The Union Territory of J&K will soon likely become the first Himalayan region to adopt a Mountain Development Policy, thus taking a long overdue initiative to take a different approach to the ecology of the region.
The draft of the Sustainable Mountain Development Policy prepared by SKUAST-Kashmir and the Integrated Mountain Initiative is timely and appropriate given the fragile situation of the region’s ecology that is threatened by fickle snowfall, shrinking glaciers, prolonged dry spells, cloudbursts, and landslides in the scientifically cut hills.
These are some of the challenges that need to be addressed with a policy that considers the vulnerability of the region.
What makes the draft policy even more appealing is that the government seems to realize that the livelihood sources of farmers, orchard growers, and tourists should be considered as they are intrinsically linked to the local ecology.
The emphasis on graded development, carrying capacity, watersheds, disaster management, and other issues is praiseworthy.
Agriculture and horticulture are two major contributors to the UT’s economy besides tourism, and ecological security has a direct bearing on economic security.
The UT has been experiencing deficient rainfall and snowfall for the past two years.
In addition, Jammu and Kashmir are witnessing an unprecedented cloudburst this year, which is yet another challenge. Since these are the new realities of life in the Indian Himalayas, we need to accept them and understand that we cannot grow economically without first focusing on ecological security.
The Centre’s agreement to the proposal after consultations is also a positive development.
Other Himalayan regions are already taking note of the Kashmiri example and are considering similar policies for their own regions.
For a region as dependent on the Himalayas as Kashmir is, announcing such a pioneering initiative is something to be congratulated.
