Road Construction, Dependency, and Exploitation in Ladakh, North India

Demenge, Jonathan

doi:10.2190/wr.15.3-4.e

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Until the beginning of the 1960s, accessibility and communication was limited to mule tracks, which connected central places and trading posts between South and Central Asia [51,59,60]. Modern road infrastructure improved in 1962, when the Srinagar-Kargil highway, crossing the town of Kargil, was extended to Leh and connected to the Manali-Leh highway in 1970, mainly for military purposes, and later opened for civil transport [61]. A bypass of the national highway was completed in 2010, which has released the main bazaar from heavy military and civilian truck traffic [51].…”

Section: Post-independence Periodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Mountain Urbanisation: Evidence from the Trans-Himalayan Town of Kargil, Ladakh, India

Hussain

Schmidt

Nüsser

2023

Land

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Small and medium-sized towns in the high mountain regions of South Asia are characterised by rapid and mostly unplanned urbanisation processes, regularly resulting in an increased risk of urban agglomerations being exposed to natural hazards. After the administrative capital of Leh, Kargil town is the second-largest urban centre in the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh. This article discusses the development and dynamics of the trans-Himalayan town in terms of its historical development, expansion and population; land use and land cover (LULC) change; and the specific role of tourism. Based on a multi-temporal approach using high-resolution satellite images, statistical data and field surveys, the urban landscape dynamics of Kargil town are analysed. The total population of this town increased almost tenfold from 1681 in 1961 to 16,338 in 2011, which resulted in an increase in the urban population from 3.7% to 11.6%, while the population of the entire Kargil district only tripled from 45,064 to 140,802 over the same period. Migration from rural villages to Kargil town has been a major cause for the construction and growth of new residential colonies and settlements. The built-up area increased more than ninefold from 0.25 km2 (1.3%) to 2.30 km2 (11.7%) between 1965 and 2020. During the same period, irrigated land and hygrophilous vegetation increased considerably from 4.51 km2 (23.0%) to 8.56 km2 (43.6%) due to the construction of new water channels. Similarly, the barren area decreased significantly from 14.88 km2 (75.8%) to 8.78 km2 (44.7%) between 1965 and 2020. Moreover, the massive increase in tourist arrivals has led to the construction of more hotels, guesthouses and travel agencies. These key factors play a significant role in the emergence, growth and development of this high-mountain town.

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Section: Post-independence Periodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Mountain Urbanisation: Evidence from the Trans-Himalayan Town of Kargil, Ladakh, India

Hussain

Schmidt

Nüsser

2023

Land

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“…Thus, changes in land cover patterns have a greater impact on the environment and can cause greater destruction to the ecosystem. Ladakh's geostrategic importance has resulted in large investments in road and other infrastructure for improved connectivity and remains a key driver for urbanization in major towns of Ladakh (20). Historically, agriculture had been the main source of income for the people of Ladakh and there has been a shift in the economy in recent years with tourism emerging as a key growth sector (21).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land Use and Land Cover Change Detection Using Remote Sensing in the Trans Himalayan Region of Ladakh, India

Bhasin¹,

Dolker²,

Raina³

et al. 2022

ECS Trans.

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Mapping and monitoring of land use and land cover types along with detection of change are essential in the Trans Himalaya to understand landscape dynamics and assist with planning for sustainable development. This study attempts to monitor land use and land cover in Ladakh and identifies patterns of spatio-temporal change in land use using multi-temporal satellite images. Landsat images for three different time-periods (1999, 2009, and 2019) were used to quantify changes between 1999 and 2019. Eight major classes were identified on satellite images: barren land, agriculture, built-up, waterbody, wetland, range land, scrub land, and snow/glacier. Results indicate that major land use in Ladakh is barren land in all three time-periods and that built-up area has increased significantly by 123 sq km (800%) between 1999 and 2019. The possible causes for change in the region include geopolitical importance of the region, growth of the tourist sector with increase in number of tourists, and change of socio-cultural lifestyle.

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Wish-fulfilling jewel pills: Tibetan medicines from exclusivity to ubiquity

Blaikie

2015

Anthropology & Medicine

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Despite the recent growth of social science literature concerning the traditional medicine industry in Asia, insights into the contemporary dynamics of so-called 'classical formulae' remain relatively scant, as do studies of small-scale, less capitally intensive and technologically advanced modes of production. This paper seeks to address these gaps by considering a single Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan medicine) formula known as Samphel Norbu, or 'wish-fulfilling jewel', which appears in numerous texts and is today among the most popular Tibetan medicines in the world. Drawing primarily upon long-term fieldwork in Himalayan India, the paper follows Samphel Norbu's rise from exclusivity to popularity and examines the ways it has been transformed in the process, both materially and in its economic, social and clinical significance. The paper shows how Samphel Norbu acts as a marker of inequality between different groups of healers, and examines the role the medicine played in the development of commercial pharmacy and the proliferation of complex medicines. Tracing out wide variations in the medicine's formulation, composition, mode of production and pattern of circulation places the issue of multiplicity at the centre of analysis, and leads to a questioning of the assumptions that underpin the category 'classical formula'. The paper reflects upon the repositioning of such formulae within emergent configurations of knowledge, power, industry and market, and on their transformations and transformative effects both over time and in the present moment.

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Road Construction, Dependency, and Exploitation in Ladakh, North India

Cited by 5 publications

References 8 publications

Dynamics of Mountain Urbanisation: Evidence from the Trans-Himalayan Town of Kargil, Ladakh, India

Dynamics of Mountain Urbanisation: Evidence from the Trans-Himalayan Town of Kargil, Ladakh, India

Land Use and Land Cover Change Detection Using Remote Sensing in the Trans Himalayan Region of Ladakh, India

Wish-fulfilling jewel pills: Tibetan medicines from exclusivity to ubiquity

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