Tourism and Environment on the Tibetan plateau

The magazine Nature (No 512, p. 240–241) publishes a fascinating article about the ecology of the Tibetan plateau. It quotes a report just released by the Chinese Academy of Science.
The authors of the report should have added another factor: the 15 million mainland tourists yearly pouring onto the Tibetan Autonomous Region. 
For centuries, Tibet has been the most isolated country on the planet. A few brave explorers managed to sneak in, most of the times illegally, on the Roof of the World. But things are changing, changing very fast.
Today, Chinanews.com thus describes Tibet: “Tibet with its mystery is the spiritual Garden of Eden and is longed by travelers home and abroad. Only by stepping on the snowy plateau, can one be baptized by its splendor, culture, folklore, life, snow-mountains, saint-mountains, sacred lakes, residences with local characteristics and charming landscape ”.
Tibet is fast becoming the largest entertainment park in the world; thousand times larger than Disneyland.

The government in Beijing has decided to market the Land of Snows as the ultimate ‘indigenous’ spot for the Chinese people to spend their holidays; in one way, it has become Tibet’s USP (Unique Selling Proposition).
Tibet has two unique assets: first, its physical reality. The beauty of the landscape, the imposing mountain ranges, the purity of the air and the rivers, the dry blue sky (especially when compared to the dusty sky of China’s great metropolis); Tibet is indeed the ideal place to visit and have a break from the fast pace of the polluted mainland of China.
The second advantage is the rich historical past of the Roof of the World, the Land of the Lamas. In Tibet, you can find everything, says the Chinese propaganda: a beautiful Chinese princess falling for the powerful emperor and converting him to Buddhism; the monasteries and nunneries, seat of a wisdom lost in the mainland; the folkloric yak or snow-lion dances; the Shoton (yoghurt) festival; the beautiful colourful handicrafts; the exotic food, you name it, …and a couple of millions of Tibetans (in the TAR) who can guide you through the mega-museum.
Of course, the ‘locals’ are not always reliable and their knowledge of Mandarin is often not that good; in any case, the show can go on without them.
When 15 millions of ‘tourists’ pour into a relatively small place like the Tibetan Autonomous Region, one has to be ready to ‘welcome’ them and provide them ‘entertainment’.  This is adding to the pressure on the environment.
The time has come to start a debate and more importantly, initiate serious and honest researches on the pros- and the cons- of mass tourism in an environmentally fragile region.
But it is still a touchy subject, because tourism is a great source of revenue for a poor mountainous region.


