The disclosure, which came through an RTI query, assumes significance against the backdrop of record-breaking daily temperatures logged in Kashmir this year
Srinagar: Nearly six lakh trees have been axed in Kashmir over the last five years as part of a drive launched by the administration to remove encroachments from the Jhelum river system, official data has revealed.
Environmental activists said that the cutting of hundreds of thousands of trees in a region which is at the forefront of climate change seems to defy a growing body of scientific evidence that planting trees strengthens the river embankments, reduces erosion and restores the natural environment.
A government officer told The Wire that most of the axed trees were poplars, which had come up in the canals and inner slopes of Jhelum embankments. Poplars are known for their deep root penetration that prevents soil erosion, improves soil structure and benefits surrounding plants.
The administration justified its action, arguing that these trees “obstructed the natural flow” of the river system and “indirectly contributed to damage” when the river flooded.
A Right to Information (RTI) query by Srinagar-based activist M.M. Shuja has revealed that a fresh internal assessment was carried out by the office of chief engineer (Kashmir), irrigation and flood control (I&FC) department during which nearly 6.33 lakh trees lining the banks of Jhelum from its origin in south Kashmir – the Verinag spring – and its canals and tributaries till its extent in the valley were identified as “encroachment”.
The construction of new highway and roads has led to the depletion of green cover across Jammu and Kashmir.
In response to the RTI query, the I&FC department revealed that 5.84 lakh trees were cut down from 2020 to 2025. Of these, 4.79 lakh were cut by the department’s Sumbal division alone, from Panzinara to Boniyar in Baramulla district, where the Jhelum river crosses the Line of Control (LoC) to enter Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir before draining into the Chenab river.
The I&FC department is the nodal wing of Jal Shakti department which manages the Union territory’s water resources through its two wings in Kashmir and Jammu divisions. A senior I&FC department official claimed that the axed trees had encroached the river system.
“We can’t allow a catastrophe to take place because of environmental concerns. Before the environment, we have to see what is right and what is wrong. In most cases, these trees were planted for commercial gains and sometimes to even lay claim on the land,” the officer, who wished to stay anonymous, said.
The officer, however, refused to clarify whether the department had conducted any survey to list out the type of trees that were identified for removal, their age, why they were categorised as “encroachment” and the overall impact of their removal on the river ecosystem and local climate.
The I&FC department’s disclosure assumes significance against the backdrop of a spate of record-breaking daily temperatures logged in Kashmir this year amid rampant conversion of agricultural land into commercial areas and rapid concretisation of green spaces which is feared to worsen the climate change in coming years.
According to the RTI query, 1,884 structures and 283 boundary walls were also removed by the department as part of its anti-encroachment drive from the Jhelum and its network of tributaries and canals which act as the main source of water for household supplies, irrigation and other uses in Kashmir valley.
“Encroachment removal is a continuous process and is being done essentially to ensure no obstruction to flow (of the Jhelum River),” the department said in response to the RTI query.
However, riparian vegetation is a crucial factor for protecting the river ecosystem and addressing various causes of its degradation.
A study in Australia found that tree roots protected a stream bank from erosion at a radius less than half of the tree canopy radius. Another study has revealed that increased levels of forest can reduce water availability in nearby rivers by 23% after five years and 38% after 25 years.
A 2019 study in International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering found that the encroachment of river path by trees planted in the course of Jhelum River and its tributaries resulted in the narrowing of the water course, which exacerbated the devastating 2014 floods that killed more than 200 people in Jammu and Kashmir and inundated large parts of Kashmir, including the capital Srinagar city.
The remains of a residential house in Srinagar which was damaged by the 2014 flood.“Encroachment of The River Rights is a common occurrence along the river course in the form of trees planted in the normal course of river” which led to the “breaches and overtopping of the banks resulting in the flooding of plains,” the study notes, adding that planting more trees along the embankments of the Jhelum system can help to “reduce soil erosion and surface runoff”.
Faiz Bakshi, convener of the Environmental Policy Group (EPG), a registered trust based in Srinagar, said that J&K has witnessed rampant deforestation under the garb of infrastructure development which has had a negative impact on local climate
The EPG has taken on the government Jammu and Kashmir high court regarding the issue of 2014 floods and the implementation of solid waste management policy in the Union territory.
According to the US-based Global Forest Watch, J&K has lost 4,190 hectares of forest cover between 2001 and 2023.
On Saturday (July 5), the meteorological department in Srinagar recorded a 72-year high of 37.4 degrees celsius, which was also the third hottest July day since 1892.
On July 1, the Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir which is known for its snow capped peaks and cool air recorded higher temperature than Jammu city, the winter capital of J&K, which is notorious for its scorching summer heat.
“When trees are cut, much of the carbon stored by them gets released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide which aggravates climate change and can also undermine the resilience of habitats. Under the garb of development, our environmental policy is heading towards a disaster,” Bakshi said.
Note:- This story is not Edited and Report By The KashPost , This is already Published by independent national News Portal The Wire– By Jahageer Ali