Dispersed Mountain Settlements: An Evaluation of High Mountain of Settlement of Har ki Dun

 

D K Shahi

Associate Professor, D A V PG Collage, Dehradun.

 

ABSTRACT:

The dispersed habitat and scattered settlements are the most significant element of the mountainous landscape. As the landscape and ecological factors in the mountainous areas, restrict the concentration of population, dispersed settlements are basic adaptations to the mountainous landscape. The purpose of this paper is to provide a geographical account of the dispersed mountain settlements. Employing a case study, it attempts to map the geography of these scattered settlements. The analysis shows different arrangements of these scattered settlements in the high mountain region of Har ki Dun. The evaluation of the spatial distribution of settlement of Har ki Dun is a means to analyse the adaptations of the mountain inhabitants to their environment. In mountainous areas, the dispersed settlements are the product of land and land use diversity. The areas of scattered settlements are an expansion of sedentary life and extension of agriculture and animal husbandry over the diverse mountainous landscape. The scattered location of settlements exist due to less favourable topography, less suitable climatic conditions and restricted availability of soil for agricultural production. It is also a product of the attempts to use every available arable land and grassland. The end product of this extensification is the diversity or the richness of the (agri)cultural landscape and diversity of settlements. This study also presents the spatial distribution of these scattered settlements.

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Settlements are the places or spaces of human existence and survival. These places or spaces develop under the influence of various natural, cultural and anthropogenic impacts (Zeljka Curovic, 2014). The diversity of landscape creates diversity in settlement patterns; compact or dispersed. The dispersed structure is characteristic for the hilly areas, while the scattered structure is found both in the plain and in the hills (Rusu, R. Fodorean, I. 2010).

 

The dispersed habitat and scattered settlements are the most significant element of the mountainous landscape. The higher parts of the mountainous areas possess more scattered, isolated settlements as a direct consequence of the less favourable conditions for their development due to the morphology of the landforms (Lazar, Gabriela Adina, 2011). The scattered location of settlements exist due to less favourable topography, less suitable climatic conditions and restricted availability of soil for agricultural production.

 

In mountainous areas, the dispersed settlements are the product of land and land use diversity. As the landscape and ecological factors in the mountainous areas, restrict the concentration of population, dispersed settlements are basic adaptations to the mountainous landscape. The areas of scattered settlements are an expansion of sedentary life and extension of agriculture and animal husbandry over the diverse mountainous landscape. Furthermore, the mountainous villages have a scattered structure, as the houses are separated by small lands, orchards or gardens (Gheorghies, Daniela-Livia, 2013). It is also a product of the attempts to use every available arable land and grassland. The end product of this extensification is the diversity or the richness of the (agri)cultural landscape and diversity of settlements.

 

The purpose of this paper is to provide a geographical account of the dispersed mountain settlements. Employing a case study, it attempts to map the geography of these scattered settlements. This analysis presents different arrangements of these scattered settlements in the high mountain region of Har ki Dun.

 

This analysis also presents the spatial distribution of these scattered settlements. The evaluation of the spatial distribution of settlement of Har ki Dun is a means to analyse the adaptations of the mountain inhabitants to their environment.

 

LITERATURE SURVEY:

Despite the expansion in research in settlement geography, dispersed settlements are paid less attention than the study of compact settlements (Birch 1967). Still, there is no single unified definition of dispersed settlements. Even different terms are used to designate the same space. American geographers use the terminology e.g. Isolated farmsteads, hamlets and scattered dwellings for dispersed settlement. In a study of rural Welsh, Howard Williams called such settlements as ‘a countryside of scattered settlements’ (Howard Williams, 1976). In a study of Poland, Kielczewska Zaleska included all farms and small clusters of houses (or hamlets up to five residential houses), lying away from a compact or loosely-clustered village, in dispersed housing estates (Kielczewska Zaleska, 1970).

