Since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Kashmir has witnessed a seismic shift in its governance structure. This legislative maneuver, which stripped Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status, consolidated the Indian government’s power in the region. Consequently, Kashmir’s climate and environmental vulnerability increased. Legislative actions have placed Kashmir’s environment in danger. 

Read More: Unmasking Water Apartheid: India’s Dam Projects and Environmental Devastation in Occupied Kashmir

At a time when climate action dominates international discourse, the environmental consequences of occupation in Kashmir are overlooked. Environmental justice and protection of indigenous rights are endangered. The ruling party continues to perpetuate hate-filled rhetoric fanning Islamophobia, and instilling more seeds for expansionist settler-colonial dreams within the average Indian citizen.

The once pristine landscape hailed as the ‘Third Pole’, now bears scars of relentless ecocide. The increased construction of military infrastructure since 2019 has intensified environmental devastation. From the disruption of natural river flows, and increased flood risks to the deforestation of over 250 hectares of forested land. 

This cycle of devastation has had far-reaching social consequences. Tourism has produced thousands of tonnes of waste with poor waste management negatively impacting biodiversity levels.  

Recently, the Government’s plans to auction and mine lithium reserves in Kashmir suggest further land dispossession, environmental degradation and continued water disputes for indigenous communities. The environmental damage caused by large-scale lithium mining on Jammu and Kashmir’s already fragile ecology will result in water scarcity, affecting a rural district where 5.9 million tonnes of lithium mines have been discovered. It will degrade water sources like the Chenab River and contribute to the glacial melt of the Himalayan mountain ranges. With all eyes on India’s elections, we must remain steadfast in our demand for environmental and human rights for all. 

Crackdowns, Curfews and Lockdowns Are Threatening Livelihoods and Food Security 

The 2019 elections set a distressing precedent for the citizens of Kashmir. The influx of military personnel alongside increased restrictions and school closures to accommodate 700,000 soldiers negatively affected daily life. With the 2024 elections now underway across India, Kashmiris will likely face an increase in these oppressive, restrictive and disruptive measures. 

In a region where 70% of the population relies on agriculture, the excessive militarisation and oppressive government measures jeopardize Kashmir’s food security. Frequent and continual land seizures, imposition of curfews, communication shutdowns, regional lockdowns, and destruction of homes and land have culminated in severe disruptions to food systems. Poverty and malnutrition have become synonymous with many areas of Kashmir, in Srinagar 27% of children under 5 suffer from stunted growth. Frequent lockdowns and curfews have seen farmers face challenges in cultivating their lands. Similarly stringent security measures have made the transportation of goods almost impossible. 

Read More: What is Climate Colonialism?

Since 2019, the crackdown on Kashmir has intensified with the central government banning alternative political organizations and activists, suppressing political freedom and Kashmiri voices. Arbitrary arrests and detention have become common tactics used against journalists, activists and protestors who speak out against the draconian measures enforced in Kashmir. Some laws allow the Government and security forces to arrest and detain individuals without trial for up to 2 years. Recurrent communication blackouts, media restrictions, censorship and surveillance are used to repress and minimize reporting on these unjust policies. 

Kashmir’s Indigenous Tribal Communities Are Endangered by Worsening Ecocide 

The nomadic way of life for tribes in Kashmir is under threat. Tribes including Gujjar, Pahari and Bakarwal that rely on the land itself are facing mass displacement, home demolition, and ecocide due to legislative changes in Kashmir. 

The Indian Government’s push for the ‘eviction and anti-encroachment drive’ has seen numerous instances of harassment and targeting of indigenous and tribal communities– from the felling of over 10,000 apple trees in Kanidajan to the razing of land in Pahalgam. The forced eviction of tribal communities from ancestral lands has had lasting negative impacts on the local environment. 

Read More: Noah’s Ark of Resilience: Islam’s Response to Climate Fatalism

In Roop Nagar, over 233,000 square feet of land was claimed by authorities, resulting in the displacement of over 20 families. Authorities have continued to push indigenous communities towards destitution. The Government’s selective eviction drive has targeted the most vulnerable in society. These nomadic, tribal, and indigenous communities are pushed further into poverty and marginalization. 

The BJP’s exploitation of Islamophobia amid increasing Hindu nationalism to secure electoral victories and retain power has dire consequences for the people of Kashmir. As elections unfold across India, it is crucial to scrutinize the glorification of India as a democracy and a leader in the green transition, given the nation’s divisive politics, ecocide and disregard for Kashmiri rights. The future of over nine million Kashmiris remains uncertain in the current climate.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Muslim Climate Watch’s editorial stance.

The post How Political Goals Threaten Eco-Fragile Kashmir appeared first on Muslim Climate Watch.

