Energy efficiency study in 13 districts of state

Extent of application of new policies and best practices

• Support non-conventional energy sector

• Promote intervention of state-of-the-art technology

• Existing institutions and regulatory mechanisms strengthened.

• To analyze energy efficiency in 13 districts of Uttarakhand, DEA analysis on data of 35 Electricity Distribution Divisions was done using

1. CCR model to calculate total efficiency (constant returns to scale assumption)

2. BCC model to calculate technical and scale efficiency (variable returns to scale assumption)

• Based on the improved water mills (gharats) and the installed solar projects under Suryodaya Swarozgar Yojna around the state, present scenario and future potentials of non-conventional energy sector are being analysed by the site visits

• Participatory conservation framework developed

• Sustainable harvesting protocols for diverse natural resources developed

• Local natural resource management institutions strengthened

• Good practices documented and up-scaled.

• Participatory Conservation framework developed in eight villages in Almora (Dheli, Guna, Joshi Dhura, Sirsora, Thaat, Ashota, Toli)

• Participatory Conservation framework developed in eight villages in Chamoli (Charbang, Lwani, Ramni, waduk)

• 138 springs has been surveyed and data on status and discharge rates has been recorded from 98 villages in eight districts of Uttarakhand.

• Winter rainfall pattern rainfall data of winter months of 114 years has been analysed to study the effect of climate change

• Data has been generated on average household fuel wood consumption and CO2 emission at household level for five hilly districts in Uttarakhand.

• Data on status of fuel wood, fodder, leaf litter, seedling, trees species, fodder-grass species, anthropogenic pressure in Van Panchayats forest has been collected.

• Data set on supplementary sources of income from non timber forest resource (honey, resin, bamboo, medicinal plants) has also been recorded

• Data on non biotic natural resources such as sand stone and sand their use by rural community and income from these natural resources to rural communities have also been recorded

Study of outmigration pattern in the State

Study the factors responsible and solutions

• Recommendations of policy changes for reducing outmigration

• Alternate livelihood options

• Review of existing literature and development of questionnaire for key person interviews and household surveys has been prepared

• Field data collection: Almora, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Pauri, Uttarkashi

• Detailed analysis of decadal data from Census of India (2001 and 2011)

• Village level mapping of demographic changes

• Ordinal regression analysis of Population change and developmental variables for 353 villages to know the influence of development on tendency of the local population to migrate from their native villages.

• Data entry and preliminary analysis of primary data

• Research articles (manuscripts under preparation):

1. Rural out-migration as a response to developmental inadequacies: A study of causative factors influencing human migration in the Central Himalayan mountain villages of India

2. The future of mountain agriculture amidst continual farm-exit, livelihood diversification, and out-migration in the Central Himalayan villages of India

• Case studies: entrepreneurial ventures and alternate livelihood options

• Preliminary findings communicated with popular media through a press release which was subsequently published in The Pioneer, Tribune, and Rashtriya Sahara

Issues for sustainable tourism including eco-tourism

Changing patterns of tourism

• Ecologically compatible and equitable tourism promoted/implemented leading to stoppage of unregulated tourism.

• The issues related to ecotourism and changing pattern of tourism have been identified through field survey and is in progress.

• Identified the tourist pressure (Foreign and domestic tourist) in CTR and RTR.

• The tourist facilities, solid waste management status, transportation system in Sitabani zone of CTR were identified.

• The recreational activities, gujjar families and rehabilitation programmes in RTR were identified.

• On the basis of the secondary data collected from the range officer, observation was made on the tourist impact in Motichur and Chilla range.

Waste management, including management of hazardous substances

Innovative approaches developed (No) and implemented/Quantity of waste treated/ managed

• Existing institutions and regulatory mechanisms strengthened

• Up-scaling of best practices supported.

• Solid waste management (SWM) in different Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of Haridwar district studied.

• Gaps in the SWM status have been identified.

• Quantification of the Hazardous waste (HW) and the technology adopted to treat the HW generating from the industries have been identified.

• Detailed questionnaire on Integrated Solid waste management plant (ISWM) have been developed to understand the innovative technologies adopted and is under progress.

