The Degradation of the Himalayas

The Himalayan Mountains, going through the northern part of India separating it from the Tibetan Plateau, currently faces many issues. Either surrounding it’s public infrastructure, waste, and trash of all sorts, the Himalayas are in need of drastic change.

Tourism rules this part of India’s economy, with the constant in and out nature of anyone seeking to climb the mountains. With increasing urbanization in the area, a problem of waste management makes it so garbage is spewed everywhere. Given it’s higher elevation, indefinitely colder climate, and poor public infrastructure, the Himalayas are riddled with trash. People are willing to pay and clean the Himalayas, but some lack knowledge on different disposal methods, and feel they do not have sufficient access to them.

This degradation of the environment and infrastructure causes air pollution, further destroys buildings, and ruins the economy of tourism in the region. The Himalayas utilize hydroelectric power, but need to further advantage of it to make it work entirely. The formation of dams not only displaced locals’ homes, but also greatly affected the environment for both land-going and aquatic animals. These dams, filled with pollution because of all the waste surrounding it, flow all the way into larger bodies of water all the way to the ocean. Due to climate change in the Himalayas, there is significantly less snow and ice, but more water is running down and being polluted.

Additionally, there is a gap in knowledge pertaining to the area, and all of the statistics are not there or well-researched enough to know sufficiently about the Himalayas and their infrastructure or waste. Options are limited to treating waste, leading people to resort to open dumping and burning of waste, which harms the environment and the health of others as shown before. Additionally, some biodegradable options are not feasible because of the harsh environment that happens in the Himalayas.

The leading solution that most point to revolves around two things: collecting more data surrounding Himalayan waste management, and then utilizing government aid, possibly with multiple countries discussing terms to ultimately save the environment of the Himalayas. The World Bank, in collaboration with Korean Green Growth Trust Fund (KGGTF) took it upon themselves to study and analyze the solid waste management situation in the nation. Plastic and biodegradable trash that cannot be recycled in the cold environment was problematic, poor disposal options were present, as well as a lack of awareness but ability to pay for waste management was found.

Government has offered aid to these groups, but has not made such a contribution as to fully change the landscape. If the Indian government was to ally with Nepal, Pakistan, China, and all other countries bordering the mountains to create an organization tackling these issues. While they are mostly prevalent in India, as they are mostly bordered by the mountains, all nations would benefit from collaboration and cooperation in helping the environment. This would drastically increase tourism, satisfaction in the area, creating a stronger economy.

To sum up, the Himalayas have been degraded because of waste, poor infrastructure, and even partial abandonment by the government. To create a better, safe community throughout the area, through government action, either domestically or via a multiple country treaty, the Himalayas can hopefully return to their original state, for tourists and locals alike to enjoy in a safe manner.

The Implications of India's Brain Drain on its Future

An epidemic known as the Indian diaspora, or India’s brain drain, has been prevalent over the past decades. This idea is one of Indian people moving to other countries, mainly the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada, serves many purposes. To experience western culture, or get better opportunities, or even just to honor their family in a new country, but immigrating somewhere else has become quite prevalent among many Indians.

But what are the effects this is having? A growing unrest about the current Indian school system, especially those looking for higher education, means it is almost imperative that they move out of India to somewhere like the United States for education. In 2018 alone, more than 7.3 million students were studying abroad of about 250 million total students in government-run and private schools.

Again, for skilled workers, the reason to immigrate from India is for better economic and social safety nets. Having nations where welfare, or the most basic needs for education and health are taken care of for a modest price, is the pulling factor for most away from India. While the United States is largely immigrated to, Canada has quickly caught up due to their welfare system attracting many Indians in search of a skilled professional job.

Another topic of immigration has emerged recently, especially among the millennial generation. That being to leave India for mental freedoms from either the Caste System or certain rules that Indian society forces onto citizens. Even the digital boom from years past still trickles down to people moving from India today, meaning that for whatever reason, some believe it is best to leave India for somewhere else.

Initially, during the COVID-19 outbreak, many countries bunkered down and did not allow immigrants applying for citizenship for a while. Some countries closed their borders all together until the situation got better. However, some countries such as the U.S. allowed medical professionals or healthcare workers in, and a fair amount of Indian citizens took up the offer and did so.

Now, since the world situation has definitely deescalated, with the help of factors such as the COVID-19 vaccine, most countries are not prohibiting visitors or immigrants applying for citizenship. That being said, not everything is back to normal, and the Indian brain drain has died down a bit during this time.

However, looking ahead to the future, other nations can expect to see more and more immigrants from India trying to come in for either better education, a better economic/job opportunity, better social services like welfare, or even just for mental freedom societal pressures. In the past, there has been government action to try and stop the brain drain to a certain extent, but has not succeeded to the level that they would hope for.

While the government has brought a National Skill Development Mission, aiming to train 400 million Indian people, the brain drain is almost inevitable. Unless the government shuts down again, or makes a significant incentive to stay in India, more and more people will keep immigrating to the U.S. or Canada. Even just the idea of breaking free from one’s own country and moving to a different country compels many, meaning that the Brain Drain in India will become a Brain Gain for many other countries for years to come.

Private Vs. Government Schools in India

In the United States, there is a certain stigma behind both public and private schools. From the ones portrayed in movies and television, to the rumors of other schools that circulate through school systems, most can be written off as not true.

The same applies to private and government-run schools in India, where private schools are pulling away as the most common form of schooling. This bodes the question: Which is better?

The first topic to cover is foreign language. Obviously, students are taught in local languages, usually also offering Hindi, Urdu, and/or Sanskrit as secondary languages. These are spoken by plenty of Indian citizens, but where private schools go above and beyond by teaching other languages. English, even other foreign languages that are taught in America are available in private schools.

Next up are uniforms. While uniforms are required in all schools in India, private schools go above and beyond. They check up on student’s hygiene, uniforms, and general cleanliness to make sure they are up to par, showing not only discipline in learning but also in other aspects.

Extracurricular activities are a lot more common and well-developed in private schools as well. This is because of the funding that is given by enrolling students, which also helps in other factors of the school. Simple things like electricity, proper classrooms, and even proper buildings are not available. While this may not sound like much, this could totally change the course of all students’ learning careers.

Additionally, the staff and faculty of private schools are fully accountable for the children that they teach. Their grades, behavior, and well-being of students are in the hands of the school, at least for the time of the day that they are there. This, along with better salaries that private school teachers are given, incentivizes a better quality of education throughout these types of schools.

However, due to the competitive nature of choosing a school, publicly funded through the government or privately owned, there are sometimes very hard choices for parents to decide where their child should go to school. Sadly, the quality of education does come down to the area and which school exactly that the parents choose, and can range very drastically from good to bad. Especially in more rural areas of India, with less options and less quality schools, it can be hard to find the perfect school.

In the long run, as one may guess, money really pays off in a students’ education. If you are paying for school in India, it will most likely be better than the public schooling option in the same area. Even at that, if a child’s family cannot pay to send their child to school, even just to get simple school supplies for government school, they will just not go to school and possibly work on a family-owned farm or business. Even public schools are not free, and even not an option for all.

To sum up, a student’s best bet is most likely to go to a private school in India, then government schools, and then no schooling if unable to afford it. Private schools, because of the extra money, drastically shift what is taught, how well it is taught, and how much faculty cares about the students. India’s government should financially support public schooling more so now than ever to educate children and provide a safe place to learn for all.