Kashmir Valley in its entirety is an ecologically sensitive place and the categorization of it in the ecologically sensitive areas—where there are apparently curbs on the construction and other developmental works, and those areas, where the authorities, as a formality, have made the clearances mandatory—do not make any sense. Rather, the Valley needs to be seen as a place, where even a little interference in the ecology, a minute alteration in the environs, can catapult into a disaster. This very fine line has never been respected in Kashmir by subsequent Governments of J&K, and currently, the ecological degradation is touching new heights with every passing day.
Coming to the effects of such practices going on unabated in Kashmir: the overview of the situation at hand suggests that an imbalance in the ecology has already happened, if not to a great extent, but it is for sure that we have been able to make a hole in it which will enlarge, and ultimately collapse if those at the helm of affairs prefer to look on instead of taking concrete actions. Kashmir has already witnessed a shocking and devastating event of floods and now the temperature, too, is on the higher side of the scale. The temperature change is happening in a place where whenever the mercury would go beyond 26 degrees celsius, the next thing certainly used to be a brief drizzle of rain to cool things off, but these days, the situation is quite different, in total contrast to the nature of this place. No doubt that behind the increase in the temperature, there is the factor of global warming, but the local factors are also contributing to it in a much larger way.
With the increase in temperature, on one hand, this place, on the other, is also witnessing a decrease in the precipitation which at the same time has increased in Jammu, which used to have less precipitation in comparison to Kashmir. The entire scenario, if the matters remain unaddressed, will snatch this place of what it had as a gift from God. Remember, we are already ranging from no rains to heavy rains, cloudbursts causing flash floods, killing people, and damaging properties worth millions: we are very well caught in the middle of a whirlpool that can turn violent any time soon if the corrective measures by the administration are not taken well in time, because there isn’t much left.