Read More: Climate Oppression, Eco-Apartheid & Palestinian Occupation

In addition to the ongoing humanitarian disaster and genocide of the Palestinian population, Israel’s bombing of Gaza is pushing us towards a climate catastrophe. The vast amount of explosives and the emissions produced as a result risks pushing the Earth beyond planetary boundaries, causing irreversible environmental damage. With the support of major Western powers such as the US and the UK, Israel is committing war crimes and destroying the planet in the process. 

US Funding Genocide & Global Climate Devastation

The United States (US) continued and unequivocal support of Israel through diplomatic, military, and financial means, alongside rejecting calls for a ceasefire has enabled Israel to act with impunity. Artillery & machinery from US companies including Woodward Inc, and General Nucleonics are being used in the current and past attacks on Gaza. At the time of writing, Israel has dropped over 25,000 tonnes of explosives on Gaza since October 7, 2023, equal to two nuclear bombs. With the number of children killed in Gaza in the past month surpassing annual child death tolls across all conflict zones as of 2019, the devastation of continued violence cannot be overstated. 

Israel’s use of white phosphorus in the Gaza Strip, illegal under Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (1980), has been extensively reported by Human Rights Watch. Under the Protocol, the use of incendiary weapons and devices on civilian populations is strictly prohibited. Despite the existence of these international conventions and laws, Israel continues to bomb the besieged strip while the civilians have nowhere to go. 

Every dollar the US spends on the military increases global GHG emissions while diverting financial resources, skills and attention away from addressing climate change.

Environmental Consequences 

Israel’s use of white phosphorus also represents an environmental concern, causing widespread contamination of soil, water, and air. The toxic pollution and contamination produced by missiles, bombs and white phosphorus cause long-term environmental harm, affecting local ecosystems and wildlife. For a population already suffering under occupation and complete blockade, the contamination of food supplies by white phosphorus and bombs is devastating, increasing food insecurity and vulnerability of the population.

The relentless bombing of Gaza is pushing the Earth beyond its planetary boundaries—the environmental limits beyond which the Earth is at risk of irreversible change and environmental degradation. 

The excessive bombing of Gaza has led to an increase in GHG emissions contributing to global warming and climate change. Widespread destruction caused by the bombings has reduced vegetation and biodiversity, disrupting the local ecosystems and contributing to the advancement of land system changes. The destruction of infrastructure further advances ecological thresholds, through the need to rebuild and intensive resource use, further increasing emissions. Similarly, the targeting of hospitals, schools and sanitation systems necessitates extensive rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of violence. These often require the extraction of resources, placing greater pressure on already scarce resources.  

Prioritizing War Over Climate Action

Despite persistent calls from the scientific and climate community for the urgent need for climate action, Western countries continue to support military operations fuelling climate crisis, instead of allocating funds to climate action. World militaries account for 6% of global GHG emissions, with the US military alone being the largest institutional source of GHG emissions. 

America’s $158 billion in bilateral assistance in the form of military aid and missile defence funding to Israel, showcases US complicity in Israel’s war crimes and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians as well as projecting the nation’s focus on geopolitics as opposed to climate change and action. 

The Biden administration is knowingly investing US taxpayer money towards a genocidal apartheid regime when the promised $100 billion of annual climate finance funding to developing nations bearing the brunt of climate change remains unfulfilled.

References

• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/12/us-top-diplomat-blinken-visits-israel-urges-protection-of-gaza-civilians
• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/12/israel-says-6000-bombs-dropped-on-gaza-as-war-with-hamas-nears-a-week
• https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/questions-and-answers-israels-use-white-phosphorus-gaza-and-lebanon
• https://www.instagram.com/p/CyvNJfto1YK/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D
• https://bonpote.com/en/the-5th-planetary-boundary-has-been-officially-crossed-and-nobody-cares/
• https://www.arij.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/The-environmental-impact-of-Israeli-military.pdf
• https://www.pbs.org/wnet/peril-and-promise/2022/01/militaries-produce-6-of-ghgs-but-theyre-not-required-to-report-it/
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-20415675#
• https://www.woodward.com/en/shop/woodward44-missile-actuation
• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/23/gaza-death-toll-exceeds-5000-as-israel-continues-daily-bombardments#:~:text=Children%20make%20up%2040%20percent,to%20Gaza%27s%20Ministry%20of%20Health.
• https://sgp.fas.org/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf
• https://www.marketplace.org/2023/10/23/a-look-at-the-history-of-u-s-aid-to-israel/#
• https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02846-3
• https://www.tni.org/en/publication/climate-collateral
• https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/non-proliferation/hiroshima,-nagasaki,-and-subsequent-weapons-testin.aspx#:~:text=On%20this%20basis%20of%20comparison,was%20of%2025%20kilotons%20(ca.
• https://www.instagram.com/p/CyyieC7os9i/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng%3D%3D
• https://www.instagram.com/p/CyvNJfto1YK/

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Water & Energy Apartheid Behind Sustainable Development

Kashmir suffers from persistent and severe water and energy shortages despite the region’s plentiful water resources and hydropower potential. Under the pretext of sustainable development, India has entangled the region in water and energy apartheid. Indigenous Kashmiris are systematically deprived of water and energy resources, whilst India disproportionately benefits from the exploitation of the region’s resources. The inequality in resource allocation, driven by political, economic and geopolitical factors, continues to negatively impact the environment, as well as the indigenous communities of Kashmir. 

