The Flood crisis in Kashmir
By: Mohammad Arfat Wani
Kashmir valley, famed as heaven on earth, is a land where White Mountains tower over green pastures and rivers spin eternity’s melodies that have stumped poets since time immemorial.
But again this heaven is gripped by the fury of flood-like scenario reminding mankind of nature’s omnipotent hand and man’s vulnerability. Rivers that used to provide life now are a torrent of fear, cutting short human life, property, crops, and centuries-long culture.
The floods not only consume land, crops, and houses; it destroys the very fabric of shared memory, leaving an injury which would take years, if not decades, to heal. Everyone remembers the 2014 floods that left Kashmir devastated, and everyone remembers how thin the line is between human life and nature.
The recurring floods call for a break at some significant points: the effectiveness of relief by the government, readiness and vulnerability of the natives, reasons behind such calamities, steps to prevent their effects, countermeasures, and what role each of them needs to play in order to rescue this fragile paradise.
The government, the most powerful protector of its citizens, has reacted with eagerness towards the floods. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Indian Army troops have been deployed across the valley, rescuing stranded families and rushing to the relief.
Shelters for the displaced populations have been set up, medical camps are functioning to avert outbreaks of water-borne diseases, and engineers are monitoring the embankments of the Jhelum River and its tributaries round the clock, patching up weak spots with sandbags and machinery.
Srinagar and district headquarter control rooms function day and night, and information bulletins pass through the radio, social media, and local networks to warn vulnerable populations. Though these are saving lives, these are reactive and not preventive steps and a testimony to lags in long-term planning.
Relief is life, but preparedness prevents disaster, and Kashmir is still waiting for an all-encompassing, scientific flood management system that can prevent tragedy beforehand. With such initiatives from the government, Kashmiris leave no one behind when it comes to boldness and indomitability.
When tragedy hits, individuals do not just sit around waiting for someone to issue instructions but go at it with determination. Villages and towns see volunteers from the youth groups organizing rescue teams, taking boats, make-do rafts, or their bare hands to pull stranded neighbors out of blocked roads.
Community centers cook meals for stranded travelers, mosques, schools, and community centers are used as shelters. Aid, blankets, and medication flow in from the volunteer hands without waiting for appreciation. These people’s solidarity kept thousands alive during 2014 floods, and it was evident that the cumulative strength of a people generally turns out to be more than the strength of any institutes. Once again, with the water levels increasing, Kashmiri resilience is the greatest battle against nature’s wrath, demonstrating vigour, compassion, and cohesion in the face of adversity. The pandemic of repeat floods is caused by a mix of natural as well as anthropogenic factors.
Geographically, the valley is surrounded by big mountains, and its lifeline is the river Jhelum. Heavy rainfalls, uncontrolled snowmelt from drastic climatic shifts, and volatile weather because of climate change overflow rivers. But human negligence exacerbates such a natural susceptibility. Unplanned urbanization has consumed wetlands, erstwhile water cushions.
Dal Lake, Wular Lake, and Hokersar wetlands, the “natural sponges of Kashmir” so far, have plummeted considerably due to pollution, encroachments, and illegal settlements. Depth of Jhelum River lowered as a result of frequent dredging, and construction activity works on floodplains and deforestation worsen the situation. Ineffective city drainage systems channel even normal rain to induce fright and havoc.
These floods are not the fury of nature alone; they are also the consequences of neglect of ecological harmony, sustainable development, and effective city planning by humans. To correct this catastrophe, multi-dimensional solutions of science, policy, and civic engagement need to be enlisted.
The course correction needs to be away from single-use developments, floodplain intrusions negated, and wetlands restored and preserved. Urban planning must heed natural drainage patterns, and efforts at afforestation must lead to ecological resilience.
Better storm-water drainage systems need to be installed at Srinagar and other towns, with warning systems using satellite imagery, rain gauges, and area warning systems. Disaster management needs to be initiated in schools and colleges with first-aid, swimming, and rescue. Preparedness being a continuous exercise, the devastating effect of floods can be minimized considerably. Preventing floods once and for all requires vision, foresight, and strict enforcement of the rules.
The government must prepare an integrated Kashmir Flood Management Plan with well-defined timeframes, achievable targets, and monitorable mechanisms. Embankments along the Jhelum River must be scientifically strengthened, and dams or reservoirs can hold excess water during monsoon rains and let it down slowly to avoid flash floods.
Urban planning laws must be implemented strictly, dissuading building a house in floodplains. People must take a sense of responsibility by having dumped wastes properly, not permitting illegal construction of houses, developing trees, and doing saving the environment.
Examples from countries such as the Netherlands and Japan, with advanced flood-control systems, must be cited so that the plan in Kashmir can be recommended as per the geography of the valley. Individual recommendations need continuous policy formulation, research, and public awareness outside crisis periods.
A rooted Institute of Flood Research and Monitoring in Kashmir would give daily reports to authorities with scientific advice about rainfall, river flows, soil erosion, and weather patterns. NGOs and civil society organizations would conduct community awareness on flood preparedness, emergency response, and environmental conservation.
The media needs to move beyond headline reporting to take up ecological devastation, wetland erosion, and anticipatory action. Storying away the despondency narrative and building a narrative of accountability can progress in leaps and bounds even before calamity strikes. Kashmir floods are just about ascendant waters—these are the waters that define the struggle between preparation and laxness, memory and oblivion, human avarice and nature’s largesse.
The 2014 tragedy must be remembered to instil the will to change. Rivers and wetlands must be honored and preserved as living sentinels. Science remedies and people’s responsibility, and awareness and action through the interaction of government actions and grass-roots opposition, can prevent the pending catastrophes. Green signals being ignored, urbanization intrusions being accepted, deforestation, and unplanned growth will only lead to provoking nature’s wrath with recurring catastrophes. The Kashmir waters, so lovely and deadly, shape the valley’s fate.
Seized by wisdom, they nurture life, water fields, and fuel poets’ hearts with words; left alone, they ravage homes, wash away livelihoods, and erase memories. Free to decide is the government, the people, the communities dwelling in Kashmir. By foresight, responsibility, and harmony with nature, vulnerability can be transformed into strength in Kashmir, and its rivers can become streams of life instead of floods of devastation. History is a lesson that human activity can irritate or appease the anger of nature.
Encroachments, cutting down of trees, and unauthorized encroachment have heightened the risk of floods in the valley, but joint efforts, conservation, and people’s participation can safeguard life and property. Each tree that is planted, wetland restored, and river cleared is a shield.
Combining old knowledge with new technology, people’s participation, and mass mobilization with bringing the authorities to book, Kashmir’s rivers, which have looked after generations, can continue to look after life instead of killing it. Finally, Kashmir floods are not waters overflowing banks; they are a tale of vulnerability, ruggedness, accountability, and hope.
All disasters have something to teach, preparedness is life, and unity conquers despair. The splendor of Kashmir and the wrath of its rivers exist side by side, compelling humanity to defend and live together with nature. Through a mix of state vision, technological fix, community resilience, and individual responsibility, the valley may turn threats into opportunities for preparedness, environmental stability, and harmony with nature.
Rivers, lakes, and wetlands are lifelines, memories, and symbols of heritage and must be preserved. The onus rests on our shoulders and the time is now, for a robust, thriving, and secure Kashmir, led by wisdom, courage, and prudence.
(The author is a passionate writer and a social activist)
