Muskan Bharti
Jammu is known for its beautiful green mountains and fresh air. However, in recent years, this natural beauty is changing rapidly. To Build, wide highways and tunnels for fast travel, wide highways and tunnels for faster travel, mountain are being cut and thousands of trees are being chopped down. While development is important for progress, we must look at the heavy price that our environment is paying. The impact of cutting mountains and trees: Landslides and soil erosion: Mountains provide a natural balance. When we use heavy machineries to break the rocks, the soil becomes loose. This leads to frequent landslides, which not only block the roots, but also put the lives of travellers and local villagers at risk. Loss of green cover: Trees are the lungs of Jammu but now they are cutting down thousands in numbers for expansion of new highways which led to a noticeable increase in temperature, the shade and coolness which we once enjoyed is disappearing and quality of air is getting worse also. Water scarcity: Forests help in recharging groundwater with fewer trees and more concrete roads. The natural water cycle is disturbed their habitat, which results causing them to enter into human colonies. The Way Forward: We need roots, but we also need oxygen. The government must focus on sustainable development. This means planning double the number of trees that are cut and using engineering methods that do not destroy the entire mountains. -Progress is only meaningful if we have a healthy plan leave on. Roads can be rebuilt, but a mountain or 100 years old trees cannot be replaced overnight. We must find a balance where we have both modern highways and our ancient trees hill, Saving Jammu‘s environment is not just a choice, it is a duty we own for future generations. -Construction companies should not allow rocks and dirt into the Tawi river. This makes the river dirty and kills the aquatic livings. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, highway construction in mountainous areas has both positive and negative impacts, but its harmful effects on mountains and trees are more serious. Cutting down trees leads to loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, and climate imbalance. Blasting and digging mountains weaken their natural structure, increasing the risk of landslides and floods. Although highways improve transportation and economic growth, development should not come at the cost of nature. Therefore, sustainable planning, controlled construction, and large-scale tree plantation are essential to protect our mountains and forests for future generations. |