Time has come to consider an Environmental Cess in J&K

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Ziraat Times
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Following is the transcript  of the talk delivered by Arjimand Hussain (founder of Ziraat Times) at the Panel Discussion organized by the Environmental Policy Group (EPG) and the Institution of Engineers India (IEI) in Srinagar on Ist March, 2025.

Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo sahab, Faiz Bakshi sahab, Iftikhar Kakroo sahab, Ajaz Rasool sahab, Rauf Tramboo sahab, M M Shuja sahab and other distinguished members and participants: Assalamu alaikum, adaab and good afternoon.

Thank you for having me here today.

At the outset, let me congratulate the Environmental Policy Group (EPG) and the Institution of Engineers India (IEI), J&K chapter for their proactiveness in holding such events which are very crucial our collective advocacy efforts on pushing climate change mitigation and adaptation to the centrestage of public discourse on the issue.

Distinguished guests, seventeen years ago, in 2007, I was involved in designing and writing Jammu & Kashmir’s first comprehensive community research-based study on climate change, titled “On the Brink: Climate change and its impacts in Kashmir.” This was a groundbreaking study in the sense that it was one of those few studies done globally based on a wide community-engagement model and highlighted the changes happening in J&K region as experienced by farmers, shepherds, inhabitants of highland pastures, scientists, and others. The study, published by Bangalore-based Books for Change, provided clear recommendations on what needed to be done to address climate change impacts in J&K. At that time, I also had the privilege of working with Prof. Shakeel Romshoo on a related project at the Earth Sciences Department of Kashmir University. We had funded a research and documentation center there that did some remarkable work on the documentation of linkages between climate change and disasters. Many of its outstanding researchers are now spread across the globe, contributing significantly to climate science.

The good news is that today we have a wealth of research on what is happening, what is likely to happen, and what we need to do. Dr Jasia ji made an excellent presentation, with latest data and figures, which has set a good background for the proceedings of this event.
It is good to note that the Forest Department plans to plant over one crore saplings by March end. While this is a laudable target, I know, Faiz Bakshi sahab has expressed scepticism on the practicality of this target and the post plantation monitoring and nurturing plans for these trees. These questions are relevant and it would be good for the Forest Department to address them.

But let me be clear: this is not the time for poetry or endless talks. It is the time for action – particularly policy advocacy, the kind of work organizations like EPG are doing. Policy advocacy work is most crucial, and it is making an impact. A lot of people today, mostly those present here, are doing great work in bringing about positive changes. When I look back, I feel a sense of satisfaction that many recommendations from the “On the Brink” report have been implemented by successive governments. However, many remain unaddressed, and the urgency to act has only grown.

Kashmir is fortunate to have given birth to the likes of Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-din Wali (RA). I travel a lot across the world, and I am yet to find a philosopher or a scientist of the 14th century who has prophesied about the future degradation of the environment as Sheikh Noorud din has done. Some six or seven centuries ago one can barely find someone around globally who has so explicitly warned what needs to be done to protect the environment and ecology for human survival.

Therefore, our agenda for action was actually set centuries ago by Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-din Wali (RA) through his words that are most relevant even today: “Kyah chu karun yeli kralmut aav, traavith kyah karakh, which could be translated in English roughly as – What will you do when chaos reigns, and the earth turns barren?

He also warned, “Gal karith walith wanus, yeth bi rozi tserun” (The trees shall be uprooted and destroyed, and then life will become miserable.), and “Drayas rozi nar tchei, boozith yol toti chuk” (You shall cut down the trees for firewood, but you will ultimately burn yourself in the flames.). These words are not just poetic; they are prophetic. They remind us that our actions – or inactions – have consequences.

The “On the Brink” report highlighted several critical issues that remain relevant today. In the 1960s, Kashmir faced a 40% deficit in food grains, 30% in vegetables, and 69% in oilseeds for its 6 million population. This deficit has nearly doubled since 1980–81. Over 11,909 Kanals of paddy land had been converted to orchards in districts like Kupwara, Pulwama, and Shopian only in five years between 2002 and 2007. While horticulture offers short-term profits, this shift risks escalating food grain deficits in Kashmir to over 60% this decade.