Double threat for Tibet
Climate change and human development are jeopardizing the plateau’s fragile environment.
Nature
Jane Qui
No. 512, p. 240–241
August 19, 2014
Hot, dry weather and progressive urbanization are turning grasslands into sand near the headwaters of the Yellow, Yangtze and Mekong rivers.
A comprehensive environmental assessment of the Plateau of Tibet has found that the region is getting hotter, wetter and more polluted, threatening its fragile ecosystems and those who rely on them.
The plateau and its surrounding mountains cover 5 million square kilo­metres and hold the largest stock of ice outside the Arctic and Antarctic; the region is thus often referred to as the Third Pole. And like the actual poles, it is increasingly feeling the effects of climate change, but rapid development is putting it doubly at risk, the report says.
Released in Lhasa on 9 August by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the government of Tibet, the assessment aimed to address gaps in knowledge about the extent of the problems the 4,500-metre-high plateau faces. It finds that precipitation has risen by 12% since 1960, and temperatures have soared by 0.4 °C per decade — twice the global average.
In addition, glaciers are shrinking rapidly and one-tenth of the permafrost has thawed in the past decade alone. This means that the number of lakes has grown by 14% since 1970, and more than 80% of them have expanded since, devastating surrounding pastures and communities.
The plateau feeds Asia’s biggest rivers (see ‘Running wild’), so these problems are likely to affect billions of people, the report says. Pollution from human and industrial waste as a result of rapid development is also a serious risk.
But the assessment also suggests ways to combat the problems, calling on the Chinese and Tibetan governments to make conservation and environmental protection top priorities. It will help in the design of “policies for mitigating climate change and striking a balance between development and conservation”, says Meng Deli, Tibet’s vice-chairman.
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“The Tibetan plateau is getting warmer and wetter,” says Yao Tandong, director of the CAS Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research in Beijing, who led the assessment. This means that vegetation is expanding to higher elevations and farther north, and growing seasons are getting longer. But some areas, such as the headwater region of Asia’s biggest rivers, have become warmer and drier and are being severely affected by desertification and grassland and wetland degradation.
Human activity, too, is on the rise. The population of the plateau reached 8.8 million in 2012, about three times higher than in 1951. And the number of livestock has more than doubled, putting more strain on grasslands.
Multiple menaces
Growing urbanization is creating more waste than the region can handle. Tibet has the capacity to treat 256,000 tonnes of domestic solid waste a year, less than the amount generated by its two largest cities, Lhasa and Shigatse. “You see a lot of rubbish lying around the plateau, including headwater regions,” says Kang Shichang, a glaciologist at the CAS Institute of Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute in Lanzhou. “It’s an environmental menace.”
A bigger threat comes from mining. According to the assessment, Tibetan mines produced 100 million tonnes of wastewater in 2007 and 18.8 million tonnes of solid waste in 2009. Because most of the mines are open pits and have limited environmental oversight, “air, water and soil pollution is particularly serious”, says the report. Officials release few details about actual pollution levels.
Pollution is coming not just from local sources. Dust, black carbon, heavy metals and other toxic compounds are being blown in from Africa, Europe and southern Asia. The dust and carbon residues are darkening glaciers, making them more susceptible to melting, and the toxic chemicals are poisoning crops, livestock and wildlife.
But the threats from mining and pollution are dwarfed by the potential repercussions of changes in ice and vegetation cover, the assessment says. Different surfaces — snow, grassland, desert — reflect and absorb different amounts of solar radiation, affecting how the air above them is heated. This means that changes in coverage are likely to affect the onset and strength of Asian monsoons. It also has important ramifications for the livelihood of downstream river communities because the glaciers, permafrost and ecosystems act as a giant sponge, helping to control the release of water and prevent floods. “The significance of the assessment goes beyond national borders,” says David Molden, head of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Kathmandu.
Temperatures in the plateau are projected to rise by between 1.7 °C and 4.6 °C by the end of 2100 compared with the 1996–2005 average, based on the best- and worst-case global-emissions scenarios. So as urbanization and climate change tighten their grip, researchers worry that unbridled development will devastate the plateau’s environment. To protect it, the report says, the central government must evaluate local officials on the basis of their environmental, not just economic, achievements. It must also invest more in ecological compensation, for example by paying herders more to cut their livestock numbers. Moreover, it must be much more open about pollution incidents.
“Tibet will be a test case of how seriously China takes ecological protection,” says Yao. “Safeguarding the plateau environment is crucial not only for sustainable development of the region, but also to social stability and international relations.”

The Brahmaputra is still flowing

A couple of months back, I termed as 'rubbish' the news that the Brahmaputra had dried up because of a presumed Chinese diversion: "The truth will only be known after an in-depth inquiry, but the suggestion that the Yarlung Tsangpo could have been diverted is utter rubbish. Such pharaonic project would take more than a decade to complete and would be seen through satellite imagery."
I am happy that the issue has now been clarified in the Parliament.   
Diversion is not an easy undertaking and if it ever happen, it will take a long long time to complete.

No evidence that Brahmaputra had dried up in Arunachal: Govt
PTI
Monday, May 14, 2012,
New Delhi: Government on Monday dismissed reports that Brahmaputra river in Arunachal Pradesh has dried up and said that its average monthly flow has been better than the previous years.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent H Pala said, "There is no evidence that Brahmaputra river had dried up in the state recently. Central Water Commission (CWC) maintains river water level and discharge data at Tuting in Upper Siang district near the border to the Tibet Autonomous Region, China."
He was asked whether the Arunachal Pradesh government has expressed its apprehension that China had diverted water of Brahmaputra river which had dried up in the state recently.
"The analysis of Siang River flows at Tuting undertaken by CWC for January and February months of preceding years (2007-2011) shows that the average monthly flows in Jan/Feb 2012 are at least 50 to 100 per cent higher than the corresponding average monthly flows during the previous years," Pala said.
He added that the government keeps a constant watch on all developments in the region having bearing on India's interest and takes necessary measures to protect them.
"In Oct 2011, Vice Minister of Chinese Ministry of Water Resources also stated that the Chinese government has no plans to conduct any diversification project of Yarlung Zangbo/ Brahmputra River," Pala said.
Government has ascertained that construction activity on Brahmputra river at Zangmu on Chinese side is Run of the River hydro electric project, which does not store water and will not adversely impact the downstream areas in India, he said.

