Category: Environment

Environment

Govt seeks public response on actual size of Dal lake

Editor

After conducting extensive surveys to measure the area of Dal lake, the Government has sought response from public to ascertain actual size of the water body. On the directions of High Court monitoring the Dal lake, the Government has conducted several surveys including using satellite images to ascertain the area of the water body—which is bedeviled by encroachments. Amid conflicting figures about the actual area of Dal lake, the Government has taken the settlement record of in 1895 by then settlement Commissioner Sir Walter Lawrence as yardstick. In his settlement…

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Amid protests, ERA continues to work on Doodh Ganga water scheme

Editor

With the rising public anger over Doodh Ganga  water supply scheme built at summer capital Srinagar outskirts, Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) Saturday said that they would continue implementing the scheme. Hundreds of protestors held peaceful demonstrations, saying that they would continue to protest against the scheme till it is dismissed.  “We will continue to protest. The diameter of the pipe is such that the Dhoodhganga river will dry up even in summers,” said Irshad, a local.  “There is an undercurrent going on. The priority to irrigation is…

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59 Anantnag families to give up encroached land along Jhelum

Editor

As many as 59 families encroaching upon the Jhelum banks in the Khannabal area of Anantnag district have decided to vacate the land. The families have asked for a window of two and a half months to relocate. They will file an affidavit in this regard in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The Anantnag district administration has taken initiatives to clear the Jhelum embankment in compliance with the High Court order of 2014. Soon after the floods last year, the HC had in November 2014 heard a public interest…

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Wetland loss, development put Kashmir bird migration at risk

Editor

The cackle and cry of Kashmir’s annual bird migration has long been a welcome ruckus for those living in the Indian-controlled Himalayan territory. It signals the summer’s end, the coming snows and the global importance of Kashmir’s environment for species arriving from as far as northern Europe and Japan. But these days, wildlife experts say they have never seen so few birds — and so few species — feeding and breeding around the wetlands nestled between the region’s mountain peaks and plateaus. A combination of climate change and haphazard urban…

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In 100 yrs, Kashmir’s water bodies register 50% loss

Editor

Eco-degradation In 1911, the spatial extent of water bodies was 356.85 sq km, including 271.70 sq km of marshy wetlands and 85.15 sq km of water bodies. By 2011, the lakes and wetlands area had reduced to 158.54 sq km, which included about 117 sq km of marshy wetlands and 41 sq km of water bodies. Some wetlands such as Batmalun Nambal, Rakh-e-Gandakshah and Rakh-e-Arth have been completely lost, while some lakes like Gilsar and Khushalsar have been ecologically degraded. Wetlands in Valley have lost their water absorption capacity due…

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Baglihar reservoir cause for concern

Editor

Fear of impending disaster keeps residents of Doda & Kishtwar districts on tenterhooks Call it a deliberate attitude of the government to remain unaware of the fallout of the Baglihar hydroelectric project reservoir or inability of officers to deal the situation, uncertainty is increasing in the twin districts of Doda and Kishtwar, where the threat of a huge disaster is becoming a major concern for the populace. This 900-MW power project is fast turning the area into a no-habitation zone with huge mountains ‘merging’ into the Chenab slowly and steadily.…

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JK on verge of another natural disaster: Experts

Editor

After suffering the devastating floods in September 2014, Jammu and Kashmir is on the verge of another disaster due to ecological degradation caused by blatant exploitation of natural resources. On the one hand, forest cover in Jammu and Kashmir, which was once known for its green cover, is shrinking with every passing day while on the other, extreme weather phenomena are becoming a routine affair in the fragile Himalayan state. Brisk engineering driven development in hilly areas at the cost of the environment is contributing a lot towards ecological imbalance…

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Rivers up for grabs, govt remains insensitive

Editor

No major policy change to save water bodies in the state since devastating floods last year More than a year has passed since the devastating floods in September 2014 ravaged Jammu and Kashmir, but the state government seems to have forgotten its promise to rein in unabated encroachment along rivers and other water bodies. This was a major reason for destruction which cost the state billions in infrastructure and around 300 precious lives. Despite the Water Resources Regulation Act providing executive powers to the authorities to act against the offenders,…

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Forces destroying forests, environment in Kashmir: Geelani

Editor

Chairman Hurriyat (G) Conference, Syed Ali Geelani Monday said by setting up camps and firing ranges everywhere in Kashmir, army is destroying the forests, water resources, environment and the economy of the poor people and is converting the entire area into a military garrison. He expressed concern and anguish over the demand of Army for notifying Bajpathri forest area close to Yusmarg hill resort in central Kashmir’s Budgam district for its use as an artillery firing range. He also expressed sorrow over the likely nod of the government to the…

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Will Bajpathri be another Tosamaidan?

Editor

The Jammu and Kashmir government has agreed to “expeditiously examine” the Army’s demand for notifying Bajpathri forest area—close to Yusmarg hill resort in central Kashmir’s Budgam district—for its use as an artillery firing range. The Army had taken up the issue during the Civil-Military Liaison Conference (CMLC) headed by Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed in September this year. “Noting that the details of the proceedings undertaken so far in regard to the notification of Thambri (Bajpathri) field firing range, it was agreed that Government will expeditiously examine the proposal for…

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