 

Even there is no unanimity in the definition of a dispersed settlement. It varies from researcher to researcher and from country to country. Few researchers accept the distance between settlements and few others accept the density of a settlement as criteria to distinguish dispersed or compact settlements. In a similar study Brian Roberts accepted a minimum distance of 150 meters from a compact settlement to consider a separate settlement as a dispersed settlement (Roberts, Brian 1996). In a study of rural settlements in Belgium, Van De Velde defined dispersed settlement as an area with an internal distance of at least 150 meters (distance between buildings) (Van De Velde et al.,2010). Omasta defines a dispersed settlement with reference to Slovakia as the presence of at least one settlement located outside the core settlement of a territorial unit with a distance of at least 200 m. According to him, these settlements must form a larger unit, i.e. A dispersed settlement cannot occur in the territory singly (Omasta 2010). In another study of Spain, Amate and others defined a dispersed settlement as a settlement area outside the core of the settlement which consists of one or a group of inhabited houses (Amate et al. 2016). In the study of English rural settlement, Roberts and Wrathmell proposed the density of hamlets as 10 per sq. Km (Roberts and Wrathmell, 2000).

 

In the Indian context, Mandal provided an overview of attempts to define precisely the areas of dispersed settlements (Mandal 1988). As widely accepted, an isolated group of houses represents the dispersed settlement, which can be defined as a settlement unit of 3-8 houses (located apart from each other). These dispersed settlements are small in size and are located near the cultivable lands (Gangurde and Kumbhar, 2018). But still, there is a need to recognize the differences arising from different physical-geographical situations. As the remote mountain settlements represent an extreme settlement pattern (these settlements are dispersed both horizontally and vertically).

 

AIM AND OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this study is to analyse the settlement pattern of the high Himalayan region.

The main objective of this study is to ascertain the settlement patterns of high mountain settlements. Specifically, the study is to identify the type of settlements prevalent in the study area.

The typology of settlements contributes to the systematic analysis of dispersed settlements.

 

Basic Assumptions of the Study:

This study is based on two basic assumptions

·       Diversity landscape creates a diversity of settlements.

·       Diversity of land suitability creates the diversity of settlement location.

In mountainous areas, small communities are dispersed in scattered settlements.  the diversity of landscape creates spatial diversity of settlements on the other hand the settlement diversity carries landscape diversity. the mountainous topography with a scarcity of land suitable for agriculture creates dispersed settlements in Har ki Dun.

 

METHODOLOGY:

The geospatial characteristics of settlements have been defined using satellite images and field research. The geodiversity of settlements and their morphological position have been identified and defined by visual image interpretation. The research is based on a descriptive-analytical analysis of the settlement and its fragments.

 

Study Area:

This study is based on the intensive study of the high Himalayan region of Har ki Dun. Har ki Dun is situated in Mori Tehsil (subdivision) of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand. It is spread between 31⁰02' - 31⁰20' N latitude and 77⁰55' - 78⁰40' E longitude. The altitude of the area varies from m to 6323 m. (Arun Kumar, 2004). It covers a total area of 953.12 sq. Km.

 

Land and Landscape:

Har ki Dun is a distinct geographical entity. it is an intermountain valley. The area is entirely composed of a succession of hills and mountains. It consists of high mountains covered with snow and glaciers, steep peaks and narrow valleys. The entire landscape is rugged and highly dissected. A large part of the area of Har Ki Dun remains covered under snow, throughout the year. It gets a typical high Himalayan climate with extreme cold weather conditions. It is the drainage basin of the Tons River. the entire territory of Har Ki Dun is drained by the mountain tributaries of river Tons. Rupin and Supin rivers and their tributaries have dissected this area into numerous narrow valleys.

 

Human Habitations:

Har ki Dun is also a distinct geocultural entity. It has a unique agricultural landscape with scattered settlements. Settlements are distributed over a large land area with fragmented terrain. It has also the limitations of cold climate. Above all the settlements are distributed in remote mountains with fragile environmental conditions. Invariably this area is also frequented by different natural hazards. The entire area has a small population scattered in different settlements.

