On September 5th United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres while launching New Economy Report of 2018 at UN headquarters in New York said that the climate change is “running faster than we are” and runaway climate change is still a real possibility. UN chief said that greater ambition, urgency and action are needed to prevent ever greater climate-related crises. UN Secretary General further said that switching to a clean economy will also create over 65 million new low-carbon jobs. He added that momentum for climate action is growing every day, and shifting to a sustainable growth path has many benefits. Guterres said that clean energy system helps developing countries, noting that “it can help deliver access to energy to the one billion people who currently lack electricity.” While giving example of Bangladesh, which has installed more than 4 million solar home systems that has created more than 115,000 jobs and saved rural households over 400 million dollars in polluting fuels,” he said. The UN Secretary General while underlining the risks faced at global level said that climate change leads to storms, floods, droughts, wildfires and rising seas and poor and disadvantaged people are its first victims. From last few weeks I have been trying to highlight the same issue through my columns. According to official statement of Chief Conservator of Forests Kashmir, Mr Farooq Geelani (GK September 5th 2018) more than 40,000 (forty thousand) forest trees have been axed during last couple of years in J&K paving way for laying of 440 KV DC Samba- Amargrah transmission line. In addition to it thousands of fruit and non-fruit bearing trees have also been axed. When I tried to raise this issue through social media / through my articles, Government authorities in connivance with Private transmission company are trying to muzzle my voice . They have officially threatened me and my colleagues for a legal action. Was it necessary to uproot and axe 40,000 forest trees from Samba to Baramulla via Pir Panjaal forests ? If my allegations are false why was an FIR No: 99 of 2018 registered on 21/08/2018 in Police Station Chadoora ? I don’t want to go into the details. Those who are trying to play safe and make accusations, this FIR makes it ample clear that illegal felling of forest trees has been going on under the garb of laying the transmission lines.
Effects of High Voltage transmission lines
According to a paper published by one Anirudh Balaji in International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (www.irjet.net) in June 2015, the high voltage transmission lines directly impact human lives, plants, trees and animals. Due to increase in power demand , the need for transmitting huge amounts of power over long distances has increased. Balaji says that there are long-term effects and short-term effects of High Voltage (HV) transmission lines on all living beings. Transmission lines with high voltage (HV) produces electric and magnetic field in the adjoin areas. Balaji has several supporting documents and research papers in favor of this. Each transmission power line runs along a corridor of land called easement. The width of the easement is determined by the electrical load on the system. Public access to an easement is permitted but building and long term occupation are not allowed. The affected people whose land came under the corridor are not given any compensation. They won’t be able to use the land for farming , horticulture or commercial purpose ? Who will compensate them for this huge loss ?
At the edge of the easement, the Electro Magnetic Fields (EMFs) are appreciably lower than at the center. The World Health Organization (WHO) limits are not exceeded anywhere within the easement. The EMFs outside the easement are consequently well below these limits. For example, for a typical 330kV transmission tower, the easement width is 60 metres . The Samba Amargrah transmission line is 440 KV DC line, which indicates that easement width must be more than 60 metres. Ironically several houses are located just 20 to 30 metres away from the corridor and from the day transmission line was made operational (August 21st 2018) the affected people claim that they are having headache , nausea and giddiness. I met one Abdul Hamid Mir of Branwar Chadoora , he along with several families are living under the constant fear, there is huge noise as well near the corridor. They have approached Deputy Commissioner Budgam but the company is not ready to relocate or rehabilitate them.
Short term hazards
“High power lines emit high levels of electromagnetic radiation. These hazardous man-made EMFs interact in a destructive way with natural electromagnetic fields that exists within human beings. They interfere with cell function, break DNA strands, and erode the immune system. These biological irregularities cause initial symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, headaches, nausea, and digestive disorders. They often culminate in causing more serious disorders in children, pregnant women, and elderly people ” reads the research paper. What the paper mentions , Hamid has been complaining the same along with other residents of the area. But nobody is ready to address their grievances ?
Long term hazards
Overhead high voltage power line causes ionization of air emitting trillions of corona ions into the air per second. These ions get attached to the aerosol particles of many types of carcinogenic air pollution like diesel exhaust, flame retardants in furniture, unintentional byproducts of industries, etc. The charged pollution particles are then carried by the wind up to 7kms downwind of the power line and deposit in the lungs at a significantly greater rate than uncharged pollutant particles. The analysis of corona effect risk shows that up to 400 excess cases of lung cancer mortality and 3000 excess cases of cardiovascular and respiratory illness and aggravated asthma may occur annually among 2.7 million people living within overhead high voltage lines. The health hazards include large number of pediatric and adult cancers, childhood and adult leukemia, Alzheimer’s disease, Suicide, Depression, Stress , Specific types of heart disease, Tumor growth Skin growth, Abnormal cell activity, Impairment of perception and memory Genetic defects, fatigue , headache and many other ailments. These short and long term impact of high voltage transmission lines have been authenticated by World Health Organization (WHO) and dozens of medical research institutes across the world. I am not able to understand why our Government didn’t go through these studies before giving permission for the transmission line ?
Conclusion
I ask authorities why didn’t you explore possibilities of creating clean energy infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir instead of laying high voltage transmission lines? If global leaders and institutions are concerned about protecting environment & forests , why is our Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) giving directions for axing of thousands of forest trees like Kail , Fir , Deodar every year ? Why are our fruit orchards, apple and walnut trees plus non fruit bearing trees like willows , kiker and polulars axed every year for so called ” development ” ? We are not only causing a threat to our ecology and environment , but at the same time we are risking the lives of people living near transmission line corridors ? I am not trying to malign the Government but instead my intentions are very clear. 50 to 60 years down the line when Kashmir valley will be a concrete jungle with no green spaces , forests and glaciers around , people of that time will at least not curse me ? My blogs , social media posts , videos plus my regular columns published in Greater Kashmir will stand witness to my commitment towards environmental cause. I am trying to make policy makers and authorities aware about the disasters which we will be facing in the coming decades. I am conveying the same message what UN Secretary General has conveyed few days back in New York. I want to shake the conscience of advisors, bureaucrats, forest officers and policy makers with the hope that in future they won’t try to kill us with these bloody high voltage lines, highways and cement industries . Stop destroying our forests , agricultural & horticulture land. I want that affected people be adequately compensated , rehabilitated and resettled as well ……