Kashmir's Green Solution Fair, first of its kind environmental event, is being organized in Kashmir in the month of May 2010 by the Indian Youth Climate Network to talk about the environmental problems in the state and required actions.
Kashmir's Green Solution Fair, first of its kind environmental event, is being organized in Kashmir in the month of May 2010 by the Indian Youth Climate Network to talk about the environmental problems in the state and required actions.
Over the years, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has seen rapid environmental and ecological degradation. Degradation of the forests and land resources, polluted fresh water lakes, river sedimentation, frequent flash floods, soil erosion/landslides, acid rains, and impacts of global warming are just a few manifestations of man’s insensitivity to environment and ecology in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the temperature in Kashmir has increased by over one degree, and it is now continuously soaring at .05 degree every year. The IMD further reported that deforestation has resulted 35 percent decrease in monsoon and 10 percent in snow annually in Kashmir.
The state has poor waste management and sewage treatment systems, due to which untreated municipal/industrial waste is being discharged directly into water bodies, polluting the drinking water and destroying the aquatic life forms. The once pristine Dal Lake is now choked with silt, excessive weed growth, sewage, and it also faces the problem of encroachments. According to a recent study by a group of experts from India, the new vegetation in the form of a mysterious red weed seen on the periphery of the Dal Lake is an indicator of serious degree of pollution. But to our dismay, all these major problems have continuously been neglected.
Jammu and Kashmir being a “Special Economic Zone” has taken a toll on the environment and ecology of the region. Innumerable number of industries and factories set up here for tax benefits are greatly responsible for polluting the air and causing deforestation.
The supply of water throughout the valley is polluted. High infant mortality rate is the result of common infections and diseases such as gastroenteritis. Majority of the illnesses are related to polluted water supplies leading to other diseases such as hepatitis, gastroenteritis, poliomyelitis, typhoid and cholera.
A large green area has been destroyed in the name of urbanization and amenities provision like felling of trees for widening of the Jammu-Pathankot bypass road and construction of Pull Doda to Bhaderwah, NAHI’s the four-lane project. The shrinking green cover and deforestation has lead to increased soil erosion and frequent flash-floods. This has effected the life of people as well as destroyed the natural habitat of many species of birds and animals.
Not only flora, fauna has been equally affected. Ms. Reetu Asrani an environmental activist and resident of Srinagar says “A number of rare species that were only found in the valley are now gradually disappearing.”
Uncontrolled industrialization and urbanization has put lot of pressure on the atmospheric conditions, increasing the pace of addition of GHG emission to air. Permanent snowfall on the mountains has receded; the average annual temperatures have risen, and the amount of rainfall has also significantly diminished. All these are ominous signs that if further neglected can wreck havoc in the valley.
A first of its kind Green Solution Fair cum Conference is being organized in the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Center in Srinagar on the 25th and 26th of May 2010. The conference will invite experts and speakers to talk about existing environmental problems in the Jammu and Kashmir region and possible eco-solutions that meet local needs.
Participants will comprise of companies offering solutions to local problems, Non Governmental Organizations and Universities. Further, sale of eco-friendly products and publications, and buyer-seller meets will take place at this event. Heavyweights like Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir, J&K Bank, Department of Environment and Remote Sensing, Jammu and Kashmir State Pollution Control Board, and Ministry of Environment and Forestry have already extended their support to make this event a success.
Mr. Surendran Balachandaran from the Indian Youth Climate Network says ‘Such kind of initiatives are what people of the valley are looking forward to and by organizing this event IYCN hopes to set a precedent for others to religiously follow.”
IYCN suggests a few solutions that the state needs to incorporate to salvage its pride. Designated Land Fill sites should be used to their full potential, Fossil Fuels should be replaced with clean and green energy. This includes a shift to solar, biofuel, and hydro electric energy. A massive tree plantation drive should be undertaken, environmental clearances should be made mandatory for all projects, and since J&K has innumerable number of hotels, all of them should have proper waste management and sewage treatment systems.
The Environment Committee of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly needs to act fast and ask the state government to take up the issues related to environment on a priority basis. An efficient master plan needs to be devised to preserve the fragile ecosystem of the state. The central and state government, corporate houses, civil society organizations, and the people of the valley need to work in tandem to revive and restore the glory of this beautiful valley before it’s too late.
Reference:
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/today/full_story.asp?Date=25_5_2010&ItemID=48&cat=5
http://www.iycn.in/content/green-solutions-jk
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