Can Kashmir finally tackle its growing environmental crisis?

After six years of direct rule from New Delhi, a new administration came to power in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in October 2024. In a region long marked by political instability and military conflict, the new government faces many challenges. The environment is undoubtably one of these, given the region’s high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.

With glaciers melting, rivers becoming increasingly polluted, wetlands shrinking and rampant urbanisation, Kashmir’s ecosystems are strained and the livelihoods of local communities under threat. Despite all this, the manifestos of parties competing in last year’s election revealed a lack of focus on such issues.

In our fourth episode of The Third Pole Podcast, Srinagar-based journalist Auqib Javeed guides listeners through the region’s worsening environmental challenges. He highlights pressures from unregulated tourism, large infrastructure projects and declining fisheries, and explains how these changes are already affecting communities, and could have far-reaching impacts across South Asia.

Joining him is Omair Ahmad, Dialogue Earth’s former South Asia managing editor and greatly missed host of this podcast. Having covered Kashmir for much of his career, he explains how years of conflict, political instability, limited local powers and weak governance have compounded its environmental problems. He strikes a note of hope for the future though. Things can turn around, and key to this is empowering local players, such as panchayat members and municipal councillors, to implement solutions.

Auqib Javeed (front right) interviewing saffron farmers about the lack of water supply during a reporting assignment in Pampore, Jammu and Kashmir (Image: Faisal Bashir)

Guests

Auqib Javeed, independent journalist
Omair Ahmad, former South Asia managing editor, Dialogue Earth

Credits

Host: Shalinee Kumari
Producer: Shalinee Kumari
Audio edit and sound design: Sync Sound Sabha
Recording studio: Pindrop Media
Artwork: Sana Nasir
Thanks to: Lizi Hesling, Nanaui Amoros Silva, Chaia Dechen, Isa Lim, Sam Gelder

Music credits

“Alarm Cycle” by Blue Dot Sessions, licence: CC BY NC
“Borough” by Blue Dot Sessions, licence: CC BY NC

About the series

The Third Pole Podcast is a Dialogue Earth series focusing on climate change and the environment in the Himalayan watershed. It aims to create a space for beyond-the-article conversations with our journalists and field experts. At the same time, we also ask questions about the state of environmental journalism in South Asia: why it’s needed, what issues it should be looking at and what challenges it faces.