As it is said, “What goes around comes around”, the recent episode in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district of sudden flooding, caused probably by a breach in a glacial lake, was a consequence of anthropogenic interference in the ecological system and ignorance about the local ecology. It was a warning against tampering with the environment. If we look at the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, we find a unique geographical setting that is rich as well as fragile at the same time, especially the Kashmir valley. The valley is a deep basin lying between the spurs of the great Himalayas and the Pir Panchal Range at an average altitude of 5300 ft above sea level. With coordinates between 33’ 15 and 34’35 N, 74’10 and 75’40 E, the Kashmir landscape is marked by karewas, marshes, uplands, springs, and numerous rivers and lakes that describe a fascinating relief and diverse geographical contours.
The beauty of Kashmir has attracted scholars, saints, poets, and kings from outside since times immemorial. Its splendour has been praised with different names like ‘Heaven on Earth’, ‘Himalayan Paradise’, etc, but unfortunately this paradise is going to the gallows of disasters, both natural and man-made. Human intrusion into the ecological balance has disfigured and mutilated the very existence of Kashmir in every possible way. Starting from the green gold which is disappearing at an alarming rate, the State of Forest Reports read that the forest cover in UT of J&K is 19.58%, contrasting with the norm of National Forest Policy 1988 which provides for forest cover of 1/3 of the total geographical area.
Forests have played a vital role in the economy of J&K. The Sufi saint Sheikh ul Alam said, “Ann posh teliyeli wann poush”. But the wann in our valley has been subjected to petty greed in many a form and is vanishing constantly. Then come our karewas, locally known as “Vudur”. Dominantly lacustrine in origin and suitable for saffron, walnut, almonds, and pear cultivation, these tablelands have been reduced to dreadful ravines. Anthropogenic erosion has consumed almost half of these karewas across the valley. The Kashmiri proverb “Mechikhanenrozi ne Mech” speaks of the vanishing of karewas. There is much documented evidence of the loss of karewas along the national highway near Delina and Pattan in Baramulla where it has disappeared almost completely. The excavated soil is either used to fill marshy land or to assure a plain surface for construction.
Another trend that is prevalent in Kashmir is the filling of wetlands which act as a natural sponge that retains water. Due to this malpractice we have already witnessed the horrible disaster in the form of 2014 floods that wreaked havoc in J&K. Moreover, the “Veyth” pride of Kashmir has been transformed into dumping sites. Heaps of garbage are visible on the banks of river Jhelum, with signboards mounted on them to keep the place clean, ironically. Last but not the least, the famous Dal Lake is suffocating and has become choked with filthy material.
We have dirtied our land and water in all possible ways. As a society we have to take the oath to reverse the degradation that is badly hurting our environment and the ecosystem. We have to wake up, for there is no other option. Otherwise, we just have to wait for a greater disaster that may destroy our very existence.
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