SRINAGAR: In the wake of upcoming hot weather and depleting water table Kashmir is facing severe drought-like situation threatening the region’s paddy cultivation, besides other agriculture and horticulture yields are feeling threat.
High-level meeting was convened at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar that failed to convince several legislators who openly criticized the government’s response, calling it inadequate and disconnected from the urgent realities on the ground.
The meeting, chaired by Minister for Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology and Environment Javed Ahmed Rana and Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar, was held to assess the current irrigation crisis and the department’s preparedness. Also in attendance were several legislators, including Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi (MLA Pampore), Irshad Rasool Kar (MLA Sopore), Ghulam Ahmad Mir (Dooru), Hilal Akbar Lone (Sonawari) and Irfan Hafiz Lone (Wagoora-Kreeri.
But what was expected to be a roadmap to crisis management quickly became, in the words of the MLAs, a frustrating session marked by “meaningless presentations” and “bureaucratic diversions” that failed to address the urgent need for water in the fields.
“We were told there are no funds for canals, no new investments, and that the situation is critical because of the heat wave. But what we saw was a presentation diverging from the real issue,” said Irshad Rasool Kar, MLA from Sopore. “There is no efficient use of the existing resources. Infrastructure is collapsing, and farmers are being left helpless.”
Justice Hasnain Masoodi, MLA from Pampore and a former judge of the J&K High Court, was even more blunt in his remarks. “It was a meaningless presentation. The real crisis lies in the existing system, which doesn’t require big money but resolve and initiative. We have schemes that are ready to be implemented but are languishing because there is no will,” he said.
Masoodi cited the example of the Lethpora Lift Irrigation Scheme, a proposal that has been pending for over six years despite being operationally viable. “It doesn’t involve major funding. We had managed to make it work once in 2017, but it was never taken forward. They do not understand the urgency of the situation.”
He accused the administration of misleading the public by projecting the crisis as one that can only be solved through mega projects and huge capital investments. “Even if long-term plans are needed, right now this is a 10–15 day crisis. People are not demanding mega projects; they need water today. Submersible pumps in a few key locations could save entire crops. That may not even cost Rs 1 crore.”
Both Kar and Masoodi also flagged the lack of desilting in canals, a recurring issue in Kashmir’s irrigation infrastructure, and said the government had failed to implement even basic maintenance despite an earlier commitment to undertake it under MGNREGA.Kashmir fashion
“This is not a crisis of money but a crisis of will,” Masoodi added. “Seven of our lift irrigation schemes are either non-operational or underperforming. We need quick, simple solutions, not bureaucratic slides.”
The government, in its official statement, acknowledged the criticality of the situation. Minister Javed Rana called for both short- and long-term strategies to ensure water supply reaches paddy fields during the sowing season. “There is no doubt that we are facing a critical situation due to adverse climatic conditions, and there are shortcomings also, but we have to find solutions,” he said.
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