Need to safeguard fragile ecosystem of Himalayas, Nepal devastation is a warning for all: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

Srinagar: The devastation caused by the flash floods in Nepal and across the Himalayan region is a warning for all to safeguard the fragile ecosystem of Jammu and Kashmir, Islamic cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said Friday.

Addressing the Friday congregation at the historic Jama Masjid in downtown Srinagar, he said the events in Nepal pointed to how vulnerable our mountain ecosystems have become as glaciers collapse.

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Jammu and Kashmir is part of the same fragile Himalayan belt, Mirwaiz said. “We are already seeing more intense rainfall, cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides. Climate change is undoubtedly a major factor, but we must also ask whether our own pattern of development is making the situation more dangerous.”

Kashmir attracts tourists and travellers and is a source of sustenance to a large population here but the manner in which people are recklessly exploiting this ecology for commerce and in the name of development is very worrying, he said.

“Mountains are being cut and blasted for roads, trees are being felled, hotels and buildings are coming up in ecologically sensitive areas and natural drainage channels are being disturbed. If this continues without proper scientific and environmental safeguards, we are creating conditions for far greater disasters in the future,” said Mirwaiz.

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He appealed to people to not occupy or build upon wetlands, lakes and flood channels as they are natural buffers that absorb excess water and protect human settlements.

“We have only to look at the condition of our own Dal Lake to understand how prolonged encroachment, construction and environmental neglect can damage a precious natural system. It is shrinking day by day while we look the other way as if it’s no concern of ours,” he said.

Authorities, planners, businesses and citizens all must recognise that in a fragile Himalayan region, development for infrastructure and tourism carries serious consequences, Mirwaiz said. “Protecting our environment today is not merely about conservation. It is about protecting lives, homes and the future of our children,” he said.