 

The scattered distribution of settlements is determined by the mountainous topography. The cultivated land available to these settlements is limited as most of the surface area lies on the higher slope (above 25⁰). Large areas of these lands are unsuitable for crop cultivation. There is only little fertile land to support its population. So, settlements present a spontaneously scattered pattern. Besides, there is a little flat and continuous land fit for the development of dwellings. Therefore, the size and the spatial distribution of rural settlements are restrained. Thus, the settlements are scattered with a smaller population density.

 

Diversity of Landscapes and Diversity of Settlements:

A settlement means the totality of the human community (Vancouver Declaration). A settlement is a cultural landscape - with all the physical, social, cultural and economic elements that created it and that sustain it.  Har ki dun has a diversity of settlements due to the diversity of landscape. It has agricultural settlements, agropastoral settlements and pastoral settlements and a combination of all these. The diversity of settlements is enhanced by a variety of permanent and temporary (seasonal) settlements.

 

The landscape defines the spatial characteristics of production (life and livelihood). The suitability of landscape (for agropastoral activities) leads to the development of settlements. Along the same line, the settlement pattern refers to the manner that a population distributes itself within the geographical space it occupies.

 

In the mountainous areas, the settlements get limited and are widely dispersed over a large area due to the diversity of landscape and scarcity of natural resources. This spatial diversity of land suitability for agricultural activities has an impact on the spatial distribution of settlements. Settlements are concentrated in areas with (most) suitability for existence and survival. Otherwise, settlements get dispersed. Many settlements even get isolated and fragmented due to the fragmentation of the landscape.

 

Dispersed settlements are characterised by the popula­tion concentration in small communities.  It is due to the low carrying capacity of mountain settlements. The settlements in the high Himalayan region have both small populations and scattered locations. Hear in Har ki Dun also, the settlements are dispersed, remote and isolated. In this part of Uttarakhand, there are few scattered settlements with large uninhabited areas due to the inhospitality of the land and harsh climatic conditions.

 

Dispersed settlements are also described as areas of dispersed land use. The dispersed land use is also a characteristic of the mountainous region. A typical mountain settlement consists of several dwellings lying on different terraces. The dispersed settlement in its surroundings contains dispersed houses and terraced agricultural fields with a mosaic of pastures (grassland) and orchards.  In a typical high-altitude settlement, houses are surrounded by arable land and orchards. These houses are isolated from each other. It is a 'normal' feature of mountain settlements.

 

The dispersed settlement also came into existence as a result of the vertical expansion of settlements (dwellings). The expansion of land use in a mosaic of orchards, pastures (meadows) and forests lead to dispersed settlements. The verticality of settlement is both cause and consequence of dispersal of settlements.

 

Dispersed Mountain Settlements:

Har ki dun has a concentration of a small and widely dispersed population. It is because of its landscape (natural conditions including its geographical location). This landscape is dominated and sustained by a cluster of scattered, isolated dwellings and farmsteads. Often such settlements are called scattered or dispersed settlements.

Spatially scattered communities with dispersed settlements are found in mountain areas (D. Dopudja, 2017). It is also a characteristic of the areas drained with innumerable streams (Ingrid Belcakova 2021). In fact, the dispersed settlement is an expression of rugged and undulating topography (Swati Patil, 2019). Therefore, dispersed settlements are one of the common features of mountainous landscapes.

 

According to the geographical definition of dispersed settlement, a settlement must have the presence of at least one settlement located outside the core settlement and at the same time these settlements must form a larger unit, i.e., these settlements occur in different territories (Jan Hanusin, 2021).

 

The scattered settlement landscape is a specific type of cultural landscape. There has been a relatively little transformation to the original natural landscape (Jan Hanusin, 2021). Due to the physical diversity of land, the landscape with a dispersed settlement is internally diversified in terms of the nature of land cover (Jan Hanusin, 2021). Naturally, these scattered or dispersed settlements are not peculiar to only Har ki Dun.

 

Dispersed settlements are shaped by landscape diversity (Ingrid Belcakova 2021). The conditions of the natural topography, the steepness of mountain slopes, harsh climate condition, limited or restricted availability of soil and water resources, scarcity or deficiency of agricultural lands and spread of forests contribute to this situation in a mountainous land.