India’s appropriation of Kashmir’s water resources is undergoing an aggressive dam construction season, supposedly aimed at generating ‘clean energy’. However, this construction spree in an ecologically fragile is posing many environmental risks, while displacing many locals. In a classic case of greenwashing, India is hiding the severe negative impacts of the development of these dams by labelling the projects as furthering sustainable development through clean energy. Ironically, despite the construction of a number of new dams, Kashmir continues to experience debilitating water shortages and prolonged electricity outages.

Occupied Kashmir currently generates around 3,263 megawatts of hydropower exceeding the region’s demand of 2,134 megawatts. Despite sufficient generation capacity, the region continues to grapple with frequent power outages. These power outages often persist for extended periods of time, particularly during harsh winters and hot summers where outages last over 4-8 hours a day. 

National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd. (NHCP) is a power producer owned by the Indian Occupation operating in the region and responsible for generating 60% of the region’s electricity. Despite the NHCP capitalizing on Kashmir’s water resources, it provides just 10 -13% of the electricity it produces to Kashmir, exporting the majority to India. This results in Kashmir being forced to procure the majority of its power (around 80%) from India at extortionately high prices to meet its energy requirements. This water exploitation and unequal electricity allocation emphasizes the reality of indigenous Kashmiris suffering from water and energy apartheid at the hands of the Indian Occupation. 

Forced Displacements

The Indian Occupation’s dam construction in the region has resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of indigenous Kashmiris. India’s relentless pursuit of hydro resources includes plans for the construction of eight new dams in this environmentally fragile region. In the district of Kishtwar located in the Chenab valley, India has begun constructing seven dams along the Chenab River all within a 50-mile radius of each other. These dams alone have resulted in the displacement of over 20,000 Kashmiris from their ancestral lands, upending lives and posing significant risk to the region’s fragile ecology. 

Read More: Climate Change in Pakistan Amidst El Niño

It is worth noting that such examples are not one-off occurrences but instead have become concerningly common. The construction of the large-scale 900-megawatt Baglihar Dam in 2008, located in the Ramban district along the Chenab River, was responsible for the forced displacement of over 1,400 people. In all cases of displacement due to dam construction, the Indian government has provided inadequate compensation to the affected people, leaving them displaced without a home, land or means of sustaining themselves. Consequently, many displaced people are experiencing generational poverty, with their primary means of sustenance snatched from them.

Lack of Environmental Due Diligence

The South Asian Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) has drawn attention to major flaws in the process of environmental impact assessment during the construction of dams in Kashmir. The group has provided evidence of India’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change granting clearance for dam construction before such crucial assessments had been completed and without appropriately consulting affected stakeholders. This included indigenous Kashmiris whose resources, homes and land were being appropriated to facilitate dam construction while they were left in the dark. This reinforces the power imbalance between the Indian occupation and the Kashmiri population. 

Read More: Climate Oppression, Eco-Apartheid & Palestinian Occupation

Despite claims that dams along the Chenab River, including the Baglihar 900 MW and Sawalkot 1,856 MW dams, are run-of-the-river schemes, experts challenge this categorization. Instead, experts have provided evidence that these dams are at high elevations, equipped with large reservoirs to store vast volumes of water and house substantial powerhouses, typical of a reservoir hydropower scheme as opposed to a run-of-the-river scheme. The disruption of natural water flow by these large dams results in significant ecological and social impacts including habitat destruction and displacement of communities. Moreover, by diverting water supplies from rivers and storing them in large reservoirs, these dams also pose challenges to the livelihoods of Kashmiris living downstream who depend on these rivers and their fisheries.

Ecological and Environmental Damage

The construction of numerous dams in Occupied Kashmir, located near each other, has unleashed severe ecological and environmental risks.

Seismic Activity

The region of Occupied Kashmir sits on a seismic belt, making it prone to frequent and intense earthquakes. Kashmir’s seismic vulnerability is exacerbated by the construction of large-scale dams on or near fault lines, where the permeation of water from dams into the fractures induces earthquakes. India’s building of dams within a mere 50-mile radius of each other along the Chenab River is a further cause for worry. This bumper-to-bumper dam construction can trigger earthquakes, endangering lives and livelihoods in the process. 

