Pithoragarh District Research Articles

A Community Response to Tourism Focusing on the Home Stay Program in Goriganga Valley Munsyari , Pithoragarh Uttarakhand , India

In most mountainous regions of the world, people have limited possibilities for generating income. Agriculture forestry, animal husbandry Home stay back bone of local economics, The Himalayan Mountain in all its length adnbreath has been a famous destination as well as international tourist. Its snowy peaks, glaciers, passes, alpine grasslands, its wilderness, might river and many there unsurpassed natural constructs have been inspiring the adventure and explorers. The tourism industry in India has grown enormously and is becoming a major source of economic growth in India. Is paper focuses on studying the possibilities of home- stay programs and the willingness of the residents in Uttarakhand on such programs. Considering the tourism perspective of India, home-stay programs are rather unusual. Only Ladakh Autonomous Region in Jammu and Kashmir are the two examples. is research is a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches through household survey, an average treatment, community economic development analysis, observations, interpretative analysis, and ethnographic understanding of Johar valley, Munsyari Pithoragarh District, Uttarakhand. E results show that the tourism industry has not brought economic benefits for the households involved in the industry; however, this could be owing to the community not being involved in tourism development. In addition, most of the villagers considered that the home-stay program could create opportunities for jobs and improve the income of the local community. In the mountain tourism industry, tourist guides, dhabawals are the main successful tourism operations. In the study area, we found private entrepreneurship, but the home-stay program has not yet been developed. is research paper expects to assist making decisions to initiate an extensive home-stay program under the “Endogenous Tourism” program with some re-evaluations of not only the previously mentioned village of Uttarakhand, but also other remote locations in India, considering the colorful and cultural-rituals of rural living in India.

Comprehending drivers of land use land cover change from 1999 to 2021 in the Pithoragarh District, Kumaon Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India

Comprehending drivers of land use land cover change from 1999 to 2021 in the Pithoragarh District, Kumaon Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India

Unravelling vulnerabilities: mapping key hazards in the Gori Ganga watershed of Kumaon Himalaya for communication, conservation and management

The present study investigates the susceptibility of the Kailash Sacred Landscape in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district, focusing on regional-level disaster risk assessment in the Gori Ganga watershed as a case study and aims to prepare foundation maps for recurrent disasters like landslides, floods and forest fires. The techniques of remote sensing & geographic information systems, frequency ratio and correlation analytics were employed to perceive hazard-prone areas in the valley, using a variety of geographical, environmental and anthropogenic predictors. The accuracy of the maps generated by the modelling procedure was assessed using validation data and a receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) with the area under the curve (AUC). The analysis revealed 83.5 km2 was extremely susceptible to flood incidents, 133.1 km2 was susceptible to landslides and 147 km2 was severely vulnerable to wildfires. The determined area under the curve value for flood susceptibility was 88.6%, followed by landslides at 89.5% and wildfires at 90.9%, showing that the model performed exceptionally well. The findings reveal that precipitation, lithology and elevation were the most significant variables in inducing floods. Precipitation, profile curvature, elevation and distance to thrust are the primary determinants of landslides, while closeness to the road and settlements, as well as vegetation indices, were significant predictors of fire events. The Lower Kumaon Himalayan valley region was recognized as highly vulnerable to all three major catastrophes. This study identifies potentially hazardous regions for adaptive sustainable conservation activities, involving local communities in decision-making to mitigate impacts and aid in preventing and managing impending landscape-level threats.

Diversity Distribution Analysis of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Populations in Cultivated and Wild Habitats in the Mid-Hills of Uttarakhand, India

Guava is an exotic fruit crop in India, and its occurrence in wild forests in the mid-hills of the Himalayas is a rare and unique phenomenon in its distribution. In the Ramganga valley of Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, a naturalized population of guava (in wild habitat) was chanced upon beside cultivated guava, hence a study was conducted to assess the population structure, phytosociology, diversity distribution patterns, and fruit variability of the guavas. Various ecological parameters like frequency, density, abundance, and A/F ratio were used to study the guava and associated species including tree seedlings in five selected sites. The highest Shannon diversity values (H = 0.367) for guava were found at Pipaltar village. Significant variability was recorded for the fruit color (pale yellow, dark yellow, pink, and whitish), fruit shape (long, round to pear-shaped), fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight, pulp color (white to pink), fruit maturity, and total soluble solids (TSS) content of fruits sampled from different sites. The population of maximum similarities and divergence was categorized. The present study highlights that guava is regenerating successfully in the mid-hills of Uttarakhand and that the introduction of guava in the region is not affecting the diversity of other indigenous species.

