Jammu & Kashmir has been facing a severe climate crisis for the last many years. The choking of our wetlands, destruction of rivers, lakes and streams plus dumping of municipal solid waste in open and near water bodies are some of the big environmental challenges we are facing. Even as these problems are reported almost daily by the media, this has never become an election agenda neither for political parties nor are people pushing for this.
The situation is not better in other Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh , Uttarakhand, Ladakh, North Eastern states etc. Even the states located in plains like Delhi are gasping for clean air. Bangalore is facing a severe water crisis. Despite all this, the environment remains an outlier in India’s electoral politics and that is the reason this isn’t even discussed or debated during the election campaigns.
The NGO’s. Civil Society Organisations -CSOs working in India have mostly been focussed towards the livelihood sector and that is the reason environmental issues don’t get better advocacy. For last many days Sonam Wangchuk, a Ladakh based social entrepreneur and innovator is leading a “climate fast” to demand tribal area status for Ladakh, which he says will help protect the fragile ecology and tribal identity of the region, but unfortunately media isn’t giving enough coverage to this peaceful protest.
Political parties are also least concerned about environmental issues and their election manifestos don’t include issues related to the climate crisis. With an aim of addressing these gaps several civil society organisations from different Himalayan states recently joined hands to create a joint platform so that a demand charter is prepared and submitted to various political parties before the lok sabha elections. Several organisations and concerned citizens under the banner People for Himalayas met at Palampur Himachal Pradesh on February 27th and 28th to discuss and deliberate on this issue.
People for Himalayas
During the two-day meeting, civil society actors, activists, concerned citizens from Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and other Himalayan states assembled at Palampur under the banner of People for Himalayas. It was discussed during the two days meeting that major factors leading to occurrence of disasters in Himalayan states were setting up of big hydropower projects, unregulated urbanization, excessive tourism, deforestation, construction of 4-lane highways, mega railways etc. These things have increased the vulnerabilities of the people living in the Himalayan states. Today, while a demand is being raised from within the society for sustainable and need-based development, the governments of the Himalayan regions approach is limited only to relief and rescue operations in the form of compensation for loss of life and property. The recent environmental disasters have made it very clear that the governments of the Himalayan states are incapable of handling such disasters and are silent on the real issues.
“Today, no Himalayan state is untouched by these disasters and now the need is being felt that concerned citizens and people working on social and environmental issues of all the Himalayan states should develop a mutual understanding regarding these disasters and work on a joint strategy, keeping in mind the 2024 elections, so that the voice of the Himalayan states can be raised with the Govt of India as a concrete demand.”, reads the document prepared by People of Himalayas.
Marginal Farmers in Himalayan States
More than 90 % of farmers in all the Himalayan states are marginal farmers as per official figures. The size of small agricultural landholdings in Himachal Pradesh , Uttarakhand , J&K and adjoining areas was estimated to be less than a hectare. This figure came down further in the 2015-16 Agriculture Census. In the Kashmir valley, where most farmers own less than an acre of land, any government policy related to land acquisition, especially for “development projects”, needs to take into account the fragile mountainous environment and climatic conditions as well.
No to big highways & railways
Govt should not set up big highways , new railway lines and tunnels in J&K as this will prove to be disastrous in the future. One understands the importance of Baramulla- Srinagar- Udhampur Railway project but to take railway lines to Pahalgam and Kupwara or Uri by sacrificing so many apple orchards and green forests would prove to be disastrous. Kashmiri people would have loved to give their land for this project had their landholdings been huge like we see in states like Madhya Pradesh , Maharashtra, Gujarat or Rajasthan. If someone loses his half acres (4 kanals) of apple farm will he be able to buy a new one or set up a new farm? No, because there is hardly any land availability in the apple producing areas of South and North Kashmir.
More compensation in land acquisition
The Govt must pay more compensation for land acquired in Himalayan states like J&K , Himachal, Uttarakhand and Ladakh and the Right to Fair Compensation Act 2013 must be amended to incorporate these provisions because people in these regions have small landholdings and once a developmental project is taken up the affected people lose enough land which they cannot purchase again. Thus the government of India must include a provision in the land acquisition act for better land compensation in Himalayan states.
Moratorium on Hydropower Projects
The Hydropower projects have caused lots of displacements and environmental disaster in many Himalayan states including J&K. A moratorium must be imposed for setting up of new hydropower projects and instead solar and wind energy must be explored in J&K which is yet unexplored. In Doda and Kishtwar districts of J&K we have had huge hydropower projects set up in the last 20 years but the people in these districts continue to suffer on account of electricity. 24 x 7 electricity supply still remains a distant dream for people in Chenab valley which is a matter of serious concern. On one hand people in this region have given so many sacrifices during setting up of power projects but in return they have got nothing and continue to suffer due as the electricity crisis has frustrated the local population.
Promoting Eco Tourism
At a time when population is on the rise in J&K and other Himalayan states the agricultural land is shrinking at an alarming rate in these areas. The Govt has to devise policies that would ensure sustainable utilisation of our natural resources. The lakes, wetlands, rivers and streams of J&K have become garbage dump sites and setting up sanitary landfill sites in J&K has become a challenge for authorities. In Srinagar administration is not able to acquire even 100 acres of land for setting up a scientific landfill site. The only landfill site in Srinagar city located at Achan is fully choked. There is no wasteland available in Srinagar or its outskirts where a new landfill site would be set up , isn’t this a big challenge?
Conclusion
As explained above, around 67 Civil Society Organisations working in different Himalayan states have prepared a joint demand charter to be submitted to various political parties. This document calls upon the leadership of the country to seriously think about conserving and protecting Himalayan biodiversity which is under serious threat. When the Govt seeks investments in setting up good hotels in Himachal Pradesh , J&K , Uttarakhand , Ladakh or North East India , a lot of thrust has to be given to protect the local biodiversity and environment, considering large-scale shrinking of our land mass. Instead of going ahead with construction of massive hotels in Kashmir , Himachal and other places the Govt must consider setting up eco-friendly lodges and huts, or high end tented accommodation. Govt of India has in-fact come up with a National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism last year wherein thrust has been given on Sustainable Tourism. This policy document has to be implemented on the ground now. The Political parties need to come clear on the environmental crisis in Himalayan regions and they must devise a plan to overcome it and the same must be incorporated in their Lok Sabha election manifestos which they would be issuing in the coming weeks.
- Views expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer
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