Kashmir’s environmental crisis is no longer something that can be discussed only in terms of forests, lakes or pollution. It is increasingly becoming a question about the kind of future we are creating for ourselves—and the kind of Kashmir we will leave behind.
Kashmir’s extraordinary natural landscape has always been one of its greatest strengths. Its mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, wetlands, meadows, springs and biodiversity have shaped its identity and attracted visitors from across the world. Srinagar, in particular, derives much of its character from its waterways, gardens, green spaces and surrounding natural landscape.
That natural inheritance is also Kashmir’s most valuable tourism asset. Unlike hotels, roads or commercial infrastructure, however, it cannot simply be reconstructed once destroyed.
This is why the concerns surrounding Brari Nambal should not be dismissed as another routine dispute over land.
Recent visuals circulating on social media appear to show portions of Brari Nambal being encroached upon or subjected to activities that raise serious environmental concerns. The visuals must, of course, be properly verified by the administration and relevant technical agencies. They cannot by themselves be treated as conclusive evidence.
But neither should they be ignored.
The appropriate response is straightforward: inspect the site immediately, verify the status of the land and water body, determine whether any encroachment or unauthorised activity has taken place, identify responsibility if a violation is established, and make the findings public.
If there is no violation, the authorities should clarify the position. If encroachment is established, action should follow without delay.
The larger issue is that a water body cannot be treated simply as vacant government land.
A wetland is not land waiting to be developed. A forest is not merely a collection of trees. A lake is not simply a tourist attraction.
These are functioning ecological systems.
Water bodies regulate drainage, support aquatic life, provide habitats for birds and other species and contribute to environmental balance. Forests protect soil, support biodiversity, conserve water and moderate local temperatures. Mature trees provide environmental benefits that a newly planted sapling may take decades to replicate.
This distinction matters because environmental damage is often incremental. One encroachment may appear insignificant. One tree may seem expendable. One blocked drainage channel may not immediately cause a crisis. One garbage dump may look temporary.
But collectively, such actions can permanently transform a landscape.
Development cannot mean destruction
Kashmir needs development. It needs better roads, housing, public infrastructure, tourism facilities, employment opportunities and modern civic amenities. The choice, however, should not be between development and environmental protection.
The real challenge is to pursue development that works with nature rather than against it.
What is the point of building a tourist destination while simultaneously destroying the natural attractions that bring visitors here?
People do not travel thousands of kilometres merely to see concrete structures. They come for Kashmir’s mountains, lakes, forests, meadows, gardens, rivers, climate and cultural landscape.
The natural environment is therefore Kashmir’s first and most valuable tourism infrastructure.
If that infrastructure is degraded, tourism will eventually suffer.
Accountability cannot be fragmented
The government has a central responsibility in this regard. The administration has the legal authority and institutional machinery to protect public resources and prevent violations.
Records relating to lakes, wetlands, forests and environmentally sensitive areas must be accurate and protected from manipulation. Departments dealing with revenue, lakes and waterways, forests, municipal administration, urban planning, tourism and pollution control must work in coordination.
Whenever an encroachment is established, some basic questions should follow: When did it occur? Who was responsible for monitoring the area? Was it reported? What action was taken? If no action was taken, why?
This is not about blaming officials without evidence. It is about ensuring that responsibility does not disappear between departments.
Citizens are part of the solution
Yet environmental protection cannot be left to the government alone.
Citizens, local communities, businesses, tourists and civil society all have a role.
Local residents are often the first to notice encroachments, illegal construction, dumping or damage to public spaces. Their complaints should have credible mechanisms for verification and prompt action.
But citizens also have obligations. We cannot demand a clean city while dumping waste into drains or water bodies. We cannot condemn encroachment while tolerating the occupation of public land. We cannot call for more greenery while accepting unnecessary tree cutting.
Municipal authorities, meanwhile, must provide the systems that make responsible behaviour possible. Waste collection, sewage management and protection of drainage channels cannot be left to individual goodwill.
From environmental concern to environmental culture
Ultimately, laws alone will not protect Kashmir.
What we need is an environmental culture.
Children should grow up understanding that lakes, wetlands, rivers and forests are not simply beautiful features of the landscape. They are essential to human life. Schools can encourage conservation. Communities can participate in protecting local water bodies. Civil society can monitor environmental concerns. The media can highlight violations as well as successful conservation efforts.
Most importantly, environmental protection must rise above political and social divisions.
Nature does not distinguish between political parties, communities or social groups. Polluted water affects everyone. Flooding affects everyone. Poor air quality affects everyone. The loss of forests affects everyone.
The question before us is therefore larger than Brari Nambal.
What kind of Kashmir do we want to leave behind?
Do we want future generations to experience the lakes, forests, springs, wetlands, trees and open spaces that we inherited—or will we leave them photographs and stories of what Kashmir once looked like?
Environmental destruction rarely arrives dramatically. More often, it begins quietly: one encroachment, one tree cut, one drain blocked, one wetland filled, one garbage dump at a time.
By the time the cumulative damage becomes visible, it may already be too late.
The visuals emerging around Brari Nambal should therefore be treated as a wake-up call—not merely to verify one alleged encroachment, but to examine more broadly how Srinagar’s water bodies and natural assets are being protected.
The first requirement is verification. The next is action wherever violations are established. But the larger objective must be prevention.
Kashmir does not need development at the cost of its natural heritage. It needs development that protects and enhances that heritage.
Its lakes, wetlands, rivers, forests, mountains and meadows are not obstacles to progress. They are the foundation of a sustainable future.
If Kashmir is to become a truly world-class destination, it must first remain the Kashmir that nature created.
Protecting that Kashmir is not the responsibility of one department, one government or one generation.
It is a shared concern—and a joint responsibility.
Has it crop up abruptly kashmiris are responsible we owe explanation fair weather birds opportunists