The Chipko movement, launched by local villagers in the Himalayan region in the twentieth century, was basically a people s protest against which environmental problem?

Introduction / Context:
The Chipko movement is one of the most famous environmental movements in India and is often mentioned in school textbooks and competitive exam syllabi. It began in the Himalayan region and involved local villagers hugging trees to prevent them from being cut down. The question asks what major environmental problem the movement was primarily protesting against, which helps test understanding of basic environmental history and activism in India.

Given Data / Assumptions:
• The subject is the Chipko movement, a twentieth century people s movement. • The options list different types of pollution and environmental issues: cultural pollution, deforestation, water pollution and noise pollution. • We assume awareness of the symbolic act of hugging trees in this movement.

Concept / Approach:
The word Chipko means to cling or to hug. The movement arose when villagers, particularly women, physically embraced trees to prevent contractors from felling them. This action was a direct response to commercial logging and the large scale cutting of forest trees, which threatened local ecology, water sources and the livelihood of hill communities. Therefore, the main issue at the heart of the Chipko movement was deforestation. While deforestation can cause many environmental problems like soil erosion and loss of biodiversity, the specific focus here is on the act of cutting trees, not on other forms of pollution such as water or noise pollution.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Recall that Chipko movement protagonists literally embraced trees to protect them from being cut down by contractors. 2. Understand that the immediate cause of the protest was the granting of forest contracts to outside companies that planned to fell many trees. 3. Recognise that such large scale cutting of trees is called deforestation. 4. Review the options: cultural pollution and noise pollution are not directly connected with tree felling. 5. Water pollution can be affected indirectly by deforestation, but the primary target of Chipko was not industrial waste in rivers but tree cutting itself. 6. Therefore, the most accurate and direct choice is deforestation.

Verification / Alternative check:
Environmental studies texts and history chapters on post independence India describe Chipko as a forest conservation movement. They highlight its role in raising awareness against deforestation and in shaping later forest policies. The images of villagers hugging trees are widely used as symbols of resistance to deforestation. These consistent descriptions across sources confirm that deforestation is the main environmental problem that Chipko movement opposed.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Cultural pollution: This term usually refers to erosion of traditional culture or values, which was not the central focus of the Chipko protest. Water pollution: Although forests help protect water sources, Chipko actions were directed towards tree cutting, not directly against dumping pollutants into water bodies. Noise pollution: Has no direct connection with the main Chipko campaigns, which were about forests and tree felling.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may overthink the question and relate Chipko to broader ecological issues such as floods or water quality, but exam questions usually look for the simplest, most direct connection: Chipko equals opposition to deforestation. Remembering the image of villagers hugging trees can help keep this core fact clear and prevent confusion with other environmental problems that have different dedicated movements or campaigns.

Final Answer:
The Chipko movement was basically a protest against deforestation, that is, large scale cutting of forest trees.