Landslides and Flooding

Landslides and flooding are a common consequence of excessive large-scale dam construction. This is evident with the example of the Baglihar Dam, which has triggered frequent landslides and flooding in villages along the Chenab River. 

Loss of Habitat

Excessive dam construction has altered the natural flow of rivers, putting migratory fish and other aquatic creatures at risk of extinction, and disrupting the delicate balance of the ecosystem. Birds that feed on marine life are forced to look elsewhere for food, in time disappearing from the region’s floodplains, wetlands and farmlands. GHG emissions have also increased as a result of dams.

Deforestation

India’s felling of trees to build dams has caused widespread deforestation in the region. This has led to devastating environmental impacts including a reduction in flora and fauna of the region, increased glacial melt, flash floods, and a rise in GHG emissions due to the loss of tree cover that served as carbon sinks. 

Climate Justice for Kashmir

India’s damaging development projects in Occupied Kashmir are being overlooked by the international community due to its greenwashing. Such destructive development projects are ramping up under the guise of sustainable development and clean energy initiatives, raising serious concerns of water apartheid, displacement and environmental degradation. The construction of dams not only displaces indigenous communities but also disrupts fragile ecosystems and exacerbates the impacts of climate change, thus posing long-term risks to the region’s sustainability. 

Recognizing the rights of indigenous Kashmiris by restoring their sovereignty over their resources through inclusive resource management and development strategies is vital to the well-being of the region. Conducting comprehensive environmental assessments for all infrastructure development projects in the region is crucial to rectifying the environmental and societal harms, while also fostering sustainable development in the region. 

References

• Ahmad, O. (2016, January 16). Environmental assessment for Jammu and Kashmir dam breaks all rules. The Third Pole. https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/energy/environmental-assessment-for-jammu-and-kashmir-dam-breaks-all-rules/
• Akmali, M. (2020, November 21). Power generation in Jammu and Kashmir plummets to 408 MWs. Greater Kashmir. https://www.greaterkashmir.com/todays-paper/power-generation-in-jk-plummets-to-408-mws
• Al Jazeera. (2021, September 9). Kashmir villages facing submergence as India plans Himalayan dam. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/9/kashmir-india-new-himalayan-dam-ujh-environment
• Environmental impacts of dams. (n.d.). International Rivers. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://archive.internationalrivers.org/environmental-impacts-of-dams
• India’s grand plan for Kashmir dams. (n.d.). Thediplomat.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://thediplomat.com/2022/10/indias-grand-plan-for-kashmir-dams/
• Jammu and Kashmir’s power supply to double in 3 years from 3500 MW. (n.d.). Moneycontrol. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://www.moneycontrol.com/europe/?url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/jammu-and-kashmirs-power-supply-to-double-in-3-years-from-3500-mw-8295651.html
• Javeed, A. (2022, April 21). Power crisis in Kashmir valley likely to worsen. Kashmir Observer. https://kashmirobserver.net/2022/04/21/power-crisis-in-kashmir-valley-likely-to-worsen/
• Kaur, H. (2019, September 10). Weaponizing Water in Kashmir. Legal Planet. https://legal-planet.org/2019/09/10/weaponizing-water-in-kashmir/
• Lateef, S. (2021, December 28). Why is Kashmir facing a power shortage? Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/why-is-india-administered-kashmir-facing-a-power-shortage/a-60275456
• Nabi, S. (n.d.). Green power at any cost? Asparagus Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://www.asparagusmagazine.com/articles/new-hydro-dams-in-indian-controlled-kashmir-will-hurt-ecosystems-and-indigenous-communities
• Naik, R. H. (2020a). Climate tracker. https://climatetracker.org/construction-of-7-new-dams-in-kashmir-raises-human-environmental-cost-concerns/
• Naik, R. H. (2020b, July 24). Video: The human costs of the Baglihar dam. The Third Pole. https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/energy/video-the-human-cost-of-the-baglihar-dam/
• Naik, R. H. (2020c, October 30). Homes, nature lost for seven new dams in Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir. The Third Pole. https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/nature/homes-nature-lost-for-seven-new-dams-in-kishtwar-jammu-kashmir/
• Open letter to J&KSPCB: Cancel public hearings for Sawalkote HEP for violations. (2016, January 14). SANDRP. https://sandrp.in/2016/01/14/open-letter-to-jkspcb-cancel-public-hearings-for-sawalkote-hep-for-violations/
• Understanding the role of Water in India’s occupation of Kashmir. (2020, August 2). Stand With Kashmir. https://standwithkashmir.org/understanding-the-role-of-water-in-indias-occupation-of-kashmir/

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