Veteran environmentalist and architect of the Chipko Movement Sundarlal Bahuguna, 94 has succumbed to COVID.

Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

Q.In India, the problem of soil erosion is associated with which of the following?

1. Terrace cultivation
2. Deforestation
3. Tropical climate

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Sunderlal Bahuguna

• Bahuguna was one of the leaders of the Chipko movement, fighting for the preservation of forests in the Himalayas.
• Chipko means ‘embrace’ or ‘tree huggers’ and this vast movement was a decentralized one with many leaders usually being village women.
• Often, they would chain themselves to trees so that loggers could not cut down forests.
• These actions slowed down the destruction, but more importantly, they brought deforestation to the public’s attention.

His contributions

• From 1981-1983, Sundarlal Bahuguna led a 5,000-kilometre march across the Himalayas, ending with a meeting with late PM Indira Gandhi, to protect some areas of the Himalayan forests from tree-felling.
• Sundarlal Bahuguna was also a leader in the movement to oppose the Tehri dam project and in defending India’s rivers.
• He also worked for women’s rights and the rights of the poor.
• His methods were Gandhian, making use of peaceful resistance and non-violence.
• The Chipko Movement received the 1987 Right Livelihood Award, also referred to as the Alternative Nobel Prize.

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