An ecologically fragile region, Jammu and Kashmir requires sustainable development to protect its water bodies, forests, mountains and glaciers. However, indiscriminate construction activities, including road projects in fragile areas, place a heavy burden on the environment.
The proposal to allocate 5,000 kanals of productive land spread across eight villages in south Kashmir's Pulwama district for the construction of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) has sparked widespread outcry.
The farmers and orchardists of Newa hamlet have opposed the establishment of a new NIT campus, saying the project would bury their apple and almond orchards and affect their livelihoods. The project will mean the demise of the fragile ecosystem in these villages.
Addressing these concerns, Prime Minister Omar Abdullah bluntly said that the government would look for alternative sites to set up the NIT if necessary. “Development should be based on local needs and sustainable practices. If the people of Pulwama are against the project, we would identify unproductive areas and shift the proposed NIT to a more suitable location,” Omar said.
The CM, however, insisted that “we cannot stop development.” Development must go hand in hand with addressing these concerns. We will do our best to ensure that land is not productive for roads or railways.” In the last over two decades, massive damage has been caused to the environment by indiscriminate developments in Kashmir.
It is a clear fact that we have lost thousands of acres of agricultural land due to the construction of railways and new roads.
For the construction of the Srinagar Ring Road, over 400 hectares of farmland was acquired in central Kashmir's Budgam district alone. When the National Green Tribunal became aware of the flooding of apple orchards due to road construction at Wathoora, it issued a notice to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) earlier this year.
The 62-kilometer-long Srinagar Ring Road project is part of the Prime Minister's Development Project (PMDP). The road will connect Pulwama district in south Kashmir with Ganderbal district in central Kashmir via Budgam.
Thousands of trees were felled and orchards and agricultural fields were buried for the construction of the Srinagar-Baramulla highway. Even the famous green tunnel with the tree line, seen in various old Bollywood films, on both sides of the Baramulla Highway has disappeared.
Now there is another proposal to connect Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu with Kashmir via Mughal Road.
The 300 km long highway projects, named as National Highway 701A, will pass through Poonch, Shopian, Pulwama, Budgam and Baramulla districts. The four-lane road will pass through eco-friendly tourist spots Yusmarg and Doodhpathri in Budgam district. The road passes through ridges of the Pir Panjal Mountains and through forests. Environmentalists fear that construction of the highway will be an environmental disaster. It is imperative to conduct an environmental impact assessment of this project to save forests, orchards and agricultural fields.
The red flag was also hoisted during the construction of the Handwara-Bangus road. Earlier this year, NGT had reprimanded the authorities for illegal tree felling and hill clearance during road construction.
Another project also caused a stir: the 77.5 km long Anantnag-Bijbehara-Pahalgam railway line, which will run through orchards and rice fields. The section is considered one of the most fertile areas in Kashmir.
We must understand that we are rapidly losing agricultural fields and orchards due to urbanization and haphazard development. Over the past decade-plus, there has been a massive loss of agricultural land, particularly rice fields. According to reports, around 33,309 hectares of agricultural land have been converted to other uses since 2012.
Currently, 129,000 hectares of land are available for rice cultivation, compared to 162,309 hectares a decade ago. The drastic reduction in agricultural land has led to a decline in crop production and threatens food security. This has led to an increasing reliance on external food sources.
Most development projects, especially road and railway projects, are carried out on agricultural land. We must note that Jammu and Kashmir is prone to natural disasters due to its unique topography. It has a history of earthquakes, floods, landslides and, more recently, an unpredictable climate. Studies have shown that natural disasters are triggered by indiscriminate development activities that subsequently destroy natural resources.
Environmentally conscious Prime Minister Omar Abdullah is right when he says that sustainable development is needed in J&K. There is undoubtedly a need for development. We need roads and development, but not at the expense of agricultural fields, orchards and forests. We can build roads, but we can't even compensate for the loss of a tree that takes years to grow! The government must ensure that the impact on the environment is minimized when implementing development projects.
This can only happen if an environmental impact assessment is carried out before execution.
Let us protect our natural resources, which are essential for our survival, from the race of development. Let's work to save our forests and agricultural fields. Let's preserve the natural beauty of our motherland. We have to decide whether we need concrete jungles or lush forests?
The author is Editor-in-Chief, Greater Kashmir