CEMENT FACTORIES IN KHREW, KHONMOH, WUYAN EXTRACT MINING MATERIAL ILLEGALLY, WREAK HAVOC TO ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN LIFE.
 

The cement factories in Khunmoh,Khrew and Wuyan area of Kashmir located under the foothills of Dachigam wildlife sanctuary, are extracting mining material flouting norms and causing havoc to the local environment and threat to human life.

The cement plants in Khrew, Khonmoh and Wuyan have been permitted to extract raw material and minerals for their cement production but they flout the norms.

The illegal quarrying is done in connivance with Mining officials. This illegal extraction has wreaked havoc to the local environment and causes loss to the public exchequer in crores. The illegal quarrying has remained unchecked by the government as local mining officials take bribe in lieu of the violation.

Ten cement producing plants including Cemtac, Max, HK, ARCO, Valley, Itefaq (ICC) in Khrew, Greenland and TCI in Wuyan and Saifco and Khyber in Khonmoh are operating in the whole area.

Locals in the area said that besides mining raw material beyond the allotted area, rampant pollution and threat to local population is inevitable if the government does not rein the factories by implementing laws.

Locals said the factories in Khrew area are threatening the production of Kashmiri famed spice, saffron, produced in nearby Pampore town. They said that in Pampore more than 19,000 families are directly dependent on this spice for their livelihoods. But the spice production is declining due to the unprecedented boom of cement plants, which are proving lethal for its production.

According to KDC researchers have analysed that 200 hectares of saffron land were under severe threat from cement factories and the production has declined from 3,000 grams to as low as 1,400 grams per hectare.

Researchers have said that the factories emit one lakh kilograms of toxic fumes per day thereby wrapping the neighbourhood villages in a toxic grey shroud, which has damaged the vegetation and causing respiratory tract infections among the local population.

As per genuine resources these factories are running with pollution controlling devices which are inefficient and inadequate to control pollution. There are no in-situ monitoring devices installed in these factories so that the particulate matter doesn’t get into the atmosphere.

Environmentalists say the mining of limestone and the harmful emissions of over cement factories in the fragile zone are adversely affecting the human population and wildlife besides saffron and almond production. In the absence of any official clearance, the mined areas are not covered under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study neither has Environment Management Plan (EMP) been formulated for eco-restoration of the mined areas. 

The Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1978 prohibits destruction of habitat of a wild animal in a National Park, Sanctuary or Conservation reserve. The wildlife conservation strategy 2002 mandates that “land falling within 10 kms of the boundaries of National Parks and Sanctuaries should be notified as eco-fragile zones under Environment (Protection) Act and Rules.

 

Cement dust mixed with coal smoke hovers like clouds on the streets, and accumulates on rooftops, windows and doors of houses in Khunmoh,Khrew and Wuyan town of Kashmir. Apart from causing pollution and respiratory diseases, the cement factories in the area have also hit marriage prospects. Khrew is a small township in the Pampore area, also known as the saffron bowl of Kashmir.

Once well known for the cultivation of saffron, almonds and walnuts and its picturesque surroundings, Khrew is today grappling with health hazards, destruction of the environment and fertile land turning barren.

 

The increasing levels of pollution have not only affected the health and livelihood of the locals who depend on saffron farming, agriculture and allied practices, it has taken a serious toll on the social fabric.

People from other areas are reluctant to marry their children in these villages. They say your life is destroyed. Why would we ruin the lives of our young ones by marrying them in a town where people live under a cloud of cement dust and air pollution.

Land where saffron was once cultivated now stands barren in Khrew, Pampore. A local girl whose engagement with a boy from Srinagar didn’t last long. “The boy refused to marry her after four months of engagement. He was in Dubai. When he returned home and visited Khrew, he started complaining about the area. Finally, he broke off the engagement.

 

According to local from Khunmoh,Khrew and Wuyan “people outside this area don’t prefer to marry their children here. They say the place is not liveable and the increased levels of air pollution have turned Khrew into a gas chamber”.

As per World Health Organization (WHO) study that “these factories emit about one lakh (100,000) kg of toxic filth from their chimneys per day. 

“The pollutants produced by the cement factories is a heterogeneous mix of various toxic gases like carbon-di-oxide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides,” says the report published by Research Gate.

