It is aptly said that in wilderness lies the beauty of the nature. John Milton, 17th century English Poet in his famous Epic Poem -“Paradise Lost” focuses on and “justifies the ways of God to men” and when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, fall from grace became imminent . Nature has been liberal in keeping at absolute disposal of human beings lush green forests, rivers, streams, snow capped hills, meadows, bewitching and awe striking beautiful spots and what not all for their enjoying, benefitting from, using, staying and even habituating but never violating. Kishtwar in Jammu region just 80 kms far from Batote and 210 kms from Jammu has all to offer to the visiting tourists who do throng in numbers to visit the scenic town and adjoining captivating spots and as a result thereof local economic activities get generated mostly due to the tourism and tourism related activities but such a mini-paradise is put to great jeopardy just due to the casual approach and an unchanged mindset towards our duties to protect environment and thereby let such beautiful places survive as beautiful and charming ones and not turn into barren , impoverished and lifeless.
We are not here to enumerate how and why Bhaderwah is so famous and occupying a niche of its own type on the tourism canvas but which lurking and even open danger is threatening Bhaderwah menacingly and if consciously and seriously measures taken to fight this danger were not taken , then such a paradise could be lost for ever. It is the single use plastic, polythene and similar substances which are posing grave threat to the environment and causing irreversible pollution of water, local marine environment and the like in Bhaderwah . Both the local people and tourists visiting the town and other areas generate enough plastic material like water bottles, cups, pouches, straws, polythene bags and the like which gets accumulated and deposited in one or the other form only to create pollution.
Waste material generating activities near rivers and other beautiful spots in Bhaderwah besides brazen dumping of waste generated from households and shops etc adds to the problem although Municipal Committee Bhaderwah and Bhaderwah Development Authority are responsible for waste management but looking to the unchanged habits, casual approach and perhaps ignorance towards environment concerns of tourists and the general public , the problem of single use plastic causing damage to environment could be enormous. Unless we, whether as tourists or ordinary people of the tourist areas specific, realise our duties towards protecting such captivatingly beautiful spots by saying ”no” to plastic use, the days are not far when it would be too late to ”regain” the Paradise lost . We need to preserve, protect and sustain the environment of Bhaderwah and for that purposes all places to make nature’s boons retain their sheen and charm.
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