Srinagar: The Environmental Policy Group (EPG) has expressed deep condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the recent cloudburst at Chashoti village in Paddar subdivision of Kishtwar district, which claimed dozens of lives, including pilgrims.
In a statement to Ziraat Times, the group said its prayers were with the injured and missing, and that it stood in solidarity with the survivors.
EPG said the tragedy was part of a “disturbing pattern” of extreme weather events across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in recent days, including incidents in Kishtwar, Paddar, Kokernag, Kupwara, Leh–Srinagar highway, Harwan, Sonamarg, and Betaab Valley in Pahalgam. It cited cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods as signs of the fragility of Himalayan landscapes.
A key factor worsening the impact of such disasters, EPG said, was rampant and often illegal riverbed mining. “The indiscriminate extraction of boulders, gravel, and sand destabilises riverbeds, weakens embankments, alters natural flows, and destroys aquatic habitats—leaving communities downstream more vulnerable to flooding,” the statement noted.
The group also blamed deforestation, destabilisation of mountain slopes, and unplanned tourism infrastructure in ecologically sensitive zones for eroding the region’s resilience to disasters. “The Himalayas are a delicate life-support system, and disturbing their balance has irreversible consequences,” it said.
EPG said it has filed a Public Interest Litigation before the J&K High Court seeking judicial directions to halt destructive activities in forests, rivers, and mountains, and to ensure all development is based on scientific environmental assessments and disaster-risk considerations.
Calling for preventive action over reactive relief, EPG urged the government and planners to prioritise ecological security and community safety. “The loss of lives and livelihoods in these disasters is a heavy price to pay for neglecting environmental safeguards,” the statement added.
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