In Kashmir’s ‘Village of 500 springs,’ locals launch cleanliness campaign to protect dying springs

October 21, 2025 by News Desk

Auqib Gull

The residents of Panzath area in Qazigund, south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, have launched a cleanliness campaign titled “Al Tahara – Cleanliness is Faith” to protect their village and its famed springs.

The drive, which began on Tuesday morning, is a community-led effort aimed at keeping the village clean and preserving its water sources for future generations.

Under the initiative, villagers have arranged a tractor that moves through Panzath and Wanpora localities to collect household waste, as per details available with The Kashmiriyat.

Residents deposit their garbage into the tractor, which later carries it to a distant location for disposal. In the absence of a municipal waste collection system in these rural areas, the people of Panzath have taken the task upon themselves.

Known as the “village of 500 springs,” Panzath was once famous for its pristine water sources that nourished fields, fed homes, and sustained life in the region.

Over the years, however, many of these springs have either shrunk or disappeared due to pollution, encroachments, and changes in groundwater recharge.

Waste dumping into water channels has become a major threat, prompting residents to launch the Al Tahara campaign to revive what they call the “soul of the village.”

“Cleanliness is not just about hygiene; it’s about faith and responsibility,” Ghulam Rasool, a local elder told The Kashmiriyat. “Our Prophet (PBUH) has taught us that cleanliness is half of faith. We are trying to live by that principle.”

Another resident, Bilal Ahmad, who helped organize the drive, said the campaign was born out of necessity. “We could no longer wait for outside help. These springs are our lifeline; if we don’t protect them today, we’ll have nothing to give our children tomorrow,” he said.

Across Kashmir, the condition of natural springs has become alarming. Once considered among the purest sources of drinking water, many have now been declared unsafe. In Ganderbal district, studies found that most of the tested springs contained harmful bacteria, making them unfit for consumption.

In Pulwama, the Bulbul Nag spring, which once supplied water to dozens of villages, has nearly dried up. Experts attribute the crisis to a combination of factors, climate change, reduced snowfall, illegal riverbed mining, pollution, and the destruction of recharge zones.

These factors have not only diminished water availability but have also threatened the ecosystems and livelihoods that depend on these springs.

In many areas, what were once sacred and community-owned water bodies have turned into dumping grounds. The unchecked disposal of household and plastic waste has led to contamination, and encroachments have cut off natural water channels.

The loss of these springs is being felt acutely in rural areas, where most households still depend on them for daily use.

Villagers in Panzath hope that their initiative will serve as an example for others.

“We expect the government to support this effort by providing bins, protective gear, and a proper disposal mechanism,” said Shabir Ahmad, a youth volunteer. “But this will only work if everyone in the village participates. Cleanliness and conservation must become a shared habit.”

The Al Tahara campaign, grounded in both faith and environmental awareness, represents more than just a local cleanliness drive.

It is a community’s attempt to reclaim its natural heritage and respond to a growing environmental crisis. As Kashmir’s once-living springs fall silent one after another, the people of Panzath are trying to ensure that their 500 springs continue to flow, a gesture of hope amid a broader decline.