SRINAGAR: In observance of World Environment Day 2025, the Environmental Policy Group (EPG), in collaboration with the North Forest Circle of the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department, organised a major awareness programme at Valley Public School, Sopore, centred around this year’s global theme, “Ending Plastic Pollution.”
The event began with a plantation drive led by the Chief Guest, Irfan Ali Shah, Conservator of Forests, North Circle. Shah, accompanied by senior officials, environmentalists, and students, called for urgent action to protect Kashmir’s fragile ecosystems — forests, wetlands, and water bodies such as Wular Lake and the Jhelum River. “We are at a tipping point. Nature is suffering. Sopore and its students must be at the forefront of this movement,” he said, appreciating EPG’s work in ecological awareness and wetland protection.
EPG Convenor Faiz Bakshi described the programme as a deliberate effort to localise environmental consciousness among the youth. “Ending plastic pollution is a necessity, not a slogan. The future of our forests, wetlands, and biodiversity lies with students,” he said, reaffirming EPG’s commitment to mentoring youth and building environmental education networks.
Guest of Honour, poet and cultural historian Zareef Ahmad Zareef, delivered an impassioned address in Kashmiri, drawing on poetry and collective memory to highlight the region’s deep-rooted ties to nature. “We must restore the moral and cultural bond with our environment. Let this be a silent revolution led by students,” he urged, moving the audience with his verses.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Sopore, Shabbir Ahmad Raina, said environmental action must begin at the grassroots. “We need to make this a mohalla-level movement. The administration is ready to support plantation drives and awareness programmes,” he said. Sopore Municipal Council CEO Dr. Showkat Ahmad echoed the sentiment, stating, “The plastic crisis cannot be solved by government alone. It requires civic responsibility and sustained public cooperation.”
Several EPG trustees and experts addressed key issues. Co-founder Dr. Tauseef Ahmad Bhat warned against the irreversible damage being caused to wetlands like Wular and Haigam, while former SMC Commissioner Dr. G. N. Qasba called for systemic solutions to plastic waste. Ajaz Rasool stressed community-based wetland conservation, and Mohammad Shafi Bachha urged students to become biodiversity ambassadors. Former Agriculture Director Altaf Ahmad Andrabi linked environmental degradation to declining farming systems and called for sustainable agricultural practices.
The event, conducted by environmental lawyer and EPG trustee Nadeem Qadri, also included speeches by students from Valley Public School, who shared poems and essays on environmental responsibility. School Coordinator Shafiq Hassan Dar Ahmad delivered the welcome address, and the programme began with a recitation of the Qur’an by class 7 student Uzairul Islam.
A special highlight was the felicitation of 14-year-old birder Reyan Sofi, who has documented 250 bird species in the region — a feat hailed as a milestone in citizen-led avian conservation. Certificates of appreciation were also awarded to participating students and members of the local press.
The programme concluded with a collective pledge to reduce plastic use, safeguard Kashmir’s natural resources, and build a more sustainable and ecologically aware future through continued collaboration between schools, civil society, and public institutions.
