SRINAGAR: The Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC) Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday said the recent rain-triggered disasters in Rajouri and Poonch should serve as a fresh warning against what it described as unchecked environmental degradation in the name of development, urging the government to make environmental safeguards mandatory for all infrastructure projects.
In a statement, the civil society group said the increasing frequency of cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides across Jammu and Kashmir reflected the growing ecological vulnerability of the Himalayan region.
“Frequent rain disasters of the kind witnessed in Rajouri and Poonch over the last two days are yet another reminder to stop the environmental vandalism unleashed in the name of development and daily life activities,” the GCC said. “Nature is coming back hard to warn of more serious fallouts in the future.”
The group blamed widespread deforestation, destruction of mountain ecosystems, alteration of river courses, encroachment on wetlands and water bodies, and unplanned construction for upsetting the fragile ecological balance of the region.
It warned that unless immediate corrective measures were taken, Jammu and Kashmir and other Himalayan states would face increasingly severe and unpredictable natural disasters.
Expressing concern over what it termed the government’s inaction on environmental protection, the GCC said authorities had failed to ensure rigorous Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) before approving major development projects and had done little to curb environmentally damaging activities.
“The Himalayan ecosystems have reached a breaking point,” the statement said, urging both the Union Territory administration and the Central Government to halt the continued degradation of forests, mountains, rivers and wetlands.
The GCC said environmental clearance for projects in tourism destinations, eco-fragile zones and other environmentally sensitive areas should depend strictly on the outcome of comprehensive EIAs.
It also called for ensuring that the EIA process is not diluted or bypassed under any circumstances.
Referring to recent extreme weather events, the group said Jammu and Kashmir had witnessed 15 cloudbursts in just 14 days, including 12 in the Chenab Valley and three in the Aawora, Reshwari and Dewathu areas of Anantnag district. It also cited flash floods, mudslides and land erosion reported from Bhalesa, Thathri, Tulail and Gurez as evidence of an escalating environmental crisis.
“The recent spate of cloudbursts and associated disasters should be taken as an indication of a much larger catastrophe waiting to unfold if ecological safeguards continue to be ignored,” the GCC said.
