observed around 7.27 and species evenness was 0.72. The highest number of species was recorded at Ransi Oak mixed forest (63) and lowest number of bird species were recorded in Teka Oak mixed forest (60).

ПРАТИМА, ЧУДОТВОРНЫЕ ОБРАЗЫ И ИХ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ: МАТЕРИАЛЫ ЭТНОГРАФИЧЕСКОЙ ЭКСПЕДИЦИИ В УТТАРАНЧАЛ (НЫНЕ УТТАРКХАНД, СЕВЕРНАЯ ИНДИЯ), КОЛЛЕКЦИЯ 2004 Г.

The article presents and analyzes a collection of votive items called pratima, collected by the author in the Garhwal district of the north- Indian state of Uttarkhand (India) in 2004. Their main functions are revealed. A classification of available items is proposed.

On Some Freshwater Soft Algae from Bhulla Taal Lake Lansdowne, District Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand

Bhulla taal is a freshwater artificial lake, famous for tourist attraction in Lansdowne city of Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand state, India. The lake is situated on Shivalik range of the Garhwal Himalaya. Morpho-taxonomic identification reveals total 26 freshwater soft algal taxa from the lake belonging to class Cyanophyceae and Chlorophyceae. Taxon Coenocystis subcylindrica Korshikov has been reported for the first time from the western Himalayan range.

QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN PAURI GARHWAL

Education is that thread which ties the society with the discipline and knowledge. Role of education is experienced universally which transforms societies in a fastidious way and leading to the sustainable development. It is essential to development of any nation. It is the backbone of development and is critical for improving the ability of the human beings to handle environmental and development issues for which basic education is a foundation of environmental knowledge and higher education needs to be integrated as an important part of learning. Education sustains the human values which contribute to individual and collective well-being. Education can enhance the effectiveness of each policy instrument by developing information engagement, agency and empowerment among all affected stakeholders. Education can build a drastic change that is sustainable change because it is created by the learner and reaches hearts and minds. Education can also sustain different human values that can collectively contribute to well beings of individuals and the society. It is the basis for increasing confidence for facing challenges and lifelong learning deeds that can achieve every goal of the individual building. The definition of quality education is different from person to person. There are many important factors responsible for quality of education for example teacher pupil ratio, infrastructure of the school, expenditure of the school on various teaching aids and projects, etc. Major problems of quality education are; limited policy relevant knowledge, policies related to quality education are not based on thorough research, Absence of standardized outcome measures and absence of highly skilled researchers and research capacity in general. Present study is supposed to focus on quality parameters of education that can help achieve goal 4 of sustainable development goals therefore the purpose of this study is to give a brief review of quality parameters of education and status of sustainable development goals in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand.

Exploratory agent-based model to understand migration scenarios: a study from the Indian Himalayan Region, Uttarakhand

ABSTRACT Migration is a complex behavioural pattern which is shaped by cross-scale variables and heuristic rules. This article captures the complexity and dynamic behaviour of migration in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand using agent-based modelling (ABM). Scenarios considering different starting points were developed to understand variables influencing migration. Migration is governed not only by intrinsic factors, but also by extrinsic influences. Exploratory ABM techniques were used to validate the hypothesis assumed to explain migration behaviour in the study area. The results show that migration cannot be steered with policies focused only on economic perspectives.

