I am a Kashmiri glacier, and I am witnessing an environmental genocide

Kolahoi Glacier (Creative Common License)

January 25th, 2023 

I am a Kashmiri glacier,
My name is the Kolahoi glacier,
And I am witnessing an environmental genocide,
This message is an SOS signal to the world,
This matter needs your immediate attention.

In the olden days, people used to call me the goddess of light,
Kashmiris depend on me and other glaciers for their agricultural needs,
We provide water for their crops and fruit orchards,
Without us, they will not survive,
And we are disappearing,
Because of the occupation,
Because of the colonization of the Kashmir valley,
And this is an environmental genocide,
That nobody cares.

Experts say my size is reduced by 23 percent,
And that too in just three decades,
Himalayan glaciers are melting at a faster rate than other regions,
And Kashmiri glaciers are melting faster than other Himalayan glaciers,
If we continue to melt at this rate,
There will be no water for Kashmiris,
There will be no food for them,
And this is an environmental genocide,

That nobody cares.

The human activity of one million Indian troops
Experts say the reason is human activity,
But I want to tell the world,
It is not the usual human activity,
that causes us to melt at this alarming rate,
It is the activity of around one million Indian troops;
Which is meant to maintain the occupation of Kashmir valley,
With their arrival, I witnessed massive deforestation,
To make room for their barracks,
They cut forests to build shooting ranges across the valley,
Their heavy military vehicles emitted greenhouses gases,
For more than thirty years,
Their debris and wastes destroyed the climate of this pristine valley.
And consequently, other glaciers are disappearing at an alarming rate.
If we continue to melt at this rate,
There will be no water for Kashmiris,
There will be no food for them,
And this is an environmental genocide,
That nobody cares.

And this is not the end!

Religious Tourism
Despite warnings from the experts,
That if they did not regulate religious tourism,
Kolahoi glacier will disappear, 
The Indian government refused to restrict the number of pilgrims,
Hindu nationalist groups campaigned to attract a million tourists for Amarnath Yatra,
Consequently,
We are melting at an alarming rate,
If we continue to melt at this rate;
There will be no water for Kashmiris,
There will be no food for Kashmiris,
And this is an environmental genocide,
That nobody cares.

The occupational forces burned houses and shops,
And even the entire village,
To collectively punish Kashmiris,
Because they demand self-determination,
And this practice is damaging the environment,
Consequently,
We are melting at an alarming rate,
If we continue to melt at this rate;
There will be no water for Kashmiris.
And this is an environmental genocide,
That nobody cares.

I am a Kashmiri glacier,
My name is Kolahoi glacier,
And I am witnessing an environmental genocide,
This message is an SOS signal to the world,
This matter needs your immediate attention.

Written by Tazeen Hasan, Campaign Manager for Justice For All Canada.