Category: Environment

Environment

Wular Lake shrinks as residents resort to encroachments

Editor

The Wular Lake has shrunk in size and its water carrying capacity has been reduced as government has failed to work out conservation measures. The illegal constructions, garbage dumping and massive silting of the lake has hampered the conservation efforts. Due to the widespread encroachments, the lake left many areas inundated in the floods last September. The massive silting of the lake and dumping of waste by local bodies and growing encroachments in absence of proper government monitoring has left the lake piolluted. As per official records 20 villages with…

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Choked funds, choked water bodies

Editor

Without dredging, flood threat looms large as silt chokes rivers, flood channels After the calamitous flood of September 2014, the rivers and flood channels of Kashmir were choked by silt. In the official analyses that followed, diverse authorities recommended additional flood channels in order to avoid a recurrence of the devastating floods. All these plans remain confined to files. The Government of India (GoI) has not provided funds required for this urgent project, pushing Kashmir toward dangers. “Our department had proposed the development of a new flood channel in Kashmir…

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69 wildlife officials are guarding 2,50,000 migratory birds in Kashmir

Editor

Avian visitors have been making their annual tryst with Kashmir valley for centuries now Avian guests from Eastern Europe, Siberia, China, Philippines and other areas have already started arriving in Kashmir this year at the turn of season. To ward off the extreme cold of their summer homes, as many as 2,50,000 migratory birds including mallards, common teals, pintails, coots, and gadwalls have reached the Hokarsar Wetland, on the outskirts of Srinagar to spend the winter months in the valley. Avian visitors have been making their annual tryst with Kashmir…

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SPCB’s adverse report doesn’t stop kiln operation in Budgam

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3 brick kilns operate on horticultural land; authorities unmoved  Authorities have failed to cancel the licenses of three brick kilns and suspend their “illegal” operations on the horticultural land since last year at village Gariend Khurd in Budgam district. Despite resentment from the local residents three brick kilns have been set up on the 1500 kanals of horticulture land at the cost of thousands of apple, almond and other fruit trees and are running in brazen violation of The Jammu and Kashmir Brick Kilns (Regulation) Act, 2010. Locals allege that…

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Migratory birds keep tryst with Kashmir

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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

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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

Editor

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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