Category: Environment

Environment

Guv urges pilgrims to shun polythene during yatra

Editor

Governor NN Vohra, Chairman, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), has appealed to pilgrims and all stakeholders of the Amarnath yatra to maintain cleanliness and sanitation in the entire area, from the base camps onwards, to preserve the natural environment. The Governor has particularly requested the stakeholders not to use polythene or any other non-biodegradable materials during the annual pilgrimage, which is scheduled to commence on July 2. Signages are being put up at the two base camps and along the yatra routes to urge pilgrims to respect the environment and…

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Official apathy pushes Khushalsar, Gilsar on verge of extinction

Editor

Failure of authorities to take measures for conservation of Gilsar and Khushalsar lakes in Shaher-e-Khaas has pushed the water bodies on the verge of extinction. Gilsar and Khushalsar are two interconnected lakes which receive waters from Nigeen lake and gradually flows into Anchar lake. Situated between Hawal and Nowshehra areas, these interconnected lakes till few decades ago were one of the major tourist attractions and bird watching sites. However, in absence of conservation, these lakes are bedeviled with encroachments, siltation and pollution. Numerous springs locally called as Mukhta Pokhar and…

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Govt to crackdown on encroachers to protect water bodies

Editor

Vowing to take a “tough stand” against those found encroaching upon pathways and areas of water bodies, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said that the government was serious in making concerted efforts to ensure clearing of the waterways to end fears of disasters in future. Intervening to a question of CPM’s MY Tarigami on flood management during Question Hour in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said that there were many reasons for vanishing water bodies, including blockage of movement of water in the tributaries to Jhelum river and lakes in…

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Usman Majeed seek steps to save Wular Lake

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Congress MLA from Bandipora Usman Majeed today cautioned the government against environmental disaster in case immediate efforts were not taken to save Wular Lake, the only freshwater lake in Asia, from further degradation. “A plan is required to remove willow trees and prevent their re-growth in the periphery of the lake,” said Usman Majeed while participating in the discussion on demand for grants for the forest, ecology and environment in the state Assembly here today. “If we lose Wular, it will lead to an ecological imbalance,” he said. The MLA…

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National Green Tribunal bans dumping of debris in Chenab & Tawi

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The National Green Tribunal has taken exception to indiscriminate dumping of soil in rivers Chenab and Tawi for construction of road on the Udhampur to Banihal stretch of the national highway and restrained authorities from throwing any debris in the water bodies. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notices to Environment Ministry, Ministry of Roads Transport and Highways, Jammu and Kashmir government, Hindustan Construction Company Ltd, Gammon India Ltd, state pollution control board, District Magistrates of Ramban and Udhampur and others while seeking their reply within…

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Kashmir University initiates process to axe Russian poplars

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Officials said the process to put all Russian poplars in the campus to auction for their felling has been started and a committee in this regard has already been constituted on directions of Vice-Chancellor, Prof Khurshid Iqbal Andrabi. Realizing the hazardous effects of Russian poplars on public health, the Kashmir University has initiated the process to axe such trees in the campus. Officials said the process to put all Russian poplars in the campus to auction for their felling has been started and a committee in this regard has already…

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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

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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

Editor

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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