EPG condoles Kishtwar cloudburst victims, warns of rising environmental threats
Srinagar, Aug 15: The Environmental Policy Group (EPG) has expressed deep condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic cloudburst at Chashoti village in Paddar, Kishtwar, which has claimed dozens of lives, including pilgrims. The group extended prayers for the injured and missing, and expressed solidarity with survivors “during this time of profound grief.”
Terming the disaster part of a “disturbing pattern” of extreme weather events in recent days, EPG cited cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods reported from Kishtwar, Paddar, Kokernag, Kupwara, the Leh–Srinagar highway, Harwan, Sonamarg, and Betaab Valley in Pahalgam. The swollen streams and debris-filled valleys witnessed in Pahalgam yesterday, it said, were a grim reminder of the Himalayan region’s fragility.
The group identified rampant and illegal riverbed mining as a major factor aggravating flash flood damage, warning that the unregulated extraction of boulders, gravel, and sand destabilises riverbeds, weakens embankments, alters natural water flows, and destroys aquatic habitats. Such changes, it said, make downstream communities more vulnerable to catastrophic flooding.
“For years, EPG has cautioned that deforestation, destabilisation of mountain slopes, and unplanned tourism infrastructure in ecologically sensitive zones are eroding the resilience of our environment. The Himalayas are not just a scenic backdrop; they are a delicate life-support system for millions,” the statement noted.
EPG recalled that it has filed a Public Interest Litigation before the J\&K High Court seeking strong judicial directions to halt destructive activities in forests, rivers, and mountains, and to ensure that all development projects are backed by scientific environmental assessments and disaster-risk safeguards.
The group urged the government and planners to “move beyond reactive relief measures” and adopt preventive, sustainable policies prioritising ecological security and community safety.
“May the departed souls rest in peace, and may this moment of collective mourning also be a moment of collective awakening to protect our irreplaceable Himalayan heritage before more lives are lost,” EPG said.
