The Environmental Policy Group (EPG), in collaboration with the Institution of Engineers (India), Jammu Kashmir State Centre (IEIJKSC), has presented a set of policy recommendations to the Jammu Kashmir government to address the growing challenges of climate change. These recommendations were formulated following a workshop titled “Water, Weather, and Well-Being: Climate Change in the Kashmir Valley”, held on March 1, 2025.
The workshop focused on the impact of climate change on key sectors such as water resources, agriculture, public health, the economy, and infrastructure development. Experts highlighted that despite Jammu Kashmir’s minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, the region is experiencing erratic weather patterns, declining precipitation, and rising temperatures. These climatic changes have intensified existing vulnerabilities and introduced new risks, threatening long-term sustainability.
A comprehensive set of expert-backed recommendations has been proposed to tackle these challenges. Key suggestions include sustainable water management practices to address groundwater depletion, declining water levels, and pollution caused by industrial waste and agricultural runoff. Experts also stressed the need for stricter regulations on illegal mining, which disrupts natural water flows and degrades local ecosystems.
Given the agricultural sector’s vulnerability to climate change, the recommendations call for developing drought-resistant crop varieties and promoting crop diversification to ensure food security and protect farmers’ livelihoods. Additionally, experts emphasized strengthening public health infrastructure to deal with heat-related illnesses and vector-borne diseases that are becoming more prevalent due to climate shifts.
The workshop also addressed the impact of climate change on tourism, a major pillar of Jammu Kashmir’s economy. Declining snowfall and changing weather patterns have already affected the industry. To counteract these effects, experts proposed promoting eco-tourism and encouraging economic diversification to reduce dependency on climate-sensitive tourism activities.
Urban planning strategies were another major point of discussion. Experts called for climate-resilient infrastructure, including flood-resistant construction and sustainable urban water management systems. They also recommended setting up a dedicated Climate Resilience Task Force to oversee policy implementation, monitor progress, and enforce environmental regulations.
The EPG has urged the Jammu Kashmir government to adopt these measures, stressing that their implementation would play a crucial role in protecting the region’s environmental resources, strengthening resilience across vulnerable sectors, and ensuring sustainable economic growth.
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
