Category: Environment

Environment

Migratory birds keep tryst with Kashmir

Editor

A riot of colour and cackle has returned to the wetland reserves of Jammu and Kashmir with the first arrivals of thousands of migratory birds from far off lands this year. Migratory birds from Siberia, China, the Philippines, Eastern Europe and other areas arrive here every year to spend winter months in the Kashmir Valley to ward off the extreme cold of their summer homes. “We start receiving the first flights of the avian visitors in the first week of October. The arrivals continue till February,” Imtiyaz Lone, the Wetland…

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Heritage sites decaying after repeated disasters

Editor

Heritage sites in the Kashmir valley are decaying due to continuous natural disasters for the past 10 years. However, the government has failed to initiate any measures to preserve such sites. The earthquake that shook the Valley yesterday was another reminder for the government to wake up and preserve such sites. Experts who are involved in preserving these places said there was a need of multiple risk assessment of important monuments in Kashmir. “Earthquake was a reminder that we must take steps to protect such sites. There is a need…

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Quake-prone, yet not prepared for disaster

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State falls in seismic zone IV, V I Its disaster management strategy yet to be implemented A decade after the 7.6 magnitude quake claimed 86,000 lives on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, the government seems to have learnt no lesson in handling disasters despite the state being “tectonically active” and vulnerable to massive earthquakes. The state still lacks concrete disaster management policy and what is more worrying is that the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and its offshoots at divisional and district levels…

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Govt to use eco-friendly tech for waste management

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The government will make use of eco-friendly ‘waste-to-value technology’ to tackle the problem of solid waste management. An official statement today said Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed chaired a meeting here last evening to discuss various options for treating waste by using latest technologies for cleaner and healthier environment. “During the meeting, a presentation was also given on waste-to-value technology that makes garbage disposal not only scientific but a source of sustained revenue generation for the government by trading in end products. Various options available with the government for adopting…

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JU’s two-day ‘Save Tawi’ campaign concludes

Editor

The two-day-long “Save Tawi” campaign launched by the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu (JU), in collaboration with the Society for Environmental Education and Research (SEER) and Centre for Environment Education and Training (CEET) on the banks of the Tawi concluded today. The campaign was organised on the last two days of Navratras when a large number of devotees visited the river for immersion of “saakh” (barely sprouts) along with other religious material in it. The campaign was organised to educate people regarding the harmful effects of mass bathing…

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Attach unauthorised structures in, around Dal Lake: HC

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The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed attachment of all the structures and buildings constructed in violation of Srinagar Master Plan and court orders in and around Dal Lake here. A Division Bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Hasnain Masoodi yesterday gave the direction to Lakes and Water Ways Development Authority (LAWDA) to attach all these structures and buildings. “We, in the said backdrop, direct respondent Authority (LAWDA) to attach all the above mentioned structures and buildings raised in violation of Master…

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Post floods, people raise commercial structures on residential permits

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40% of applicants deceived authorities: SMC official In the aftermath of last year’s floods, many commercial structures have cropped up in Srinagar in violation of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation’s (SMC) building permissions. The violators have constructed commercial structures on sites where permission was given for residential structures. For instance, a three-storey commercial building is coming up near National School, Karan Nagar where Mohammad Shafi Shah son of Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Shah was granted a residential building permission. “The permission is purely for residential purposes and (there should be) no change in…

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‘Green Kashmir Initiative’ launched from Sonamarg

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A group of young tour operators today kick-started ‘Clean Sonamarg Drive’ as part of Green Kashmir Initiative for protecting the fragile ecology of tourist spots in Kashmir Valley. The Green Kashmir Initiative under the banner Kashmir Eco Tourism Club (KETC) was launched from Sonamarg by Shabir Hussain, CEO – Sonamarg Development Authority. Riyaz Ahmad & Saleem Wanchu, General Managers of JKTDC were present, a statement here said. Later, the members of Green Initiative drive visited all the shopkeepers and distributed cloth bags among them to prevent use of polythene. Besides,…

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Residential areas in Srinagar turning into commercial hubs

Editor

Rampant construction in the aftermath of floods is fast turning residential areas in Srinagar into commercial hubs even as officials of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation maintained that action would be taken against the violators once the revised Master Plan was approved by the Cabinet. There has been widespread construction of unplanned colonies in many parts of the summer capital in violation of the Srinagar Master Plan. Residents alleged rampant construction of shopping malls and other commercial buildings in the flood-hit localities of the city. They said the Srinagar Master Plan…

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