In the last two decades, the Indian armed forces and authorities have converted the Kashmir’s green landscape into a military garrison. Forests have already been harmed following decades of conflict, political unrest, and a weakened administration. The Indian army, which is directly involved in deforestation in the region, had established military camps and hideouts in forests followed by the intentional setting of forest fires to clear land to target innocent Kashmiris, in the name of counter-terrorism operations. Under President’s Rule, Jammu and Kashmir forfeited 243 hectares of forest land in 2019 for usage by the military and paramilitaries. Unfortunately, in IOJK, the practise of granting security troops access to forest land so they can build up camps there is still prevalent.

Amidst deforestation, the illegal construction, timber smuggling has led to significant decrease in forest land in and around the Kashmir. Pahalgam; a disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir is home to coniferous forests that holds the most unique and beautiful species of the world including, Himalayan marmots, the orange-breasted Kashmir flycatcher bird and the Kashmir stag. The illegal logging and construction of resorts and hotels are encroaching on forest and putting pressure on wildlife.Unfortunately, this illegal activity occurred without much resistance as the Indian authorities of IOJK were primarily concerned with the so called security prospects.

It has been evident in the history that in any conflict zone, smugglers enjoy the sympathy and carelessness of politicians and several agencies. In IOJK, thousands of trees were forcibly cut down during the 1990s as the majority of timber smugglers were collaborating with Indian government authorities and politicians. Even the Indian army officers  have been found involved in the illicit timber smuggling.  During 1989–1990, vast woods in Bandipora district, Anantnag, Doda, Poonch, Rajouri, Budgam, have disappeared. Most notably, in district Bandipora alone, lakhs of Most notably, , lakhs of Salix trees were unlawfully felled and smuggled by government-backed gunmen (Ikhwan).According to estimates, in the Doda area, armed men with the support of the government cut down roughly 1.50 lakh trees unlawfully.

Six Lakh Of The Poplar Trees Were Cut Down Across The Valley

The longstanding habit of India in pursuing its interests by peddling falsehoods has now facilitated its illegal activities of deteriorating the climate of IOJK for its own military and strategic interests. The high court of IOJK, portrayed the “poplar trees as a threat to health of locals.” To justify the illegal construction and timber smuggling by the Indian army and authorities in IOJK, the high court carried out a ruthless order of cutting down Russian poplar trees, as a result six lakh of the poplar trees were cut down across the Valley, Nevertheless, the objective behind this action was constructed due to the high yield of poplars and their intensive use in the timber and construction industry, they were projected as a threat to human survival.

However, the real motive behind this action remains a concern.“Poplar-induced allergy stands at number six as a cause of allergy. While dust remains the main cause, it is followed by lawn grass, deodar, Kikar and Chinar pollen.” (Claimed by the Department of Chest Medicine of the Government Medical College, Srinagar).

Military Weapons Are Climate Killer In IOJK

In this era of increasing climate crises and from above mentioned analysis it would not be wrong to say that “military weapons are a climate killer in IOJK.”  Globally, the military sector is estimated to generate around six per cent of all CO2 emissions. Although one of the most significant effects of conflict is the production of greenhouse gases, the amount released varies on the duration of the conflict as well as the types of tanks, trucks, and weaponry used. Emissions from armed forces and military equipment cause considerable environmental harm around the globe. The pollution of ecosystems that store CO2 is an additional. In context of Kashmir conflict, the use of such heavy weapons by the Indian Army,  is not only damaging the ecology of IOJK, but the increase in carbon footprints caused by the fumes of these weapons is also contributing to the global climate change in an escalated manner.

Rapid Defrosting Of The Siachen Glacier

The Siachen Glacier being the largest glacier outside the Polar Regions and biggest source of fresh water in South Asia, holds tremendous significance for Pakistan and India. The rapid de-icing of the glaciers in the Himalayan region pose a great risk to climate change. Siachen glacier’s retreat is estimated to be 110 metres per year. Reports also indicate that a sizable lake has developed in the centre of the Siachen Glacier, which the Indian army is now occupying.

India is deliberately creating false impression regarding the rapid defrosting of the Siachen Glacier, as it blames global warming for being the main cause of the glacier retreat. Interestingly, it is covering up the catastrophic environmental crime its army is committing in the form extraordinary military activity, infrastructure being established following cutting of glacial ice, huge explosive storages on the eastern side of the Saltoro Ridge (presently occupied by the Indian army).

De-Icing Of The Glacier

Hence, the main reason for this change can no doubt be attributed to the continuous shelling at large, military activities, and the dumping of non-biodegradable waste by Indian military forces that has become part of the snow on Siachen Glacier. Various studies reveal that since the presence of armed forces on Siachen Glacier, about 216,000 tons of load have been transported there. According to the report of World Glacier Monitoring service (WGMS), the primary reason for the rapid de-icing of the glacier could be the presence of large-scale Indian army on the glacier. According to World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) estimates, on the Indian side alone, over 1 ton of human waste is dropped daily into crevasses. 

Siachen has also experienced a significant decline in the diversity of animal species. The Siachen Glacier and the surrounding Tibetan Plateau Steppe have been designated as one of 200 locations that are “Critical to observation” by the World Wide Fund for Nature because the habitats of Brown bears, Ibex, Cranes, Snow leopards, and a few other species are in danger. The Siachen Glaciers serve as the lifeline for the millions of people whose food security is dependent on Himalayan waters. Given the importance of the glaciers, the impacts of its retreat are going to be devastating. Their deterioration would not only be detrimental to food safety, it would also be catastrophic to global environmental efforts.

Conclusion

India is rapidly strengthening and maximizing its military might to sustain its illegal occupation over Jammu and Kashmir. MORE ARMS MEANS MORE DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT.  India dedicates huge budgets, investments and human capital, for weapons production and the military which in turns drain the resources that are required to address the global climate change and ultimately achieving the SDGs. Given the possibility of drastic risks, forestalling climate crisis in the IOJK should be a priority.

The long standing history of failures for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir Dispute through United Nations resolutions and bilateral Pakistan-India agreements seems to have sapped the will to try to address the dispute directly. However, it for the United Nations to strongly watch and scrutinize the Indian army activities in the IOJK, so that at least the environmental cost of the conflict can be preserved, if not the human and material cost.

Bibliography

Free Press Kashmir. “Handwara Massacre: When the denied memorial resurrected from the wrecks of the watchtower,” January 25, 2018. https://www.kiir.org.pk/

Rafeeq, Jauhar. “Environmental Cost of Kashmir Conflict.” Kashmir Reader, May 15, 2020. https://www.kiir.org.pk/.

The Express Tribune. “India’s use of chemical weapons against Kashmiris,” August 5, 2017. https://www.kiir.org.pk/.