WE THE PEOPLE
Despite oft-repeated protests, discharge of pollutants of all types into ‘River Jehlum’ continues to remain unchecked in Kashmir
Hence people urge Pollution Control Board to launch intensive drive against this menace to keep it fit for irrigation and drinking purposes
By: Ahlam Masoodi
Srinagar: The significance of water is engaging attention of many advanced nations of the world and experts have been advocating its economical usage to avoid water disputes across the globe. They have been stressing on the up-keep of Water Bodies so that these remain free from encroachments and pollutants of all types. But unfortunately this message has not been received well by the custodians of river Jhelum in Kashmir Valley. The river has fallen prey to their utter negligence. It is the sole drainage channel, which has not only been generating power and irrigating large tracts of land, but serving as a big source for several PHE projects. Now the pollution level has exceeded its dilution ratio, sending red signals across the canvas set for river bodies. It is irony that officials of some Wings of State administration like Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) and Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) are engaged in discharging pollutants from their drainage stations into the river without any treatment. Hence the city population cannot be blamed for throwing their domestic wastes and other pollutants into the main river and its allied channels. Although the State Government took-up prestigious project to beautify the river in city portion to attract tourists and add aestheticity to the water-body, but it is not going to solve the main problem of increasing its capacity to accommodate flood discharge and avert damages to the city population.
Pertinent to mention that the engineers of British-era had devised several strategies to improve the discharging capacity of the main river and avert damages to the city of Srinagar. A channel known as flood spill channel was constructed at Padshahibagh to draw flood discharge and throw it back into the river near Parimpora, rendering thereby safety to the city population. Another channel was dug at Ram Munshi Bagh to draw additional flood discharge and divert it towards Dal Lake whenever the main river would be running high. Similarly, Kut Khul and Sunri Khul were constructed to bye-pass the river discharge and throw it back upstream Chattabal Weir. This had been done in view of constricted section of river from Amira Kadal to Safa Kadal. The river in this reach is having standing structures on either side, which cannot be demolished, and large city population displaced and dislocated.
With the exit of Dogra regime from the scene, the political administrators got a Master Plan formulated for improvement to river Jhelum and experts from CWC were requisitioned who helped the State Engineers to prepare a detailed project to treat the river in its totality. Even the work was started at the out-fall channel in Baramulla district to dredge the river to improve its suction-power. The dredging work remained in operation for some years, but later abandoned for the reasons not known. The costly machinery purchased for the purpose is reported to have turned into a junk, causing thereby huge loss to the State Exchequer. Therefore, implementation of the said Master Plan is need of the hour.
“The river banks stand riveted and given proper slopes in the city reach, but we are equally shocked to see tones of earth being borrowed from different areas and dumped into the river body to create space for parks. We are also horrified to see that the riverbanks are now being used as parking places, despite strict guidelines laid down in the Embankment Act. No vehicular movement is permitted on the embankment tops of the river and it was for this reason that barricades had been placed at entry points of the bund by the Maharaja regime. Nobody could dare to ply any automobile on the bund top as such movement causes vibrations in the embankments. The embankments are meant not only to protect the river, but the population as well. We see everything going topsy-turvy and dangers are thus imminent. Therefore, the Government must adopt such measures which can ensure safety and security to Kashmir population”, said a group of environmentalists of Kashmir valley.
Hence, it becomes obligatory on the part of the Government of the day to implement the suggestions highlighted by the experts in the Master Plan for flood protection and start work from the tail as such projects are executed likewise. Beautification of the river is all right, but increasing discharging capacity of the river is more important as it will allow floodwaters to pass safely without endangering Kashmir population But before that is done, it is for the officials of Pollution Control Board to launch a drive against those, who add pollution to this precious water body.Whether this is done remains to be seen!
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