Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Dec 24: The Naraka wetland, which has shrunk significantly over the decades due to unmanaged construction, is now under threat again as a sizable portion of the waterbody is being turned into a playing field, endangering the ecology of this significant water basin.
The concerned citizens of the area told Excelsior that the administration has allocated approximately 44 kanals of land for the construction of a playing field, and approximately Rs 98 lakhs has also been released, but all of this has been done without the approval of the Ministry of Environment.
“The work is going on in full swing, and around 8 kanals of land have already been developed, ignoring all the national and international guidelines on the water body,” Younis Ali, a local said.
He added that while building a playground is crucial for the physical and mental health of children, it should not come at the expense of a crucial water body, because the latter “serves as a buffer zone and saves a huge region from floods.”
The High Court has already issued a stay order on construction and urban growth in and around Narkara as a result of a PIL filed by the non-governmental organization Policy Ground in 2017. The Srinagar Development Authority has additionally prohibited building near the water features in the master plan.
The creation of sports fields is one more construction project being done on a wetland, which is a violation of environmental laws. Inexcusably, the Government is carrying out all of the construction projects, such as the receiving station and the Krishi Vidyan Kendra, which have harmed the environment of this important body of water. “Constructions are prohibited in wetlands in Jammu and Kashmir that are under the Department of Wildlife Protection’s jurisdiction. Naraka has not been recognized by the Government as a wetland, which would confer on it the status of a protected area, an official at the Wildlife Department said.
The wetland area, which is around 12 kilometers south of Srinagar, has shrunk significantly as a result of changing land usage. According to a research titled “Urban Sprawl of Srinagar City and its Impact on Wetlands,” which was published in May 2014 in the International Journal of Environment and Bioenergy, Naraka’s area was 342 hectares in 1971 and dropped to 261 ha in 2010.
Ifshan Dewan, Central Kashmir’s wildlife warden, told Excelsior that the water body has all the characteristics of a wetland and that thousands of migratory birds frequent the area every year. “We need to conserve this important water body owing to its role in the overall ecology of the area,” she said, adding that they have expanded the anti-poaching operations in the wetland.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Nasir Ahmad, told the Excelsior that he would look into the matter. “I am unaware of the issue and will look into it,” he said.
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