El Dorado was a mythical Spanish city in Columbia famous for abundance of Gold. As the myth goes the ruler of the City used to cover himself with Gold dust at the time of crowning and the subjects used to throw many golden objects and precious stones into the river. So El Dorado is associated with Gold. In Kashmir we have had from the beginning of time a different kind of Gold which we may call the Green Gold. From the beginning of time the world famous valley of Kashmir has been associated with greenery. The entire valley is covered with abundance of green vegetation. The surrounding mountains have some of the most dense pine forests. Our greenery is the main attraction for people all over the world. Apart from providing us all kinds of useful and nourishing herbs, timber for construction and most of all a salubrious climate, these forests giving the valley a cool atmosphere when the entire sub-continent is facing the hottest weather, have been the biggest attraction for tourists.
However, for last few decades, due to material greed, we have been merciless not only with the lush green forests covering our mountains but with the green areas covering the entire valley. Over 14,000 hectares of forest land has been encroached upon by the people in the J&K state as per 2010 survey. According to the record of forest department 9,496 hectares of forest land in the Jammu region and 4877 hectares in Kashmir valley had been encroached with total forest area of 20,230 km2. In addition to intentional deforestation by timber smugglers, some government agencies and even people bordering the forests, the green belt has further been damaged by large scale conversion of agricultural land for construction of private houses, residential colonies, and some state government offices including one responsible for planned development of the state! If we really want our unique valley in the Himalaya continue to be known as a “Paradise on Earth”, we have all to wake up and not only save our “Green Gold” but continue to plant all kinds of greenery in the entire valley. It has to be a universal effort regardless of any political or religious affiliations. From our ancestors we have inherited a “Heaven on Earth”. The unusual weather being experienced is giving us a warning. If we do not heed the warning and act now, we are doomed! We would be unfortunately leaving a hell for our future generations!