Srinagar, June 25: On Thursday afternoon, dozens of citizens, including former bureaucrats, environmental experts, activists, students and concerned residents, gathered at the conference hall of the Institution of Engineers, Srinagar, for a seminar on the Protection of Natural Evironment in Jammu and Kashmir, organised by the Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC), Jammu & Kashmir.
The speakers highlighted growing environmental concerns in the region, stressing the urgent need for stronger conservation measures and greater public awareness to address the escalating ecological challenges.
From retreating glaciers and shrinking forest cover to disappearing wetlands, illegal riverbed mining and unregulated urban expansion, the seminar brought into focus a wide range of environmental issues confronting Jammu and Kashmir.
In his introductory remarks, retired IAS officer Khurshid Ahmed Ganai and GCC chairman said environmental protection could not be left solely to the government or institutions, underlining the need for collective public responsibility. He urged the media to amplify the message of environmental conservation so that it reaches people at the grassroots.
“I request the media to carry the messages of the speakers to the people,” Ganai said, warning that the rapid retreat of glaciers could soon trigger a serious water crisis if corrective measures were not taken.
Ganai also paid tributes to Mohammad Shafi Pandit, founder of the GCC, acknowledging his contribution to environmental awareness and public discourse in the region.
Former IAS officer and former Director General of CAPART, MK Ranjitsinh, stressed the importance of habitat conservation for protecting wildlife.
“You can have the habitat without wild animals, but you can’t have wild animals without habitat,” he said, recalling that nine villages were relocated from the Dachigam area during the Maharaja’s rule to create a secure habitat for the Hangul. “It was because of that effort that the Hangul ( Kashmir stag) survives today,” he added.
Ranjitsinh stressed the need to conserve Jammu and Kashmir’s rich biodiversity, protect forests and wetlands, and strengthen measures to safeguard the region’s fragile environment.
During the technical session, Lt Gen R.S. Reen said Kashmir was witnessing unprecedented environmental changes that threatened its ecological future.
“Kashmir is a paradise, but the question is whether it will continue to remain one,” he said.
Reen pointed to melting glaciers, vanishing springs and the declining water level of the Jhelum as signs of mounting ecological stress. “We have never seen the Jhelum recede to such an extent that it can be crossed at Zero Bridge,” he said.
He also raised concern over encroachments on flood channels and wetlands, warning that Kashmir had narrowly escaped a flood situation similar to the devastating 2014 floods last year.
“Are we still awake? Are we doing something about it?” he asked, adding that while global warming was a significant factor, human activities had accelerated environmental degradation.
“If glaciers continue to melt at the current pace, we will face serious water shortages and irrigation problems,” Reen said, adding that the loss of wetlands due to unplanned construction was also threatening biodiversity.
Environmental activist Raja Muzaffar highlighted the ecological damage caused by riverbed mining, particularly in the Doodhganga and other rivers and water bodies across the Valley. He said illegal mining continued despite repeated interventions by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and penalties imposed on the administration.
Muzaffar said an NGT-appointed panel had visited the Sukhnag area following his intervention to assess environmental damage caused by mining.
Former Director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Asad Rahmani said the Hangul population, once estimated at around 6,000, had witnessed a sharp decline over the decades. He emphasised the need for sustained scientific intervention, habitat protection and community participation to revive endangered species and maintain the region’s ecological balance.
Prominent among others who spoke on the occcasion included Latief-u-Zaman Deva IAS (Retd) and vice chairman of GCC, Manzoor Ahmad Tak, IFS (Retd), Dr Majid Farooq, Scientist, Directorate of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing, J &K and others.
