Challenges to Sustainable Development in Sikkim

Speech delivered on the occasion of being honored as the Greenest Chief Minister by Centre for Science and Environment on 20th September 1999 at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

At the outset, I would like to express my deep gratitude to His Excellency, Shri K.R. Narayanan, Patron of the Centre for Science and Environment, its talented Chairperson, distinguished members, Director and all other members, for the honor they have bestowed on me and my State Sikkim. I humbly accept this recognition.

This recognition is not for me alone but for those many within India In general and in Sikkim in particular, toiling for the cause of a nation, which should remain as close to nature as possible. We are in Sikkim following a development programme with a deep-rooted sense of the environment within it. In this context let me refer to Mr. Anil Agarwal's own writings. His poser is "this is a time when the political and public mind­set in India, as in other developing countries, is mainly focused on economic growth and let me say this is not necessarily bad. We do need economic growth as rapid as possible. But then what do we do to restore the balance between economic growth and environmental conservation and public health?"

Yes, the time has come for all of us to spearhead a model of development that is environmental-centric, intrinsic appreciation of our natural surroundings so that we can live in total harmony with nature. Let me at this stage recall that in the year 1976, we in Sikkim had asked for a major paper and pulp factory to be put up as part of our new development initiative. Recall that at that time Sikkim was just a fledgling new born state-the 22nd State of India. There was great urgency and expectancy for speedy development to fulfill the rising expectation of the people. This request was viable as the project report went on to show. However, the farsightedness of our Prime Minister then, none other than Mrs. Indira Gandhi stopped this on its tracks. She said this would spell disaster for Sikkim Himalayas. And how right she was. It would have been a costly mistake and this nation would have been poorer for it. And as far as Sikkim is concerned, we would perhaps have never recovered from this. Hence, she showed us the way and the people of Sikkim will be ever grateful to her for this. She saved us from a tragedy but greater still she taught us how to ingrain thought about our ecosystem into every developmental exercise.

Even as I ponder at the thought that so many people considered our programmes as being sustainable, I draw parallel that we need to focus on the rural masses. This is exactly what we have done. They are the ones closest to nature. Their daily needs of energy and sometimes-even food is drawn from the forest. Most of them are at subsistence level and many below the poverty line. Hence, this is perhaps a vindication of the ongoing efforts of my government to bring about an approach, which will work in the greatest interest of the people whilst simultaneously being sustainable.

Having said this, I will now dwell on the various aspects of sustainable development. In this context let me inform you that we are in the process of compiling our Human Development Report and in so getting our Human Development Index. This will allow us to understand our standing as to how much of progress have we made in improving the quality of life of our citizens. It will also bring into sharp focus our own needs, especially that of our dependence on our environment. In short, it will help us evaluate our own programmes to see if they are bringing about much needed change in the quality of life. Quality of life literally means that it is in total harmony with nature. This is really the challenge not only for Sikkim but for the rest of the country as well.

This is now a growing concern throughout the world that the natural resources essential for human development and survival are being depleted and destroyed at an alarmingly accelerated rate. India would have used up all its oil reserves by the year 2014. This is frightening. Pollution is now a real concern and our natural resources are finite. Even in Sikkim today we face growing problems, which do not really require any sensitive measuring instruments to see. Our Zemu glacier has depleted in size by more than 3-4 kms. The water at Teesta is flowing at an all time low. We have had the warmest winter in living memory. These are all indications of things going wrong. Each one of us has to play part to reverse the destruction of our planet. Hence our natural resources are to be managed on the basic principle of sustainability. It is therefore, necessary to plan development activities in such a manner that our precious environment is conserved not only for the present but also for the future generation.

India is one of the few countries of the world whose Constitution lays adequate stress on the need for the protection and careful use of natural resources. With wise foresight, the Constitution under Article 48 (A) states, "the state shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country". Similarly, Article 51-A (g) imposes duty on the citizens "to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures". The Directive Principles also recognize the importance of maintaining the natural heritage as part of the total environment. The country, therefore, has firm bedrock on which to plan its policies, its laws and regulations to deal with the vast and very complex problems of environment and sustainable develop­ment.

Strategically located in the Himalayan belt with a small area, diverse ethnic population and gifted with nature's bounty in terms of scenic beauty, flora and fauna and vast hydel potential, we have made considerable progress in every sector of development since its statehood in 1975. The birth rate has been reduced to 20 per 1000; the infant mortality rate to 46 per 1000; literacy around 60% with 100% enrolment of children in the primary schools. Out of 453 identified villages, 329 have been connected by motorable roads. Safe drinking water has been provided to 817 of the 1600 identified habitations.

Sikkim is a very small hill state in the eastern Himalayas with a total geographical area of 7096 sq. kms. The highest elevation 8583 meters being the top of Sikkim's guiding deity Khangchendzonga itself. More than 80% of the total land area is classified as the forestland. Out of which approximately 29% area is under the National Parks and Sanctuaries for flora and fauna both to protect and conserve the rich biodiversity. In this context let me say we increased the area under Khangchendzonga National Park from 850 sq. kms to 1785 sq. kms. In fact there is a proposal to further increase this into 2600 sq. kms. This is for the cause of saving our biodiversity and with it our future.

