The Chief Minister said in his post, “J&K is staring at a water crisis this year. It’s not a recent phenomenon, actually it’s been building up for a few years now. While the government will have to adopt a more proactive approach for water management & conservation, it can’t just be a government centric approach. All of us residents of J&K will have to change the way we take water for granted. I’ll be reviewing the measures the Jal Shakti (PHE) Dept intends to take to deal with the developing crisis & I’ll also be talking to the people of J&K over the next few months about what we can do collectively.”

An unprecedented dry spell has hit Jammu and Kashmir this winter. Except for December 28 when the Valley and the higher reaches had a moderate snowfall, the season so far has been dry. There was no rain or snowfall in the month of January, and February to date has also been dry.

A large number of perennial springs, which support hundreds of villages across the Valley, have gone dry while those still running have the lowest ever seen water discharge.

The historic Achabal spring that was decorated with a garden by Mughal Empress Noor Jahan in the 17th has dried up. The picture of an elderly woman weeping and wailing at Achabal Spring to invoke divine blessings for the spring’s restoration has gone viral on social media.

The source of Jhelum River, the Verinag Spring is also running with the lowest water discharge. Dozens of village springs in Ganderbal district have been declared unfit for drinking because of contamination and the Jal Shakti department has placed warming sign boards at these springs forbidding people from using the water of these springs.

Historically, floods have wreaked havoc in the Valley while famines due to drought have been unknown in the Valley, which is famous for its snowclad mountains, murmuring streams and roaring rivers.

If the rain gods fail Kashmir this winter, then instead of flowers and fruits, the prospect of parched apple orchards and paddy fields would become real and horrifying for the locals. Because of disappointingly scant snowfall, authorities have already postponed the ‘Khelo India 2025’ winter games at the Gulmarg ski resort.