Letters to the Editor-Dawn,Pakistan.
8th June 2007
THE presence of an entire division of the Indian army in the Siachen glacier has caused immense damage to the already frail ecosystem of that region. I'm sure the situation is the same on the Pakistani side as well.
Both armies have acknowledged that they have lost more men to the hostile weather than to enemy fire.
It is sheer madness to stay perched on such heights in such weather and in the process cause immense environmental degradation.
A huge network of rivers in the northern part of our subcontinent is fed by the glacier. The region also hosts a variety of flora and fauna.
Any melting of the glacier will endanger the life forms there and also reduce the water flow in the rivers.
This in turn will affect the climate and raise the temperature and lead to further melting; irrigation and hydroelectric power generation will also suffer.
Both the governments must realise the dangers in store for their armies and to the ecosystem and take immediate steps to demilitarise the region and repair the damage already done.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I have posted here my communications with the press in India and abroad. These include letters to editors, Op-ed articles and communications regarding corrections and clarifications as well as information to Science & Technology desks.
No comments:
Post a Comment