Himalayan Welfare Organization, Pahalgam is a Non-Profit, Non-Governmental Organization based in Pahalgam, founded by its President, Mushtaq Pahalgami in March, 2008. The Himalayan Welfare Organization has been working for the cause of Environmental Conservation and Protection, Education, Healthcare and Promotion of Sports Adventure Tourism and Eco-Trekking in and around Pahalgam. The HWO also organizes Seminars, Awareness Camps, Information Campaigns, Demonstrations and Relief and Rehabilitation camps to promote a general culture of societal service and empathy and to challenge corruption and other agency issues in Public Institutions in the state through the use of RTI, 2009 and PSGA Acts.
The Hiamalyan Welfare Organization-HWO launched the Save Shahkul Campaign to help conserve and preserve the 50 km long Shahkul or Martand Canal which commands over 9,500 acres of land in June, 2016. The Campaign was launched at the one day national seminar organized by the HWO at Aishmuqam on the theme 'Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development' on 4 June 2016 and attempts to rope in School Children as the main actors in environmental conservation by taking school students, sanitation workers and other concerned civil society members along to clean this canal and to go from door to door to urge and appeal to the people to stop using this canal as a drain and to build a general societal movement to stop dumping of household waste and garbage/sewage in the canal.
As part of its sanitation and clean environment drive to Save the Glaciers of the region, HWO volunteers recently collected garbage for proper disposal from Chandanwari following littering by pilgrims on the Amarnath Yatra in Chandanwari, following which the shrine board also took notice of the matter and initiated action. Mushtaq Pahalgami and the HWO have also been trying to bring media attention to the environmental damage caused to the valley due to the ongoing political unrest, seeking to expose the land mafia in regions as diverse as Pahalgam, Chandanwari and Sonamarg and government intervention to stop the timber, land and construction mafias from exploiting the region's natural resources by taking undue advantage of the situation, under the aegis of their project Green Himalayas.
The HWO organised a one day public discussion on Environmental conservation and the menace of poly-bags on 5 June 2017, emphasizing the need for source-segregation of waste and to make Pahalgam a polythene free city. HWO's booklet, tracing the organization's journey since its inception, was also launched at the event. The organization has also organized Social/Green-treks to promote the idea of voluntary garbage-recovery from ecologically sensitive glacier regions including dabyan and source-lake, Phalgam, where trekkers were sensitized about the need to conserve local environmenta nd were made to recover, collect and bring garbage back from the trek-destination.
The HWO observed the International Mountain Day on 11 December 2017 to create awareness and sensitization about the importance of mountain ecosystems and the need to conserve the same, by hosting a discussion on the subject for youngsters and concerned citizens at Townhall, Pahalagm.
HWO Organization had also approached the J&K state high court seeking and leading to effective implementation of the 2006 court order banning use of polythene in the state.
HWO organised the first edition of the Himalayan Green Awards, 2018 at Townhall, Pahalagam on the 16th of April, 2018. The awards were presented in six categories including environmental service, education, community and social development and print and electronic media. Certificates of appreciation were also presented to a large number of teachers and civil society members for their exceptional contribution to the cause of the local society.
