Let me begin with a word “Climatic variability” which refers to the variations in the mean state of climate on all temporal and spatial scale beyond that of individual weather events. It is that variability in Western disturbances which bring the indecent rains in the valley since last week and caused the devastating floods in whole union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, this is the geographical perspective of floods. Another aspect is that the city portion of Jhelum in Srinagar city always remains in the focus of planners and policy makers thereby ignoring the South Kashmir where the tributaries of this mighty river vanishes the dreams of thousands of people as they perish all the things what so ever came in their way whenever water level raises in these roaring tributaries. The tributaries play a vital role in destruction of life and property in south Kashmir. The heavy precipitation in the catchment areas of these roaring tributaries along with cloud bursts increase the volume and flow of water which created havoc in their respective catchments. The tributaries and sub tributaries which include Vishav, Lidder, Romushi, Rambiaara, Sandran, Brengi, Arpath, Watyathroo, take heavy toll of life and property. Devastation tales of these tributaries are carried out in the local and national dallies. Not only Vishaw and Lidder or Brengi but other sub- tributaries of river Jhelum in South Kashmir do the same job in their respective catchments or flood plains. One could imagine the magnitude of loss when a river changes its course and is flowing through the inhabited villages. Besides houses tributaries also wash away the agriculture and horticulture land mounting loss to worth crores. As per the official reports every year floods affects the thousands of hectares of productive land in` South Kashmir. This is the one part of tragedy.

Now a million dollar question is that who is responsible for all these disasters and devastations? Should we blame Government or People? The answer is both. It is true that rivers are considered as cradle of civilizations, but the unplanned habitation along the catchment areas or flood plains of these tributaries add to the problem. Flood plains of tributaries of Jhelum throughout valley in general and south Kashmir in particular have been converted into built-up areas. Both government and people are busy in constructing buildings, offices, shopping complexes, schools, hospitals along the banks of roaring tributaries ‘I have myself witnessed dozens of such buildings along the banks of Vishaw, Lidder, sandran, Brengi, etc. which are highly prone to floods and most of them has been washed away by 2014 floods. Let me remind you the tragic stories of 2014 of south Kashmir. Take the example of village Kilam Gund and Chamagund of kulgam, “GUND” is a Kashmiri word meaning (a piece of land in the river-Island) hence prone to flood. Similarly the Brengi devastated the hamlet Ayar Dehrenu: again “Ayar” meaning the flood plain of river covered by stones, hence part of river not the “Abadideh”- meaning village land.
The present day flood occurrences in Anantnag, Kulgam and Pulwama show that nothing has changed in the past decade. Instead of revisiting old lessons learned, new infrastructure—like new block of GMC Anantnag has been constructed on the bank of Nallah Arapath, leaving them to flood after a single night of heavy rain in South Kashmir. In addition, many villages along tributaries have converted floodplains into construction sites, thus clogging off natural waterways of the valley and contributing to the terrifying situation. Another tragedy is that the legal and illegal mining in the tributaries have worsened the situation as the embankments are being damaged by the miners .The use of heavy machinery has accelerated the mining process and inviting trouble even after showers in habitated villages along the banks of all tributaries. Another concern is that the implementation of MGNREGA projects in rural areas has inadvertently contributed to the obstruction of village streams. In the absence of proper consultation with the revenue authorities and the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, the actual breadth and natural flow patterns of these streams are being ignored. Such unplanned interventions not only disrupt hydrological systems but also raise questions regarding the misuse of public funds, as the emphasis seems more on financial extraction from the government exchequer than on sustainable rural development. So, it’s not just the Jhelum’s city stretch in Srinagar where planning is required. The real need of the hour is for planners and policy makers to focus on sustainable development in the catchment areas of Jhelum’s tributaries, especially in South Kashmir. Issuing advisories, closing schools, evacuating people, deploying boats, and placing sandbags along riverbanks are measures that generally fall under the disaster response phase. While these steps are important in reducing immediate risks, they are often reactive in nature and provide only short-term relief. The real challenge lies in the absence of a strong planning phase. Without proper land-use planning, sustainable catchment management, and coordinated institutional mechanisms, such response-oriented actions cannot effectively mitigate disasters. Therefore, the emphasis must shift towards strengthening the planning phase, which focuses on preparedness, risk reduction, and long-term resilience. By integrating scientific assessments, community participation, and interdepartmental coordination into the planning framework, disasters like floods can be mitigated and managed in a systematic way, ultimately protecting the valley from recurring disasters. The last tragedy is that the both ruling and opposition political parties have now started playing politics in the name of floods and Disaster management and no one bothers about the comprehensive planning policy and future strategy to tackle the situation.

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