?Why Indian
Army should vacate Siachen
Sultan M Hali
It was expected that following the Gayari incident, the India would
agree to drawdown its forces from Siachen and give political leadership a
chance to negotiate the settlement of the twenty-eight years’ old dispute.
However, once again Indian obduracy prevailed and the issue, which has claimed
over 8,000 precious lives, the majority of which are Indians and due to
inclement weather, failed to move them. The thirteenth round of talks between
Pakistan and India, which was conducted between the Defence Secretaries of the
two countries, failed to achieve any breakthrough. Unfortunately, Indian
political leadership, while accepting so-called professional advice from their
military establishment, felt it expedient to stick to their stated positions
during the 11-12 June 2012 Pakistan-India Defence Secretary level talks on
Siachen.
Saner Indian opinion builders, which include Lieutenant General (Retd.)
Dr. ML Chibber, the GOC Northern Command, who had executed the illegal
occupation of Siachen in April 1984, is today one of the leading voices in
demanding a complete withdrawal of the forces from the highest battlefield in
the world. Siachen is not merely a military issue between Pakistan and India;
environmentalists note with serious concern that continuous military activities
on Siachen are causing enormous melt down with catastrophic effects on flow of
waters in Indus basin. One of the major reasons which negatively affected
weather pattern contributed to the catastrophic floods in Pakistan in 2010
& 2011.
Studies indicate that the glacier was uninhabited before 1984, and the
presence of thousands of troops since then has introduced pollution, while in
order to facilitate the troops, glacial ice has been cut and melted through
application of chemicals, causing it to recede at a rate of 110 meters per
year. It has also been brought out that the dumping of non biodegradable waste
in large quantity and use of arms and ammunition has considerably affected the
ecosystem of the region, which may lead to “glacial retreat”. Preliminary
findings of a survey by Pakistan Meteorological Department in 2007, based on
satellite images, revealed that the Siachen glacier has been retreating for the
past 30 years and is melting at an alarming rate of about 110 meters a year and
that the glacier size has almost reduced by 35 percent.
In an eleven year period, the glacier had receded nearly 800 meters,
and in seventeen years about 1700 meters. It is estimated that the glaciers of
the Siachen region will be reduced to about one-fifth of their current size by
2035. While in the twenty-nine year period (1929–1958), much before the
military occupation, the glacial retreat was recorded to be about 914 meters.
One of the reasons cited for recent glacial retreat is chemical blasting, done
for constructing camps and posts. In 2001 India laid oil pipelines (about 250
Kilometers long) inside the glacier to supply kerosene oil and aviation fuel to
the outposts from base camps. As of 2007, the temperature rise at Siachen was
estimated at 0.2 degree Celsius annually that causes melting, avalanches,
craters in the glacier.
The additional bio-hazard of waste dumping has compounded the problem.
The waste produced by the troops stationed there is dumped in the crevasses of
the glacier. Mountaineers who visited the area while on climbing expeditions
witnessed large amount of garbage, empty ammunition shells, abandoned
parachutes and other items dumped on the glacier, which can neither decompose
nor they can be burned because of the extreme climatic conditions. About 1000
kilograms of waste is produced and dumped in glacial crevasses daily by the
Indian forces.
Ironically, the Indian army is said to have planned a “Green Siachen,
Clean Siachen” campaign to airlift the garbage from the glacier, and to use
biodigestors for biodegradable waste in the absence of oxygen and freezing
temperatures. Almost forty percent (40 %) of the waste left at the glacier is
of plastic and metal composition, including toxins like cobalt, cadmium and
chromium which eventually pollute the water of the Shyok River (that finally
enters the Indus River near Skardu.) The Indus is the main source for drinking
water and irrigation. Research is being conducted by scientists of The Energy
and Resource Institute, to find out ways for successfully disposing the garbage
generated at the glacier using scientific means. Some Indian scientists of
DRDO, who went on an expedition to Antarctica, are also endeavouring to produce
bacteria that can dwell in extreme weather conditions and can be helpful in decomposing
the biodegradable waste naturally. Messing with nature was bound to take its
toll.
The flora and fauna of the Siachen region are also affected by the huge
military presence. The region has been home to rare species like snow leopard,
brown bear and ibex which are facing extinction owing to the military
incursion. One solution, which is internationally gaining ground, is the idea
of declaring the Siachen region a “Peace Park”. In September 2003, the
governments of India and Pakistan were urged by the participants of 5th World
Parks Congress held at Durban, to establish a peace park in the Siachen region
to restore the natural biological system and protect species whose lives are at
risk.
An Italian ecologist Giuliano Tallone proposed the establishment of
Siachen Peace Park at the conference. Let the Siachen Peace Park be dedicated
to all the brave soldiers who have laid down their lives at Siachen so that our
next generations can have a peaceful environment friendly future.
المشاركات
0 التعليقات:
إرسال تعليق