MUZAFFARABAD: With the reduced water flow in the once roaring Neelum River hardly able to contribute to containing the temperature in Muzaffarabad in the coming summer, a conservationist has come up with some ‘affordable and practicable’ remedies to the consequences of climate change.

“We are not far away from the remedy, if we think and work together, without further loss of time, to combat climate change,” said conservationist Ghulam Muhammad Butt, who has been serving in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Forests Department at senior positions since 1997.

He pointed out that the increased concentration of carbon dioxide, emitted by multiple sources, created a crust some 100-150 feet above, which prevented hot air from going beyond.

Trees act as air purifiers by absorbing carbon dioxide but sadly very few people realised to the core the importance of plantation of trees in as high a number as possible, he said.

Mr Butt said plantation of trees required soft soil surface which was rapidly decreasing in urban areas due to the construction of concrete buildings and roads.

“In such a scenario, we have to promote urban forestry by covering the concrete surface with lush green potted plants, as well as by doing plantation along both sides of roads, canals and riverbanks running through the cities and towns,” he said.

In this regard, he said every household in urban areas should place potted plants on their rooftop and lintels, "for dramatically positive impact on the climate".

The government, he said, should not only task the forest department to establish strong and sustainable units of urban forestry but also ensure that each household received potted plants from those units at their doorsteps.

He told that there were certain species of plants especially recommended for urban forestry nurseries.

Mr Butt said soil erosion and land sliding posed great threat to soil mass and vegetation cover in Kashmir, which if not treated timely and properly could become a permanent factor of climate change.

The government should allocate a budget for soil bioengineering works for slope stabilization and soil conservation as environmental mitigation measures to treat critical slopes, specially the roadsides and hill slopes, he said.

Similarly, he said, the construction of mini dams for rainwater harvesting and water reservation is also a must to maintain hydraulic cycle.

“Since almost all of Muzaffarabad sits on slopes, rainwater naturally drains into [Neelum and Jhelum] rivers from all neighbourhoods and that water can be stored by constructing mini dams on empty space on either side of the rivers,” he said.

This would help save watercourses from encroachment, avert flood threats and maintain the temperature of the town, he said.

Mr Butt said the government should also expedite measures for proper and timely disposal of solid waste and garbage to control water and air pollution.

“When un-disposed of garbage accumulates in the riverbeds, it becomes a hurdle to rainwater harvesting and also reduces water in rivers and dams… This is a serious threat to normal hydraulic cycle and leads to climate change,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2019