When the River Gives, and the River Takes
By: Javid Amin | 05 Aug 2025
In Kashmir, the Jhelum River is more than just a water body. It is lifeblood, memory, and menace rolled into one. For centuries, it has nourished the Valley’s rice fields, apple orchards, and vegetable gardens. But every few years, it also reminds Kashmiris of its fury.
This September, as relentless rains lashed the Valley, anxiety gripped Srinagar and the districts downstream. The specter of another 2014-like flood loomed large. People stayed glued to water level updates from Sangam and Ram Munshi Bagh, whispering prayers while making backup plans for evacuation.
On September 5, relief finally came. The Jhelum began to recede, dropping to 16.05 feet at Sangam, safely below the 25-foot danger mark. Officials declared the immediate flood threat over.
But while Srinagar city exhaled in relief, rural Kashmir cried in silence. The Valley’s famed “rice bowl” — the fertile plains of Kulgam, Anantnag, and Pulwama — lay devastated, their paddy fields flattened by floodwaters.
The river may have receded, but the damage lingers — not in Srinagar’s posh colonies, but in the mud-soaked fields of poor farmers who now face an uncertain harvest and a looming food crisis.
The Flood Threat — A City on Edge
For urban Kashmiris, the flood scare was a tense déjà vu. The 2014 floods, when the Jhelum breached embankments and submerged 80% of Srinagar, remain seared in memory.
This time, officials moved swiftly.
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Water levels were tracked in real time: Sangam, Ram Munshi Bagh, Asham.
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Relief teams — SDRF, NDRF, district officials — were on standby.
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CM Omar Abdullah visited flood-hit zones, warning:
“The level of vigilance must continue until the Jhelum recedes below all danger marks.”
Still, for hours, Srinagar lived on edge. WhatsApp groups buzzed with rumors of dam breaches and evacuations. People moved valuables to upper floors, relived their trauma, and watched the sky with dread.
And then — the river receded. The embankments held. The city sighed in relief.
But as Srinagar streets dried, in South Kashmir’s rural belt, the story was far grimmer.
The Rice Bowl Submerged
South Kashmir is Kashmir’s breadbasket. The plains of Kulgam, Anantnag, and Pulwama grow much of the Valley’s rice. Known for their fertile floodplains and high-yield varieties, these districts feed thousands of households and supply urban Srinagar with its staple.
This year was supposed to be a promising harvest. Farmers had invested heavily in fertilizers, seeds, and labor, despite an early-season drought. The crops had reached the ripening stage. One more month, and they would be ready for harvest.
Instead, torrential rains came. Floodwaters from the Jhelum and its tributaries — Vishow, Rambiyara, Lidder, Romshi — spilled over. Fields turned into lakes. Ears of rice sank into waterlogged soil. Entire belts of paddy were flattened overnight.
Agriculture officials estimate 60–90% crop damage in some pockets of Kulgam and Anantnag. In Pulwama’s low-lying Pahoo belt, nearly 80% of fields lie ruined.
The rice bowl has been washed away.
Farmers’ Voices: Stories from the Fields
The numbers are staggering, but the human stories are heartbreaking.
Khudwani, Kulgam
Muhammad Shafi Ganai, a marginal farmer, lost 60% of his paddy crop. His voice breaks as he explains:
“I can only eat what’s left. There is nothing to sell. How will I pay my children’s school fees? How will I buy fertilizer for next year?”
Batengoo, Anantnag
Mehraj Ahmad Mir calls it a double whammy.
“First drought, now floods. We cannot sell a single grain. Farming is our only income. What do we do now?”
Pahoo, Pulwama
Here, the Romshi stream spilled into fields, flattening entire villages’ crops. Farmers estimate 80–90% losses. Labor costs, seeds, fertilizers — all gone.
For these families, farming is not just business. It’s food, dignity, and survival. And now, it’s gone.
The Economic Fallout
The agricultural devastation is not just a farmer’s tragedy. It is an economic crisis in the making.
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Household Debt: Farmers had borrowed heavily for inputs. Without a harvest, repayment is impossible.
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Market Shock: Rice traders, millers, and transporters face losses as supplies collapse.
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Price Spikes: Urban consumers in Srinagar and beyond may see rice prices rise.
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No Insurance: Unlike apple growers, paddy farmers have no insurance cover. Their loss is total.
Officials estimate hundreds of kanals of farmland rendered unproductive due to silt and erosion. The Home Shalibugh belt, famous for organic rice, has been devastated.
Without relief, this disaster could push thousands into poverty.
Lessons Unlearnt from 2014
This isn’t the first time Kashmir’s floods have destroyed agriculture. The 2014 floods submerged vast swathes of farmland, triggering widespread food shortages.
Back then, promises were made:
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Dredging the Jhelum to increase capacity.
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Maintaining flood spill channels.
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Strengthening embankments.
A decade later, little has changed.
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No full-scale dredging has been done since 2020.
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Flood channels remain clogged with silt and encroachments.
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Wetlands that absorb floods are vanishing under construction.
The result? History repeats itself. Farmers pay the price for government neglect.
Global Parallels — Kashmir Is Not Alone
Kashmir’s plight mirrors other regions where floods devastate agriculture.
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Pakistan 2022 Floods: 8 million acres of crops destroyed, food inflation doubled.
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Kerala 2018 Floods: Rice, banana, and fish farms wiped out, long-term soil damage.
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Nepal & Bhutan: Regular floods and GLOFs threaten farming communities.
Climate change is the common thread. The Himalayas, with fragile ecosystems, are becoming disaster hotspots. Kashmir is part of this global crisis.
Climate Science Behind Kashmir’s Floods
Why is Kashmir so vulnerable?
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Geography: Jhelum flows slowly through a flat valley, making floods more likely.
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Deforestation: Catchment areas stripped of forests cannot absorb rainfall.
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Climate Change: Erratic monsoons + glacier melt = more extreme floods.
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Encroachments: Wetlands and floodplains have been swallowed by urban sprawl.
Add to this the looming threat of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), and Kashmir’s hydrology looks even more fragile.
What Needs Urgent Attention — A Roadmap
Kashmir needs more than temporary relief. It needs structural reform.
Short-term:
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Rapid damage assessment.
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Cash compensation for farmers.
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Emergency food distribution.
Medium-term:
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Crop insurance scheme for paddy farmers.
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Climate-resilient rice varieties.
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Dredging and embankment strengthening.
Long-term:
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Wetland restoration to act as natural buffers.
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Early warning systems integrated with smartphones.
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Community-based disaster management training.
Without these, floods will keep repeating their cycle of destruction.
Journalism, Panic & Responsibility
Another parallel crisis unfolded — not in fields, but on screens.
Social media influencers and self-styled “reporters” livestreamed chaos, spreading rumors of dam breaches. Shouting matches replaced factual reporting.
The result?
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Distrust in official alerts.
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Panic in villages.
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Fake news spreading faster than floodwater.
Disaster communication must prioritize accuracy, not drama. Kashmir needs information hygiene as much as flood management.
Bottom-Line: The Water Recedes, But Hunger May Rise
Srinagar may have been saved this time, but rural Kashmir has been scarred. The rice bowl lies in ruins, farmers are on the brink, and a food crisis looms.
If lessons from 2014 weren’t enough, perhaps this disaster will wake the administration. Relief must be swift, reforms long-term, and responsibility collective.
Because in Kashmir, floods are not just natural events. They are political, economic, and human tragedies. And if we don’t act now, hunger may become the Valley’s next disaster.
