Category: Environment

Environment

Unscientific disposal of solid waste continues unabated

Editor

At a time when the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has started highlighting its achievements under the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, its policies on dumping solid waste will create an environmental disaster for 15 lakh inhabitants of the winter capital. Everyday, half a dozen bulldozers dig trenches along the banks of the Tawi to dispose tonnes of waste, including toxic substances, generated in the city. The river banks at Bhagwati nagar have traditionally been used as dumping sites for solid waste, but in the past few years, waste is being scattered along…

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BRO vandalizes forests under garb of road widening in Bandipora

Editor

Border Roads Organization (BRO) has been vandalising forest areas in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district for past several months under the pretext of road widening, with forest department in deep slumber. BRO is undertaking the road widening of 84 kilometre Bandipora-Gurez road through the forest areas of Bandipora and Gurez range rich with forest habitation including prized Deodar, Kail and Fir trees. Locals and eyewitnesses said that BRO was felling trees from the forest area that too a regenerative forest area in broad day light as forest department has failed to…

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‘Medium danger’ avalanche warning for Jammu and Kashmir

Editor

A ‘medium danger’ avalanche warning was issued for higher areas of Jammu and Kashmir, advising people not to venture in these areas over the next 24 hours. An advisory to this effect was issued today by Chandigarh-based Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment ( SASE), which comes under the Ministry of Defence, here. ‘Medium danger’ avalanche warning exists for avalanche prone areas above 3500 metres altitude of Kupwara, Ganderbal, Baramula and Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir, the advisory said.

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Dal Lake Conservation Case

Editor

Expressing displeasure over absence of top officers including Chief Secretary in Dal Lake conservation case, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Wednesday observed that all the constitutional, statutory and administrative authorities are “servants of laws.” “The court would have initiated action in accordance with law against these authorities but in view of the request by Senior Additional Advocate General N A Beigh, we defer at this stage initiation of proceedings against them,” a bench of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar and Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey observed. Hearing a Public interest…

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HC disappointed, says 14 years on, desired results yet to be realised for preservation of Dal Lake

Editor

Demonstrating its disappointment, the J&K High Court on Thursday observed that despite issuing directions aimed at preservation of the Dal Lake and other water bodies for the last 14 years, “desired results” had not been “concretised till date”. The court, in an effort to put in place a “permanent mechanism” for the preservation of water bodies, including the Dal, and “settle the matter”, sought the presence of Chief Secretary and Commissioner Secretaries of Tourism, Housing, Urban Development, Finance and Planning Departments on the next hearing. The directions were issued by…

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Experts raise alarm over dumping of Jhelum’s dredged material

Editor

Despite the Central government’s financial support, the dredging of the Jhelum has put the J&K Government in a difficult situation as the disposal of excavated material may need over thousands of kanals. Experts have raised an alarm as the department is disposing silt and sand excavated from the river in low-lying areas of Srinagar which may lead to another 2014-like floods. Urban planner Iftikhar Drabu said the dumping of the excavated material in “low-lying areas or water bodies” around the city would create another catastrophe. A Kolkata-based company, Reach Dredgers,…

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Admin caught napping on Achen landfill site, scientific disposal of waste

Editor

Leachate treatment plant dysfunctional, no soiling done Even as over 3,000 metric tons of garbage continues to mount on the streets of the summer capital since March 5, when protests erupted against the dumping of waste at Achen, the basic point is that the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has failed in the scientific disposal of the solid waste at the sole landfill site here. This correspondent during an on-the-spot visit of the landfill site found that two essential laid down guidelines for scientific disposal of waste –the leachate treatment and soiling…

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Wildlife team goes all out to rescue hangul, finds sambar

Editor

The Wildlife Department had got a team of officials from Dehradun to rescue a ‘trapped hangul’ from the Chenab in Kishtwar district, but it turned out to be a sambar — an exceptionally good swimmer. Since Thursday afternoon, Wildlife officials along with the police were busy tracking the deer in the water to rescue it. They even requested experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, to help in the rescue operation. However, being a good swimmer, the sambar managed to swim across the river on Friday evening. “We…

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Take immediate action against encroachments on saffron fields; Govt

Editor

Taking a serious note of illegal constructions and encroachments on saffron fields, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have ordered immediate legal action against the violators. Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Asghar Samoon also constituted a committee to look into the illegal constructions and asked it to report to him on weekly basis, an official spokesman said here. He said Samoon passed the directions while chairing a high-level meeting regarding the illegal constructions on saffron fields. The committee comprises Deputy Commissioner Pulwama, Joint Director Agriculture and concerned Tehsildars. Divisional Commissioner was informed that…

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Migratory birds bid early adieu to Kashmir as temperature rises

Editor

Thousands of migratory birds are bidding an early adieu to Kashmir this year because of unusually hot temperatures and scant rain and snowfall. “Normally, the migration back to summer homes from the Valley by the migratory bird species starts by the middle of March, but due to unusual rise in temperatures and scant precipitation during the winter months, these avian visitors are leaving earlier this year,” said Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone, wildlife warden (Wetlands Kashmir). Lone said many species of migratory birds including Pintails, Mallards, Pochards, Wigeons and Shovellers have already…

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