As per the Remote Sensing data of Forest Survey of India, there has been progres­sive increase in total tree cover in the state in 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1997 and it has gone up from 37% to 44%. This clearly reflects upon the protection and conservation policy of the State Government for natural resources.

The state is bestowed with abundant natural resources. These can be grouped into Biotic and Abiotic, both of which are renewable and non-renewable. Sikkim Himalayas show tremendous biological diversity. More than 5000 species of flowering plants are found in the state, which is nearly one third of the total species of flowering plants found in the country. Out of about 1400 species of butterflies recorded from the Indian subcontinent, almost 50% of them are recorded in Sikkim.

I would like to mention some of the natural resources in the state as follows: Flowering plants over 5000 species; Orchids over 550 species; Rhododendrons 36 species; Bamboos 21 species; Ferns and ferns allies 300 species; Tree ferns 8 species; Medicinal plants and herbs large number of species; Primulas 30-40 species; Oaks 11 species; Mammals over 150 species; Birds over 600 species; Fishes over 48 species; Mountain and peaks 28 nos.; Glaciers 21 nos.; Lakes and wetlands 227 nos.; Rivers and streams over 104 nos.; High potential of minerals like copper, lime, quartzite, silicate, graphite etc.; Sand / Boulders substantial; and Hydro potential 8000 MW

Our state is therefore, a biodiversity hotspot, which is well recognized. Even though small in area it has the most diverse flora and fauna. This needs to be protected at all cost. Yet our own programme for development will be the very instrument that is going    to endanger this.

In the last four years or so we have undertaken many initiatives:

1. We declared districts of west and south as drought-prone and started their rehabilitation;

2. Declared the year 1995-96 as 'Harit Kranti" year for forestry with free distri­bution of seedlings, massive afforestation programme through Panchayats and people and protection of natural resources;

3. Banned felling of green trees, no clear felling, only dead, dying and diseased trees are allowed to be removed for the bonafide use of the people in the state;

4. Banned grazing in reserved forest areas, plantation areas and water sources and the fodder collection is allowed on sustainable basis;

     5. Abandoned and closed construction of Rathong Chu Hydro Electric Project after so much investment to protect and save the biodiversity and the rich heritage of that area;

6. Banned use of non-biodegradable materials like plastic, polybags etc.;

7. Initiated integrated approach to the efforts by all the inter-linked sectors for sustainable development;

     8. Minimized diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes (only approximately 500ha in last 18 years) and compensatory afforestation (approximately 1500   ha.) mandatory for all cases;

9. Assessed environment impact, management plan and catchment area treatment plan for all the hydroelectric projects;

10. Notified Joint Forest Management and its implementation under all the schemes;

11. Stressed on integrated afforestation and integrated watershed development programme and gave more emphasis on fuel wood and fodder plantation to lessen stress on natural forests;

12. Gave protection, conservation and development of medicinal plants, herbs and other non-timber forest produces;

13. Initiated tourism development on the committed principle of ecotourism and natural tourism;

14. Gave protections, conservation and development of lakes and other wetlands; 15. Started fisheries conservation and development programme;

16. Surveyed an inventory of natural resources using modern technologies like remote sensing;

17. Started environment and pollution monitoring, evaluation and mitigative measures;

18. Started soil conservation and reclamation of landslide areas;

19. Initiated a network of national parks, sanctuaries, nature reserve and biosphere for conservation of biodiversity;

20. Started comprehensive conservation and development of floriculture like orchids. 21. Encouraged the establishment of eco-friendly industries only in the state.

In all these what we are looking for? We are looking at ways and means, which will help us to keep over-development out of the areas of biodiversity as far as possible. We are therefore, giving much more emphasis on ecotourism. This is a concept that will attract tourists who are both sensitive and responsible to the environment. This is high on our agenda for development. If this is central to our development program then all other services and infrastructures are going to be designed accordingly. This will spearhead our sustainability programme.

We want to tap our hydropower potential but this cannot be done unless we are able to do it with the least amount of environmental fall out. We can then use this clean energy for our own developmental needs. Future initiatives will be:

    (i) Bringing out a comprehensive State Environment Policy; Strengthen the institutions that are working towards this end;

    (ii) Use the NGO movement as a valuable resource in our on-going quest for sustainable development;

    (iii) At the school level, we propose to introduce curriculum with 'Himalayan Ecology as a subject;

    (iv) Increase awareness about environment and to promote ‘ecotourism’.

    These educational initiatives should help promote a sense of purpose in our youth so that they grow up with a clear sense of vision about sustainability.

Hence our dreams are in place but then we, like any other Himalayan states, are facing resource constraints. Another area of worry is that Sikkim is strategically placed. We have today peace and tranquility, which is so essential for unabated sustained growth and development. It is also fundamental for the security concerns of our nation. However, problems are not far away. With the ever-increasing unemployment scenario we do have our work cut out for us.

    What we need today is investment in many of our development programmes. We need clean technology and we need to train and develop our human resource base. Even for defense purpose, the State Government has restricted the use of forest land to the minimum extent possible, without compromising national security.

I would therefore, like to use this forum to request for such assistance. We are open to suggestions and criticisms. We want to learn.

Thank you.