SRINAGAR, Aug 3: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday called for nature-based solutions to be placed at the centre of development planning to strengthen climate resilience in the Himalayan region, while addressing a conference at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST).
The conference, titled “Strengthening Climate Resilience and Livelihoods in the Himalayan Region through Nature-based Solutions,” was organised at the university’s campus, where the Lieutenant Governor also inaugurated the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Block, the Law School and IUST’s Larmoo Campus.
Highlighting the growing impact of climate change, Sinha said the Himalayas are witnessing increasingly frequent natural disasters, with flash floods and cloudbursts causing extensive damage to infrastructure, roads, water supply schemes and power networks in Jammu and Kashmir.
He stressed that conservation and development must go hand in hand, describing forests, wetlands and watersheds as natural infrastructure essential for flood control, water conservation and ecological balance.
The Lieutenant Governor urged policymakers, scientists and engineers to integrate modern technologies such as remote sensing, geospatial mapping and artificial intelligence with traditional ecological knowledge to improve climate resilience.
He also called for greater participation of local communities, including farmers, shepherds and tribal populations, in environmental planning and conservation efforts.
Sinha encouraged universities to adopt nature-based solutions as a multidisciplinary field covering ecology, engineering, disaster management, economics and traditional knowledge, saying future professionals must understand the interconnected nature of environmental and developmental challenges.
Recalling the Green Jammu and Kashmir Drive launched in 2020, he said the initiative had helped increase the Union Territory’s forest cover to nearly 55 per cent, reaffirming the government’s commitment to sustainable development.
During the event, the Lieutenant Governor released a special edition of IUST’s magazine “Times Echo” on the 100-day Anti-Drug Campaign and a policy brief on the Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyan. Certificates were also distributed to PMKVY trainees.
Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Justice Sanjeev Kumar, IUST Vice Chancellor Prof. Shakil A. Romshoo, senior officials, scientists, faculty members and students attended the conference.