Issues concerning development in sensitive areas

• Scientific evidences and databases developed/ augmented/ disseminated.

• Literature Review to identify issues concerning development in sensitive areas.

• Primary data collection of public perception on issues concerning development in sensitive zones (on the basis of Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone notification) was conducted in Bhatwari tehsil using random sampling of households .

• Key issues identified: uncontrolled tourism, encroachments, environmental pollution, natural and anthropogenically enhanced disasters, disturbed biodiversity and forests, socio-economic vulnerability of the local people.

• Different data layers (slope, aspect, drainage, NDVI for the year 1996 and 2016, stream order and density, roads, settlements, buffer layers of distances of landslides from drainage, roads, settlements etc.) have been developed using satellite data (Bhuvan and USGS portal) and the data from tourism department, Uttarkashi forest division, NHIDCL etc

• Analysis has been done to assess the impact of different factors and developmental projects on the fragility of the study area (to validate the key issues).

Testing options for human capacity building including promotion of micro-enterprises and green technologies

• Identify key sectors and capacity building needs of those having immediate bearing on conservation and livelihoods.

• Natural resource based and community oriented microenterprises developed/ promoted.

• Detailed study, data compilation, and analysis of comparative status of micro enterprises before and after state formation.

• Compilation and analysis of data on employment generation, contribution of natural resources in GSDP, and non performing micro enterprises of Uttarakhand

• Identified key indicators of human capacity building in micro enterprises.

• The indicators are being evaluated through primary survey of microenterprises. Survey completed in 5 districts of Uttarakhand

Conservation of genetic resources of rare, endemic, threatened and globally significant flora and fauna including agro-biodiversity

• Conservation of endemic/threatened/significant species augmented through ex-situ/ in-situ mechanisms

• Data on anthropogenic pressures on habitat of selected mammals is being collected.

• Data of habitat characters is being collected

• Data on agro biodiversity of the adjacent villages have been collected.

Use of alien plants extracts for bio-preservation of wood

• Database of alien plants species

• Development of bio-preservatives

• Based on the secondary information a detailed database along with their family, altitude, nativity and life-form has been prepared. A total of 265 plant species belonging to 72 families were identified.

• Developing bio-preservative

1. Prioritization of the plant species done.

2. Moisture content on oven dry basis determined.

3. Chemical extraction of alien plants carried out and yield calculated.

4. In-vitro fungitoxic activity of different extracts against wood rotting fungi is in progress in order to identify the bioactive extract.

• A database of plant resources will be available.

• A database of indigenous technologies of plant use

• Database on plant diversity of temperate, sub alpine and alpine meadows ecosystems have been created which is being upgraded by consistent field visits.

• Database of fodder species being used in three locations Didihat, Dharchula and Munsyari area has been created.

• Classification of forest types of Pithoragarh district by GIS mapping has been completed.

• Landsat and sentinel imageries were used to identify the decadel changes in the landuse pattern of Pithoragarh district.

Supplementary livelihood options for local communities and other rural population

Study the market linkages

• Recommendations on livelihood options

• Development of market linkage options

• Field survey and assessment of current livelihood strategies has been done in Dehradun district

• SWOT analysis of livelihood practices has been done.

• Market linkage study has been done for farm and non-farm (NTFPs) based produces.

• Alternative livelihood options have been identified in the study area

Effect of forest fires on nutrient dynamics in the soil.

• Database on impact of forest fire

• Policy recommendations

• Field based sample collection in post-fire Pine, Oak and Sal forests from Tehri, Pauri and Dehradun

• Soil physicochemical and nutrients analysis has been done

• Database of post-fire macro and micro nutrients has been prepared

Effect of forest fires on soil microbial biomass and diversity.

• Database on impact of forest fire

• Policy recommendations

• Sampling has done in three districts of Uttarakhand

• Analysis of enzymatic activities (Dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase) has been completed

• Changes in microbial biomass and diversity have been observed in different forest types affected by forest fire.

• Database for the change in microbial biomass after forest fire and rainfall has been prepared.