During the 2016-17 Budget Session, then local legislator Mohammad Ashraf Mir claimed the life span was getting shorter for the residents of Khrew because of the pollution. The residents are living just up to 40-50 years, Mir had informed the House. Mohammad Ashraf claims around 43,000 Kanals (5375 acres) of saffron cultivating land is now covered with dust and has turned barren. Almond production has gone down and the walnut trees have stopped giving yield. 

Dr Mian Iftikhar, who runs a clinic in the township, claims that there has been a steep rise in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Cases of respiratory and chest diseases, vomiting and heart attacks have also increased in the area. “I see around 50 patients in a month who come with complaints of chest, lung and heart issues. COPD is common now,” says Dr Iftikhar.

These factories emit one lakh kilograms of toxic fumes per day thereby wrapping the neighbourhood villages in a toxic grey shroud. The air pollution is blamed for number of respiratory tract infections. 

In 2015, nearly, 20,000 people were reportedly diagnosed with several respiratory tract diseases and there are also ten tuberculosis patients in these twins Khunmoh and Khrew.

 

In 2016, Medical Officer at Primary Health Centre Khanmoh, Dr Aijaz Ahmad said he was shocked to see the frequency of patients with respiratory tract ailments in these areas. I have served at Chest and Disease Hospital Srinagar for ten years but was shocked to see the number of people with respiratory tract infections here. Every day, I see 40-50 cases of patients with respiratory tract infections. Allergic bronchitis, bronchial asthma and lots of COPD [Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease] are common here.

 
Dr Aijaz said a large number of children here have Acute Allergy Bronchitis which is alarming. “Skin infections like Dermatitis, Eczema and rashes are more common here. Also, People also suffer from Furunculosis and conjunctivitis. “Most elderly people have severe chest infection which leads to pulmonary tuberculosis and ultimately to cancer, he added”.

The cement factories are violating the Forest Act 1990 by operating under dense forest cover and flaunt the afforestation rules by not planting enough trees. They are shying away from their corporate social responsibility.

These factories have to seek permission from the industries to extend their production but they are operating because of influence and money power and previous govt corruption.

Environmentalists say one major pollutant contributing to these areas’ bad air is particulate matter, which includes concentrations of fine dust, soot and aerosol particles less than 10 microns in diameter (known as PM 10).

The level of such particulates is measured in micrograms per cubic meter of air. The world environmental experts stipulate that any reading above 40 micrograms is unsafe. But Jammu and Kashmir allows 100. As per previous records usually the range is between 135 to 175.

 

There are nearly 200-300 unauthorised quarry units operating in Khrew and Khonmoh which are looting the resources illegally and supplying it to these factories. These quarry units once used to be home of wild life animals like dear, leopard and bear.

In the month of August, 2022, The Idra Auqaf Islamia Khrew and Joint Action Committee Khrew comprising Civil Society Khrew and Peoples Welfare Trust Khrew asked the six cement factories operating in the area to implement the existing CSR model of Khanmoh in Khrew town forthwith.

Official data accessed through RTIs reveals that most of the cement factories and their mines are operating close to Dachigam national wildlife sanctuary without proper no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the concerned authorities.

Most of these plants in Khonmoh on the outskirts of Srinagar and Khrew in Pulwama district which have been operating for more than a decade are yet to get mandatory NOCs from the Wildlife department. RTI reply under No WLWC/ESTT/18-19/1142-43 provided by Wildlife Warden Central Kashmir reveals that these Cement factories have not even bothered to apply for the mandatory NOC. Some of the other factories have applied for the NOC which have not been granted to them so-far. The reasons for the same have not been provided in the RTI reply.

Not only these plants are operating without mandatory NOCs, but most of them are also running within less than five kilometres distance from the outer boundary of Dachigam Sanctuary.

The practice of favouritism, nepotism and bribery was rampant in the erstwhile state government. But it seems the same old mafia is calling shots in the Civil Secretariat now,” he alleged. The residents of Khrew and Khonmoh have been protesting against this vandalism for years now, but it seems nobody is listening to their pleas. 

The residents appeal to  Lt Governor, Chief Secretary and Commissioner Secretary Industries and Commerce to look into the matter. The residents request the above said authorities to Shut the all Cement factories in the above mentioned area  immediately to save environment and human life. The Factories can  be shifted to other rural area where there is threat to environment, wild animals and human life.