The Jhelum River, which is lifeline of Kashmir, is in critical condition. The prolonged heat waves and unprecedented dry spells have lowered the water levels dramatically; in Sangam, Anantnag the water level has dropped to a shocking low of just ‘0.19 feet’ —the lowest at this time of year for at least five years.
This is not just a seasonal happenstance, but rather a hard message on the worsening climate emergency and its consequences on an already vulnerable ecosystem in Kashmir.
The Jhelum, supported by glacier melt and monsoon rainfall, supports agriculture, drinking water access, and hydro-power generation all over the valley.
The decreasing flow of Jhelum is a concern for irrigation-dependent agriculture and threatening drinking water availability and power-production during a time where energy demand is increasing due to the extreme summer heat.
With naked riverbed, this sight serves as forewarning of what is to come should no immediate action be taken.
This present time has brought them to what they have called a Triple Crisis, as the shrinking glaciers, inconsistent rainfall, and rising temperatures all act together–these are all truths of climate change as it is happening.
Kashmir has been experiencing winters with little snowfall and spring-time dry-spells, which deeply affects its natural source water recharge for the environment it thrives on.
If this makes it way, it will have an awful result, drawing down groundwater, failing crops, and escalating conflicts over them.
While climate change is a global issue, there are local and regional solutions at our disposal to help mitigate its effects. The government should invest in water conservation through the revitalization of traditional water storage practices and promote rainwater harvesting (while also modernizing irrigation practices to minimize losses).
There should be wider plans (in anticipation of disaster) to address water scarcity, including options for limiting water access and alternative supply proposals. Strategies to increase afforestation and policies to reduce carbon emissions will also protect the already fragile ecology of this area.
Public awareness must go hand in hand with government action. Water use in any context (agricultural, domestic or industrial) must be agglomerated. Communities should again think about taking up their traditional practice of sustainable water use before it is too late.
Kashmir’s rivers are a cultural, historical, and survival source beyond just water.
