I refuse to believe that Srinagar is the 10th most polluted city in the world. There are officials trying to refute, issuing rebuttals and there are ordinary inhabitants like you and me trying not to believe the WHO report, but knowing it in the heart of our hearts that Srinagar is heading towards a disaster. This is definitely not the city we were raised in. If WHO has commented on the poor quality of air in and around Srinagar, I know my concern is poor quality of ‘life’ in and around Srinagar!
Let us face the truth. Srinagar is a city dumped by authorities to decay. A city of bridges has been turned into a city of ‘unfinished flyovers’. These unfinished flyovers have squeezed me, shriveled my markets, eaten my chinars and loaded my pristine air with dust and smoke. Someone needs to answer us what is going on? How long does it take for a flyover to be complete? Else, was Srinagar really in need of flyovers? If it really was, how many deadlines have our flyovers missed? Not just the air, our eyes are polluted seeing a graceful Poloview and elegant roads around Lalchowk devastated by “flyovers in the making”.
I may not put the whole blame on flyovers-but look what is left of a city of lakes! The dull weed has engulfed Dal like never before. Dal Lake, the face of Srinagar looks diseased, deformed and damaged beyond repair. The concrete crabs of habitation are apparent everywhere. Fifty million liters of sewage flows into Dal Lake every day, of which 20-million liters is untreated (LAWDA report-2017). The time is not far when Dal Lake too will figure amongst the most polluted lakes of the world. Other water bodies in Srinagar fear worse than Dal. Cast a look at Aanchar. It has disappeared nearly under the shadow of concrete buildings throwing effluents into it un-interruptedly. Every day a new building raises its head amongst the surrounding marshes. Where are those ponds, those tiny rivulets where we would play with ducks and swans?
And yes, if you have not seen Downtown Srinagar, you don’t know what pollution is. Look! beyond Babul Iqbal, it is a city with miserable standards. Open drains, chocked lanes, human expulsions, stinking marshes, dancing dogs and sewage dumps abound everywhere. No public facilities, no toilets, no parking areas-no wonder we call it Shehri-Khas! The dark and thick waters of Jhelum flowing through Downtown tell a lot about what is being thrown into its belly. Irritating fumes and dust emanating from half dug roads and deadly drains are just not a treat to the sanctum sanctorum of a 5000-year-old city. Maybe, in the past we had a closed drainage system. Archaeologists may tell us!
I have lived in the most beautiful area of Srinagar around Kohimaran. Besides the shrine of Sheikh Hamzah Makhdoomi (RA), the spiritual saint of Kashmir-adorable mosques, majestic monuments, peaceful temples and beautiful Gurudwaras adore this area. Saints and people in search of peace had chosen it as their abode because this beautiful part of city was laced with huge chinars, blossoming almond trees, thick vegetation and fleets of colorful chirping birds. Srinagar and its wholesomeness was apparent from Kastur paend- you could see Dargah , restless waters of Nigeen, snow peaked mountains, fluffy white clouds, the blue sky ,unending horizons and what not! An area relevant to our history, spirituality and ecology is now a huge pile of dirt. The wall of the fort and the lap of Kohimaran is decked with a stinking slum which is progressively increasing in size consuming large chunks of Malkhah. The fort walls are mutilated; dumps of sewage, packs of canines and open defecation by humans and dogs have transformed a piece of heaven into an offensive hell. I look back and wonder, it didn’t take much time for such a transformation! I remember it as a place which foreign tourists would throng. Don’t risk taking one that side now-you will be embarrassed and he will never come to Srinagar again!
With almost 3000 dog bites annually, Srinagar is dog’s heaven too! They thrive on what we throw and definitely are indicators of our sanitation standards. The outskirts of Srinagar are no good either. Agricultural land has been utilized to make ill planned colonies lacking basic facilities. How can a colony be created without government having to do anything with it?
Srinagar has the potential to become one of the most beautiful cities in the world. God has been kind and given it all a place can ask for. It takes responsible humans to appreciate the gifts God has given to us, and to preserve them. Government has a role and citizens a greater role. A mesmerizing tulip garden came up because someone worked for it, a Badem Waeer was revived because someone dreamt of it….Someone has to work to give Srinagar its due, otherwise it will continue to figure in the most polluted cities. Does anyone care?