Extent and Location

Uttarakhand is located between geographical longitudinal coordinates 77.34 E and 81.02 E while lattitudinally it is
extended between 28.43 N and 31.27N. From east to west, it is extended over 358 km while north to south it is 320
km. Uttarakhand is located in Central Himalaya, called Kumaun Himalaya and Garhwal Himalaya or Garhkum
Himalaya. Total area of State is 53483 sq. km.
Landforms in Himalaya
Cirques – Glacial topography, found in higher reaches of Himalaya. The famous Mana Village and Badrinath
temple is located on these cirques.

Glacial Terraces- Found at elevation of 3500-4000m , they are formed due to erosional activity of glaciers.
Kharsaligram along Yamuna valley, Tapovan, Bhagirathi valley, Kedarnath along Mandakini valley are its examples.

River Terraces- They are formed by alluvial soils, often called, ‘Bagad’, ‘Sain’, ‘Saun’.

Hot Springs- These are sources of geothermal energy, found modtly in higher reaches of Himalaya.

Tapovan, Badrinath, Gangnani, Yamunotri, Gaurikund are few examples.

Flownin ice-sheets are called Glaciers. In Uttarakhand, glaciers are also called ‘Himnads’, ‘Himadri’ ‘Bamak’
or ‘Bank’.

Glacial lakes are formed by plugging of valleys of moraines deposited by ancient giant glaciers. The Hemkund
in the Bhyundhar valley, the Rupkund on the outer slopes of Nanda Ghunti, the Vasuki Tal and the Chorabari
Lake above Kedarnath, the Satopanth Tal below Chaukhamba are some of the important examples.
The region is well drained by numerous rivers and rivulets (locally known as Gad and Gadhera).

Due to ample rainfall and steep slopes, multiple rills and gullies called Gadheras have divided mountains into
hillocks called Danda. These seasonal gadheras keep on changing their path thus forming multiple deep and
narrow valleys between these Dandas. These steep slopes are called ‘Rath’ ‘Dhad’ ‘Changhad’ ‘Chaanth’
‘Bhongad’ or ‘Dhangs’ in local dialects.In the middle area having mild slopes, terraces are formed by rivers.
In the lowest areas, river plains are formed called ‘Bagad’ ‘Tappad’ or ‘Gaddi’.
In a number of places flat basins that have been formed by ancient lake bottoms arising out of the rise of
Middle Himalaya ranges, are found. In due course of time, rivers cut through obstructions to drain out these
lakes. Such basins occur in Kamola valley (a tributary of the Yamuna), around Baijnath in the Garur Valley
(north of Kausani in Bageshwar district), and around the basins of Bhimtal and Naukuchiyatal in the Nainital
district. A pair of such basin is present in the Bhagirathi Valley at Dharali and Jhala.

Khals and Kunds- khals are small ponds formed along the rivers or gadheras. In some regions these structures
dry up during dry season. Kunds have religious significance and are constructed either around natural
sources of water like springs or filled with water artificially.
Forest and tree cover of Uttarakhand constitutes 71.05% of its total geographic area which is more than as
prescribed by National Forest Policy norms of 60%. There are three main factors which determine the broad
features of vegetation of the region: Atmospheric factors, Edaphic factors and Biotic factors
Bugyals are alpine pasture lands, or meadows, in higher elevation range between 3,300 metres (10,800 ft)
and 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) of the Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, where they are called
"nature's own gardens". The topography of the terrain is either flat or sloped.
Maximum concentration of population is
found along Tarai-Bhabar belt followed by
lower parts of Bhagirathi, Alaknanda,
Yamuna, Ramganga, Kosi, Kali and other
river valleys. In the Himadri, the
population is only confined to the valleys
(Himadri valleys), particularly along the
more open ones with better aspects and
terrain.
Growth Rate- Growth rate of population declined from 19.20% in 2001 to 18.80%
in 2011. Growth rate is more than that of national average of 17.64%.

Sex Ratio- Uttarakhand has the sex ratio of 963 which is more than the national
average of 940.
Interestingly out of 13 districts, 7 has a sex ratio of more than 1000 with the district
of Almora having sex ratio as high as 1139 and Rudraprayag 1114, indicating more
female than males in these districts.
With Haridwar district having as low as 880.

More probamatic thing is as compared to 2001 population census when it was 967,
child sex ratio has declined rapidly.

Among the districts Almora has highest rural sex ratio followed by rudraprayag and
Tehri Garhwal while Haridwar has the lowest rural sex ratio.
In case of urban areas Bageshwar has the highest while Chamoli has the lowest sex
ratio.

