By: Mirza Jahanzeb Beg
DODA; 03 JUNE 2021: As the construction work on Pull Doda to Kishtwar road continues, so does the wrath of human interference with the ecological balance of nature. Under the grumbling noise of heavy machinery and excavators run by the officials of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), the painful cries in agony and helplessness of vulnerable Mother Nature often go unheard. Chenab Valley region of Jammu and Kashmir, has already been a hotbed of seismic activities, some of which is attributed by some experts to the artificial pooling of water in the form of large dams which has caused people a great deal of inconvenience in the past as well as contributed to the loss of infrastructure and public property in addition to the human cost of such developments. As if that was not enough, the Lush green forests that were once the hallmark of this mountainous region, having fetched the name of green gold, are slowly dying a cruel death, adding to the growing evidence of Human greed and corruption, leaving the mountains barren. Deforestation and Mining done illegally, in addition to the construction activities under the banner of Development, have not only disturbed the natural equilibrium but also impacted the geographical balance, the consequences of which have to be taken seriously and the impact calculated and studied properly.
Recently, the officials of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) have started construction of work on Pull Doda -Kishtwar Road starting Pull Doda Bridge on the river Chenab. This portion has young toddler grown up forest treasure like Kail and Deodar trees all along up to Sui Gawari. The construction activity has lead to massive damages to the forest resources, causing considerable damage to the ecology and environment. Keeping in view the adverse impact of such callous and inconsiderate activities, renowned Socio-Political figure of the region Adv. Syed Asim Hashmi, who is also serving as the counsellor, District Development council has written to the Senior Superintendent of Police Doda demanding initiation of legal proceeding and immediate registration of an FIR against the officials of NHIDCL as warranted under different provisions of criminal law including forest act. While talking to media, Adv Asim Hashmi said, “cutting of the trees without proper sanction and permission is a cognizable offence, but the executing agency seems to be above the law. After seeing the destruction of the trees along the Highway on the Pull Doda on Kishtwar Road and the damage caused to the fragile environment and ecology, due to the acts and the omissions of executing agency, I kept on calling the concerned officials both in the Agency and the Administration, but to no avail. Though it has been stated categorically by the officials of NHIDCL and Forest Department that there is no permission from the Govt. for cutting the trees or causing any kind of damage to the forest where the work is being executed. Needless to mention here, that there are hundreds of Kail and Deodar trees all along the Road up to Sui Gawari and many of them have already been cut and dumped. On behalf of the Public of Chenab Valley Region, I request the administration to take legal action in the interest of general public and the environment so that the damage to the already endangered green gold may be prevented.”
It is pertinent to mention here that the deforestation in Himalayan region has already triggered the melting of glaciers and according to research, the similar magnitude and acceleration of ice loss across the Himalayas suggests a regionally coherent climate forcing, consistent with atmospheric warming and associated energy fluxes as the dominant drivers of glacier change. According to a research published in the American Association of the Advancement of Science titled “Acceleration of ice loss across the Himalayas over the past 40 years”, researchers J.M Maurer et al have suggested accelerated ice melting in Himalayan region with local glaciers melting twice as fast in the 21st century as they were from 1975 to 2000 having disrupted the glaciers which were once sturdily frozen in place. The researchers said, “Our analysis robustly quantifies four decades of ice loss for 650 of the largest glaciers across a 2000-km transect in the Himalayas. We find similar mass loss rates across sub regions and a doubling of the average rate of loss during 2000–2016 relative to the 1975–2000 intervals. This is consistent with the available multidecade weather station records scattered throughout HMA, which indicate quasi-steady mean annual air temperatures through the 1960s to the 1980s with a prominent warming trend beginning in the mid-1990s and continuing into the 21st century.”
The environmental heating due to deforestation and human construction activities has not only disturbed the natural balance but also triggered the glacier melting. The scientists and experts have warned serious repercussions in the form of floods, landslides, Glacial Lake Bursting as a repercussion of enhanced melting of the glaciers in the Chenab region under the changing climate. These risks should be taken into account while the development of infrastructure to protect the lives and properties of downstream communities of the Chenab valley.
