{"id":20075900,"date":"2021-07-16T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-16T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?p=75900"},"modified":"2021-07-21T21:34:56","modified_gmt":"2021-07-21T16:04:56","slug":"riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/","title":{"rendered":"New riverbed-mining permissions may be final straw for Kashmir\u2019s fish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In 1838, German biologist Johann Jakob Heckel published a book, <em>Fische aus Caschmir<\/em>. In it, he documented the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsexperts.in\/kashmirs-endemic-fish-snowtrout-vanishing-blame-pollution\/\">presence<\/a> of 16 fish species in Kashmir, 12 of which were of the snowtrout genus <em>Schizothorax<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOnly five of them could be found now,\u201d said Feroz Ahmad Bhat, an assistant professor and head of fisheries resource management at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST). \u201cEven these remaining fish are under stress and their numbers are progressively declining.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The past 40 years have been particularly brutal for the riverine ecology in this region of northwest India, as pollution, encroachment and water diversion have increased, adding to longer-term problems such as the introduction of non-native species. In recent years a new threat has emerged: riverbed mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-stone-crushers-spring-up-in-jammu-and-kashmir\">Stone crushers spring up in Jammu and Kashmir<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Veshav River in south Kashmir is a major tributary of the <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/encroachment-pollution-and-siltation-strangle-the-jhelum-river\/\">Jhelum<\/a>. Its waters are home to native snowtrout, as well as brown and rainbow trout, which were introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/science.thewire.in\/environment\/fj-mitchell-sodhama-miskeen-himalayan-trout-sustainable-fishing\/\">to Kashmir<\/a>. Along a 35-kilometre stretch of the Veshav, there are six points where boulders and gravel are taken from the river and crushed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/stone-crusher-Nowpora-Bringi-river-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/stone-crusher-Nowpora-Bringi-river-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-768x514.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/stone-crusher-Nowpora-Bringi-river-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-1024x686.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/stone-crusher-Nowpora-Bringi-river-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India.jpeg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1275px\" alt=\"Stone crusher along Bringi stream near village of Nowpora, Jammu and Kashmir, India\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">A plant along the Bringi river where boulders and gravel are taken from the riverbed and crushed to produce materials needed by the construction industry (Image courtesy of the author)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/stone-crusher-Nowpora-Bringi-river-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India.jpeg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"256 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"854\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1275\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTwo of these stone crushers are along the 15-kilometre stretch of the stream from Aharbal [a hill station] where trout thrive,\u201d said Shabir Ahmad, an inspector in the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Fisheries whose job is to monitor the Veshav. \u201cAnd four others are located along the stretch populated by <em>Schizothorax<\/em>, which also need trout-like habitat to breed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Schizothorax<\/em> and trout depend on gravel and boulders to feed and breed. The extraction of these materials threatens their long-term survival. \u201cTrout need cold, fresh waters and a food of aquatic insects and crustaceans, which is largely found on the rocks,\u201d said SKUAST\u2019s Bhat. \u201cDitto for <em>Schizothorax<\/em>. Rock crushing will not only damage the habitat but also pollute the waters, both detrimental to fish survival.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are three stone-crushing machines on the banks of the Bringi, another major river in the area, said Shabir Ahmad. And Lidder, a river said to be home to the finest trout in the world, has two crushers, now a familiar sight across the region\u2019s rivers and streams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/stone-crusher-Bringi-river-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/stone-crusher-Bringi-river-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-768x491.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/stone-crusher-Bringi-river-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-1024x654.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/stone-crusher-Bringi-river-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India.jpeg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1274px\" alt=\"stone-crushing site along Bringi stream, Jammu and Kashmir, India\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">One of three stone-crushing sites along the Bringi River in Jammu and Kashmir (Image courtesy of the author)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/stone-crusher-Bringi-river-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India.jpeg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"261 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"814\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1274\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-new-rules-open-the-door-for-stone-crushers\">New rules open the door for stone crushers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The regional government has recently permitted the establishment of more stone-crushing plants. According to a list seen by The Third Pole, between October and December 2020 the region\u2019s Department of Fisheries issued No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for around 130 additional stone crushers, 70 of them in the Kashmir Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In late February, the administration created new<a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/jammu-kashmir-notifies-new-rules-for-stone-crushing-mixing-plans-junks-licence-requirement-7201611\/\"> rules<\/a> for stone crushers and \u2018hot and wet mixing plants\u2019 (where stones and gravel are processed), dispensing with the previous requirement