Impact of Migration On Mountain Region- A Comparative Study

The present book deals with impact of migration in mountain with particular reference to Uttarakhand Mountain which is popularly known as abode of resources. However, in spite of resource abundance, the people of Uttarakhand Mountain region are still economically weak. Agriculture and allied activities being the main occupations engages nearly 80 percent of the total workforce. Agriculture is unable to fulfil the needs of people as it is subsistence in nature and its productivity is also low. The region is also lagging in secondary, tertiary and quaternary activities. Therefore, poor economic conditions of the region force the people to migrate outside the area in search of jobs for better livelihoods and standard of living. They mostly join the military, para military services or settle down mainly in urban centres of North India. The outmigration mainly of youth male has become a common phenomenon since 1900 A.D. With the passage of time, outmigration process has brought numerous changes in socio-economic conditions of the region such as changes in cropping pattern, improved literacy rate, social status and standard of living but notable is the increased workload on women in the absence of male members of the family. Since last few year returned/reverse migrations has also brought many changes.

This book is a humble attempt to examine the characteristics of out-migrants and respondents and the impact of out-migration on agricultural land use pattern in Pauri Garhwal district during 1986-87 and in Lachi Gad of Pauri Garhwal during 2015-16 and 2019; characteristics of returned/reverse migrants and active outmigrants in 2020-21; and return/reverse migration during COVID-19.

The area is a promising one with serene ambience. The only coordination that is needed to activate is between the authorities and the stakeholders. If this can be channelized the mountain of Uttarakhand can become economically self-sustained and would regulate outmigration too. Another dimension is that if the outmigrants visit the area regularly and keep a continuous link with the native area and many of them return back to native area then it is not that harmful a process. Infact their continuing efforts of sharing knowledge about latest skills and development would boost the economy of the region insitu. They should be in connection with their roots and become instrumental in its holistic development.

Dr.Anupama M.Hasija is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Evening College, University of Delhi, New Delhi with over 20 years of Teaching and Research experiences. She is a Doctorate from Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. Her specialization is Urban and Regional Planning and Geography of Tourism. She has to her credit a number of Research articles/papers published in Journals of repute and Edited Books. She has also presented a number of Research papers in National and International Conferences. She has also been the Co-Principal Investigator in the Innovation Project of University of Delhi, titled, "The Use of GPS and GIS in identifying and assessing the changing Land use patterns mainly due to outmigration in Lachi Gad watershed in Garhwal Himalaya" in 2015-2016.She has been the project Co-Director from 2016-2019 for Development and Research Centre for Sustainable Livelihood in Uttarakhand, a project sponsored by SEWA-THDC.

Dr. Laishram Mirana Devi is an Assistance Professor in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Evening College (University of Delhi), India where she has been a faculty member since 2014. She received her Ph. D degree from the University of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi on "Common Property Resources in Manipur: A Geographical Analysis" in 2013. Her research interest lies in the area of Natural Resources, Geospatial Techniques ranging from theory to design to implementation for different applications of Remote sensing and GIS. Much of her work focuses on gradual development and improving the understanding of the nature and the behaviour in which human relation with the natural world are practiced in day-to-day life. She has more than 20 research publication and E-lectures in different journals. Also visited different university and colleges on invited lectures.

Prof. Suresh Kumar Bandooni (b.1962) has been teaching in the Department of Geography, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Evening College (University of Delhi) since 1990. He has done his M. Phil and Ph.D from Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. His specialization is Natural Resource Management, Himalayan system, Cartography and Sustainable Development. He aims to understand and work for Sustainable Rural Development in Uttarakhand. He has been the project Co -Director and Project Director for many years for Development and Research Centre for Sustainable Livelihood in Uttarakhand, a project sponsored by SEWA-THDC. He has also been the Project Co-investigator in many projects sponsored by DST and UGC. He has authored a book on Hill Management and editor of three books on Environmental Geo-hazards and Resource management. He has been the expert and editor of many dictionaries published by CSTT (Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology, HRD, Govt. of India.). He has been the coordinator of UGC E PATHSHALA for content development and video recordings on Water Resource Management. He has also published many research papers and articles in many reputed journals and books. Presently he is the member of Advisory committee of Centre for Himalayan Studies, University of Delhi. He has also been an active trekker in the Himalaya. He is known for his experiential teachings.

