Climatic Chaos And Nature’s Fury In Kashmir

Earth is the only habitable planet of the entire solar system with man as the cen­tral agent of the whole matrix. Gone are the days when the nature was in a state of equilibrium. Man has over the period of time exploited nature to such an extent that now; there is only a half-state of sorrow. The world of today is bereft of environmental order and there is a loom­ing environmental crisis. The increasing popula­tion of the world puts an unprecedented pressure on the environmental resources and ultimately causes the scarcity of the resources generating a lot of waste which pollutes our environment day-in and day-out.

The anthropogenic threats to the environ­ment on a massive scale have radically altered our planet, Earth including the lives of many species of plants and animals. Man is part and parcel of biosphere and cannot turn a blind eye towards the contemporary ecological crisis and responsibilities with respect to the protection of nature. Environ­mental degradation is the most hazardous event of the current century attributed to misuse of natural resources. The crisis has taken a major toll on both developed and developing countries. The developed countries dump effluents into the environment pol­luting the earth. Kashmir which is glorified for its beauty is getting victimised due to the environmen­tal problems of the current times.

The valley of Kashmir has been enormously blessed by God with the scenic beauty and really stunning green environs. But, unfortunately, the indifferent attitude of the people towards the en­vironment has ultimately caused ramifications which bode ill to the man itself.

Over the world, climate change is the buzz­word of the recent century which has assumed unimagined proportions and all the nation states of the globe are confronting this problem. The un­timely downpours in summer, warm climate in winters, wind storms, hail storms in spring, etc. are the problems of the current times and attrib­uted to changes in the environment over the pe­riod of time.

The dreadful flash floods of 2014 which caused a heavy damage to life, property and overall envi­ronment in Kashmir are grim reminders of ecolog­ical change and imbalance. The recent episodes of forest fires during this year’s winter at some plac­es of Kashmir which destroyed various species of plants and vegetative cover was a cause of con­cern. The timely intervention of the forest depart­ment and youth of the respective areas stopped the further damage. In some pockets of Anantnag, the recent rains and one-night light snowfall has severely damaged the flower buds of the apple or­chards and caused mayhem to the fruit growers, rendering trees devoid of any apple fruits.

Our environment is at the brink of a disaster, waiting for the feasible time to happen. The pollu­tion of air, water and land are in a state of conti­nuity and ensue change with the currents of time. This has paved ways for a bundle of problems. Pol­lution is the horrific ecological crisis of the cur­rent times. Air, water and land in the past times are said to have been in a state of purity, virgin and devoid of human disturbance. But, over the period of time the situation is caught in a reverse way. Ecological imbalance caused due to the de­velopment of transport, machines, infrastructure, paraphrenalia, etc. in general and science and technological prowess in particular may prove di­sastrous for humanity in the long run.

Environmental degradation in terms of dete­rioration in the quality of air, water and soil sur­faces cause a number of biological manifestations, which partic ularly affect human health and its well being. The degradation in the quality of wa­ter gives rise to a number of diseases like cholera, jaundice,etc. The increasing ratio of light, small, medium and heavy vehicles is day by day pollut­ing the quality of the environment in J&K. Soil ero­sions caused as a result of frequent rains have re­sulted in the siltation of the water bodies, like river Jhelum(Veth) which complicate the issues in times of rainfalls and leads to the flooding of the adjoin­ing areas (say floods of 2014).Unfortunately, the en­vironment of JK has been affected and destroyed in the last century due to uncontrolled cutting down of the forest trees which has not only altered the patterns of weather and climate, but also increased the massive destruction of the environment.

People in Kashmir have unfortunately turned a blind eye towards the environment and ignore all ethical standards vis-a-vis environment. The water bodies have become the ultimate target for the disposal of the wastes, whether house-generat­ed or otherwise. Every household empties the sew­erage in the adjoining streams. The space of the water bodies has been gravely shrunken and the waste lies littered. Even, at some places the house­hold waste clogs the flow of water which causes its way-out on the roads and hampers the movement of the commuters.

Also, some people have erected illegal struc­tures over the water bodies and downsized them. The major implications of excessive deforesta­tion are soil degradation, excessive floods, dam siltation’s, alterations in climatic patterns and ultimately drives towards environmental bank­ruptcy. The pollution of water bodies in J&K has reached a point of crisis, rendering them as cesspools due to solid wastes, wrong drainage pat­terns, sewerage, etc. This has not only degraded the quality of these water bodies, rendering them ineffectual for drinking and usage of water, but also caused the unwanted growth of weeds and plants in them, ultimately shrinking their space with the passage of time. Dal lake, Anchar lake, etc are the glaring and live examples of our envi­ronmental problems.

The people of the state have got a prominent role in the conservation of the environment. Gov­ernment of the state has also the responsibility of conserving the environment which can fully blow into a crisis if not tackled on time. Otherwise, time will not be far when there will be only pangs of guilt and sorrow and the future generations will curse us for the full fledged eco-crisis which they would face in future.

Administration can play a prominent role in generating awareness and promoting environ­mental consciousness among the masses with the aid of print, electronic and overall mass me­dia. The educational institutions can be used as the instruments of environmental conscious­ness. Besides, the water bodies and other pol­luted places can be cleaned using manpower and infrastructure in close proximition. It is vital on part of the administration to create awareness among the masses for the preservation, protec­tion and conservation of environment and miti­gation afterwards.

Today, when we are living in the post-truth era, our morale is slowly ebbing to the point zero. This place is to others as it is to the human beings. Man cannot destroy the other forms of life and claim hegemony over the environment sans ethi­cal and moral conduct without any regard for the other living organisms. After analysing the true picture of the land and people in the recent times, what comes to fore is a non-compatible attitude of man with respect to the surrounding environ­ment. Man has destroyed environment and is pay­ing back a heavy price. If a similar situation exists in near future, human civilization will face disas­ters everywhere. There is an urgent requirement for appropriate measures in order to tackle the cri­sis. Searching into the past through the medium of oral or written histories of Kashmir, the vivid picture is that of purity and semblance of nature.

It is our foremost duty to conserve and pre­serve the environment. The need of the hour is to make people sensibly aware through the environ­mental education programmes. A fair amount of know-how about the burning environmental is­sues is vital for the protection of the healthy envi­ronment. Being part and parcel of the ecosystem, man has a crucial responsibility to protect the en­vironment. However, responsibility is subservi­ent to ethical motivation which can be generated at various levels of the society.

Here, again, the role of multiple players viz, government, NGO’s and everybody else is neces­sary. NGO’s can actively engage general public and students through programmes and activities. This will entail a plethora of research and dissem­ination of knowledge on various issues confront­ing the environment. The survival of human be­ings is largely dependent upon the environmental balance. No nation-state can remain in isolation, because the problem is pan-global without any consideration for limits. Thus, it requires a global solution. The development of man should be in harmony with nature. This way we can envision an environmentally sound place to dwell upon as previously eulogized by the Mughal emperor, Je­hangir as heaven on the earth.

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