At Melting Point

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Six months from now world leaders will sit in on one of the most decisive meetings on the environment. After Kyoto this is the world summit which can make of break the situation for planet earth. But far away from the tiny Danish country where the world summit is to be held - right before us in our own country the early indicators of climate change are already setting in.

In the Himalayas right at the source of the Ganga they say the Gangotri glacier is shrinking. I decided to trek upto the glacier with a team of scientists that includes a glaciologist to separate the truth from the hype. Our trek started at the town of Gangotri a two day drive from the capital - a hotspot for pilgrims. The trek to Gaumukh is 20 km uphill from where the glacier descends.

Initially the mountains seem intimidating and uninviting. We start our journey with Dr Rajesh Kumar from the Birla Institute of Technology, Jaipur. For the team he is Dr Glacier. Rajesh spends most of his time camping on glaciers across the Himalayas -he can tell the health of a glacier just by looking at it. Our walk starts dot at 6 am and when we take our first break at 4 km the trek does not seem daunting. However the uphill trek starts only after 9 km at Chirbassa - named after its pine trees..As we stop in the shade of the trees here for rest- the scientific team informs us after this we will cross the tree line.

The landscape now is a stark brown, though I can see snow capped peaks now ahead of us. Far below is the Ganga heavy with the brown sediments from the mountains. It is these sediments it is believed which give the Ganga its fertile character for the north Indian plains where millions depend on it for agriculture. I look down at the river thinking the vast journey it will be accomplish through the hills, down to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal till it empties itself into the sea.

Here high up close to its source the river seems full on energy ready for its long winding journey ahead. But the journey for us too is getting long. Late in the evening we reach our base camp at Bhojbassa. Here the Garwhal Mandal Vikas Nigam runs a resthouse.

Early next morning I am now anxious to reach Gaumukh- its another 4km ahead but when you are climbing up every step feels like a mile. And we are now able to see the glacier. From a distance it doesn't like the a vast sheet of ice. It looks muddied and with many crevices. Dr Rajesh informs us that the number of crevices are the first signs of global warming. Next we pass a stone slab embedded in a boulder - which states Gaumukh 1891. And that's the stark reality of climate change. Just in one hundred odd years the glacier has retreated by 2 kms.

And to the silent blare of orchestra music- we reach the gangotri glacier. Even if this is a sick glacier it is still gigantic. And as the five of us stand under it - we seem tiny in front of mother nature.. Yes its muddy in some parts but in some parts where the ice is not melting its blue. Around us are pilgrims who also seem overwhelmed by the sight. The brave take a dip in the Ganga at this point if they can withstand the icy waters. I am still recovering from the three days of trekking and fall asleep under the shade of a rock. Even though we are at the glacier the sun is directly overhead and the heat of the day has made us tired.

The trek back from the glacier seems lighter. There is a sense of achievement and even the mountains seem friendlier. Back in Gangotri town we interact with local people to get a sense of how they feel about their glacier shrinking.

I meet local activists like Maheshwari Devi a feisty lady , who believes there are other reasons why the glacier is in trouble. Across the Himalayas over 100 dams are being built to provide energy for a rapidly industrializing country. And the Himalayas are witnessing an unprecedented rate of deforestation because of the dams.

Maheswari devi led an agitation against the Lohari Nagpala Dam. Since the dam construction started people allege that their local sources of water have dried up. This is the land of the Chipko and the peoples agitation has had an impact. The construction on the Lohari Nagpala dam was called off till a realistic estimate is made of the damage to the environment. I am able to witness firsthand the damage by the dams- an entire mountain side reduced to rubble and tones of cement and concrete being dumped into the river. While the nation needs electricity- experts say we would need half the number of dams we are building now through efficient use of energy. Local people also object to the fact that construction on the dams is initiated even before the environment clearance is through. One thing is clear while the dams will divert water and electricity to big cities its brought few benefits to the local people.

Scientific studies too confirm what local people are saying, Temperatures across the Himalayas have increased by 1.4 degrees centigrade in the last 100 years and reports say all because of anthropogenic activities. Dam or no dam the fate of the Himalayas is sealed. The Gangotri glacier is definitely melting. And the sooner we accept it the sooner we will be willing to do something about it.