Vegetation Loss and Ecosystem Disturbances on Kedargad Mandakini Subwatershed in Rudraprayag District of Uttarakhand due to Torrential Rainfall during June 2013

Abstract

Uttarakhand is one of the hilly states in the Indian Himalaya. It lies in the Northern part of India between the latitudes 28⁰-31⁰ N to longitudes 77⁰-81⁰E having a maximum dimension of east - west 310 km and 255 km; north - south covering an area of 53,484 km² with the elevation ranging from 210 to 7817 msl. It is the home to many holy rivers originating from the nearly 1439 glaciers. In view of the changing climate followed by factors responsible for varying nature of climate and its effect on environment basically related to vegetation phenology, biodiversity as well water resources especially in mountain region of Uttarakhand Himalaya which is well known for its rich biodiversity in perspective of socio-economic well-being of the rural people and forest dwellers; the natural devastation or any kind of calamity affect the native of the region due to their dependencies in the services provided by the nature which we call ecosystem services. The devastation caused during 16^th & 17^th June 2013 in Kedarnath valley on Kedargad micro watershed, of Mandakini sub watershed in Mandakini valley of Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand Himalaya is one of the major devastations that have ruined the climate and ecosystem of the area to a greater extent. In the present study it is studied that how this devastation has affected vegetation by perturbing ecosystem services. It was noticed that after devastation forests and alpine is major region where a remarkable change was detected. A major change in river is also noticed.