Between Natural Risks and Tourism Development: How Life of Local Communities in Indian Himalayas Is Changing
In 2024, scientists from HSE University-St Petersburg went on two expeditions in the Indian Himalayas. The second trip finished at the beginning of October, and now, the researchers are summing up its results. Find out what new things they learned about the state of Himachal Pradesh, why floods and earthquakes have increased dramatically, and how local citizens adapt to the growth of tourism in the region.
How they collected data
The expedition to Himachal Pradesh took place from September 26 to October 2. In seven days, the researchers from HSE University-St Petersburg and the University of Delhi travelled around seven villages of the Lahaul and Spiti district, including Sissu, Tandi, Udaipur, Rubling, Shukto, Urgos, and Jispa. The majority of settlements the researchers visited are located between 3000 and 3400 metres above sea level.
The research group included five people from HSE University-St Petersburg: Alexander Sorokin, Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Aleksei Sorbale, Academic Supervisor of the Bachelor's programme 'Political Science and World Politics', Dmitry Omelchenko, Research Fellow of the Centre for Youth Studies, Polina Mironova and Anna Merkulova, students of the Department of Sociology. From the University of Delhi, there were four employees and one PhD student of PGDAV College.
For the fieldwork, they used the qualitative methodology of sociological research. 'We opted for it because it was important to immerse ourselves in the life of local communities in the shortest possible time. In-depth interviews and observations are the best suited for these goals. In seven days, we conducted 30 interviews and observed local citizens working in the field, harvesting, working at school and medical institutions and their daily life in general', explains Alexander Sorokin.
'The expedition was my first experience of large-scale sociological fieldwork, and I was really worried. The interviews helped us to understand the motivation of the local citizens better, their way of thinking and lifestyle', shares Polina Mironova, 2nd-year student of the Master's programme 'Modern Social Analysis'.
The selection included the citizens from each of the seven villages, working in various professional fields—from farmers to hoteliers. The researchers also tried to interview the representatives of official and traditional medicine. 'Doctors are well aware of how the health of the state citizens is changing, and healers place special emphasis on flora and fauna—they have a special perception of nature, weather and climate as well as their changes. Without these conversations, we wouldn't even know that among the locals, there are increasing cases of diabetes, heart attacks and other diseases, including mental ones', underscored the dean of the School of Social Sciences.
What the catalyst of the changes was
One of the key changes was the construction of a road and a tunnel Atal which connects the villages of Himachal Pradesh with the rest of the world. Before, these settlements were cut off from the rest of India and even each other. Getting from one village to another took the locals no less than two days. Now, they can reach their neighbours by car in two hours. However, the construction not only simplified the transport communication between the cities but also entailed other larger changes—in economics, climate and even culture.
What life in the Himalayan villages is like
Before the road construction, life in the villages of Himachal Pradesh was rather isolated. The locals mostly engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding. Even if they traded, it was mostly with one another. Now, they supply products to other Indian regions and resell them to big companies—for instance, chips manufacturers.
Aleksei Sorbale, Academic Supervisor of the Bachelor's programme 'Political Science and World Politics'
The majority of our informants had several sources of income. For example, elementary school teachers get additional income from selling agricultural produce at local markets, traditional healers—from owning holiday homes, and sellers enter into large contracts with the representatives of the state food industry. This is a striking contrast to the local citizens of Jammu where we went on the first expedition. There, the majority of the local citizens have one source of income: agriculture.
Agricultural technologies have changed as well. The state started to provide the villages with fertilizers and pesticides. Due to this fact and weather changes, the harvest has become richer, and the locals have begun to give more products for sale. Besides, new equipment appeared: for instance, gasoline-powered cultivators. Nevertheless, the citizens still use traditional improved 'digging sticks': people in villages believe that new technologies do more harm to the land.
There is industrial electricity in large settlements—in the places with the built road. They also opened electronics stores but not chain ones. 'Nomads with iPhones are a usual thing', shares Alexander Sorokin. In places where conducting electricity is too expensive, the government installs solar panels. They are enough for the everyday needs and leisure of the locals.
Now, the region is actively developing tourism. Mostly, domestic: foreigners rarely come to Himachal Pradesh. For travellers, they open cafes and build hotels. The buildings themselves also look anew. Instead of clay and wood, there are cement and brick: such materials and buildings are more habitual for tourists. In the new-type houses, the locals settle too, though they see not only advantages in such constructions.
'Traditional houses were smaller, which means they were easier to heat. These new ones are very cold: there is no heating, and a potbellied stove is not of much use, especially in winter', comments the dean of the School of Social Sciences.
Together with tourists, the Himalayan villages got fast food, which became a common part of their daily life. However, local doctors are not happy: the region had to face cases of diabetes and heart attacks. Experts connect declining health with new eating habits.
The local citizens also state that their health is worsening because of trash left by tourists. 'However, we should treat these statements critically', says Alexander Sorokin, 'There are not so many tourists, the locals do not register their own behaviour much and look for reasons in something else'.
How the culture is changing
Some customs stay the same—for instance, rituals related to agriculture. Before the season starts, the villagers hold rituals to have a good harvest and organise a festival. In winter, they have a vacation for months: stay at home or visit each other.
The increase in tourist flow and migration entails a partial loss of local languages. A growing number of young people prefer to speak Hindi or English rather than the local dialect. It eases moving and further integration in big cities. 'Elderly people blame it on school teachers because they believe the teachers to be the main source of knowledge', underscores Polina Mironova, 'No one takes learning at home seriously'.
What happens to climate and nature
In the last 3-5 years, the amount of water in the Himalayan villages decreased. The locals are scared that in 5-7 years, the water will disappear from these places at all, which means, they would have to leave. 'Apart from climate, the water resources were strongly influenced by the tunnel construction—it radically changed the ecosystem in the Himalayas. Of course, drought occurred earlier as well but not so abruptly', explains Alexander Sorokin.
There are other climate risks: earthquakes, floods and heavy rains have become more frequent. To deal with disasters, the locals install pumps, dig channels and sometimes hide in shelters. 'During heavy rains, citizens of one village went to the mountains and hid in the rock for two days in a row', tells the dean of the School of Social Sciences. 'They were scared that the buildings would collapse because of the strong wind'.
Alexander Sorokin, Dean of the School of Social Sciences
In the future, we plan to make a map of all the climate changes on the territory of the Himalayas. In 2024, there were two expeditions to this region, and in the future, two more are scheduled. Apart from that, together with our colleagues from the University of Delhi, we are discussing the development of a platform on adaptation to climate changes—not only in the Himalayas but in other territories as well. The result might be very interesting. In March 2024, we are planning to prepare a photo exhibition based on the results of two expeditions as well as present the second documentary film. The first one—'Reflection'—is ready and will soon be publicly released.