Environment Archives | Page 41 of 47

Big quake coming, warn MHA experts

January 6, 2016 Editor

The Union home ministry’s disaster management experts have warned of a bigger catastrophe, earthquakes with a magnitude of 8.2 or greater on the Richter scale which may hit the already ruptured Himalayan region. They say quakes with higher intensity than the one that struck Manipur on Monday are likely to rock the region in future. The tectonic shift a series of these recent earthquakes have caused in the region — Manipur 6.7 (Jan 2016), Nepal 7.3 (May 2015) and Sikkim 6.9 (2011) — have re-ruptured the plates that had already…

Cantonment Board stakes claim over stretch of Jhelum

January 4, 2016 Editor

The desiltation of river Jhelum at Shivpora here has come to a halt as the Cantonment Board is staking claim over water expanse and embankments there. Shivpora locality was one of the worst hit areas in September 2014 floods as it remained submerged for more than 20 days. The Cantonment Board’s claim has shocked the locals. “We have never heard of any such claim in past. Everyone knows that only Irrigation and Flood Control department has jurisdiction on Jhelum,” said Farooq Ahmad, a member of Mohalla Behbood Committee at Shivpora.…

As Wular dies, conservation project is race against time

December 30, 2015 Editor

One of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, Wular Lake has shrunk to nearly half its original area in the last few decades due to administrative apathy, extensive pollution, siltation and encroachment. The lake in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district is dying a silent death. The lake faces environmental threats including the conversion of large parts of catchment areas into agriculture land, siltation, rampant willow plantation, encroachment, untreated sewage, solid waste and weed infestation. Wular covered an area of 217.8 sq km which included 58 sq km of associated marshes in…

Govt seeks public response on actual size of Dal lake

December 28, 2015December 28, 2015 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…

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

December 28, 2015 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…

59 Anantnag families to give up encroached land along Jhelum

December 21, 2015 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…

Wetland loss, development put Kashmir bird migration at risk

December 19, 2015 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…

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

December 19, 2015 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…

Baglihar reservoir cause for concern

December 18, 2015 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.…

JK on verge of another natural disaster: Experts

December 16, 2015 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…