Srinagar, Aug 15: The Environmental Policy Group (EPG) has expressed deep condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the tragic cloudburst at Chashoti village in Paddar Sub Division, Kishtwar district, which claimed dozens of lives, including pilgrims. “Our prayers are with all those injured and missing, and we stand in solidarity with the survivors during this time of profound grief,” the group said.
EPG said the incident is not an isolated tragedy but part of a disturbing pattern of extreme weather events and environmental crises witnessed across Kishtwar, Paddar, Kokernag, Kupwara, the Leh–Srinagar highway, Harwan, Sonamarg, Betaab Valley in Pahalgam, and other areas. Cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods have left a trail of destruction, with scenes from Pahalgam showing swollen streams and debris-filled valleys — stark reminders of the fragility of Himalayan landscapes.
The group noted that rampant and often illegal riverbed mining is worsening the intensity of flash floods and cloudbursts by destabilising riverbeds, weakening embankments, altering water flows, and destroying aquatic habitats. Such practices, it said, reduce rivers’ capacity to absorb heavy rainfall and glacial melt, leaving downstream communities highly vulnerable.
EPG reiterated its long-standing concerns over deforestation, destabilisation of mountain slopes, and unplanned tourism infrastructure in ecologically sensitive zones, warning that these actions are eroding the resilience of the region’s environment. It stressed that the Himalayas are a delicate life-support system for millions and that disturbing their balance has irreversible consequences.
Through its Public Interest Litigation before the Hon’ble High Court Division Bench, EPG has sought strong judicial directions to halt destructive activities in forests, rivers, and mountains and to ensure that all development in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is guided by scientific environmental assessments and disaster-risk considerations.
“The recent spate of calamities — from Leh to Pahalgam to Kishtwar — underscores the urgent need for preventive, sustainable policies that put ecological security and community safety first. The loss of lives and livelihoods is a heavy price to pay for neglecting environmental safeguards,” EPG said, adding that this moment of collective mourning must also be a call to protect the irreplaceable Himalayan heritage before more lives are lost.