Snowfall duration and quantity, we all know, have decreased, with December–January now drier and heavy snow shifting to February–March. This study documented community experiences across 14 districts of J&K with regard to shrinking and disappearance of glaciers, including from elderly people who have seen glaciers disappearing in their lifetime. In places like Fakir Gujri (Srinagar), for instance, snowfall was reported to have dropped from 5 feet to 2 feet in 40 years. Glaciers in the Chenab Basin have lost 21% of their surface area (1962–2004). Key glaciers like Najwan Akal, Thajwas, Zojila, and Nambalnar Hajibal’s Afarwat have disappeared or shrunk by 50–75%. Smaller glaciers in Budgam, Kapran, and Karnah have been reduced to a fraction of their original size. Stream and river flows have dropped by two-thirds in 40 years, with springs drying up and groundwater in Karewas and upper areas declining by one-third. I am sure ramshoo sahab will have to share more updated data on some of these streams and glaciers.

The “On the Brink” report outlined several recommendations, many of which remain relevant today. We must overhaul the environmental and social impact assessment regime and strengthen laws to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from private vehicles, industries, government establishments, and charcoal-based heating systems. The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) must be empowered with enhanced authority to enforce compliance. It emphasised we must address trapped greenhouse gases in the Kashmir Valley by reviewing carbon credit trading policies and ensuring accurate emission reporting. It had an interesting case study about the Khrew-Awantipors-Tral plateau and demonstrated how this sub-region was receiving one of the lowest snowfalls in Kashmir due to trapped carbon dioxide in its lower atmosphere and lack of forest cover on the south-eastern side of Zabarwan and Shari Shali mountain ranges.

Today, the world is taking significant steps to mitigate and adapt to climate change. We can learn from global best practices such as afforestation and reforestation, renewable energy development, and climate-resilient agriculture. One can share a lot from those experiences but the limited time wouldn’t allow that.

What next? To summarise, firstly, J&K must strengthen its Social & Environmental Impact Assessment regime. Lately, we all know that this regime has become lax, and big projects are barely subject to a transparent system of environmental assessment and mitigation measures that must be taken for damages involved.

As we all know climate change adaptation and mitigation business is cost intensive. J&K would need resources for this work. We don’t have that kind of money available with the present J&K government. A time has also come when the J&K government must implement the “Polluter Pays Principle” – a concept in vogue in advanced societies for a long time now –  and introduce an Environmental Cess, particularly on high-pollution tourism, construction sector, and other polluting industries. J&K can easily raise Rs 1000 crore from such a cess, to begin with, which must  exclusively go to a Climate Change Fund, primarily for funding climate adaptation and mitigation activiites, including afforestation and greening activities.

It is high time that a dedicated Climate Change Agency must be established by law in J&K, with the mandate of raising resources and implementing research-guided strategies and action plans in J&K. This agency must also have  enforcement powers and have accountability to the legislature. Annual public reports on climate change outputs and outcomes, produced in-camera before a legislative standing committee on climate change, must be a key mandate for the agency. J&K must also look at the feasibility of constituting an Environmental Cess Regulatory Board too, on the lines of the The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) of Jammu & Kashmir, which should have  members from business chambers, environmental groups, and Finance Department to set annual tarrifs and create a corpus fund from the tax which must be dedicated to climate change mitigation and adaptation in J&K.

The time for action is now. We have the research, the knowledge, and the tools to make a difference.
It is also the time to consider agro-forestry involving plantation of high value conifer trees as an long term investment option on private lands. If people have the incentive to grow conifer plants and derive financial benefit out of it, why to stop it?

What we need is the political will and collective effort to implement these recommendations. Most of these actions are within the ambit of this government’s authority.

With these words I would stop here. Thank you very much for your patient hearing, and I look forward to listening to other learned panelists.

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