A Prayer For Sikkim’s Glacial Wetland

First published in Sanctuary Asia, Vol. 42 No. 4, April 2022

Glacial lakes are formed when ice, natural depressions, or moraines end up storing water from rain, or snow melt. India’s exquisite Himalayan state of Sikkim has over 200 high-altitude lakes, many of which feed rivers, upon which animals and people are dependent for the water they need to survive.

Sikkim’s Gurudongmar Lake has particular significance. At an elevation of 5,430 m., this is one of India’s, indeed, one of the world’s highest lakes. Located to the north of the Khangchengyao range, close to the Indo-China border, the lake is deeply revered by the Sikkimese.

During the ‘Yoga Mahotsav’, held in New Delhi in March 2022, the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang, proposed that a ‘National Yoga and Meditation Institute’ be set up near Gurudongmar Lake. Tshering Wangdi Lepcha, former MLA of Lachen-Mangan, opposed the plan, which he said would hurt the sentiments of the Sikkimese. He recently told the press: “The area is sacred to us and tampering with it hits straight into our hearts.”

High-altitude wetlands cover around 69,000 ha. of the Sikkim Eastern Himalaya, and over 800 bird and animal species are dependent on these waters. The Gurudongmar Lake is the largest glacial wetland in a region that possesses half of the waterbodies identified by the Sikkim government as potential Ramsar sites.

The proposed ‘National Yoga and Meditation Institute’ near Gurudongmar Lake would not only impact the ecology of this vital wetland but also hurt the sentiments of the people of Sikkim. Photo: Public Domain: Soumyajit Pramanik.

Usha Lachungpa, Sanctuary Wildlife Service Awardee 2021, who has spent the last three decades working with and for the Sikkim Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management Department has explored the area and writes via Facebook: “In spring it was a sight to behold. We saw marmots gamboling around the rich alpine vegetation. Their whistling calls warning of threats from a Golden Eagle, or Tibetan fox, or visitors like us, would send the rodents scuttling back into the safety of their underground lairs. Woolly hare on the other hand permitted us to reach almost within touching distance before escaping at high speed. A biodiversity hotspot, the lake hosts Karaang-Kuruungs (migratory birds), usually Bar-headed Geese, Pintails, Pochards, Brahminy Shelducks, gulls and sundry waders.”

Predictably the lake is a popular destination for tourists and pilgrims. Down the years this has led to the accumulation of polluting solid waste, including plastic water bottles. In recent years, young residents of Lachen – the town nearest to the lake – have undertaken clean ups and, actually managed to get the sale of bottled water banned in their town. Additionally, a village trash collection and management system has been set up with support from the USAID-funded WWF Asia High Mountains programme.

Residents also launched a comprehensive ecotourism action plan involving well-designed village trails, nature walks, and hikes. Chewang Lachenpa of the Lachen Tourism Development Committee explains that the idea was for tourists visiting places like the Gurudongmar Lake to spend a few days in Lachen to absorb the culture, and ecology and enable locals to benefit from livelihoods that celebrated and protected their ancient home. The people of Lachen do not want the intrusion of an institute so close to this spiritual and ecologically sensitive area.

They point out that Himalayan regions are already warming and with the receding of glaciers and faster snow melt, flooding and cloudbursts are becoming increasing threats. Massive projects will add to the ecological stress of a region of such beauty and worth.

Sonam Wangchuk Lachenpa, a resident of Lachen, wrote on Instagram, “Our sentiments are deeply attached to this place. We don’t want any infrastructure at 5,430 m., which will disturb the flora and fauna of the area and pollute the environment. Destroying nature and disturbing the ecology in the name of development is not acceptable. Therefore, this is an appeal to the government to do away with the proposal.”

Sanctuary endorses the appeal from Sonam Wangchuk and requests its readers to write a polite note to
Honorable Prem Singh Tamang,
 Chief Minister of Sikkim,
<cm-skm@nic.in>
respectfully stating the following points:
* Please do not locate the proposed National Yoga and Meditation Institute near Gurudongmar Lake, as this would disturb the ecology of this vital wetland and hurt the sentiments of the proud people of Sikkim, who revere their natural heritage.
* Give the Gurudongmar Lake extra protection, and limit the number of tourists and pilgrims so that its climate-sensitivity and its fragile ecology remain protected.
* Please consult Eastern Himalayan experts to ensure that existing facilities created for cultural and nature tourism experiences are made less damaging and more respectful of this Himalayan wonderland that rightfully belongs to generations unborn.

 

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