 

The landscape of a dispersed settlement is a reflection of the human adaptation to nature (Ingrid Belcakova, 2021). In mountainous areas, the productive activities of mankind (agricultural and animal husbandry) are closely related to the unique natural conditions of the landscape. The necessity of agropastoral activities creates the scattered nature of settlements.

 

The scattered or dispersed location of settlements is also a product of land scarcity. As there is scattered distribution of land resources with a reasonable potential of production. The scattered nature of the land resource (soil with adequate fertility) favours the establishment of small and scattered settlements. This dispersal of settlements facilitates every possible use (exploitation) of scarce natural resources.

 

Typology of Dispersed Settlements in Har Ki Dun:

The overall pattern of settlements is scattered or dispersed, where, small settlements are scattered in the broad surrounding. Thus, a large number of small settlements are dispersed in space. The entire area shows the presence of many and variegated forms of settlements.

 

The typology of settlements reflects the demographic profile of settlements and their economic function. The following typology of dispersed settlements is based on the size and location of the settlement.

·       Scattered Small Villages – Due to topographical limitations, the mountainous villages present an appropriate scattered pattern. Even concentrated villages have vertical distribution. The scattered concentration of resources and favourable environment leads to scattered distribution of population and dispersed settlements.

In the scattered and isolated settlements cultivated lands are spread around the houses. The farm and its neighbourhood satisfy every need of the farmers.

There is no entirely homogeneous pattern of settlements. Several types of settlements combine in the dispersed space. It presents a diversified form of settlements.

·       Fragmented Settlements - Fragmented settlements are settlements located outside the areas of central settlement. Such settlements are dispersed throughout the entire area. These fragments are distributed in smaller patches and diffused at different locations.

The utilisation of scattered farms with suitable conditions for crop cultivation contributes to this form of scattered settlement. This form of settlement is well-established in Har ki Dun.

·       Settlements on the Fringe Areas - There are the areas where community forests and agricultural land including orchards prevail. These can be seen as clusters of dwellings or even individual dwellings. Such settlements are found in the areas where conditions for agriculture (conditions for sedentary life) are less favourable, either because of altitude and/or the infertile nature of the soils.

The villages comprise a combination of all these types of settlements.

·       Pastoral Settlements or Settlement of Mountain Herders - Pastoral settlements, which are necessarily extensive, are characterised by the low density of population. Pastoral farmers or shepherds live in the scattered settlement and move around regularly. The landscape around these settlements is little altered by human occupation.

 

Figure - 1

 

Fragmented and Fringe Settlements:

In the mountainous areas in general and the high Himalayan region, in particular, most of the settlements are fragmented settlement. these settlements are located on the fringe areas. these settlements include land outside the village with dispersed houses. It may include 2 - 10 or more houses in a cluster. These settlements are locally called Tok.

 

These places have inferior land quality, lack in irrigation facilities but still, have a permanent settlement.  The distinctive settlement pattern of Tok is characterized mainly by its isolated existence. The landscape of these settlements is composed of dispersed dwellings and agricultural land, that is, arable land, grasslands, orchards and so on. The land use of these settlements is controlled by the physical conditions of the landscape, its spatial location and its accessibility.

 

These settlements (Toks) are places of sedentary living. All these settlements are only geographically distant from each other but socially, culturally and economically connected (or integrated) with the village. Therefore, these fragmented settlements present an integrated form of settlement pattern. Har ki dun has a unique combination of these scattered or dispersed (and even fragmented) settlements.

 

Summer and Winter Settlements:

The settlement pattern in the high Himalayan region indicates a correlation between the ecology of the landscape. Due to the diversity of natural conditions, few settlements have a dual location; used as summer and winter settlements. Thadi is the summer settlement of Bhitari. There are many other such settlements.

 

Seasonal or Temporary Settlements:

In the areas where natural constraints are enormous and resources are not bountiful, both the environmental and economic factors are responsible for settlement location and changes in settlements.  Multiple dwelling is, in fact, an adaptive device for the people of the high mountain region. It allows fuller exploitation of the resource potential of the environment (mountain landscape). it also provides an adaptation to the environmental limitation in harsh climatic conditions. 

