The Kashmir Valley, surrounded by the lofty Himalayas, has been sculpted by glacial flooding and the Jhelum River over hundreds of years. Positioned on the heart of the valley, Srinagar lies in a strategic but ecologically fragile area that hosts a dense community of wetlands, lakes and different water our bodies.
Traditionally, agriculture has been the mainstay of livelihood for a majority of the native inhabitants whereas its waterways served as transportation routes for the motion of products, companies and folks. In consequence, cities and villages grew in patterns that finest served the predominantly rural economic system, evolving alongside waterways and river navigation routes. Over time, the centrally positioned metropolis of Srinagar turned the financial and cultural heart of the valley.
Over the previous few many years, because the region’s agriculture-based economy transitioned towards a service-based urban economy, the necessity to reside close to these agricultural lands and waterways declined. Coupled with inhabitants progress, built-up areas expanded alongside arterial highway networks, floodplains, and typically on prime agricultural and horticultural land. Over time, haphazard landfilling for building of housing and concrete companies within the basin-shaped space has disrupted pure drainage. This has led to elevated water logging, exponentially elevating flood danger and incidence of utmost climate occasions. The floods of September 2014 uncovered the vulnerabilities of the area, emphasizing the necessity for a cautious and structured planning course of that may inform the area’s growth whereas accounting for ecological concerns.
Distinctive Geographical Profile of Kashmir Valley
Kashmir Valley is an intermontane valley sandwiched between the excessive mountain ranges of Pir Panjal and Higher Himalayas. Moreover, it’s landlocked, making it a multi-hazard area riddled with a number of environmental constraints.
Geographic thresholds like mountains, wetlands and water our bodies play a dominant position in shaping the settlement construction of the valley. The traits of the land differ at completely different elevations. On the valley ground – floor elevation of 5,000 toes (1524 meters) above sea degree, – are waterways and cultivable land. Rising to 9,000 toes (2740 meters) and above are forest lands, above which lies the snowline with glaciers and glacial lakes. The graphic beneath depicts the six vertical elevation zones with differing traits of land.
The Urbanization Problem
Rapid urbanization and rising pollution levels have degraded Kashmir’s environmental sources and proceed to threaten its pure ecosystems. Between 1911 to 2011, the Kashmir valley misplaced almost 50% of its wetlands. The presence and well being of such pure belongings do not merely form ecosystem companies but in addition play a vital position in figuring out the provision of land sources for growth, particularly in and round industrial nodes reminiscent of Srinagar.
Whilst Srinagar has retained its primacy within the area, a plethora of geographical constraints restrict the provision of appropriate land for its enlargement. It additional will get compounded by the extension of limits in areas which are both susceptible to floods or ecologically fragile, thus limiting the provision of land for spatial progress.
Increasing present areas won’t simply alleviate but in addition irritate the issues of congestion and lack of pure sources. Kashmir’s massive fertile lands assist its economic system by way of money crops like apples, walnuts, almonds, saffron, and so on. Unplanned urbanization, within the absence of a regional land-use coverage, may have a long-term impression on prime agriculture and horticulture land banks, jeopardizing the area’s financial future. Food security challenges on this landlocked area are growing at an alarming fee as fertile land is being transformed into non-agricultural land for urbanization functions. The alpine atmosphere of the valley dangers getting transformed right into a concrete jungle, which is dangerous for each the atmosphere and the native inhabitants.
Regional Flows and Networks
Given the strategic location, challenges and potential of the area, Srinagar Metropolitan Area Growth Authority (SMRDA) was created underneath Jammu and Kashmir Metropolitan Area Growth Authorities Act, 2018. The SMRDA can supply an overarching institutional framework for the coordinated, orderly, and deliberate growth of the Srinagar Metropolitan Area (SMR).
The brand new growth initiatives for Srinagar city-region and surrounding areas of the valley should align with its regional flows and the dynamic community for circulation of individuals, supplies and companies within the area.
Unprecedented urbanization within the valley, significantly alongside the north-south axis from Anantnag to Baramulla through Srinagar, gives ample alternatives for brand spanking new and sustained financial progress. Within the regional settlement hierarchy sample, the Kashmir Valley is witnessing the growth of three major urban nodes – the Srinagar City Agglomeration, Southern City Agglomeration (Anantnag Bijbehara-Mattan) and Northern City Agglomeration (Baramulla and Sopore). The inhabitants projections of various lessons of cities in Kashmir Valley recommend that Srinagar will continue to hold its primacy in the region. Nonetheless, the Class I and II cities are anticipated to contribute considerably through the subsequent 20 years.
This development is wholesome as the prevailing skewed urbanization is being balanced out by the expansion of midsized cities as per the prevailing progress development. Anantnag-Bijbehara-Mattan (ABM) agglomeration is estimated to have 6.5 Lakh population where Baramulla-Sopore Urban Agglomeration is estimated to have 4.75 Lakh population by 2035. This dispersion must be supported and bolstered in native planning and coverage devices to catalyze growth of dormitory and satellite tv for pc townships within the suburbs of Srinagar metropolis. Moreover, promotion of regional countermagnets throughout the broader area of the Jhelum valley ground can support in decreasing demographic pressures on Srinagar metropolis because of native migration.
Constructing a Regional Outlook for Sustainable Development
A regional technique for the Srinagar Metropolitan Area can purpose to handle the environmental issues and urbanization points on the regional degree and play a significant position in guiding the Valley in direction of the sustainable future.
City planning in Srinagar have to be built-in with the regional components which play a key position in shaping urbanization and the settlement sample of the valley. Addressing environmental issues and urbanization points on the metropolis degree requires applicable planning measures on the macro scale. Such a scale would take into account the Jhelum watershed a single planning unit with its cause-and-effect relationship to the valley.
Your entire valley ground have to be handled as a single macro planning area with North, South and Central Kashmir as main subregions for dovetailing its broad land-use insurance policies in an built-in method. This won’t solely assist shield ecologically fragile areas from unabated urbanization however may even go a great distance within the financial growth of the complete area.
The rationale for planning and creating the Srinagar Metropolitan Area should fastidiously stability the complexities of the Kashmir area, together with its fragile ecology, flood vulnerability, present settlement patterns, and the necessity for reasonably priced, sustainable transportation. An built-in strategy can be sure that financial growth and future progress happen inside sustainable limits whereas preserving the area’s pure and cultural heritage. Complete planning for this eco-sensitive area will help maintain the valley’s sources, shield its ecology, meet the aspirations of native communities and promote financial development.
