Srinagar: Nearly 12 years after the devastating 2014 floods, environmental experts have warned that Kashmir’s rivers, streams and wetlands are steadily losing their flood-carrying capacity due to rampant encroachments, indiscriminate waste dumping and rapid urbanisation, increasing the Valley’s vulnerability to future floods.
Experts and officials told Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the problem extends beyond the Jhelum to almost all major water bodies across the Valley.
Mudasir Ahmad, an environmental science lecturer, said the Flood Management Plan sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) envisaged increasing the carrying capacity of the Jhelum from about 40,000 cusecs under Phase-I to 60,000 cusecs under Phase-II. However, he said little information is available in the public domain on the progress of the second phase.
Senior officials of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department said Phase-I, implemented with an outlay of ₹399 crore under the PMDP, focused on spot dredging and channel improvement at vulnerable stretches. Phase-II aims to further increase the river’s carrying capacity to 60,000 cusecs.
They said the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, had recommended extending the Flood Spill Channel to Wular Lake with a uniform bed width of 80 metres and widening a nearly 19-km stretch of the Jhelum in north Kashmir by 40 metres.
Dr Umar, Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences, said illegal encroachments along riverbanks and the discharge of untreated sewage and wastewater into streams and rivers have become widespread.
An official of the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Board said rapid urbanisation along the Jhelum has resulted in the discharge of large quantities of untreated solid and liquid waste into the river, degrading water quality and affecting its aquatic ecosystem.
According to officials, towns such as Anantnag, Bijbehara, Awantipora, Pampore and Srinagar have witnessed extensive urban expansion along the riverbanks, leading to encroachments and direct discharge of untreated waste.
The report also cited a study by Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo and his colleagues, which found a significant deterioration in the Jhelum’s water quality between 1983 and 2016. The study reported that nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the river increased from 185 µg/L to 672 µg/L, largely due to urbanisation, forest degradation, excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides, and increasing human interference.
Experts said scientific restoration of water bodies, removal of encroachments and strict regulation of waste disposal are essential to restore the carrying capacity of Kashmir’s rivers and wetlands and reduce the risk of future flooding.