for a licence. The rules simplify the process of establishing a unit by reducing the requisite clearances to just two documents: Consent to Operate (CTO) from the region\u2019s Pollution Control Board and an NOC from the relevant district administrator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-pull-quote block--pull-quote\"><div class=\"block--pull-quote__wrapper\"><blockquote class=\"block--pull-quote__quote\">Rock crushing will not only damage the habitat but also pollute the waters, both detrimental to fish survival<\/blockquote><cite class=\"block--pull-quote__cite\">Feroz Ahmad Bhat, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology<\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreover, the issuing of NOCs has been brought under the J&amp;K Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011, making it mandatory to issue the document within 30 days. This leaves little time for due diligence, much less an assessment of the environmental impact of the proposed stone crusher, which means assessments may be being done on paper only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Riverbed mining is <a href=\"https:\/\/sandrp.in\/2020\/12\/14\/blood-on-sand-river-sand-mining-in-south-asia\/\">on the rise<\/a> globally, with up to <a href=\"https:\/\/wwfint.awsassets.panda.org\/downloads\/sand_mining_impacts_on_world_rivers__final_.pdf\">50 billion tonnes<\/a> of sand and gravel being extracted every year. This is driven particularly by growth in the Asia Pacific region, and the booming construction industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<a class=\"wp-block-cd-related-news alignright block--related-news loading\" data-post-id=\"20022103\"><div class=\"block--related-news__image\"><\/div><div class=\"block--related-news__content\"><span class=\"block--related-news__heading\">Recommended<\/span><span class=\"block--related-news__title\"><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<a class=\"wp-block-cd-related-news block--related-news loading\" data-post-id=\"20065672\"><div class=\"block--related-news__image\"><\/div><div class=\"block--related-news__content\"><span class=\"block--related-news__heading\">Recommended<\/span><span class=\"block--related-news__title\"><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-an-impending-ecological-catastrophe\">An impending ecological catastrophe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe NOCs would encourage deployment of heavy machinery to extract boulders and gravel,\u201d warned A R Yousuf, a former member of the National Green Tribunal, India\u2019s environmental court. \u201cImagine what this would do to the streams if the mining goes unchecked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Raja Muzaffar Bhat, a Right to Information and environmental activist, said the NOCs for stone crushers should be repealed, and mining prohibited along the trout streams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe rock crushing and the other kind of mining will despoil and destroy trout streams,\u201d Bhat said. \u201cAfter having protected trout streams over the last century, how could the government be a party to their destruction?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Makhdoom Mohiuddin, deputy director of the Department of Fisheries, told The Third Pole that his department is taking every care to maintain the health of the trout streams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-impact-of-undermining-jammu-and-kashmir-s-special-status\">Impact of undermining Jammu and Kashmir\u2019s special status<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Commentators trace the relaxation of environmental regulations in Jammu and Kashmir to the <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/regional-cooperation\/india-government-land-kashmir\/\">undercutting of Article 370<\/a> in August 2019. This Article in the Indian Constitution allowed the local government to retain certain rights, such as limiting mining contracts to locals of Jammu and Kashmir. Now this is open to people from outside the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere have been rushed approvals for the mining contracts in water bodies,\u201d said Bhat, the RTI and environmental activist. \u201cAs a result, little attention has been paid to the environmental fallout of the new contracts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<a class=\"wp-block-cd-related-news alignright block--related-news loading\" data-post-id=\"20036204\"><div class=\"block--related-news__image\"><\/div><div class=\"block--related-news__content\"><span class=\"block--related-news__heading\">Recommended<\/span><span class=\"block--related-news__title\"><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<a class=\"wp-block-cd-related-news block--related-news loading\" data-post-id=\"20043448\"><div class=\"block--related-news__image\"><\/div><div class=\"block--related-news__content\"><span class=\"block--related-news__heading\">Recommended<\/span><span class=\"block--related-news__title\"><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A potential enabling factor in the current permitting boom may be the lack of implementing regulations in the 2018 Fisheries Act that replaced the Jammu and Kashmir Fisheries Act, 1903. \u201cThough a new fisheries act is there, the rules that would have defined circumstances for its implementation are yet to be issued,\u201d said Mohammad Hussain Wani, a fisheries scientist, who has now retired from the department. \u201cThis has created scope for violations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The situation, Wani added, is unlikely to improve unless the government takes a more serious view of the situation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mohiuddin, from the Department of Fisheries, said he wants the rules to be defined to give \u201cclarity\u201d to the implementation of the 2018 act. \u201cOur staff on the ground bar illegal mining and any violation of the contract by the stone crushers,\u201d Mohiuddin said, adding: \u201cWe have fined and filed cases against the violators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, for now, the government is encouraging mining of Kashmir\u2019s water bodies. This is made easier because of a lack of forceful environmental activism in the Kashmir Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bhat wants to end the silence, but the constricted political space in Kashmir stands in the way. Even before 2019 civil society activism was difficult in the region; it has since become harder. After Jammu and Kashmir\u2019s special status was removed, the government jailed politicians and civil society activists. Last year, the office of the J&amp;K Coalition of Civil Society, a Srinagar-based civil liberties group, was raided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mining-adds-to-existing-pressures\">Mining adds to existing pressures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past century, there has been a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epw.in\/journal\/2015\/2\/notes\/lake-fisheries-kashmir.html\">decline<\/a> in native species like snowtrout in the Kashmir Valley. The International Union for Conservation of Nature<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iucnredlist.org\/search?query=Schizothorax&amp;searchType=species\"> lists a number<\/a> of <em>Schizothorax<\/em> species as vulnerable or critically endangered on its Red List of threatened species.