Pilot project to check soil erosion in Himalayas
By IANSWednesday, July 14, 2010
SHIMLA - The central government Wednesday launched an initiative for seabuckthorn cultivation in high altitude areas and cold deserts of the Himalayas to check soil erosion, a Himachal Pradesh-based scientist said.
“A pilot project will be launched initially in five districts - Leh and Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir, Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts in Himachal Pradesh and Chamoli in Uttarakhand - for plantation of seabuckthorn,” Palampur-based Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishwavidyalaya scientist Virendra Singh told IANS.
He said Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh announced this at a national workshop on seabuckthorn held at Leh in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Riverbanks and hill slopes will be prioritised for its cultivation,” said Singh, who also participated in the workshop.
Singh said a long-term national policy would be framed to start seabuckthorn plantation in high-altitude areas in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
