New Delhi, Sep 22 (PTI) The Himalayas are fundamental to India’s existence and to the very idea of Bharat Varsha, former Union minister Murli Manohar Joshi has said, calling for a wider international dialogue with sustainability at the centre of the development model.
“We do not have to save the Himalayas; we have to save ourselves so that the Himalayas can protect us,” he said.
Joshi made these comments during his address at the Himalaya Commons Dialogue 2026 held in New Delhi on Monday.
The event brought together a wide range of speakers including Gopal Arya, All-India Convenor, Akhil Bharatiya Paryavaran Sanyojak, RSS; Atul Koirala, former advisor to the prime minister of Nepal; Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to PM Narendra Modi; and Shyam Saran, climate envoy to former PM Manmohan Singh.
Ashwani Mahajan, president of Bharat Climate Forum, who also spoke at the event, said: “We cannot say there should be no development in the Himalayas. The need is to rethink the way development takes place with greater sensitivity to the carrying capacity of the mountains.”
“Tourism, infrastructure and economic growth must move forward without undermining the ecosystems and communities that sustain the region,” he added.
Through discussions, participants arrived at a shared set of priorities. These are strengthening landscape-level risk assessment and linking early warnings to timely action; keeping development within the ecological limits and carrying capacity of mountain terrain; and building resilient, higher-value livelihoods without depleting the region’s natural assets.
Other priorities included deepening regional cooperation on scientific knowledge, monitoring, early-warning systems and coordinated response.
Participants also called for stronger institutional coordination, adequate financing, and meaningful community participation to translate these priorities into sustained action across the Himalayan region. PTI ALC ALC KVK
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(PTI News)