Age Structre- As reported above the proportion of Children in the age group 0-6 years
is 13.14% of the total population. The proportion of people in the working age (15-59
years) is 41.9% of the total population while rest fall in senior citizen category.
Jaunsari society, being a collection of smaller tribes, is caste stratified with the
indigenous Koltas and Khasas.
Bhotia - The Bhotias traditionally lived in the high Himalayas.
Buksha - Buksha are the inhabitants of the Terai region of Uttarakhand, and they
claim descent from the Rajputs.
Tharu - The Tharus are a tribals from the eastern zone of Terai.
Raji - Raji are known as Vanrawats, and they inhabit the forests around Askot.

The Bhotiyas
The Bhotiyas of Bhot region comprising five Himadri velleys bordering Tibet form one
of the ancient cultural groups of the Uttarakhad. They are locally known as Shaukas
and perhaps are one of the successors of the Shakas, the ancient tribe of Central Asia.
Kothi- Bagan or Koti- Banal Style of House Construction: It is a traditional technique
of house construction in Uttarakhand. The primary building materials employed in
the construction are stone (igneous), wood and slate (metamorphic).

Some important terms associated with rural settlements

Tok or Thoks- these are small hemlets of houses within a village. A tok generally
comprises 5 to 8 houses.
Chhani, Chheni or Bhunda- the kachcha houses built in hilly regions for temporary
purpose.
Uttarakhand economy with 70 percent of the rural population engaging in this sector
for their livelihoods. Productivity of district Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, Nainital
(plain) and Dehradun (plain) is very high.

Land use classification

A typical valley section of the region exhibits three distict categories of land use.
Banj Dhaya or Dhar or Danda- these are common grazing lands,denuded, untilled
slope lands.
Katil or Khil - this land is located on upper parts of spurs, is steeper and rocky in
nature.
Upraon or Ukhar land- It is also part of spur on mid slopes of valley.
 Abbal land which is mostly unirrigated paddy fields
 Doem are poor quality uplands
Talaon land is levelled, bunded and irrigated found mostly near perennial gadheras in
lowlying areas of small valley.
Sera or Taya- it is levelled, irrigated land on the river terraces found at the lowest
elevation in the river valley.
Bagar- the lowlying flat patches along rivers are called bagar.
Uttarkashi Forest MAX, U S Nagar & Haridwar MAX agriculture
Haridwar Low Forest, Uttarkashi Low Agriculture

Udham Singh Nagar had the highest proportion of the irrigated area (97 percent)
followed by Haridwar (94 percent), Nainital (60 percent) and Dehradun (53 percent).
The hills districts reporting low area and lowest has been reported in Chamoli (4.7
percent), Almora (7.3 percent). In Uttarakhand, a large majority of farmers belong to
the small and marginal landholders’ category.
 Dams and Barrages
Baur Dam -The Baur Dam is an earthen embankment dam, built on Baur and Kakrala
rivers in Udham Singh Nagar District of Uttarakhand.
Gaula Barrage -The Gaula River is a river flows south past Kathgodam, Haldwani.
Haripura Dam -The Haripura Dam is an earthen embankment dam, built on Bhakhara
river in Udham Singh Nagar District of Uttarakhand.
Kosi Barrage - 54.25m long Barrage, is constructed across river Kosi at Almora.
Tumaria Dam- Tumaria and Tumaria extension dam are constructed near Kashipur in
Distt.- U.S.Nagar.

Bijapur Canal- The plans and estimates for the Bijapur Canal were prepared by Sir
Cautley, in January 1841. The Bijapur canal receives its supply from the Tons in the
village Bijapur.
Rajpur Canal- of Dehradun at the temple tanks of Guru Ram Rai.
Kalanga canal- Captain Cautley suggested that the head of the Song river
Kalapathar Canal- During the cold weather of 1840-41, Captain Cautley prepared a
project for irrigating the extreme western portion of the Dun by means of a canal fed
from the river Yamuna.

Gul Construction: -For the irrigation system of agricultural land in the selected
villages near village / mazrai.
Irrigation Hawj construction / (paved tank) work: -If sources of water flow are often
low, and agricultural land is available near or at some distance, then the irrigation
facility is provided by constructing pucca irrigation hawjs.
Weir (small barrage): - Weir Irrigation provided in places where there is a natural
perennial source, by stopping the water and raising its level.
Hydrum Installation: -In the mountainous areas, natural flowing rivers, streams,
ponds and waterfalls are the main means of irrigation.

