Green is gone
And then we ask why we are witnessing this unprecedented rise in temperatures this summer. The news story that along the banks of the Jhelum River, or its tributaries, almost six lakh trees have been felled should wake us all up to an alarming reality: our green cover is fast depleting. Leave aside what is happening at the global level and the adverse changes happening on planet Earth.
Leave aside the debate on global warming, carbon footprint, industrial waste and other such things. Leave aside the agreements and covenants at the transnational level that are fed to global news channels every other day. Leave aside even the academic debates on environmental degradation. What has happened to Kashmir Valley is a matter close by and all in front of our eyes. How can we be so ungrateful to God, who graced our valley with such rich green cover?
The loss of such huge green cover that this latest news story suggests may have more detail to it, as it is being projected as a case of encroaching on the banks of the river body and cleared under some government project. Without even contesting any version on this, a simple question can be posed: when a green cover comprising hundreds of thousands of trees was removed, how did the concerned agencies plan for compensating it? After all, it is a no-brainer that the loss of such huge green cover will impact our environment.
Beyond this, how many more trees have we lost? Do we have an exact account of it, and have we done any scientific study to find out the reasons why we lost trees and underline the culprits – persons, agencies and trends?
What does it demonstrate? It shows complete neglect and total disregard of our environmental responsibilities. So no wonder if we have sizzling summers or erratic weather patterns. No wonder if we are facing higher levels of pollution. No wonder, if we are faced with different ailments that have roots in greater environmental imbalances.
To regain what we have lost may not be a matter of years, but if the government takes it seriously and a popular consciousness is also nurtured, we can cover reasonable ground that we have lost in the years ahead.
