Category: Environment

Environment

Omar Abdullah faces criticism for Neglecting Environment after sharing photo of Soil Erosion

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Omar Abdullah faces criticism for Neglecting Environment after sharing photo of Soil Erosion

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah was criticised for neglecting environment during his tenure as after he shared a picture of soil erosion somewhere in the country during the recent heavy rainfall. The National Conference vice-president pointed at government apathy and wilful ignorance as the reasons for allowing huge structures on unstable land on hillsides. “Years of govt apathy and wilful ignorance while multi-storey concrete structures were built on unstable hillsides has lethal consequences. Who thought these buildings were a good idea? All hill states need to be…

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Senior J&K Official transferred after he flagged hotel construction irregularities

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Senior J&K Official transferred after he flagged hotel construction irregularities

Before he was shunted out, the official had also written to the Anantnag deputy commissioner about changes the latter made to the hotel’s construction plan that were executed in contravention of procedure. By: Jehangir Ali Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha’s administration shunted out a senior officer for allegedly flagging violations by an under-construction hotel in a Pahalgam health resort in south Kashmir, The Wire has learnt. The hotel, which comprises three huts and includes a staff quarter, is coming up in Athnadan village, located on the outskirts of the eco-fragile Pahalgam…

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Climate Change Threat: Study highlights formation of Three New Lakes in Ladakh due to Glacial Retreat, Poses Flood Risk

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Climate Change Threat: Study highlights formation of Three New Lakes in Ladakh due to Glacial Retreat, Poses Flood Risk

Field surveys by geologists have indicated that three new glacial lakes of different dimensions are likely to form in the area of the Parkachik Glacier in Ladakh as a result of glacial retreat, which could have the potential to cause floods if they burst. Scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, have conducted a study that describes the morphological and dynamic changes of the Parkachik Glacier in the Suru river valley of Ladakh Himalayas, using medium-resolution satellite images from 1971–2021 and field surveys between 2015 and 2021. The Parkachik…

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Ringing Alarm Bells: Frequent Earthquakes in Jammu and Kashmir Raise Concerns

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Ringing Alarm Bells: Frequent Earthquakes in Jammu and Kashmir Raise Concerns

Experts pitch for preparedness to minimise damage, develop earthquake resilient society By: Arif Shafi Wani Frequent earthquakes in Jammu and Kashmir have set alarm bells ringing with experts calling for increasing preparedness level to minimise the loss of lives in case of high magnitude tremblors. J&K falls under the high seismic Zones IV and V, making it vulnerable to earthquakes. A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake rattled J&K on October 8, 2005, claiming 1350 lives and causing massive destruction to structures. For the past over a year, J&K has been witnessing frequent…

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Unraveling the Phenomenon of Cloudbursts: Is Climate Change Responsible for Their Escalation?

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Unraveling the Phenomenon of Cloudbursts: Is Climate Change Responsible for Their Escalation?

Last Saturday, Mohammed Aslam was working in his kitchen garden when he heard his fellow villagers shouting that water was coming from the nearby foothills in southern Kulgam area in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Within moments, the farmer said, mud and muck from gushing water swept through the village, damaging scores of homes. “It was sudden and swift,” Aslam said. A cloudburst followed by flashfloods hit nearly a dozen villages in Kulgam, filling homes with mud and washing away some cattle. A day before, on Friday night, another cloudburst in the neighboring arid,…

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Fragile Himalayan Ecosystems at Risk as India-China Military Buildup Intensifies

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Fragile Himalayan Ecosystems at Risk as India-China Military Buildup Intensifies

By: Bilal Hussain Environmental activists and experts are increasingly concerned about the impact that military activity by India, China and Pakistan is having on the unique biodiversity and pristine ecosystems of Ladakh, an Indian-administered region high in the Himalayas. Simmering tensions between India and China since a deadly border confrontation in 2020 have led to a surge in military deployment, with both sides fortifying their positions to ensure territorial security. The influx of troops, equipment and infrastructure construction for military purposes has disrupted the fragile Himalayan ecosystem. The unchecked expansion…

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Environmental Concerns: Plastic Waste and Garbage Dumps in Gulmarg Forests Spark Outrage

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Environmental Concerns: Plastic Waste and Garbage Dumps in Gulmarg Forests Spark Outrage

By: Parvaiz Bhat  Images of garbage “dumped openly in a forest area” in ecologically fragile Gulmarg range which went viral on social media a few days ago, has once again highlighted the unending problem of mishandling of solid waste and overall issues related to management practices in health resorts of Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam and other tourist destinations within Kashmir valley. The photographs circulated on social media depicted a sorry state of affairs with solid waste — mostly plastic bags, plastic wrappers and plastic containers — dumped openly in the forest…

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Failure to Learn Lessons from 2014 Kashmir Deluge: A Concerning Reality

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Failure to Learn Lessons from 2014 Kashmir Deluge: A Concerning Reality

As the flood threat abated following decrease in water level of river Jhelum, people have started raising questions over the lackadaiscal implementation of much publicised “Flood Control Project” of centre which was announced after devastating 2014 floods. With an improvement in weather, the water started receding from river Jhelum and other streams across Kashmir and the flood threat abated. The Jhelum river which originates from south Kashmir’s Verinag that had crossed the flood declaration point is now flowing below the flood alert level and with each passing hour the water…

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Mounting Waste Crisis Poses Grave Threat to Kashmir’s Ecosystem

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Mounting Waste Crisis Poses Grave Threat to Kashmir's Ecosystem

By: Sameer Mushtaq, Suhail Bhat Kashmir’s breathtaking landscape is threatened by massive amounts of trash being produced and recklessly dumped, endangering its delicate environment and highlighting the urgent need for action. For years, a silent yet significant threat has been looming over Indian-administered Kashmir. The valley produces an astonishing 3,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste annually, with over 17,00 metric tonnes being recklessly dumped into agricultural fields, green forests and water bodies. The dumping of waste poses a severe threat to the fragile ecosystem, prompting urgent calls from experts to…

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High Court permits temporary structures during the Amarnath Yatra period at Sonamarg

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High Court permits temporary structures during the Amarnath Yatra period at Sonamarg

The High Court of J&K and Ladakh has permitted for setting up temporary structures for the facilitation of the Amarnath Yatris at Sonamarg. However, the court ordered that the temporary structures should be demolished once the yatra was over. A bench of Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Justice Moksha Khajuria Kazmi modified its order dated March 27, 2023, to allow the authorities to raise “temporary structures” at Sonamarg for the convenient transit of the yatris. “Considering the fact that Amarnath Yatra is going to commence from July 1, 2023,…

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