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts cite the introduction of non-native trout and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/24481306?seq=1\">carp<\/a> in the Kashmir Valley over the past century, rising pollution levels, encroachment and diversion of water as reasons for <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/climate\/the-troubled-trout-of-kashmir\/\">these declines<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In particular, the introduction of brown trout in the early 1900s affected the breeding success of <em>Schizothorax <\/em>species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-pull-quote block--pull-quote\"><div class=\"block--pull-quote__wrapper\"><blockquote class=\"block--pull-quote__quote\">We are losing <em>Schizothorax<\/em>. And if stone crushers are not prevented from ravaging the habitat of trout, we might soon start losing exotic fish too.<\/blockquote><cite class=\"block--pull-quote__cite\">Raja Muzaffar Bhat, Right to Information and environmental activist<\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe trout, being a carnivorous fish, started eating the eggs and the fingerlings of <em>Schizothorax<\/em>,\u201d said Imtiaz Ahmad Khan, a faculty member in the Department of Zoology at the University of Kashmir. \u201cIt also grew faster and in larger numbers, thus crowding out the local fish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Populations of brown and rainbow trout are now in turn threatened in Kashmir \u2013 not by other exotic fish, but by increasing human intervention, facilitated by the government.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fishers-livelihoods-in-jeopardy\">Fishers\u2019 livelihoods in jeopardy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The livelihoods of thousands of people is at stake. In the section of the river populated by <em>Schizothorax<\/em>, there are around 450 fishers registered with the fisheries department. \u201cThey catch around 150 tonnes of fish annually,\u201d said Ahmad, the Department of Fisheries official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-cd-related-news alignright block--related-news loading\" data-post-id=\"20037007\"><div class=\"block--related-news__image\"><\/div><div class=\"block--related-news__content\"><span class=\"block--related-news__heading\">Recommended<\/span><span class=\"block--related-news__title\"><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p>Over<a href=\"https:\/\/www.business-standard.com\/article\/pti-stories\/trout-farming-becomes-major-economic-booster-in-j-k-119051701109_1.html\"> 600 tonnes<\/a> of trout is produced annually in the Kashmir Valley across government-established hatcheries and the private sector, making Kashmir one of the largest sources of the fish in South Asia.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This excludes wild trout, a big draw for the tourists to the Kashmir Valley. The Veshav attracts around 250 anglers a year, each catching an average of 3-5 kilogrammes of fish a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s an urgent need to put a check on indiscriminate mining,\u201d said activist Bhat. \u201cWe are losing <em>Schizothorax<\/em>. And if stone crushers are not prevented from ravaging the habitat of trout, we might soon start losing exotic fish too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scores of stone crushers are springing up along rivers in Jammu and Kashmir, threatening the habitat of both native and introduced fish species<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20000286,"featured_media":20075901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[764],"tags":[545,566,587,50040707],"hashtags":[],"country":[20000111],"class_list":["post-20075900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature","tag-fisheries","tag-mining","tag-rivers","tag-the-third-pole","country-india"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>New riverbed-mining permissions may be final straw for Kashmir\u2019s fish<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stone crushers are springing up along rivers in Jammu and Kashmir, threatening the habitat of both native and introduced fish species\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New riverbed-mining permissions may be final straw for Kashmir\u2019s fish\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Scores of stone crushers are springing up along rivers in Jammu and Kashmir, threatening the habitat of both native and introduced fish species\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dialogue Earth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-07-16T07:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-07-21T16:04:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fisher-Poonch-River-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Natalie Taylor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Natalie Taylor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/669bbcbea17ca34b387a70d2889092dd\"},\"headline\":\"New riverbed-mining permissions may be final straw for Kashmir\u2019s fish\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-16T07:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-07-21T16:04:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/\"},\"wordCount\":1493,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fisher-Poonch-River-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Fisheries\",\"Mining\",\"Rivers\",\"The Third Pole\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Nature\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/\",\"name\":\"New riverbed-mining permissions may be final straw for Kashmir\u2019s fish\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fisher-Poonch-River-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-16T07:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-07-21T16:04:56+00:00\",\"description\":\"Stone crushers are springing up along rivers in Jammu and Kashmir, threatening the habitat of both native and introduced fish species\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fisher-Poonch-River-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fisher-Poonch-River-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"A fisher on the Poonch River, a tributary of the Jhelum River in Jammu and Kashmir. Over 600 tonnes of trout is produced annually in Kashmir, making it one of the largest sources of the fish in South Asia. (Image: Nazim Ali \/ KhanZUMA Wire \/ Alamy)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"New riverbed-mining permissions may be final straw for Kashmir\u2019s fish\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Dialogue Earth\",\"description\":\"Global climate and environment news\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"\u5bf9\u8bdd\u5730\u7403\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Dialogue-Earth-Symbol-Logo_Black-Text.