There is fear of drought-like situation in Kashmir as January and February have received negligible precipitation and water bodies have dried up.
With January 2025 witnessing one of the driest ‘Chillai Kalan’ periods in many decades, the water bodies across the Valley are drying up, sounding an alarm for the summer ahead.
One of the most famous water springs in South Kashmir at the Achabal Mughal Garden has dried up completely.
The locals said the Achabal water spring has dried up for the first time in history.
The Achabal spring is a source of water for the locals in the area, besides being a lifeline for the trout fish farmers.
“It is for the first time in the history of Achabal that this water spring has dried up. Our ancestors never mentioned the drying up of this spring. It seems to be due to climate change, there are no rains or snow. In the last two months, we have not seen any snow here. The water from this spring goes to 15 villages, and now they have no drinking water at the moment. Horticulture and agriculture are also dependent on this,” said Shabir Ahmad, a local of Achabal.
Environmentalists and weather experts say global warming is impacting the weather patterns of Jammu and Kashmir drastically.
Several streams and tributaries across the Valley are drying up as day temperatures are soaring at least 8 degrees Celsius above normal.
The Aripath stream originating from Chatapal in Shangus has dried up, affecting over 25 water supply schemes.
Major tributaries river Jhelum, including the Lidder steam originating from the Kolahoi Glacier and Sheeshnag, later converging at Pahalgam; Brengi Nallah (Kokernag), Veshaw Nallah (Kausar Nag- Kulgam), Sandran and Veth-Vethastu (Verinag), Kund Nallah (Qazigund), Rambiara (Shopian), Tongri Nallah and Romshi Nallah (Pulwama) and Aripal (Tral) are all experiencing severe water shortages.
At Sangam, the Jhelum’s water level has touched -1.01 ft, which is below the Reduced Level (RL) of zero of gauge while at Ram Munshi Bagh, it stood at 3.52 feet and at Asham, the level has fallen to 0.75 feet.
“The summer might witness a drought-like situation in the Valley. With the main source of water, River Jhelum, flowing at its lowest and the valley witnessing a dip of 80-90 per cent in precipitation, there is worry that the summers will be difficult for everyone, including the people associated with agriculture and horticulture,” said the environmentalists .
A weather analyst and forecaster Faizan Arif said J&K saw a huge precipitation deficit in December, and it continued in January and February as well.
“There has been almost nil precipitation due to which the Jhelum is flowing at its lowest level. And if we talk about other water bodies, even the Achabal water spring has dried up. If this trend continues, it may negatively impact horticulture and agriculture,” he said.
The environmentalists warned that the lack of snowfall this winter would have serious repercussions on stream flows, which are essential for agriculture, horticulture, and tourism. “It will lead to a drought- like situation in summer”.