Sheikh Nadeem
Farmers in south Kashmir districts, especially those engaged in paddy cultivation, are worried about the prolonged dry spell, which is threatening to create a drought-like situation across the valley.
Locals speaking to The Kashmiriyat said that water resources have dried up in several areas of Anantnag district. As a result, many villages are facing an acute shortage of water needed for irrigation.
According to reports, several villages in Anantnag district, including Ara Koshipora, Damhal, Palpora, Dehruna, Wanihama, Brinty Dialgam, Batengoo, Wanpoh, Arwani and several other areas in south Kashmir, are experiencing a shortage of water for irrigation purposes.
Abdul Rehman Khan, a sixty-four-year-old farmer from Anantnag’s Batengoo area, expressed concern over the lack of water in the fields. “Our paddy fields are parched. This is an unprecedented issue for us. The irrigation channels are empty, and there has been no rainfall,” he told The Kashmiriyat.
The level water at the Marwal Irrigation Scheme in Jhelum has dropped down considerably. The scheme supplies water to areas in south and central Kashmir.
The water level has also dropped in most of the streams including as Brengi, Arpat, Rambi Ara, and Waishow.
Due to the prolonged dry spell and intense heat waves, authorities have called on residents to conserve water and avoid wastage. The Executive Engineer of the Water Works Division Srinagar said that the increased water consumption resulting from the rising temperatures has led to shortages, especially in the tail-end areas of Srinagar.
To mitigate the issue, the public, as per a statement, has been urged to use drinking water judiciously and refrain from using it for non-essential purposes such as lawn maintenance, kitchen gardens, and vehicle washing.
Experts in Earth Science state that the temperatures in Jammu Kashmir in March and April exceeded by 9-12 Degrees Centigrade resulting in a massive melt of the snow, as well as the glacial reserves. They say that the snow accumulation during the 40-day period of Chillai Kalan becomes very important to sustain irrigation.
Further reports indicate that in some villages, water scarcity and dry weather have caused paddy fields to develop cracks after planting, affecting the vegetation process also.
Shabir Ahmed, a local farmer from Kulgam, shared his deep distress: “It breaks my heart to think that we haven’t been able to irrigate our fields for the past 14 days. The sight of our once-healthy crops now parched and withered is overwhelming. We’ve been so devastated that we haven’t even had the courage to visit our fields. Every day feels like a heavy burden as we watch our hard work slip away.”
The ongoing dry weather and heat wave are causing significant concern among farmers, as they fear that drought conditions may soon impact the area.