Extreme Weather Causes Water Shortages, Raising Alarm Over Kashmir’s Fragile Ecosystem
For days, residents of the Himalayan region of Kashmir watched in agony as a famed ancient spring ran dry amid extreme dry weather conditions. It was the first time in living memory that the spring water had vanished.
On Friday, fresh rain and snowfall replenished the spring, bringing it back to life. However, locals are now grappling with a growing concern—climate change and shifting weather patterns could soon take a severe toll on Kashmir’s water bodies, which nurture its famed orchards and vast agricultural fields.
Water Crisis in Kashmir
Multiple springs and streams, including tributaries of the Jhelum River, have dried up across Indian-controlled Kashmir, causing water shortages in recent weeks. The region, known for its Himalayan peaks and pristine lakes, is now facing an unprecedented crisis.
The severity of the situation was highlighted by a viral video showing an elderly woman, Saja Begum, crying and praying before the dried-up spring in southern Kashmir’s town of Achabal.
“Oh! holy spring, what have we done to you? You have stopped water to us,” the 80-year-old woman lamented. “Let the spring come back to life. Let the holy spring overflow with water.”
The spring, located inside a historic garden built by Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s wife in the 17th century, serves as a primary drinking water source for 20 villages.
Extreme Weather Patterns
Weather officials report that Kashmir has experienced an 80% deficit in rain and snowfall since the beginning of the year. Most of the region’s plains have received little snow, while the upper reaches have seen significantly less than usual. For over a month, daytime temperatures have been 5 to 8 degrees Celsius (41 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit) above normal.
Authorities are investigating the exact cause of the spring drying up, according to local news outlet The Kashmiriyat.
The crisis has also forced officials to cancel the national winter games in Gulmarg, a popular ski resort that claims to have Asia’s largest ski terrain. Thousands of domestic and international tourists visit Gulmarg annually to ski and sledge in its picturesque snowscape.
Experts Warn of Climate Change Impact
Climate experts say the weather shifts in Kashmir are directly linked to global warming.
“It’s a new normal now,” said Mukhtar Ahmed, head of the Indian Meteorological Department’s Kashmir office. “Extreme weather events are so frequent here. In the last few years, we are witnessing the effects of global warming in this ecologically fragile land.”
Omar Abdullah, Kashmir’s former Chief Minister, acknowledged the growing crisis, stating that water scarcity “has been building up for a few years now”. He emphasized the need for a proactive approach to water management and conservation.
“While the government will have to adopt a more proactive approach, it can’t just be a government-centric effort,” Abdullah wrote on social media platform X. “Residents will have to change the way we take water for granted.”
Global Climate Concerns
The crisis in Kashmir comes as global weather monitoring agencies confirm that 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded, surpassing the previous record set in 2023. The temperature increase was so significant that the planet temporarily crossed the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold set in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
Scientists warn that if Earth remains above this limit long-term, the consequences will be devastating—more extreme weather events, loss of species, rising sea levels, and increased human displacement due to climate disasters.
India and Pakistan both administer parts of Kashmir but claim the territory in full. As the region battles worsening climate conditions, the threat of severe water shortages looms, raising concerns about the future of agriculture, tourism, and daily life in the valley.
