During the year 2012-13, around 71,495 number of trees have fallen in Kashmir while as in 2013-14, the number was 58635 trees. So far during the current year, the records maintained that 42,506 trees have fallen in Kashmir valley.
USMAN KANTH
Kashmir has shifted from being dangerous to inconvenient. It is an environmental catastrophe going on in the troubled land with the figures revealing that more than 172636 trees have fallen since the year 2012 in otherwise thick green forests of valley. With much more light in the forests and much less wild animals, the government seems to be in slumber over the crises- maintaining that the up- rooting and breakage of trees in forests of Kashmir is a natural process. The experts have already sounded alert, saying that the cutting of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to the habitat. It has adverse impact on bio-sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. One of the results of deforestation is that the wild animal enters habituated areas besides scores of other demerits. Reports informed that during the year 2012-13, around 71,495 number of trees have fallen in Kashmir while as in 2013-14, the number was 58635 trees. So far during the current year, the records maintained that 42,506 trees have fallen in Kashmir valley. The state authorities through the detailed report have stated that a total number of 20058672 cft of timber of green gold has died in Kashmir. The government while commenting over the increasing number of trees falling down in Kashmir’s forests, said that the uprooting and breakage of the tress in forests is a natural process which can happen due to various rea- sons like snowfall, windstorms, fires and various other reasons. Meanwhile, thousands of kanals of forest land is being encroached year after year, which is not only used to raise crops but at several compartments encroachers are raising fruit plant orchids. There is another wing of DPAP under the name of Watershed Development Project, which has been providing lacs of fruit plants to the ru- ral populace sans enquiring about the land owned by the beneficiaries.
If there would have been the severe punishment served to the timber smugglers, the situation today would have been entirely different. The forests would not have been deserted and brutal massacre of the trees would not have been carried out.”
Locals living in the periphery of forest areas accused that strict laws to protect forests are rarely enforced in Kashmir and that the Forestry Department itself is in ‘league’ with the smugglers. There are various others who blame political uncertainty as the major reason for the plunder of the green gold in Kashmir, saying that the political patronage is the major reason that the smugglers have a little sense of fear while committing such heinous crimes. “If there would have been the severe punishment served to the timber smugglers, the situation today would have been entirely different. The forests would not have been deserted and brutal massacre of the trees would not have been carried out,” said a student of the environmental sciences at Kashmir University here. He added that until the government doesn’t enforce strict laws against the illegal chopping of trees and until a sustainable employment opportunities are provided to the cutters, the crises would not stop.