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Dialogue-Earth-Symbol-Logo_Black-Text.png\",\"width\":256,\"height\":256,\"caption\":\"\u5bf9\u8bdd\u5730\u7403\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DialogueEarth_\",\"\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DialogueEarth.English\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dialogue.earth\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/dialogueearth\/\"],\"publishingPrinciples\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/about\/\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/669bbcbea17ca34b387a70d2889092dd\",\"name\":\"Natalie Taylor\",\"description\":\"Natalie Taylor is assistant editor at The Third Pole. She previously worked for eight years as a production editor and sub-editor at companies including Dow Jones and the Financial Times. She is studying for a master\u2019s in Environmental Law, Policy and Governance at Birkbeck, University of London.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/author\/natalie-taylorthethirdpole-net\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/author\/riyazwani\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New riverbed-mining permissions may be final straw for Kashmir\u2019s fish","description":"Stone crushers are springing up along rivers in Jammu and Kashmir, threatening the habitat of both native and introduced fish species","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"New riverbed-mining permissions may be final straw for Kashmir\u2019s fish","og_description":"Scores of stone crushers are springing up along rivers in Jammu and Kashmir, threatening the habitat of both native and introduced fish species","og_url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/","og_site_name":"Dialogue Earth","article_published_time":"2021-07-16T07:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-07-21T16:04:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fisher-Poonch-River-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Natalie Taylor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/"},"author":{"name":"Natalie Taylor","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/669bbcbea17ca34b387a70d2889092dd"},"headline":"New riverbed-mining permissions may be final straw for Kashmir\u2019s fish","datePublished":"2021-07-16T07:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2021-07-21T16:04:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/"},"wordCount":1493,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fisher-Poonch-River-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Fisheries","Mining","Rivers","The Third Pole"],"articleSection":["Nature"],"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/","name":"New riverbed-mining permissions may be final straw for Kashmir\u2019s fish","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fisher-Poonch-River-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2021-07-16T07:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2021-07-21T16:04:56+00:00","description":"Stone crushers are springing up along rivers in Jammu and Kashmir, threatening the habitat of both native and introduced fish species","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fisher-Poonch-River-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fisher-Poonch-River-Jammu-and-Kashmir-India-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"A fisher on the Poonch River, a tributary of the Jhelum River in Jammu and Kashmir. Over 600 tonnes of trout is produced annually in Kashmir, making it one of the largest sources of the fish in South Asia. (Image: Nazim Ali \/ KhanZUMA Wire \/ Alamy)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/riverbed-mining-kashmir-permissions-final-straw-for-fish\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"New riverbed-mining permissions may be final straw for Kashmir\u2019s fish"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/","name":"Dialogue Earth","description":"Global climate and environment news","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#organization","name":"\u5bf9\u8bdd\u5730\u7403","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Dialogue-Earth-Symbol-Logo_Black-Text.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Dialogue-Earth-Symbol-Logo_Black-Text.png","width":256,"height":256,"caption":"\u5bf9\u8bdd\u5730\u7403"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/DialogueEarth_","","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DialogueEarth.English","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dialogue.earth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/dialogueearth\/"],"publishingPrinciples":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/about\/"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/669bbcbea17ca34b387a70d2889092dd","name":"Natalie Taylor","description":"Natalie Taylor is assistant editor at The Third Pole. She previously worked for eight years as a production editor and sub-editor at companies including Dow Jones and the Financial Times. She is studying for a master\u2019s in Environmental Law, Policy and Governance at Birkbeck, University of London.","url":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/author\/natalie-taylorthethirdpole-net\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/author\/riyazwani\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20075900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20000286"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20075900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20075900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20075901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20075900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20075900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20075900"},{"taxonomy":"hashtags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtags?post=20075900"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=20075900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}