A 2020 assessment showed that out of 6,553 villages in Kashmir, more than 3,300 had freshwater springs — but over the past two decades, more than half have either disappeared or significantly shrunk.
| Photo Credit:
IMRAN NISSAR
Last year, as an unusually long dry spell gripped Kashmir, villagers across rural areas spoke of a quiet crisis unfolding beneath their feet. A video showing an elderly woman crying and pleading with the Achabal spring in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district — then dried up — went viral, capturing local anxiety over vanishing water sources.
Springs that had flowed for generations, some sustaining entire villages and farmlands, began to thin, trickle and finally vanish, leaving behind hollowed-out basins. It was in the wake of these concerns that a new approach began to take shape.
In Shopian’s Zainapora block, about 65 km south of Srinagar and part of the region known for first-grade apple production, the district administration has launched a NABARD-funded Springshed Climate Adaptability Project. Spread across 11 villages, the initiative aims to restore water systems and revive rural livelihoods as Kashmir adapts to rising temperatures and unpredictable snowfall, leading to drying up water bodies.
According to government estimates, the decline has been widespread. A census by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2016–17 found that nearly 23 per cent of Jammu and Kashmir’s water bodies had dried up. A 2020 assessment showed that out of 6,553 villages in the Union Territory, more than 3,300 had freshwater springs — but over the past two decades, more than half have either disappeared or significantly shrunk.
Rather than relying only on engineering interventions, the NABARD-funded project combines scientific groundwater-recharge methods with traditional practices, community participation and sustainable agriculture techniques. It seeks to revive dying springs, rebuild irrigation channels, conserve catchment areas and prepare local communities for future climate shocks.
Benefiting farmers
The project aims to expand water availability for agriculture by strengthening harvesting systems and irrigation infrastructure, encouraging farmers to cultivate more land for crop and orchard production. Authorities say it may directly benefit more than 30,000 people across the block.
District Magistrate Shopian, Shishir Gupta, said the initiative could reshape the region’s farm economy.
“The project holds immense potential to transform the agricultural landscape and create sustainable livelihood opportunities,” Gupta said. “By safeguarding water resources and promoting eco-friendly practices, we are working towards a climate-resilient future.”
Battling droughts
Zainapora has faced chronic irrigation and drinking water shortages, with springs drying up and severe deficits during peak seasons that have restricted agricultural output. Officials say the new project could mark a turning point. “It will help irrigate over 300 hectares of farmland across 11 villages,” said Sub-Divisional Magistrate Bilal Ahmad, adding that village-level committees have been formed to participate in planning and implementation.
Farmers hope the effort will revive a declining landscape. Mubashir Ahmad Bhat, an orchardist from the area said climate shifts had devastated the springs and irrigation channels over recent years. “Multiple springs and other water bodies dried up, affecting livelihoods,” he said, expressing hope that the project will aid recovery.
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Published on November 30, 2025