A Joint Approach

This is good news. If India and Bangladesh decide to collaborate and jointly make efforts to share the Brahmaputra's waters. 
It can only pressurize China to join and sign a Treaty which will assure the co-riparian States of a fair deal. 

It goes in the sense of my recent posting: a Joint Treaty on Water Sharing with China.
It is a great pity that the Prime Minister has decided to kick the Environment Minister up; he could understand these important issues. 
As often, wrong decisions at a crucial time. 
Once again, powerful lobbies must have prevailed.

B'desh suggests joint approach on Brahmaputra water-sharing
PTI |
July 07,2011
From Pallab Bhattacharya Dhaka, July 7 (PTI) Bangladesh today suggested a joint approach by co-riparian countries to address the issue of sharing of the Brahmaputra waters in the wake of reports that China was planning to build a dam on the river in Tibet. "We have been talking about joint sharing of water resources among countries of the region. I think there is now an understanding among all neighbours of the region to work together in this regard," i told a group of Indian journalists here.Answering a question on the Chinese plan to build a dam on Brahmaputra river in Tibet, she said "co-riparian countries will have to act together on the issue but it is going to take a long time." Moni expressed the hope that none of the neighbours would do anything which would have a negative impact on each other. Her remarks assume significance in the backdrop of reports about the Chinese move to construct a dam on the river Yarlung Tsangpo, as Brahmaputra is known in Tibet, and deep concerns over its impact on water availability to northeastern India and further downstream Bangladesh. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who is on a three-day visit here, had said earlier that India was monitoring China's activities on the river, but dismissed the reports about a firm plan to construct the dam. Reports also said China is planning to build a run-of-the river project on Yarlung Tsangpo.

Unhappy with China: now it is Kazhkhstan

Last week I mentioned about the people of Burma being upset because the Chinese had constructed a dam on the upper Irrawaddy. 
The report said: "A group of Burma activists say a dam in China has dropped the water level of an eastern tributary to Burma's Irrawaddy River to a historic low, making water flows erratic and damaging the economy in the area. China has been criticized before for not sharing enough information on its upstream dams."
Today, The Hindu reports a similar issue in Kazakhstan. The problem is that the leaders of the Middle Kingdom considers that all the rivers originating from their Empire belongs to them and the lower riparian States have nothing to say. 
As long as this mindset will continue, China will have problems with her neighbours.


China's dams in Xinjiang region trigger concerns in Kazakhstan
The Hindu
Ananth Krishnan
December27, 2010
Dispute could hold crucial lessons for India in managing water-sharing issues with China over the Brahmaputra 
BEIJING: China's dam-building spree in its far-west Xinjiang region has triggered concerns in the neighbouring Kazakhstan, where officials say two main rivers have begun to see water-levels recede at an alarming rate.
Officials from the Central Asian nation are expected to raise the issue with Beijing early next year and press for more information on hydro-projects in Xinjiang, officials in the Kazakh government told The Hindu.
The Irtysh and Ili rivers, crucial to Kazakhstan's water security, have their source in Xinjiang. Since 2000, China has accelerated development in the region, which has seen intermittent ethnic unrest.
Kazakh officials say China's development push in Xinjiang, which includes a number of dams and irrigation projects, is the main reason behind the falling water-levels in both the rivers. The rivers drain into the Balkhash lake, which sustains the livelihood of more than two million Kazakhs.
“The water flow from China is much less now than it was before,” Gabit Koishibayev, a senior counsellor at the Kazakh Embassy here who is involved in negotiations with the Chinese government, told The Hindu.
Negotiations have made little headway so far, say officials. The dispute, which stretches to over a decade, could hold crucial lessons for India in managing water-sharing issues with China over the Brahmaputra river. China's plans to build dams in the difficult terrain of Tibet are still at a nascent stage compared with its projects in Xinjiang.
Kazakhstan has, however, been reluctant to publicly voice its concerns. China is a major destination for Kazakhstan's energy exports. In both cases, China, as the upper-riparian or upstream-lying state, holds the cards, having not committed to any bilateral water-sharing treaties and being entitled to, under international laws, use the rivers' waters for hydropower generation and other projects.

