By: Quyima Aslam
At the starting of this month, students of the valley were on their summer holidays waiting eagerly to go for recreations but the rain showers spoiled all their plans. I know it’s not bothersome because we got some relief from the scorching heat but with that relief came an anxious alert of water load in Jhelum and this is what we should be more concerned of; the increased water level of Jhelum, the threat of floods with every single spell.
So here is a question wasn’t the valley receiving any rainfall in the past then why are we facing this upwelling more frequently now? The answer is simple it’s because of reduced carrying capacity of this water body. River Jhelum one of the major rivers of South Asia, often referred to as the lifeline of Kashmir, has its history intertwined with the history of Kashmir itself. It holds a significant place in the cultural, historical and geographical landscape of the region. It’s not just a river, it’s a habitat for biodiversity, it’s a source of livelihood for fishermen, it’s an inspiration for poets, it’s our home in its majesty .But now this majestic river is ready to overflow and inundate the valley at any time
One of the primary factors contributing to the reduced water carrying capacity is the land-use changes in and around the Jhelum catchment. The adjoining wetlands act as buffers in times of excessive water loads, but due to our unending greed we use these natural spaces for our personnel interest and choked them. We didn’t stop here only, we committed a heinous crime of land theft, encroached the banks of Jhelum, raising our houses and hotels high and high. Of the original width of Jhelum, only one-fifth of it exists on the ground while the remaining has been encroached upon. This doesn’t only reduce the catchment area but also increased the siltation and sedimentation rate which in turn decreased the volume of water the river can hold, limiting its ability to accommodate increased water flow. Moreover, decreased rainwater absorption capacity of slopes and hills due to clearing forests results in increased water load on Jhelum and the erosion due to this deforestation leads to siltation of Jhelum and other water bodies.
Adding insult to injury, we have such inefficient dredging projects going on that cost crores but don’t yield a result of penny. These dredging projects were chalked out and funded to help increase the carrying capacity of river Jhelum but so far we have yielded minimal desired results in that direction. Not denying the fact the Srinagar Smart City Limited is making remarkable strides in enhancing the appeal of Srinagar through its restoration and conservation efforts on the heritage Ghats along the river Jhelum but that’s not enough. We need an integrated plan for dredging and widening of Jhelum along with excavation of flood spill channels within a proper timeframe, designing proper afforestation strategies, rejuvenating the wetlands and natural flow routes and clearing the encroachments and rehabilitation of existing dwellers without political influences.
Apart from efforts from government every individual among us needs to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility, we need to understand that if we deprive Jhelum from its flow route, it will make its way through our homes and wreak havoc like the one in 2014 and no one among us wants that. So let’s work together to ensure the long term sustainability of the river Jhelum for the well-being of generations to come.
quyimaaslam@gmail.com (The writer is MSC Environmental science, Cluster University Srinagar)
