Srinagar, Feb 24: Amid a prolonged dry spell in the Valley, a fresh wave of environmental consciousness is pushing youth to clean the water bodies. Day after the youth were seen cleaning up the rivulets in South Kashmir parts, a group of youth have launched the similar drive in the northern district of Baramulla now.
Inspired by local initiatives, young volunteers are dedicating their time and energy to restoring the pristine beauty of the region’s vital water-ways.
Over the past four weeks, the movement has gained significant mo-mentum, with every Sunday witnessing an increase in activity along the banks of streams, brooks, and rivulets.
Armed with gloves and trash bags, these young environmentalists are removing plastic bottles, wrappers, and other debris, transforming ne-glected water canals into cleaner ones. In Chijhama village of Rohama, Baramulla district, youth spearheaded the cleanup of the Veji Nallah canal. Local activist Meer Jameel led the effort, motivating his peers to take responsibility for their environment.
“Our canal was polluted. We decided to take matters into our own hands and do something about it. It is our responsibility to protect our environment,” he told Rising Kashmir.
Meanwhile, youth committees have sprung up in various villages, or-ganizing regular cleanup drives and raising awareness about the im-portance of preserving these crucial water resources.
They have even enlisted the support of religious leaders, who are in-corporating messages about environmental stewardship into their Fri-day sermons, further amplifying the campaign’s reach.
In Dargam Pattan, the local Youth Committee is actively planning their own cleanup drive.
Ghulam Hassan told Rising Kashmir that the committee is preparing to launch a cleanliness drive for the canal, which supplies water to doz-ens of villages.
“We have taken this matter up, and hopefully, this message will spread throughout the Valley. It will serve as a model for other villages, fur-ther expanding the reach and impact of the movement,” he said.
Three weeks ago, in Sandran village of south Kashmir, local volunteers cleared nearly 80 percent of a four-kilometer stretch of the local stream. The campaign has not only focused on physical cleanup but also on changing mindsets.
The movement began in Muniward Anantnag, where the local volun-teer group Khidmat-e-Khalaq Foundation, supported by journalists Javed Dar and Sajad Dar, kick-started a cleanliness drive for Sandran, a major tributary of the Jhelum originating from Verinag.
Since then, the group has been conducting weekly cleanups every Sunday, leading to a remarkable transformation along the riverbanks.
Senior photo journalist Javed Dar in his video message said that it is encouraging to see this movement spreading rapidly to other villages. Preserving our precious water resources is essential to combat the challenges posed by climate change, he added.
So far prolonged dry spell in Kashmir has raised concerns among farmers, orchardists, and tourism stakeholders, as these sectors form the backbone of the region’s economy and employment.
Earlier this month, the historic spring at the famed Achabal, Mughal garden in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district dried up for the first time in history due to an unprecedented dry spell and minimal rainfall this winter, raising serious concerns about a potential drought-like situa-tion in the summer. Kashmir has recorded an 80 per cent precipitation deficit in January and February, leading to the drying up of multiple water bodies across the Valley.