As with the Brahmaputra, there are also persisting concerns that China has plans to divert the Irtysh, though in both cases Chinese officials have stressed there are no such plans.
“We are very concerned about Chinese plans concerning the Irtysh,” said Mr. Koishibayev. “We also know that they are building channels and other infrastructure in Xinjiang.”
The Balkhash lake, he said, was “losing water.” “The water level is now lower by more than two metres to what it was three decades ago. Pollution is also rising, which has affected the banks and surrounding areas. Agriculture, the health of the ecosystem and the communities around it are at risk.”
Kazakh officials fear that the Balkhash will face a similar fate to the Aral Sea, which is on the verge of disappearing because of heavy pollution. Its mismanagement is regarded as one of the world's worst environmental disasters. Chinese officials stressed that China was “paying high attention to international communication on trans-border water issues”.
China was “carrying out related works according to principles of sustainable development,” the Foreign Ministry told The Hindu in a statement. “This is also in accordance with international laws and international principles. 
At the same time, we are paying high attention to international communication on trans-border water issues.”
For China, managing water resources with its neighbours is emerging as an important diplomatic challenge, as it looks to balance the demands of its own spreading water shortages, especially in the arid north and north-west, with its foreign policy priority of maintaining a “harmonious” periphery.
China, which is increasingly reluctant to be seen as ignoring the concerns of its neighbours, has over the past year appeared to co-operate more in sharing information, Kazakh officials noted, both with Kazakhstan and southern neighbours who have voiced concerns about plans for the Mekong river.
In April, Chinese officials attended a meeting of the Mekong River Commission, which China has not formally joined, and promised to cooperate on flood prevention.
“We are providing information on floods and hydrological information related to the security of people's lives and wealth both upstream and downstream,” the Foreign Ministry told The Hindu.
China and Kazakhstan are now close to signing an agreement on quality protection, which will ensure that Xinjiang's industrial development will not continue to adversely reduce water quality in the two rivers, said Mr. Koishibayev.

How to clean rivers

This technique for cleaning the rivers could also be used in Delhi before the Commonwealth Games. It is called 'flushing out'.
The China Daily reporter is wrong when he says: "The decaying garbage could also harm the scenery and the water quality," because whether the garbage is on the banks of the river or collected downstream, there is not much difference in the pollution level.
I remember reading a report explaining that only the diversion of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) could clear up the pollution of the Huang Ho (Yellow River). Let us hope that China will not 'dare' doing this.  


Floating trash threatens Three Gorges Dam
By Cao Li and Wang Qian (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-02 08:02
BEIJING - Thick layers of garbage from continuous rain-triggered floods along the Yangtze River are threatening the safety of the Three Gorges Dam, a senior official has said.
"The large amount of waste in the dam area could jam the miter gate of the Three Gorges Dam," Chen Lei, director of the key water project department under the China Three Gorges Corporation, told China Daily in an exclusive interview.
Although the amount of garbage in the river has been decreasing in recent years, current downpours in the upstream region have brought unusually high amounts of floating waste - including tree branches, plastic bottles and other domestic garbage - into the Yangtze River, Chen said.
"Such a large amount of debris could damage the propellers and bottoms of passing boats," he said. "The decaying garbage could also harm the scenery and the water quality."
A layer of garbage about 60 cm thick covering an area of more than 50,000 square meters began to form in front of the dam when the rainy season started in early July, the Hubei Daily reported.
In some regions, these layers of garbage are so thick people can walk on them, the paper reported.
Nearly 3,000 tons of garbage are now being collected from the dam every day, Chen said. But inadequate manpower and equipment are hampering the cleanup, he said.
In the Chongqing section of the Three Gorges, about a dozen mechanized boats are hauling the waste, but only one such boat is reportedly helping with the cleanup in the Hubei province section and people are doing most of the work by fishing out the garbage with tools.
Loading and transporting the debris are also slow because there are no docks designated for processing the trash, officials said. Most of the garbage is buried.
More than 150 million people live near the dam and its upper stream. But a number of cities remain unequipped with garbage disposal equipment. Residents dump their household garbage directly into the river and the practice affects dam safety in the rainy season, officials said.
About 150,000 to 200,000 cubic meters of floating waste is collected from the dam region every year. The figure was 160,000 cubic meters last year, Chen said.
The China Three Gorges Corporation spends about 10 million yuan ($1.48 million) each year to clear the floating waste. The cost for disposing the waste is expected to hit 3 million yuan this year, he said.