Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Feb 17: The snowless winter and prolonged dry spell have deterred the recharging of water reservoirs with majority of the streams and river Jhelum flowing at below ‘zero level’.
River Jhelum, the lifeline of Kashmir, continues to witness the receding water level.
At Sangam, the Jhelum’s water level has touched -1.01 ft, which is below the Reduced Level (RL) of zero of gauge while at Ram Munshi Bagh, it stood at 3.52 feet and at Asham, the level has fallen to 0.75 feet.
As per the Irrigation & Flood Control Department’s ‘Kashmir Flood Watch’, some of the nallahs including Lidder, Rambiyara, Ferozpora (Drung) and Pohru (Seelu) are also flowing below the RL of zero of gauge.
The officials from I&FC Department stated that the water level is low due to the snowless winter. “The persistent deficit rainfall has affected the recharging of the water reservoirs across the Valley,” they informed.
Notably, Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a total deficit rainfall of 29 per cent so far with the highest deficiency recorded in the month of January 2024 at 91 per cent.
Also, in the first two months till February 12, all the districts across the Union Territory have recorded a large deficit of rainfall.
The Union Territory has recorded a deficit rainfall of 79 per cent as against the normal precipitation of 140 mm, the rainfall of just 29.8 was recorded from January 01 to February 12, 2025.
In the meantime, the ongoing situation has landed Jal Shakti Department (JSD) in a manageable position to provide drinking water facility to the households of Kashmir region.
A top official of Jal Shakti Department informed that “We are in a situation wherein I cannot say that we have sufficient or insufficient drinking water availability for the consumers of Kashmir region.”
“As of now, we are in a good position to manage the supply of drinking water to almost all areas of Kashmir region,” he said.
Asked about the backup plan or alternative in case of any water scarcity, the official said that the government has ensured every backup for the PHE and consumers. (KNO)
