Budgam, Jul 22: The body of a newly married man, who had gone missing after being swept away by a swollen nallah amid the prevailing flood situation in Budgam district yesterday, was recovered from Ashrea Nallah in the Khag area on Wednesday morning following an extensive overnight search operation.

The deceased was identified as Shabir Ahmad Paswal, a resident of Drang, Khag.

According to officials, Shabir Ahmad was swept away after the water level in the nallah rose suddenly following incessant rainfall that triggered flash floods and overflowing streams across the district.

A large-scale rescue operation was launched immediately after the incident by the civil administration, police and rescue agencies. After several hours of sustained efforts, the body was recovered through the joint efforts of local residents, Tehsildar Khag, Station House Officer (SHO) Khag Mudasir Ahmad, rescue personnel, volunteers and local youth.

The incident occurred amid widespread weather-related disruptions across Budgam, where continuous rainfall has inundated several villages, damaged infrastructure and caused rivers and nallahs to overflow, prompting authorities to intensify emergency response measures.

In view of the prevailing situation, Budgam Police reiterated its appeal to the public to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from rivers, streams, nallahs, embankments and other flood-prone areas. The police have also established round-the-clock emergency helplines to provide immediate assistance during the ongoing weather emergency.

Parents have been advised to keep children away from open drains, culverts and fast-flowing water, while members of the public have been urged not to gather near water bodies to witness rising water levels or take photographs, as rapidly changing currents pose a serious threat to life.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Budgam had directed all departments to remain on high alert and ordered the immediate activation of Police, SDRF, Civil Defence, Fire and Emergency Services and other emergency response agencies. He instructed officials to maintain continuous surveillance of vulnerable locations and ensure prompt response to any emergency arising from the adverse weather conditions.

The Deputy Commissioner also appealed to people to cooperate with the administration, remain indoors unless absolutely necessary, avoid venturing near flooded nallahs, breached embankments and vulnerable areas, and strictly comply with evacuation advisories issued by the police and civil administration.

Officials said all departments continue to work in close coordination to safeguard lives and property as the district remains under the impact of persistent heavy rainfall. [KNT]

The Rambiara River, once a pristine stream winding through south Kashmir’s Shopian district, is steadily turning into a polluted waterway due to the indiscriminate dumping of rotten apples, household waste and other garbage.

A major tributary of the River Jhelum, the Rambiara supplies water to hundreds of villages and irrigates vast stretches of agricultural land in Shopian and Pulwama districts. Residents say that over the past few years, several stretches of the river, particularly near controlled-atmosphere (CA) storage facilities, have increasingly become dumping sites for rotten apples and domestic waste.

Locals alleged that tonnes of rotten apples discarded by CA storage facilities are dumped into the river every year, polluting its waters and affecting communities living downstream.

“Every season, tractor-loads of rotten apples are dumped directly into the river,” said Mitha Gatoo, a social activist and resident of Shopian.

“Many villages downstream use this water for drinking, irrigation and other household purposes. It is unfortunate that such an important river is being treated as a dumping ground”, Gatoo added.

Besides waste from CA storage facilities, residents said household garbage is also routinely thrown into the river, especially near Digam village.

Plastic bags, food waste, bottles and other domestic refuse can be seen scattered along the riverbanks before eventually finding their way into the stream, they said.

Residents blamed the growing pollution not only on the absence of an effective waste management system but also on a lack of civic responsibility among people.

“People have developed a habit of throwing household waste into the river because there are hardly any proper waste collection points nearby,” said Ishfaq Ahamd, a resident.

“The administration needs to install community dustbins at regular intervals, but people must also understand that rivers are not meant for dumping garbage”, Ahmad added.

Another resident said the pollution had become worse over the years despite repeated appeals to the authorities.

“Everyone knows the river is getting polluted, yet nothing changes. Rotten apples continue to be dumped every season, while household waste is thrown into the river almost every day,” he said.

Residents said the pollution threatens not only the river ecosystem but also the health of people who depend on the Rambiara for their daily needs.

They said pollution of the Rambiara is particularly worrying because the river serves as an important freshwater source for villages downstream and eventually drains into the Jhelum.

They also said the river was already under severe stress due to rampant mining, and the growing pollution has only worsened its condition.

Residents urged the administration and the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee to strictly enforce waste disposal norms for CA storage facilities and take action against violators.

They also demanded the installation of community dustbins in villages along the river, regular collection of solid waste and sustained public awareness campaigns to discourage people from dumping household garbage into the water.

“Keeping the river clean is not the government’s responsibility alone,” Gatoo said. “People also need to change their mindset and develop civic sense. Unless both the authorities and the public act together, the Rambiara will continue to deteriorate”, he added.

Residents warned that if immediate corrective measures are not taken, the river could suffer irreversible ecological damage, affecting thousands of people who rely on it for water and agriculture.

Srinagar, Jul 21: Thirty senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers from 14 states are undergoing a five-day national training program at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies for forest and wildlife conservation, reinforcing the University’s growing role in technology-driven environmental governance.

The program, “Smart Conservation: Technological Solutions for Forest and Wildlife Protection,” is being organized by the Division of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Horticulture, SKUAST-K, in collaboration with the Research & Training Division of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India. Held from July 20 to 24, it brings together senior forest administrators, including Principal Chief Conservators of Forests (PCCFs), Conservators of Forests, Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) and Assistant Conservators of Forests (ACFs), for training in AI, Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), drones, satellite monitoring and other digital tools for sustainable forest governance.

The inaugural session was presided over by Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-K, Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai, while Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Sarvesh Rai, IFS, attended as the Guest of Honor.

Welcoming the participants, Course Director Prof. Javeed Iqbal Ahmad Bhat said the program marks the third consecutive batch of IFS officers being trained at SKUAST-K under the aegis of the MoEFCC, reflecting the University’s emergence as a national capacity-building partner in environmental governance. He said the program integrates advanced technologies with ecological principles and policy frameworks to address climate change, biodiversity loss and habitat degradation through technology-enabled conservation.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Sarvesh Rai, IFS, highlighted the Jammu & Kashmir Forest Department’s use of geospatial mapping, smart forest surveillance systems, and community-based conservation models to protect forests and wildlife. He urged participants to actively engage in the practical sessions and replicate successful conservation practices in their respective states.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai stressed that conservation in the 21st century requires the convergence of forestry, agricultural sciences, climate science, data analytics and digital technologies. Highlighting SKUAST-K’s strengths in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, drone technology, precision agriculture and remote sensing, he said these innovations are transforming wildlife monitoring, habitat assessment, forest health surveillance, climate-risk prediction, forest fire management and ecosystem restoration.

Emphasising the vulnerability of the Himalayan region, Prof. Ganai said mountain ecosystems require science-based, technology-enabled management and called for stronger collaboration among universities, forest departments, research institutions and policymakers to accelerate climate-resilient conservation.

The program combines expert lectures, laboratory demonstrations and field-based learning. Participants will visit the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (CAIML), the SKUAST-K Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship Center (SKIIE) and the Faculty of Forestry, besides undertaking field visits to Dachigam National Park and Wildlife Rescue Center, Wular Lake conservation projects, Gulmarg Biosphere Reserve and the protected forests of the Zabarwan Hills to gain first-hand exposure to ecosystem restoration, biodiversity management and smart conservation practices.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the program aims to strengthen collaboration among scientists, policymakers and forest professionals while equipping senior officers with advanced technological tools to address emerging conservation challenges across India’s ecologically sensitive landscapes.