SRINAGAR: The National Green Tribunal has taken suo motu cognisance of mounting environmental threats in Ladakh and issued notices to three Union Ministries and five national bodies, marking a major institutional intervention to protect one of India’s most fragile ecosystems. The development was first reported by the Jammu-based newspaper Daily Excelsior.
The Tribunal acted based on a recent scientific paper, “Transforming Food, Land and Water Systems to Combat Climate Crisis in Ladakh”, which warns that the high-altitude cold desert is nearing a tipping point. The study highlights a worsening decline in water availability, rapid glacier retreat, shrinking agricultural land, sudden frost events, flash floods and unregulated urban expansion driven by tourism. These trends, the NGT observed, raise “extremely important issues” for sustainable development and ecological balance in the Himalayan region.
The case focuses on violations of key environmental laws, including the Environment Protection Act, Indian Forest Act, Biodiversity Act, Air Act and Water Act. The Tribunal noted that the scientific findings clearly indicate potential breaches of these statutes and that the issues raised warrant immediate scrutiny of compliance with environmental norms.
The NGT has impleaded the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Agriculture, the Central Pollution Control Board, the National Disaster Management Authority, the Zoological Survey of India, the Botanical Survey of India and the Secretary, Environment Ladakh as respondents. Each has been directed to file a response by affidavit at least a week before the next hearing, scheduled for February 26, 2026.
Drawing from the scientific paper, the Tribunal underscored several urgent climate-resilience measures that Ladakh must consider. These include crop diversification and climate-resilient varieties, conservation of local species such as apricot, apple, barley and wheat, revival of traditional farming practices, boosting cropping intensity in the middle belt, promoting millets, multi-tier agroforestry, and the use of organic manure to restore soil health. The paper also recommends harnessing digital technologies and remote sensing to track glacier melt, water resources and land-use patterns, along with climate-smart infrastructure and policy support for resilient farming.
The NGT emphasised that these recommendations are crucial for safeguarding Ladakh’s environment, but said specific directions would follow only after evaluating the responses from the eight respondents.
Experts note that while numerous central schemes address climate adaptation, the absence of coordinated action has left Ladakh exposed to accelerating risks. The Tribunal’s intervention, they believe, could compel ministries to align their efforts and adopt a unified climate-resilience strategy for the region.
