Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 13: Two- day workshop on ‘Floods and Rains in Jammu & Kashmir in 2014′, jointly organized by the Department of Geography and Regional Development, Kashmir University and Department of Geography, University of Jammu, began today at JU.
The Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi and the United States National Academy of Sciences collaborated in the organizing this academic meet, which was inaugurated by Prof Ashok Aima, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Jammu.
In his inaugural address, Prof Ashok Aima held largely the anthropogenic factors responsible for the September 2014 floods in Kashmir. He pointed that that there have been massive illegal constructions in Srinagar in the last 27 years which have choked the small channels, which could have otherwise prevented the flood of this magnitude to happen. He lamented the role of civil society in depending only on the state institutions in preservation of the wetlands in Kashmir. He further said that there is need to develop a multi-tier response and strengthen the social structures for promoting the environment health in the Valley.
Earlier, V Rajamani, Emeritus Professor, School of Environmental Science and Convenor of the Workshop, said that the main aim of the workshop is to deeper our understanding of the causes of the extreme climatic events and educate the society on climate change. Commenting on the vulnerability of the Kashmir Valley to floods, he emphasized the need of proper land use planning.
Another highlight of the inaugural function was the documentary on Floods and Rains in Kashmir, presented by Prof Tasawoor Kanth from Kashmir University.
The inaugural function was followed by the presentation on ‘Rainfall Documentation in Srinagar’ by Sonam Lotus, Director Kashmir, Indian Metrological Department and Anand Sharma from Ministry of Environment and Forest. Prof Shakil Ramsoo, Kamiljit Roy and R Yadav made a presentation on ‘Long-term Rainfall Record of the J&K Region.’
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