Srinagar, June 05: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president and Member of Parliament from Srinagar Dr Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah in their message on World Environment Day stressed upon meeting human development goals in integration with environmental ethics and sustainability.
“The nation’s progress must not be at the cost of the environment,” the duo said in a statement, adding, “The reckless human activity in the form of deforestation, water and air pollution and overuse of natural resources has imperilled the natural balance in the global environment and Jammu and Kashmir has not escaped the global pattern triggering the extinction of various species by the wanton adulteration of our lakes and springs with plastic and other adulterants.”
They said that all natural aspects of life in Jammu and Kashmir have been ingeniously affected by the impact of the reckless greed of human beings.
Stressing on inculcating environmental ethics, they contended that the region has immense tourism potential therefore it becomes more imperative for all of us, particularly the young, to keep our environs clean.
Dr Farooq said, “People in their individual capacity can contribute in protecting the local fragile and landlocked environment by stopping improper waste disposal, abandonment of plastic usage, using water and electricity judiciously.”
Omar Abdullah in his message, said, “We as individuals should not wait for the government to take action; good parenting and schooling, edification of community and religious leaders come into play. The theme of this year’s world environment day is ecosystem restoration. It goes without saying that with healthy ecosystems people’s livelihoods can enhance. The crumpling of one ecosystem will have an impact on the other. All of them are interlinked,” he said.
“The saying ‘Food will survive only till forests survive’ of our revolutionary patron saint and history’s earliest conservationist Hazrat Sheikh Noor Ud din Noorani (RA) gains much relevance in today’s world; the governments on their part have a bigger responsibility to strike a balance between development and protection of ecosystems,” Omar added.
