The recently noticed weather patterns in Jammu and Kashmir indicate that something is seriously wrong with our overall environment. While both the government as well as the public remain unconcerned or least concerned, our forest cover is depleting, our water bodies are shrinking, our glaciers are melting and our air quality is deteriorating with every passing day. 2014 massive floods were a wake-up call but unfortunately this deluge failed to wake the governments, that be, up. No lessons were learnt and no scientific flood mitigation plans were formulated. The reports suggest that Kashmir’s most vital waterway, the Jhelum River, and its associated flood spill channels have not undergone any dredging or silt clearance in the last five years. In response to an RTI, the concerned department has admitted that no dredging work was carried out between March 2020 and March 2025 in any section of the Jhelum or its flood spill channels. It is because of this official negligence that the other day it rained for two days and Jehlum was ready to burst.
One wonders why the governments, that be are so insensitive towards water bodies in Jammu and Kashmir. It is not only Jehlum, Tawi and Chenab too are facing the same crisis. The holding capacity of these rivers has depleted though the government claims otherwise. The floods in Jammu region have devastated lives and homes and hearths. Yes, the government may come up with some rehabilitation package but does that ensure that nothing of the sort happens in the future. The way people as well as the government have been chocking the natural outlets of the rivers and streams by unplanned and unscientific constructions, these calamities are bound to occur.
Following the devastating 2014 floods, the Government of India approved a Comprehensive Flood Management Plan (CFMP) under the Prime Minister’s Development Package. The plan aimed to enhance Jhelum’s water carrying capacity, remove silt and encroachments, and build embankments and flood defenses. What happened to that plan only the concerned department or the government knows as governments here have never been transparent when it comes to sharing vital information with common people. The government should understand that given the fragility of the region, dredging of rivers and flood spilling channels should be a year-long process.
While in Kashmir and Jammu the government should immediately start the process of dredging the rivers and canals besides flood channels, it should take steps to free the water bodies from encroachments, both done by the people and government itself. The government should also focus on Himalayan range in Kishtwar area. According to the GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood) Management Plan for Kishtwar 2024-25 Glacial lake outburst leading to floods is a serious threat for Kishtwar district. The report called for immediate mitigation measures, including continuous monitoring, early warning systems, drainage and reinforcement of moraine dams, risk mapping, and community preparedness. About long-term strategies, it recommended climate-resilient construction, afforestation to stabilise slopes, and sustained research and development on glacial dynamics. It also suggested earmarking a portion of District Planning and Development Council funds specifically for GLOF preparedness. The government should take these reports seriously and act accordingly.