Ground subsidence in Dar village (Darma valley), Pithoragarh district, Kumaun Himalaya, India: A Himalayan disaster in waiting

Ground subsidence in Dar village (Darma valley), Pithoragarh district, Kumaun Himalaya, India: A Himalayan disaster in waiting

Women Empowerment through Non-Governmental Organization: A Study of Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand

The aim of this study is to examine the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) towards women empowerment in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. The study is carried out to accomplish three objectives. First, to explore the cases of women empowerment through NGOs in context to dairy products, second is to explore the cases of women empowerment through NGOs in context to traditional products, and the last one is to analyse the experience of women after getting associated with the NGOs. The study has used both quantitative and qualitative research with descriptive research design. The study has used survey data collection technique for objective 1 & 2 and conversation data collection technique for objective 3. Convenience sampling method is used in this study. Sample size for objective 1 and 2 is 20 women each from different villages and for objective 3, sample size of 5 women associated with the NGOs is taken. The data collected through survey method was analysed with univariate analysis and the data collected through conversation was analysed through content analysis method. The analysis concluded 11 cases of women empowerment in context to dairy products and 11 cases of women empowerment in context to traditional products. In analysing the experience of women after getting associated with the NGOs, it was observed that with the help of NGO some women were motivating other women to empower themselves and to complete their education and some of the women were able to earn good amount of money. The findings of this study would help other NGOs working in other districts of Uttarakhand and other states of India in designing their training activities in a new way so that those training activities could be more effective in empowering women.

Examining Women's Empowerment in Border Area Districts through Self-Help Groups: an Investigation of Pithoragarh District in Uttarakhand

Examining Women's Empowerment in Border Area Districts through Self-Help Groups: an Investigation of Pithoragarh District in Uttarakhand

Numbers Matter: Raji Tribe and Their (Limited) Interaction(s) with State Institutions

With ethnographic documentation, the present study aims to portray the everyday life and social concerns of the Raji tribe, one of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups residing in Uttarakhand, India. The Raji community with their unique historicity, peculiar spatiality and uncommon understanding of their identity makes them very offbeat compared to other tribal communities. The narrations were documented from six villages ( Bhagichaura, Altadi, Kimkhola, Ganagaon, Bhagtiwara and Kutakumaonchaurani) in the Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand. The immersive fieldwork in the Central Himalayas, Kumaon, was conducted from April 2021 to August 2022. The results of the study uncovered the structure of proxy politics, which hinders the efficient involvement of Rajis in the larger political sphere. This article also documents the narratives around changes in cultural landscapes due to forest management regulations. This article ends with a critical gaze on tribal policies, considering the precarious situation of the Raji community as its mainstay. The constraining lived worlds of the Raji community are the result of intersections of discrete presuppositions, institutions and social factors. In order to mitigate the existing challenges, Raji’s are continuously adjusting their social in accordance with the capitals they hold.

Investigation of 222Rn and 220Rn exhalation rates from soil samples of Pithoragarh District, India

Investigation of 222Rn and 220Rn exhalation rates from soil samples of Pithoragarh District, India

Gamma radiation dose rate in high-altitude areas in the Bageshwar, Champawat and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand, India.

Radiation has a deteriorating effect on humans as well as on the environment depending on its level, although we have all been exposed to natural gamma radiation from birth. The presence of radionuclides in rocks, soil, plants, and water is a major factor behind the natural gamma radiation. The present study deals with the study of natural gamma radiation at Bageshwar, Champawat and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand. It also consists of seasonal variations in gamma radiation and its relationship with altitude and geology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of altitude and geology on natural gamma radiation dose rate data in high-altitude areas of India. The highest gamma radiation value was 444nSv/h in the summer and 342nSv/h in the winter. The investigation recorded the gamma radiation up to 2542.20maltitude, indicating that the geology of the areas is more relevant than the altitude. Few sites in such a high-altitude zone were found to exceed the value of 200nSv/h, as reported by UNSCEAR. This research is necessary in order to consider the human health and climate changes, both of which are part of the action plan for the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3, SDG 13).

