Miyar Valley

Miyar Valley belongs to the division of Western Himalaya.[1] It is a part of the Lahoul Range, located between Pir Panjal and Zanskar Range. The valley is nearly 75 km long and stretches between Udaipur (2649 m) and Kang La Pass (5468 m). More than 50% (568 km²) of area of the Miyar Valley (975.7 km²) is covered in glaciers[2] Kang La Pass at the head of Miyar valley is one of the extreme points of India.

Administration

Administratively valley belongs to the district of Lahul and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh). Temperatures and precipitation in the Miyar Valley vary widely. The annual average values are respectively: at the mouth of the valley – Udaipur (2649 m) 9.4°C and 1057 mm; in its middle part – Sucto village (3448 m) 5°C and 605 mm; and in higher parts (alpine and nival level) average annual temperature always stays below 0°C.[3]

Demography

According to Saini[4] the soil cover of the Miyar Valley can be classified into three types: Himalayan Alluvial Soils (Group B), Mountain and Hill Soils, High Altitude Meadow Soil. The valley is inhabited by Tharanga people which are influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. Only a few hundred people live concentrated in 16 villages – among others in Urgos (226), Tingrat (171), Ghumpa (45) Khanjar (48) and Sucto (37)[5] – excluding Udayapur. Inhabitants are engaged in mainly farming and pasturing.

Due to the belief and influence of Tibetan Buddhism, the population feeds on vegetal products and remaining lacto-vegetarians.[6]

Economy

The economy of the valley is dominated by extensive farming. A short period of vegetation (May-September) and low-quality soils make limited production due to poor climatic and soil productivity. Among the main crops are peas, barley, buckwheat, seed potato, and also used in medicine: kuth (Saussurea lappa) and mannu (Inula racemosa). Agriculture is accompanied by typical pastoralism breeding (sheep, goats) and also mixed pastoralism and cattle breeding (cows, horses, donkeys).[7]

Tourism

From few decades, the valley is under the influence of small size tourism.[8][9]

Recently Mountaineering activity is becoming more popular in the valley. For example, in 2012 Michal Apollo, Phil Varley and Marek Zoladek made the first ascent on an unclimbed peak - they named the summit Forgotten Peak.[10] Still, some of the peaks haven't been climbed yet.

See also

References
  1. Apollo, M. (2017). The population of Himalayan regions – by the numbers: Past, present and future. [In:] R. Efe, M. Öztürk (eds.), Contemporary Studies in Environment and Tourism, Chapter: 9 (pp.143–159). Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bmPXDgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA145&ots=oKLCNOveUc&sig=0K2GQrOSN9dMCGMPrR3ryj7Adgo&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
  2. Kulkarni, A.V., Rathore, B.P., Singh, S.K., Bahuguna, I.M. (2011). Understanding changes in the Himalayan cryosphere using remote sensing techniques. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 32(3), 601-615.
  3. Apollo, M. (2017). Environmental impacts of mountaineering (based on selected areas of the Himalayas) (unpublished Ph.D. thesis). http://rep.up.krakow.pl/xmlui/handle/11716/1780
  4. Saini, R. (2008). Glacier dynamics water resource assessment and landscape evolution in Miyar basin, Lahaul Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh (unpublished Ph.D. thesis). New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University.
  5. Padigala, B., Sen, S., Sharma, M.C., Kraleti, S. (2011). Social Capital and Local Institutions - A Perspective to Assess Communities Adaptation Potential to Climate Change. Ahmedabad: Center For Environmental Planning & Technology.
  6. Apollo, M. (2015). The clash–social, environmental and economical changes in tourism destination areas caused by tourism the case of Himalayan villages (India and Nepal). Current Issues of Tourism Research, 5(1), 6-19. http://citr.up.krakow.pl/article/view/2938
  7. Apollo, M., Andreychouk, V., Bhattarai, S.S. (2018-03-24). "Short-Term Impacts of Livestock Grazing on Vegetation and Track Formation in a High Mountain Environment: A Case Study from the Himalayan Miyar Valley (India)". Sustainability. MDPI. 10 (4): 951. doi:10.3390/su10040951. ISSN 2071-1050.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Apollo, M. (2015). The clash–social, environmental and economical changes in tourism destination areas caused by tourism the case of Himalayan villages (India and Nepal). Current Issues of Tourism Research, 5(1), 6-19. http://citr.up.krakow.pl/article/view/2938
  9. Zoladek, M., Kordowska, M. (2017). Exploration Tourism: Based on Selected Areas. [In:] R. Efe, M. Öztürk (eds.), Contemporary Studies in Environment and Tourism, Chapter: 9 (pp. 1-8). Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bmPXDgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&ots=oKLIORshXe&sig=F8imD74GNrBHGlihDWbbOMF2egs&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
  10. "Forgotten Peak (5,889m), southeast face, Never Ending Story - AAC Publications - Search The American Alpine Journal and Accidents". publications.americanalpineclub.org.

[[Category:Geography of Lahaul and Spiti district]

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