Introduction
There are seven major mountain ranges in India with peaks of over 1000 meters high. India is also known to be a home to the highest mountains in the world. The Himalayan mountain range in India is the most renown and the highest. The Himalayas is found in between the Indo-Gangetic plain and the Tibetan Plateau covering the Himalayan states and regions geo-politically. We also have the Karakorum as a large mountain range, extending between Pakistan, China, India and Afghanistan borders. It is partly located in the region of Ladakh in India, and other sections of the Karakorum like within Afghanistan, China, and Pakistan. The Himalayas and Karakoram ranges are the physical barriers, providing political security to the India. These mountains in India are also a source of the glacier-fed rivers, playing a significant role in regulating the hydrology of major Indian rivers like the Ganges, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, etc. The mountains in India also influence the climate of the country, blocking cold winds from the north to reach India, thus protecting the country against extreme weather conditions. Apart from that, the Himalayas act as a physical barrier preventing the monsoon wind from travelling northwards. The Terai region experiences heavy rainfall due to this reason.
Analysis
The table provided shows peaks on the Himalaya. Kangchenjunga comes as the second highest after Everest. It rises with an elevation of 28,169 ft (8,586m) at 27042’09’N 88008’48”E 27.702500N 88.146670E coordinate. It is on the border of India and Nepal. Located in Chamoli District, Uttarakhand in India, Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in the country after Kangchenjunga. It is also right to say, Nanda Devi is the highest mountain found entirely in India. It is at 30032’33’N 79058’15”E 30.542500N 79.970830E coordinates. It was mistakenly considered the highest mountain in India before accurate computation was done, revealing Everest as the highest. Funnily, it was also the highest in India before 1971, when Sikkim (a state in which Kangchenjunga is located) joined the Indian Republic. All in all, we will acknowledge it as the highest located entirely in the country. Nanda Devi means “Bliss-Giving Goddess” and is considered the patron-goddess of the whole place (Uttarakhand Himalaya). The peak is respected and acknowledged for its religious significance and for the protection it offers to its fragile ecosystem. The Nanda Devi sanctuary is out bounds to both local and climbers, since 1983. The highest mountain in India, which is the second in Nepal (Kangchenjunga), is called “Five treasures”, named after its five peaks. Climbing the summit of Kangchenjunga is regarded as disrespect to the religion since it has always been worshipped by Sikkim and Darjeeling people. According to the calculations and analyses completed in 1849, Kangchenjunga was discovered to be the third highest mountain in the world. Kangchenjunga was climbed by Joe Brown and George Band on 25 May 1995. They were instructed by the chogyal not to go beyond certain points in their expedition, for which they respected and only stopped short of the summit. The other Indian mountains enlisted in the table, from Kamet (the 3rd) to Jongsong peak (the 10th) also offer spectacular sites and beautiful features in the country.
Conclusion
The Himalayas have very intense effects on the climate of India and the Tibetan Plateau. There are massive amounts of water held in the form of ice at the top of the peaks. Due to the current industrial activities, the peak experiences temperature increases caused by global warming effects. The increased temperatures result in glacier melting that causes flooding and a rise in the water table at the lower adjacent regions. As a result, some rare flora and fauna species are destroyed in the ecosystem. The melting of the glaciers could would also adversely affect the hydrology patterns, triggering heavy floods at first, followed by scarcity of water. Thus, there is great need to check global warming as quickly as possible. A massive change in human behavior and attitude towards environmental issues is need to bring about this change.
Written By: A. Benojir, Bangladesh.
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