SRINAGAR, AUGUST 16: CPI(M) leader and Chairman of the Committee on Environment, MY Tarigami, has expressed grave concern over the devastating cloudburst at Chisoti in Padder, Kishtwar, which claimed several lives, left many missing, and caused widespread destruction.
Describing the tragedy as a stark reminder of the Himalayan region’s vulnerability to extreme weather events, Tarigami said it highlighted the existential threat posed by climate change to Jammu and Kashmir’s fragile ecosystem. He questioned whether the environment department or allied agencies had ever carried out comprehensive surveys to safeguard pilgrimage routes and shrine areas frequented by thousands of devotees each year.
While praising the volunteers and local communities for their “heroic role” during rescue efforts, Tarigami demanded a time-bound probe into the disaster. He accused authorities of negligence, pointing out that precautionary measures were not taken despite advance warnings of heavy rainfall and possible cloudbursts by the Meteorological Department.
The senior leader stressed that disasters were being aggravated by rampant deforestation, unregulated stone crushing, and unchecked commercialization of land. He noted that marginalized communities bore the brunt of such calamities while profit-driven activities continued unchecked. Citing frequent cloudbursts in Pahalgam, Bandipora, Shangus and Ladakh, he said nature itself was “crying out for justice.”
Tarigami urged the government to involve local communities, NGOs and activists in shaping climate adaptation policies. He called for ecological restoration, reforestation, stricter regulation of construction, and the establishment of mechanisms for climate compensation. He further pressed for deployment of modern weather-tracking technologies, including Doppler radars, to strengthen early warning systems and ensure alerts reach vulnerable populations swiftly.
Concluding his remarks, Tarigami called for a broad-based people’s movement across communities, students and intellectuals to press for climate justice. “The winds warn us, the rivers cry out—this is not just a disaster, it is a clarion call for systemic change,” he said.