 

The landscape of Har ki Dun offers several other alternatives for settlements. Different settlements have distinct ecological characteristics. A few of these settlements are just seasonal and used for temporary living and animal husbandry. These are pasture settlements (chhanis and dudharies). These settlements are distinct in landscape characteristics and also cultural and agricultural characteristics.

 

Settlement refers to a place where people concentrate and settle down for living and production purposes. Therefore, every fragment of the village with sedentary populations and dwellings can also be called a settlement. In mountainous areas of India 'shades' (chhanis and dudharies) or temporary shelters are built for personal and animal use. These settlements are commonly built in the fields, usually a few km away from the village. These places play a significant role in the economy of the settlement.

 

Chhanis and dudharies are widely scattered, particularly in Har ki Dun. Some villages have even developed from 'shades' (chhanis) when people started residing permanently in them and when their population increased to a substantial level. The settlements of Taluka had its origin in the 'shades' (chhanis) of Gangar village.

 

Non-Sedentary Settlements :

The diversity of the landscape has a strong influence on the agricultural and pastoral landscape of Har ki Dun. Besides sedentary settlements, there are few non-sedentary settlements (settlements based on shifting cultivation). Kalap is a unique settlement with a transitional subsistence economy.

 

Pastoral Settlements :

The settlements situated at or near high-altitude meadows (bugyal) are temporary but significant in the economy and culture of Har ki Dun. (These pastures settlements are called Thach). The ecology of the landscape (in and around bugyals) offers multiple dwellings to the people living in these high Himalayan regions. Although these places or spaces are not permanently occupied, these are sheltered areas thus, these places also constitute settlements.

 

These seasonal settlements are the places of transhumant farming. Villages make regular (seasonal) relocation of population and cattle to these bugyals. These settlements are interpreted as seasonal or temporary settlements due to seasonal site occupation and seasonal patterns of resource procurement.

 

These seasonal settlements with transhumance farming areas expand the possibilities and opportunities of production in the high mountain areas. Thus, these settlements increase the effectiveness of resource-harvesting.

 

For more intensive study of spatial characteristics of settlements in this region a case study of Bhitari village has been taken up.

 

Characteristics of the Village:

 

The Settlement Pattern of Bhitari:

Bhitari is a high mountain settlement located in the Rupin valley of Har ki Dun. It is the largest village of Har ki Dun. The village and its surroundings have a radius of 608.9 hectares. The village has a large share of forests. These forests are scattered around the village. It has sufficient land resources of reasonable potential. The arable land in the village accounts for about 40 % of the area. These lands are fragmented at different locations in near and distant surroundings. The village has suitable conditions for agriculture and horticulture development. Therefore, settlements have developed at different locations to increase the cultivation efficiency of the fragmented land.

 

Being a high mountain settlement, there is an internal (topographical) difference in the landscape. The landscape configuration together with the spatial difference with different land use (spread of arable land and forests) conditions the dispersed settlement. The density is significantly higher in the core of the settlements. The density decreases with an increase in distance from the core.

 

The core of the village gives a look of a loosely-clustered village. The settlement in the village is vertically developed/distributed. The cultural landscape of vertical settlement makes it dispersed from the inside (the place settlement is vertically distributed). Verticality presents the morphological characteristics of a dispersed mountain settlement.

 

A large part of the arable lands is located at elevated marginal places, remote from the core of the village. Each place or space with arable land also has few dwellings and a certain population. Bhitari has several clusters of such settlements. A high number of populations live at these dispersed locations. Thus, Bhitari has a landscape with a dispersed settlement.

 

The population of Bhitari also presents double residency. Thadi, a hamlet of Bhitari, exclusively serves residential places (for double residency). It has both agricultural and residential landscapes. Thadi serves as a summer settlement for Bhitari. The double residency allows flexible migration between their dwellings in the core and the hamlets (Tok). Therefore, the population in hamlets does not depend on the distance from the core.

