Zak Shaw, Dhauli Ganga
The Dhauli proved intense from the word go, running at aproximately 30 cummecs and a continuous gradient of about 60m/km. Big, fast rapids lead relentlessly into one another, often forcing the team to run large sections of difficult water blind. We managed to complete an 8km section from the road head to the dam, but unfortunately as we were running out of time did not have the possiblity to trek above the road head the explore the upper river.
Ben Jackson, Dhauli Ganga
With only one day remaining we ran a known classic section of the Ghali Ganga (another tributary to the Kali), before making the long 3 day drive to Kathmandu.
We now have 4 days in Nepal to eat as much as we can at the rodeo event, before we start on our second leg of the trip in Arunachal Pradesh.
The road is long as slow progress. A road crew work to clear a landslide.
A local man in Pitthoragh.
Shalabh and Zak try to get some information from the locals on the Pindar.
Dhauli Ganga
JJ, Ghali Ganga
A buzz of activity cooking dinner out of the back of the truck.
The most important part of the trip. Sweet milky tea.
Zak cooks up porrige on one of the tea house's stoves.
Zak hands over the cash to one of the officials.
Our offense! Kayaking a in the protected area of Nunda Davi, without a permit. This has thrown up a heap of beauracy, and contradictions within the Indian legal system.
In Uttaranchal, no ‘kayak’ permit exists, so it is not possible to be in possession of one. On entering the Nunda Davi region we enquired at the local tourist office, and were told we did not need a permit to enter this area, as we had done in other national parks we have been paddling in. On the way up the Dhauli Ganga drainage, we passed only one check point which was unmanned.
However in the afternoon of 31st October, we were picked up from the river, our equipment confiscated, and were escorted under armed guard to a military base in Joshimat, where we have been held.
One of our offences was for environmental damages caused to a protected biosphere. The irony is that the forestry commission are overseeing dozens of Hydro power projects in the very area they are suposed to be protecting. The environmental impact we have seen from these, by the destruction of natural habitats, displacement of local communities, and destruction of the forest, (which has been cut down to provide fire wood for the migrant work force), is huge in comparison to that of 6 kayakers floating down the river!