Bringing revolution through quadcopter technology in the field of supplying medicine in the Himalayan regions of Uttarakhand: Case example of Pithoragarh.

Quadcopters are used in various forms in the civil arena, from crop insurance to agricultural drones, as loudspeakers for announcing government guidelines, resilience tools in infrastructure monitoring, real-time vehicle detection, etc. However, the usage of quadcopters and hexacopters in supplying medical aid to inhospitable and far-flung terrains is being studied and researched in less detail throughout the globe. This paper focuses on the basics of quadcopter technology in supplying medicines and its advantages to the affected patients who get life-saving medicines from earlier inaccessible roads. The efficacy of quadcopters in terms of time, economy, and manpower in supplying essential and inescapable medical supplies is exponentially high, especially in the Pithoragarh Region of Uttarakhand State, where the villages are not connected to the roads. The road structure of the hilly terrain of Uttarakhand, India, was studied in detail to know the state of people who do not get access to life-saving drugs due to the non-availability of roads near them. The result informs us that the quad/hexacopter if used in abundance can provide a glimmer of hope to people in remote places. The quadcopter can provide hope to the residents of the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, India, located in far-flung places devoid of basic medical facilities.

Traditional uses of ethno-medicinal plants for the treatment of skin ailments in district Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India

This study was conducted among the local people of Pithoragarh district (Uttarakhand) to document the ethnomedicinal plants used as remedies for various skin diseases. A total of 52 plant species from 36 families were listed for curing skin ailments such as allergies, infections, pigmentation, acne, pimples, burns, wounds, etc. It is noted that most of the plant formulations were applied externally in the form of paste. However, phytochemical analysis and pharmacognostic research on these recorded plants should be conducted to determine their therapeutic potential as a first step toward the development of effective drugs. This valuable knowledge about indigenous uses of the reported plant species must be conserved for sustainable use and future generations.

Tanacetum dolichophyllum (Kitam.) Kitam: Chemical Composition, Variation, and Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oil from Flowers, Leaves and Roots

Tanacetum dolichophyllum (Kitam.) Kitam, commonly known as Tansy, belongs to the Asteraceae family. The plant species is an aromatic herb and is used by local inhabitants as incense. T. dolichophyllum samples were collected from Munsyari in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand state in north India in the month of August. The essential oil was extracted separately from its flowers, leaves and roots by steam distillation and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. A total of 42 constituents from flower oil, 42 constituents from leaf oil and 38 constituents from root oil were identified constituting 85.3%, 82.8% and 96.0%, respectively of total oil composition. Flower oil of T. dolichophyllum was found to contain γ-eudesmol (24.5%), (E)-β- farnesene (7.2%), linalool (5.6%) and cis-p-menth-2-en-1-ol (4.8%) as the major constituents, whereas leaf oil was found to possess γ-eudesmol (20.3%), (E)-β- farnesene (13.4%) and E-caryophyllene (10.9%) as major compounds. The root oil of the plant species was dominated by (E)-2-(Hepta-2,4-diyn-1-ylidene)-1,6-dioxaspiro[4.4]non-3-ene [(E)-Tibetin spiroether] (58.3%), its Z-isomer (13.5%) and monoterpenes constituting 15.7% of the oil. The antibacterial activity of oil samples against ten different bacterial pathogens was determined by disc diffusion method. The oil samples from different parts of the plant showed different and moderate to good antibacterial activity.

Multistage Optimized Site Suitability Modeling for Base Transceiver Station Placement in Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand Using Spatial Analyst and Fuzzy Logic Toolbox

Multistage Optimized Site Suitability Modeling for Base Transceiver Station Placement in Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand Using Spatial Analyst and Fuzzy Logic Toolbox

Comparative Study on the Biochemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Picrorhiza kurrooa Rolye ex Benth. Obtained from Uttarakhand

Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle ex Benth. is one of the well‐established herbal plants with an exceptional therapeutic potential. It belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family and is commonly called as kutki. The drug obtained from the plant is a bitter tonic due to the presence of kutkin in it. Over 61 secondary metabolites from the plants have been identified, including iridoid glycosides, flavonoids, cucurbitacins, and phenolic chemicals. However, picrosides are the major phytochemicals in this species that are responsible for its well‐known hepatoprotective properties. The present study was conducted to compare Picrorhiza kurrooa (dried rhizomes) obtained from local traders from the markets of three different districts of Uttarakhand, i.e., the Dewal block of Chamoli, Ukhimath block of Rudraprayag, and Dharchula block of Pithoragarh. Biochemical analysis was conducted on the powder of dried rhizomes for alkaloids, phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. Based on analysis, it was found that the total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total alkaloid content, and radical scavenging activity of P. kurrooa rhizomes purchased from Darma valley, Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, were the highest, followed by rhizomes collected from the Dewal block of Chamoli district and the least were found in rhizomes obtained from the Ukhimath block of Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. The maximum tannin content was found in Picrorhiza kurrooa rhizomes obtained from the Dewal block of Chamoli, while total reducing power was observed the highest in rhizomes from the Ukhimath block of Rudraprayag. The results provided evidence that P. kurrooa obtained from Darma valley, Pithoragarh, are the potential source of phenolics, flavonoids, and tannins and have the highest DPPH‐scavenging activity and therefore could be served as the basis for future drugs and food materials.

Local communities’ perception and attitude towards dynamic ecosystem in a part of Kailash sacred landscape - India

Most ecosystems are affected by various types of disturbances, which play an important role in shaping the structure of the individual population and the character of ecosystems as a whole. Perceptions and experiences of the local community about these disturbances play an important role in developing the various adaptation strategies and policies. The present study was conducted in the upper part of the Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL) in India, situated in the Himkhola micro-watershed in the Chaundas valley of Dharchula block in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand state. Survey methods were used to recognize the condition of major ecosystems from the past to the present. Based on the interview the opinion of locals on transformed ecosystems are: i) the ecosystems and natural resources were in much better conditions in the past, ii) locals have been able to protect their natural resources to an extent due to their efforts and interventions and ability to recognize the factors that have caused these changes, iii) community is suffering from transformation and adapting, which has a negative impact on human mythological and traditional values in nature, and iv) conservation practices and promoting green employment may be achieved by engaging the local community only through regular discussions among stakeholders and the local community.

Role of psycho-social variables in dealing with trauma of child sexual abuse

Objective: The study was undertaken to determine “Role of Psycho-Social variables in dealing with Trauma of Child Sexual Abuse”. Two different areas were taken for the present study such as Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, Jalandhar district of Punjab, 100 subjects were taken (50 subjects were male and 50 female subjects) purposefully and were matched age, sex, education, occupation, family environment scale, self-esteem scale, sexual and physical abuse questionnaire, childhood trauma questionnaire, multidimensional scale of social support, were employed to each of the subjects in two sessions.The following standardized questionnaires will be used in the study and will be administered through both offline and online mode. Results revealed that male subjects showed more prominence in family environment and social support. Female subjects showed more prominence in self-esteem in the exposure of sexual and physical abuse female subjects were found to be more exposed in this regard and male subjects were more exposed to childhood trauma. This may be due to that, among young adults male subjects are getting more access to family environment and social support and female subjects are commonly exposed to sexual and physical abuse whereas male subjects are getting more traumas in childhood in terms of physical abused.

Characterization of Ordovician-Silurian Acritarchs from the Kumaon Tethys Himalaya, Pithoragarh District, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract Acritarchs, microphytoplankton of algal protists, from the Shiala and Yong Limestone formations of the Gunji village along Kali river (upstream) of Kumaon Tethyan Himalaya, Pithoragarh district, Uttrakhand, India have been examined for the first time. It aims to test the basin-wide existence and testing the reliability of already locally established biozones from the Garhwal Tethys Himalaya, Chamoli district, Uttrakhand. The study reveals moderate to poorly preserved, matured assemblages and diversified forms of acritarchs from both formations. The assemblage includes sphaeromorphs, acanthomorphs, netromorphs, polygonomorphs, diacromorphs, herkomorphs, etc. Two palynoassemblages have been recognized each from the Shiala and Yong Limestone formations. Palynoassemblage (I) from the Shiala Formation is confirmed by one productive sample which reveals a mix of Late Ordovician and Silurian forms. The acritarchs assemblage assigned to 16 genera with at least 13 species. The acritarchs from the Yong Limestone Formation are more plentiful and diverse confirming the Palynoassemblage (II) that contains biostratigraphically significant forms of typical Silurian (Ludlow) age. This Palynoassemblage is assigned to 23 genera with 16 species. The paper also describes the possible reasons for floral difference from the same formation and basin sampled at two different localities of the Tethys Himalaya, possibly due to palaeoclimatic constraints. However, detailed work on this aspect is required. The palynoassemblages from both the formations describe morphologically non-distinct, ubiquitous, wide palaeogeographic spread and uncertain stratigraphic taxa too along with biostratigraphic significant forms.