 

There are a few other Toks. (Toks are generally small places with a low population.) Some hamlets even get more population than the core. It consists of one or a group of inhabited houses. Thus, a Tok has everything e.g. Isolated farmsteads, hamlets and scattered dwellings.

 

The distance between the settlement and the cultivated land is high enough to give a dispersed pattern of settlement. The house-field distances and distance between hamlets (Tok) and the core of settlement make it a scattered settlement. Several hamlets (Tok) are located even at a greater distance. Some Toks even represent remote and unsuitable segments of the cadastre.

 

As the orchards and agricultural lands are mainly located in Tok. Tok has also the concentration of labour class population therefore, the dependence between the core of the village and the population in hamlets is much higher.

 

The morphology of Bhitari also includes some chhanis and dudharies. Some of the chhanis and dudharies of Bhitari are located near Sar Tal (a high-altitude lake). Thus, the geographical space of the village is not confined to the village boundary only.

 

The village has exclusivity of nearness to alpine pastures (bugyals). There is a regular pattern of use of these bugyals. Huts at high mountain pastures are an important part of the settlement. The temporary settlements at alpine pastures (bugyals) also present the landscape of dispersed settlement.

 

Thus, the landscape of Bhitari presents every aspect of the spatial and functional diversity of a dispersed settlement.

 

Major characteristics of the mountain settlement of Bhitari are summarized below.

·       The real existing pattern of settlements of the region is scattered. These settlements are internally fragmented (scattered or dispersed). These fragmented settlements are often separated from the ‘mother’ settlements.

·       The fragmented settlements are mostly located outside the core of the settlement i.e., near isolated fragments of arable land. These settlements have emerged as a continuation of the dispersion of settlements.

·       These settlements are separated by uninhabited Pahad and Jungle. The location of these settlements is a function of the availability of agricultural land and terrain. Sometimes these settlements are considered separate settlements.

·       The distribution of scattered or dispersed settlements reflects, broadly, the distribution of land resources and suitability of the agricultural landscape.

·       The ‘mother’ settlement is more compact and larger in extent than the individual fragmented settlements. The location of these settlements is established in remote farm areas. It is ascertained by the visual observations of satellite images of this area.

·       The size of these fragmented settlements depends on the quality of the land. The size of the agricultural land determines the size and pattern of these settlements. The effects of terrain or other ecological factors are reflected on these settlements.

·       These settlements have distinct morphology (residential structure and landscape). It consists of one or a group of inhabited houses. Agricultural land (orchards) dominates these landscapes. Furthermore, some of these fragmented settlements are less desirable localities.

·       Each of these fragmented settlements has a distinct identity and socioeconomic characteristics. These settlements are settled mostly by families or communities with inferior social status (these settlements are occupied by marginalised communities).

 

These characteristics are derived from findings of studies of mountain settlements of Bhitari. These characteristics may be generalized as the characteristics of scattered or dispersed settlements of high mountain areas.

 

CONCLUSION:

The spatial arrangement of settlements depends on the compositions and configurations of the landscape. The landscape diversity creates a diversity of settlements. The dispersed habitat and scattered distribution is the natural attribute of the mountain settlement. The high mountainous areas possess more scattered, isolated settlements as a direct consequence of the less favourable conditions for their development due to the morphology of the landform.

 

In mountainous areas, the dispersed settlements are the product of land verticality and land use diversity. As the landscape and ecological factors in the mountainous areas, restrict the concentration of population, dispersed settlements are basic adaptations to the mountainous landscape. The areas of scattered settlements are an expansion of sedentary life and extension of agriculture and animal husbandry over the diverse mountainous landscape. It is also a product of the attempts to use every available arable land and grassland. The end product of this extensification is the diversity or the richness of the (agri)cultural landscape and diversity of settlements.

 

The conclusion confirmed the hypothesis that landscape configuration (together with the spatial difference in land) with different land use conditions produce the dispersed settlement.

 

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Received on 21.12.2021         Modified on 18.01.2022

Accepted on 10.02.2022      ©AandV Publications All right reserved