Category: Environment

Environment

Sonamarg ‘Meadow of gold’ turning into concrete jungle?

Editor

“Where is Sonamarg? All I see is a concrete jungle of bricks and iron.” The remarks by a local visitor summed up the destruction brought by human greed to one of the most sought after tourist destinations of Kashmir called the “meadow of gold”. Situated some 85 km north of the summer capital on the Srinagar-Leh highway, Sonamarg is also home to the Thajiwas glacier — just a half-day but a difficult trek from here. But that is also shrinking. In fact, “fast vanishing”, according to Shakil Romshoo, a noted…

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Take time bound steps to reduce quake vulnerability: Governor

Editor

Governor NN Vohra has urged Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to take personal cognisance and issue firm directives to each and every stakeholder to start preparing for dealing with an earthquake of 8.0 magnitude on the Richter scale and above. In a letter to the Chief Minister, the Governor re-iterated that J&K is predominantly located in Seismic Zone V and people had, as recently as, in the 2005 earthquake, suffered considerable losses. Noting the response of the administrative system to the September 2014 floods, the Governor expressed concern saying, “we were…

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Hangul, the rare Kashmir deer, may soon go extinct

Editor

The endangered hangul, also known as Kashmir deer, is in the throes of extinction, largely because of human intrusions and domestic livestock grazing at its only habitat here. Wildlife experts and activists claim they have been raising the alarm, calling for stringent measures to check human intrusions at Srinagar’s famed Dachigam National Park, the main concentration of the endangered elk species. But the authorities have allowed grazing in the sprawling national park, spread over 141 sq km, for what the activists say mere “political reasons”, which has gravely endangered the…

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Sixty lakh people of state living in high-risk seismic Zone V

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Experts says robust disaster management needed to avoid damage Nearly 60 lakh people in Jammu and Kashmir live in the high-risk seismic Zone V and a high-intensity earthquake in the state, as predicted by American geologists, could have devastating results. The total population of the state is 1.25 crore as per the 2011 Census. The major worry is that the high-intensity earthquake could spell doom in Jammu and Srinagar cities as they have a high concentration of population and rapid unplanned construction of commercial buildings and houses. As per a…

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Despite Court orders, admin ‘fails’ to axe Russian poplars in city

Editor

Despite High Court orders to axe the Russian poplars across valley, district administration in Summer Capital Srinagar has failed to axe the banned poplar trees. Shedding of harmful pollen is causing inconveniences and infections in many areas of city. Due to failure of administration to cut down the poplar trees and its plantation, residents around these trees are facing severe health problems. Russian poplars are shedding harmful pollen which has become a source of inconveniences and people are suffering from infections and allergies. The parents of school going children have…

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This year Kashmir welcomed over 7 lakh winged visitors

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Kashmir has received over seven lakh migratory birds this year, reveals different surveys carried in 23 wetlands located in different parts of the valley. Some prominent wetlands surveyed included Hokersar, Shalibug, Hygam, Mirgund, Dal, Anchar, Narkara, Narbag, Waspura, and Wular. Four small wetlands of Pampore area and a small patch of land near power house Baramulla were also surveyed. Precisely, 7,29,000 birds have visited various wetlands of Kashmiri in 2016. According to Wildlife Warden Kashmir, Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone, around 37 species of birds were counted this year which consisted of…

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Fish perish due to water pollution

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Fishery Dept says probe to be held, Pollution Control Dept not aware Hundreds of fish have died in local nullahs at Battal Ballian, Dudhar and Barrian in Udhampur district due to excessive water pollution allegedly caused due to discharge from some units at local Battal Ballian Industrial Area. However, the administration seems to have taken no action against the erring factory owners. According to reports, more than four tonnes of fish have died as poisonous sewage was discharged directly or indirectly into these nullahs from local industrial units a week…

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Russian poplar species a public nuisance: HC

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Observing that poplars of Russian species are public nuisance, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has sought compliance of its orders on their chopping in Kashmir. “All the Deputy Commissioners of the valley, at the first instance, are required to file the compliance report by or before May 20, 2016,” a bench of Justice Muhammad Yaqoob Mir said in its order. “Enormous plantation and growth of poplar trees of Russian Species are allegedly proving catastrophic and a big health hazard. Can such a nuisance be allowed to exist totally to…

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J&K houses 15 unstable landslide zones : Geological Survey of India

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”Geomorphic hazards most widespread in Ramban, Leh, Udhampur districts” Geological Survey of India (GSI) has claimed that there are 15 highly unstable landslide zones in Jammu and Kashmir. This claim finds mention in vital GSI survey which was conducted in two years to create a landslide compendium in North Western States of Himalayan region, including Jammu and Kashmir. The other two Himalayan states covered by the survey are Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The type of information included in the compendium are Landslide Susceptibility Maps on scale 1:50,000 covering parts of…

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Soon, law to make JK polythene-free : Nirmal Singh

Editor

Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said since the government was putting in place austerity measures on smoking and drug abuse, the menace of polythene use and non-adherence to ban was another major health hazard. He said the government would soon bring in a stringent legislation to cleanse the state of polythene pollution. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, in her recent statement, endorsed an NGO’s view to take stringent measures against smoking in Jammu and Kashmir. “It is a great step forward to take all-out measures to protect the health of the…

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