Indigenous communities in the two ecologically fragile Himalayan States are routinely excluded from this narrative that fuels reckless growth. Article written by Manshi Asher published on 21/09/23 in Frontline The monsoon of 1999 is etched vividly in my memory. At 23, shortly after finishing my master’s, I was to join a project that worked on […]
Himachal Pradesh needs a policy and governance overhaul that prioritizes environmental sustainability and local communities Article written by Manshi Asher published on 16/07/23 in Hindustan Times As swollen rivers in Himachal Pradesh receded this week, and the state began accounting for the losses suffered, a meme began circulating. Barsaton mein pahad ghumne na aayen, kyunki […]
When we arrived at the Aima village ‘waste processing plant’, next to Neugal khad (stream), near Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, there had just been a large downpour. The rubbish strewn all along the riverbank was drenched in dirt, likely worsening the stench – putrid, a little acidic, somehow sludge-like. We tiptoed through it to reach the […]
By Manshi Asher & Himshi Singh In the third week of April, India’s raging pandemic’s second wave burst onto our phone screens with aerial images of burning pyres in crematoriums. Not very far away in the upper reaches of Pangi in Himachal, temperatures hit a sudden low due to heavy snowfall. Five migrant workers lay […]
The core question India needs to address: how to reduce the generation of waste in an economy, which thrives on spiraling consumption and production India generates over 150,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) per day. According to the World Bank, India’s daily waste generation will reach 377,000 tonnes by 2025 . To tackle this […]
What is an open dumping yard in reality is – on paper – an ‘integrated solid waste management facility’ for which a local authority has received clearance from the environment ministry. Globally, environmental racism has been about the trash of over-consuming rich countries finding its way to the into the backyards of the poorest nations’ […]
As the state’s situation worsens, the only two choices in front of the Himachali people will be mass agitation or mass exodus. Himachal Pradesh is located in the region of the world considered to be the water tower of the Indian subcontinent. But what happens when the high mountains – repositories of snow and thus […]
10 insights on the political ecology of Himachal today Manshi Asher and Prakash Bhandari The morning ritual of eagerly scanning the Himachal edition of The Tribune (the only English paper in print that has meaty coverage from the region) has never been so rewarding, offering in one glance, deep clarity on what is going on […]
The migration of poor, homeless people in distress from faraway rural areas to upcoming urban and sub-urban hubs is not a new phenomenon. The demolition of the Charan Khad settlement in Dharamshala on 16 and 17 June 2016, is a classic story of slum demolition and the ongoing struggle of displaced people. Dharamshala is one […]
On June 17, the Municipal Corporation of Dharamshala launched a drive to demolish Charan Khad slum and evict about 1,500 residents who had been staying there for over three decades. These people are protesting the forceful eviction without a plan for rehabilitation. The evicted residents of Charan Khad, including some 300 children, are now braving […]