Can you imagine how fast we are losing Karewas, which are geological and archeological repositories, being vandalised for earth excavation? 18 metric tons of clay, sand and bajri have been illegally excavated in Karewas of Budgam and Pulwama district in the last 5 years alone.The damage is far more than earth excavation. We need to understand that Karewas are not just raised mounds of earth. These Karewas were formed due to tectonic events which occured at different intervals during the uplift of the Pir Panjal Range due to Himalayan orogeny. Considered to be an important part of Kashmir’s eco-system. Karewas known as Wuder are a flat-topped tableland and consist of conglomerate, silt, clay, sands and lignite beds.

What is important is that the climatic and tectonic record during the last 1.6 million years is well preserved in the sediments of Karewas of Kashmir valley. Years ago, fossils of Elephant species called Elephas hysudricus were found in Karewas of Pulwama and Budgam areas. Fossils of Sivatherium giganteum, an extinct species of Giraffe, have also been found in Samboora karewas near Pampore. Besides fish scales were found in Karewas of Gogjee Pathri and upper mountain areas of Liddermud and Yusmarg in Budgam district. Instead of taking measures to preserve these geological treasures, successive regimes have failed to stop earth mining in Karewas.

Many karewas have been flattened by organised earth mafia using machines in Budgam and Pulwama districts. It is more........

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