Cluster Based Approach in Organic Farming

In September 2019, the State Government, decided to undertake development of
organic farming in a cluster based approach. For this 3900 clusters have been
selected in the state for exclusive organic farming. Munsyari, in Pithoragarh district
will be developed as Organic Agriculture Hub of the State. Collection centres will be
setup, for buying organic products of Darma and Vyas valley of Pithoragarh district.
Nursery Act-2019 - Nursery Act is aimed at providing quality high quality, good
quality, fruit crops seedlings to farmers for promotion of horticulture in the state.
Mushroom- Uttarakhand has naturally suitable climate for mushroom and demand
also exists in the market. There are 15 varieties of mushroom naturally grown in
forests of Uttarakhand out of which 8 varieties are edible and can be grown at
household level. Yartsa Gambu or the kida jadi is also a kind of mushroom that has
huge market and is also very costly. Guchchii Musroom of the state has market price
of rs. 3000 per kg. In a study of Vivekanand Mountain Agriculture Research Centre,
Almora.

Government has taken many initiatives to promote animal husbandry in the State.
National Gokul Mission is increasing milk production among cows and buffalows,
Frozen Semen Centre has been established at Shyampur(Dehradun),
 Foetus Transplantation Centre of Excellence has been established in Kalsi, Badri Cow
Improvement Project is being undertaken at Nariyal Gao in Champwat District and a
Wool Analysis Laboratory at Pashulok Rishikesh and Kadaknath and Kroylar
hatchery centre at Chhan Tholdhar in Tehri Garhwal.

Importing Marino Sheep from Australia.

Maximum rainfall occurs during July while natural climatic conditions during April,
May, September and October are must suitable for Mulberry and Oak tasar silkworm
rearing. Mulberry sericulture is practiced mainly in plains and Doon valley with
scattered occurrence in hilly region where oak Tasar culture is practiced.

Van Panchayat amendment rule-2012, provided 50% reservation for women in posts
of Sarpanch. The first government approved Van Panchayat was formed in 1921.
Uttarakhand has
1 Biospheric Reserve
6 National Park and
7 Wildlife Sanctuary and
4 Conservation Reserve, whose details are as follows:
Environmental Movements of Uttarakhand
The Chipko Movement, was a forest conservation movement in Garhwal Himalayas of
Uttarakhand. It began in 1970 in Reni village of Chamoli district.
The Chipko Andolan or the Chipko movement is a movement that practised methods of
Satyagraha where both male and female activists from Uttarakhand played vital roles,
including Gaura Devi, Suraksha Devi, Sudesha Devi, Bachni Devi and Chandi Prasad Bhatt,
Virushka Devi and others. The Chipko Movement gained momentum under Sunderlal
Bahuguna, an eco activist. He shouted the slogan ‘ecology is the permanent economy’.
The movement inspired by JP Narayan & Sarvodaya.

In 1977, in another area, women tied sacred threads, called Rakhi, around trees destined
for felling.
Maiti Movement
Originally a small hill ceremony, Maiti Andolan is now a global movement to save nature.
Planting a tree on the occasion of a wedding, the mountain villages of Uttarakhand have
shown how to celebrate a happy occasion and protect the earth. Maiti is derived from the
term ‘mait’ which in Uttarakhand means married woman’s parental home.
Origin: The seeds of the Maiti movement were sown at Gwaldam in Chamoli district in
1995 and very soon whole-heartedly embraced by the women of the area. The brainchild of
Kalyan Singh Rawat.
This movement is not limited to weddings anymore. It is also noteworthy that post-Kargil
War, women of Ochati village developed a Maiti forest in collaboration with the Border
Security Force to dedicate it to soldiers. This forest is known as Shaurya Van (Gallantry
Forest).

Rawai Movement- This movement took place in Rawai area of Princely state of Tehri. A
new Forest Act was introduced during the reigns of king Narendrashah which included
provisions under which even farmers land could be declared forest land by the state.
People organized Azad Panchayat against the Act on 30th May 1930, at Tilari Ground.

Forest Movement (Van Andolan) of 1977- begun in Nainital district against the auction of
forests by the government.

Dungi – Pantoli Movement- The movement was organized by the people of Chamoli district
against the government decision to hand over baanj forests to the Horticulture
department.

Pani Rakho Movement- The movement took place in the decade of 1980s, in
Upharkhal area in Pauri Garhwal district, when thousands of youth under the
leadership of sachidanand Bharti, starte awareness campaign regarding ruthless
cutting of forests leading to extreme water scarcity in the region.

Raksha Shutra Movement- The movement is organized in 1996, by women of

Bhialnagana region of Tehri Garhwal district against the decision of government to
allow forest cutting at higher altitudes which was banned hitherto. Women tied Rakhi
as a symbol to the trees to save the forests.

Jhapto-Chhino Andolan- This movement took place in Raini, Lata, and Tolma villages
on 21st June 1998. The villagers demanded their traditional forest rights (Hak-Hukuk)
to be restored and management of the Nanda Devi National Park be handed over to
them. Villagers took their livestocks and forcefully entered the Nanda Devi National
Park and gave the name Jhapto- Chhino to the movement.