SRINAGAR, FEB 16: To increase the forest cover and combat pollution levels, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has set up a target of planting 1.75 crore saplings in the current fiscal.
Official figures accessed by Morning Kashmir reveal that the Forest Department has been given the highest target of planting 1.75 crore saplings during 2023-2024.
According to official documents, a number of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) are operational in J&K with 100 per cent support from the Centre government like Green India Mission (GIM), which is one of the eight Missions outlined under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) with an aim of protecting, restoring and enhancing India’s diminishing forest cover and responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures.
J&K Government launched this initiative in consonance with the vision of ‘Green Jammu and Kashmir’ to ensure sustainable development and promote climate justice across J&K. The Green Jammu and Kashmir drive itself is in consonance with the National Forest Policy 1988 and the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Policy 2011 which envisages afforestation on all degraded and denuded lands in J&K within and outside forests.
The Green Jammu and Kashmir campaign aims to create a people’s movement at a massive scale with the involvement of all stakeholders particularly village panchayats, women, students, urban local bodies, NGOs and civil society.
During the current financial year, Rs 98.3 lakh has also been released to combat forest fires under the ‘Forest Fire Prevention and Management” scheme.
A senior official said the J&K administration is taking proactive steps to address rising pollution levels and the effects of climate change by initiating the creation of urban forests near cities across the Union Territory.
“It will help to improve the environment of cities and towns by pollution mitigation, noise reduction and provide cleaner air,” the official said.
Experts say trees absorb harmful pollutants like carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides while releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. As a result, the air quality in the city begins to improve.
“Trees are excellent at capturing and storing carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. The urban forest became a natural carbon sink, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change,” said Adil Nabi, a research scholar at SKUAST-Kashmir. He said the urban forest provides shade and reduced surface temperatures, making the city more comfortable for residents and decreasing the need for energy-intensive air conditioning.