It gives me immense pleasure to share my thoughts on this subject which has been dealt extensively in this book, titled, "Impact of Migration on Mountain Region: A Comparative Study" authored by Prof. Suresh Kumar Bandooni, Dr. Anupama M Hasija and Dr. L. Mirana Devi, Department of Geography Shaheed Bhagat Singh Evening College, University of Delhi.

It covers the very intriguing theme of Out-Migration, Active Out Migrants and Returned/Reverse Migrants from Pauri Garhwal district and its different areas from Uttarakhand in Himalaya and its impacts at length. The aspects of Out Migration, Returned/Reverse Migration and active Out Migrants are covered in detail. The book is completed in IX chapters. Each chapter leads to the next. For example chapter four and five deal with characteristics of Out Migrants and Returned/Reverse and Active Out Migrants Respectively.

The comparative analysis from 1986-87 to 2020-2021 has been critically analysed in chapters seven. The Respondents have been very cooperative in responding to the Questionnaire. In-fact a Chapter (8) on COVID 19 gives very strange results that many out migrants became Reverse Migrants and active Out Migrants due to the Pandemic. They have yet not gone back to the cities where they had migrated to due to variety of reasons from health risk to occupational uncertainty. The authors have given very suggestive ways for future direction for the sustainable development not only of study area but for the whole mountain areas of great Himalaya.

It is a very peculiar study worth going through word by word.

I congratulate the Authors on this extensive study and analysis and wish them well.

The Himalayan Mountain of Uttarakhand being full of resources is known as abode of resources. The main resources of the state are forest, water, minerals and scenic beauty. However, in spite of bountiful resources, the people of Uttarakhand Mountain region are still economically poor. Agriculture and allied activities are the main occupations of the people and engaged nearly 80 percent of the total workforce. As it is subsistence in nature and its productivity is also low, agriculture is unable to fulfil the needs of people. Further the region is also deprived of secondary, tertiary and quaternary activities to hold back people for varieties of employment. Therefore, poor economic conditions of the region force the people to migrate outside the area in search for better jobs opportunities. They mainly join the military, para military services or settle down mainly in urban centres of North India. The outmigration, mainly of youth male has become a common phenomenon since 1900 A.D. With the passage of time, outmigration process has brought many changes in socio-economic conditions of the region such as change in agricultural land-use pattern, literacy rate, increased workload on women, social status and standard of living.

The present work is an attempt to examine the characteristics of out-migrants and respondents and impact of out-migration on agricultural landuse pattern in Pauri Garhwal district during 1985-86 and in Lachi Gad of Pauri Garhwal during 2015-16 and 2019, characteristics of returned/reverse and active outmigrants and reverse migration during Covid-19 in 2020-21. The study is based on primary and secondary data. Since, the secondary data does not provide complete information about outmigration and returned migrants and its related consequences, primary data have been collected in order to understand the characteristics and impact of out-migration and returned migration.

The Himalaya extending over 74° to 95° E longitude and 26° to 39° N latitude covers an area of about 500,000 sq. km. with a total stretch of 2,400 km. from west to east. The average width of the Himalayan ranges from 240 to 400 km and can be divided latitudinally into four zones e.g. Shiwalik, Lesser/Central Himalaya, Greater Himalaya and Tibetan/Trans Himalaya. Longitudinally, it can also be divided into three zones i.e. Western Himalaya, Central Himalaya and Eastern Himalaya. Out of the total area of the Western Himalaya, 67.5 per cent comes under Jammu and Kashmir, 17 per cent under Himachal Pradesh and rest 15.5 Percent under Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand Himalaya is also known as Garh-Kumaun Himalaya and lies in the eastern part of the western Himalaya. Its eastern part is known as Kumaun including Almora, Nainital, Bageshwar, Champawat and Pithoragarh districts, while western part is known as Garhwal including Pauri, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri, Uttarkashi and Dehradun districts. The Haridwar district of Garhwal and Udham Singh Nagar district of Kumaun do not come under Uttarakhand Himalaya as near about all the area of these districts are plains.

Like other Parts of the Himalaya, Uttarakhand Himalaya is also full of resources and has been attracting people from different parts of the world since hundreds of years. It is a store house for Primary, Secondary and Tertiary activities. Main resources in this region are forest and water. This place has immense potential for tourism.