Hokersar is designated to be of international importance as a Ramsar site. In spite of such international importance, people at the helm instead of taking steps to conserve it are leaving no stone unturned to destroy it
Amir Khusro’s famous lines on Kashmir, “Gar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast”, testifies to the enchanting beauty of Kashmir in the most perfect way. But today when seeing the condition of Hokersar, I am obliged to say “Gar mardam e behis bar roo –e zameen ast, hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.” These words might be very harsh but the reality is grating, as I see before me the cold-blooded murder of the majestic ecological queen – the Hokersar.
Expecting to see the serene beauty of this wetland, one can only notice that the waters of Hokersar have been highly polluted by domestic sewerage and chocked by the noxious Azolla. Scores of concrete heaps and huge dumps of garbage give a pungent smell and foul look all around, and hundreds of kanals of land are used illegally for cultivating paddy. Excess load of siltation adversely affects the depth of the wetland, which was 1.12 metres and has reduced to only 0.63 metres.
The winter season has begun in Kashmir, when thousands of birds should be arriving from Siberia, Central Asia and China, but illegal encroachments, unabated pollution, and other unchecked human interference has reduced the great wetland to a big pond, forcing migratory birds to find an alternative habitat as their winter home. After destroying their breeding space we didn’t even spare these birds, too. These winged visitors are under threat as they fall prey to hunting.
Hokersar wetland is designated to be of international importance as a Ramsar site. In spite of such international importance, people at the helm instead of taking steps to conserve it are leaving no stone unturned to destroy it. The Queen of Wetlands, Ramsar site, these words just remain taglines and have failed to wake the conscience of people. We don’t even bother to take a second to ponder why this queen is in muddles and who is responsible for this vicious act. It’s us, the ungrateful people, who were gifted this valuable resource by divinity but our barbarities made this wetland a wasteland. How can we be so atrocious? How can the people of paradise be so heartless? Are we going to bequeath a dirty pond to our future generations in the name of Hokersar?
In return for all kinds of privileges it bestows us with, we left this queen begging for its own rights. It’s just asking us not to choke her and let her chest expand so that there is a flow of water in her clogged veins. It’s asking not to throw muck on her beautiful face. It’s pleading not to kill her winged children whom she embraces in this wintry season… oh! Cruel we, is she asking for too much, is she?
The writer is a PG student of Environmental Science. fo**************@***il.com