When one thinks environmental degradation, the immediate image that forms in mind is of mindless development and uncontrolled consumerism. One does not think of a country like Afghanistan, where decades of civil war have kept development a distant dream, as a victim of climate change.
HRH Prince Mostapha Zaher, director general of the country's National Environmental Protection Agency, gives a sad glimpse of the environmental stress that the proud mountains of Afghanistan are coping with.
Excerpts from an interview:
Climate change and Afghanistan - one does not usually associate the two together?
Well, there is a lobby which says climate change in Afghanistan is a fabrication by scientists to grab money. I challenge all those who think so to visit my country and see the ravages themselves.
Can you give specific instances?
The Pamirs and Hindukush are in peril. The Walkhan mountains were glacier clad once. Now, the glaciers recede each summer. We first started noticing these changes in the 1960s and meticulous records were maintained till 1989. Then, there was an interruption till 2012. Now, we again have records, and if you compare the satellite images and other data, you can see how the landscape is changing. The tragedy is that the locals are badly affected by this.
Can you elaborate on the impact on local lifestyle?
With the glaciers receding, there is greater interaction between the wild yak and gadeekh (mountain sheep) and domestic livestock, because of which the livestock are more susceptible to disease. Also, snow leopards follow the wild grazers to the lower slopes and make away with livestock.
How did war aggravate the situation?
In 35 years of civil war, environment preservation was the last thing on the agenda. It was also a time when nature decided to be particularly harsh. Between 1996 and 2002, there were constant droughts. Once five per cent of Afghanistan was forested, today only two per cent is.
We had 72 varieties of grape. Neglect and the presence of cordite and uranium in our environment that caused mutations, have left only eight varieties. Of the 105 varieties of citrus fruits, only 18 are available. The crimson red of the pomegranate has faded into a pale pink.
There is urban stress with local migrations. Kabul, a city of a million now houses seven million. What is the solution?
For one, Afghanistan needs to decide for itself what it needs. When the world decided what the Afghan people needed, it led to disaster, we cannot repeat that mistake.
So what is the most important requirement for Afghanistan in preserving its environment?
Creating public awareness is most important. For this, we need departments of environmental studies in our universities.
Teri has played an important role in the Kabul University, the efforts need to be replicated in Herat and Jalalabad. We have great expectations from India because it is one of the few countries which kept its promises towards us.
There are 2,000 Afghan students on study grants in Indian universities, India is the fifth largest donor to Afghanistan. Our cultural ties have always been strong.
