Climate change, deforestation ravage J&K’s fragile ecology
Srinagar, Jul 10: A sharp surge in flash floods, cloudbursts, and landslides across Jammu and Kashmir is alarming geologists and climatologists, who say climate change and deforestation are accelerating the ecological vulnerability of the Himalayan region.
On Thursday, a goods train derailed in Kathua district after flash floods, triggered by intense rainfall and a cloudburst, swept through the Jammu-Pathankot rail line.
While no injuries were reported, rail services were severely disrupted.
The derailment is the latest in a series of extreme weather events that have been battering the region since March.
Districts across the Jammu region, including Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Ramban, Udhampur, Kishtwar, and Kashmir’s Anantnag and Budgam have been hit by sudden floods and landslides, destroying homes, severing road links, and claiming lives.
Experts attribute the crisis to rising temperatures and widespread forest degradation.
“Rising temperatures increase atmospheric moisture, resulting in short, intense rainfall events,” said Riyaz Ahmad Mir, a geologist at the National Institute of Hydrology in Jammu.
He said that in mountainous terrain, the rainwater fails to percolate into the soil, flowing rapidly down slope and triggering floods and landslides.
Mir said deforestation was compounding the problem.
He said that trees stabilise slopes and absorb water, and their loss has led to increased erosion and slope failure.
Mir cited studies indicating that deforestation could raise flood frequency by nearly 28 percent and peak water flows by 25 percent.
Data from Global Forest Watch shows J&K lost about 212 sq km of tree cover between 2001 and 2023.
In 2023 alone, 112 hectares (2214 kanal) of natural forest vanished.
Director of the Meteorological Department in Srinagar, Mukhtar Ahmad, said the impacts of climate change are already being felt.
“With every 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature, the atmosphere holds 7 percent more moisture, making cloudbursts and torrential rains more frequent,” he said.
Ahmad said that early warning systems had been upgraded using high-resolution radar and satellite data for real-time updates every 10 minutes.
However, he warned that technology alone cannot prevent disasters.
“Long-term mitigation depends on tackling root causes like deforestation and emissions,” Ahmad said.
Climatologist Sonam Lotus said the confluence of warming trends and extreme rainfall patterns has made the region more disaster-prone.
“The monsoon period, especially July and August, is now marked by frequent cloudbursts and landslides, particularly when Western Disturbances from the Mediterranean clash with monsoon winds,” he said.
This week, cloudbursts struck multiple villages in Anantnag and Budgam, forcing evacuations as floodwaters damaged homes and roads.
In Chattergul village of Anantnag, residents recounted how muddy torrents struck with little warning.
‘It happened in seconds,” said Gulzar Ahmad, a resident of Chattergul in Anantnag’s Shangus area. “A roar came, and muddy water smashed into our home. We barely escaped.”
Similar scenes unfolded in Gawran village of Kokernag and Budgam’s Khan Sahib area.
At the end of June, three people died and many others were rescued in separate cloudburst incidents in Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Udhampur, Ramban, and Kathua districts. Earlier in April, landslides in Ramban had killed three and disrupted traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar highway for several days.
Independent weather observer Faizan Arif said the crisis demands immediate attention. “The Himalayan ecosystem is extremely delicate,” he said. “Unchecked development, forest loss, and changing climate patterns are combining into a dangerous mix.”
Arif urged authorities to prioritise reforestation, invest in climate-resilient infrastructure, and implement localised disaster preparedness plans.
As extreme weather becomes the norm, scientists warn that Jammu and Kashmir’s ecological and economic future hangs in the balance.