Evaluation of Shannon Entropy and Weights of Evidence Models in Landslide Susceptibility Mapping for the Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand State, India

Landslide susceptibility mapping is considered a useful tool for planning, disaster management, and natural hazard mitigation of a region. Although there are different methods for predicting landslide susceptibility, the bivariate statistical analysis method is considered to be simple and popular. In this study, the main aim is to evaluate the performance of Shannon entropy (SE) and weights of evidence (WOE) statistical models in landslide susceptibility mapping of Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand state, India. For this purpose, ten landslide affecting factors, namely, slope degree, aspect, curvature, elevation, land cover, slope forming materials, geomorphology (landforms), distance to rivers, distance to roads, and overburden depth were used for the development of landslide susceptibility maps using the SE and WOE methods. Data extracted from the Google Earth images, Aster Digital Elevation Model, and Geological Survey of India report were used for the construction and evaluation of landslide susceptibility models and maps. The landslide data of 91 locations were randomly divided into two parts in the ratio of 70 : 30 using GIS software that is 70% data was used for training the models and 30% data was used for testing and validating the models. Performance of the applied models was evaluated using area under the AUC (area under the curve) ROC (receiver operating characteristics) curve. Results indicated that the WOE model is having better accuracy (AUCWOE = 68.75%) than the SE model (AUCSE = 52.17%) in the development of landslide susceptibility maps. Hence, WOE model can be used for the development of accurate landslide susceptibility maps which can provide useful information to decision maker and policy planner in better development of landslide prone areas.

Nutrient composition, free radical scavenging activities and polyphenol contents of seabuckthorn (Hippophae tibetana) Western Himalayas, India

Hippophae tibetana is valuable wild edible berry, which is utilized as a supplement of food, traditional-folk medicine system by rural populace of the Johar valley, Pithoragarh district India. The study focused on quantitating the nutrient composition, polyphenols, and free radical scavenging activities of the specie (in different solvent extracts). Results represented a various concentration range of polyphenolics and antioxidants among studied solvents, and fresh berries exhibited good sources of polyphenols (phenolics 1.64; tannins 5.87; proanthcyanidins 1.47; flavonoids 5.74; flavonols 0.62 mg/g), antioxidants, and free radical scavenging activities (FRAP 9.55; DPPH 1.35; NO·1.14; ABTS 4.10; OH· 0.69 mM AAE/100 g), nutrients (carbohydrates 2.05; proteins 0.67; methionine 0.73; proline 1.03; sodium 0.37; potassium 3.0.25 mg/g) and vitamins (vitamin C 1.03; vitamin E 0.87; Vitamin A 0.59 mg/g), respectively, followed by dry berries and pomace. Outcomes of the study revealed that acetone and methanol are good for extraction for harnessing maximum potential from the species. Practical applications H. tibetana has emerged as a potential source of nutritional and bioactive constituents, and moderate polarity solvents (acetone and methanol) are best for extraction and acetone should be prioritized for commercial utilization. In the present scenario, several communities worldwide are focused to consume natural antioxidant compounds for improving their health, immunity, and reducing the deficiency of malnutrition. The fresh berries of H. tibetana and their processed foodstuffs can be considered an option for fulfilling the basic requirements of nutrients in the future and will be helpful for reducing deficiency of malnutrition in the Himalayan populace. Present study highlighted that berries of H. tibetana are rich sources of various nutrients, polyphenols, and antioxidant contents and for harnessing maximum potential from the species their mass scale cultivation is required. Therefore, sensitization workshops and capacity-building programs (for skill development) should be organized in the higher Himalayas for the promotion of cultivation practices/large-scale plantation of H. tibetana in their suitable habitat (cold desert) through participatory approaches, also required to strengthen the sub help groups (SHG). This approach will fulfill the major issues of biodiversity conservation, wasteland reclamation, and generate employment opportunities for the local communities of Himalayas.