Mixed carbonate–siliciclastic sedimentation in the Upper Cretaceous Nilkanth Formation, Garhwal Himalaya, India

The Upper Cretaceous Nilkanth Formation awaits a process-based depositional model despite being a topic of discussion between stratigraphers, palaeobiologists and structural geologists over the last few decades. Sedimentary facies analysis of a ~50 m thick section along a ~2.8 km long section along Rishikesh–Tal Bidhashini in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand allowed documentation of mixed carbonate–silicicalstic facies types, dominantly consisting of sand- and pebble-sized carbonate debris mixed with siliciclastics in a proximal to distal facies tract. Ten different facies types that include matrix-rich and matrix-poor shelly conglomerate, mixed clastic-carbonate wackestone, packstone, impure calcirudite and calcarenite, biomicrite and ferruginous sandstone are documented. Delineation of facies association and documentation of facies stacking pattern provide a post-Santonian mixed carbonate–siliciclastic sedimentation history of the Nilkanth Formation, deposited in the form of mass flows of varied rheology on a barred low- to moderate-gradient carbonate ramp, formed at the leading edge of the India plate before its collision with the Kohistan–Ladakh arc. Carbonate clasts comprising bivalves, crinoids, algae, bryozoan, etc., were produced in a narrow high-energy transgressive coastline and supplied across shelf along with reworked siliciclastics from clastic shoreface bar. It is argued that the reworked fossils, including the bryozoa Ceriocava Nilkanthi, present within massflows may not justify fixing of an absolute age for the formation but may definitely help in providing an age range.

Assessment of soil resources of Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand for sustainable productivity

A study was undertaken to assess the soil resources of Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The area falls under warm humid lesser western Himalayas, covering 5.33 lakh ha area. Major physiographies are summits/ridge tops, side/reposed slopes, piedmont plains and escarpments with dominant land uses viz., forests (thin, medium and dense), scrubs, cultivations and grasslands. Twenty five soil series have been identified belonging to Entisols, Inceptisols and Mollisols. The study reveals that the area occurs mostly on steep to very steep slopes and prone to severe to very severe soil erosion. The soil is dominantly moderately shallow (29.54%) followed by shallow (22.7%), very shallow (15.59%), deep (12.78%), moderately deep (11.62%) and very deep (7.77%), respectively. The texture is dominantly loam (35.33%), followed by sandy loam (27.10%), clay loam (26.44%) and loamy sand (11.13%), respectively. The stoniness is mostly strong (67.19%) followed by slight (21.92%) and moderate (10.89%), whereas, soil reaction is dominantly slightly acidic (66.06%) followed by neutral (23.55%) and moderately acidic (10.39%), respectively. The land has been categorised under land capability classification (LCC) and major soils belong to class VIes (39.02%), followed by IIIes (17.98%), VIIIes (15.98%), Vse (7.55%), VIIes (6.77%), IVes (6.23%), IIIse (4.45%) and IIes (2.02%), respectively. The suitable soil and water conservation measures have been suggested to arrest soil erosion, proper soil management and to maintain soil health towards ensuring sustainable productivity of this hilly region.

Integration of GIS, AHP and TOPSIS in evaluating suitable locations for industrial development: A case of Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract Stability in demography and economy of a region can be maintained by generating employment opportunities with due consideration of locally available resources would be the best initiative to ensure and maintain sustainable development. The aim of the present study is to identify suitable locations for agro-based industrial use in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand State, India. Geographical Information System - GIS serves as an effective tool for identifying and monitoring the changes occurring in a specific region, and its associated impact on ecosystems. Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques like Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) provides structural and pairwise quantification, and comparison between elements, and criteria for priority ranking for industrial location purpose. Topographical features, soil characteristics, connectivity, settlements, natural resources and their constraints, availability of raw material, labour availability, location of barren lands, climate and vicinity of major functional centres are the parameters considered in this study. Expert's opinions were consulted in determining the weights to the parameters and subsequently, the industrial land suitability map was generated. It was estimated that 0.06% (2.54 sq. km) of the study area is highly suitable for establishing industries in general, 1.51% (59 sq. km) is moderately suitable, 2.34% (91.52 sq. km) is least suitable and 96.09% (3764 sq. km) is permanently unsuitable for locating industries. In conclusion, this study highlighted the most suitable alternative/parcel through priority ranking by using GIS – MCDM (AHP & TOPSIS) and is a cost-effective tool for decision making in land-use planning and management.