Crores Spent, Little Done: Back to square one

Srinagar, Aug 29: Over the past few days, the safety of Kashmir has been hanging by a thread.

Eleven years after the 2014 floods, which inundated approximately 850 sq km of Kashmir, submerged parts of Srinagar under nearly 6 meters of water for weeks, and caused widespread devastation, Jhelum’s flood-carrying capacity remains inadequate to handle swells caused by widespread and heavy rains.

No dredging of the Jhelum or its flood channels has taken place over the past five years, raising questions about the flood mitigation measures claimed by the authorities.

In the 2014 floods, the peak flow at Sangam reached an estimated 115,000 cusecs, far exceeding the river’s capacity of around 35,000 cusecs in 2014.

After years and crores spent, the capacity has reached 41,800 cusecs, only a marginal increase.

Despite the World Bank-funded Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) and the Comprehensive Flood Management Plan (CFMP), Kashmir seems to be back to square one this August.

A few months ago, a reply to an RTI filed by activist M M Shuja by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department revealed that no dredging has been carried out in Jhelum or its flood spill channels since March 2020.

Moreover, the CFMP is only 80 percent complete, even after a decade.

A company, Reach Dredgers, was contracted for dredging 16 lakh cubic meters.

When its contract ended in March 2018, it had removed 8.23 lakh cubic meters, just a little over 50 percent of the target.

After that, no new contracts were signed, and no fresh tenders were issued.

The Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) report released in September 2018 said that no dredging must be carried out between the Sangam-Asham stretch, arguing it could accelerate downstream flooding.

Despite incomplete targets, the report created confusion over whether dredging was required or not.

Environmentalists have long worried that without dredging, the Jhelum will remain shallow at key points.

The JTFRP was launched in 2015 with a Rs 1500 crore budget to restore infrastructure and enhance flood resilience.

It has been extended multiple times, after failing multiple deadlines.

The CFMP’s Phase I, which aimed at immediate bottleneck removal, is only 80 percent complete as of July 2025, and the funds have been exhausted.

To worsen the scenario, there is a perpetual study phase of the urgent and emergency issue, the much-needed learning yet to dawn: the river study for the entire Jhelum from Verinag to Uri, initiated under JTFRP, is still underway.

This is delaying the final Detailed Project Report (DPR).

There are allegations that funds have been redirected to water transport and lake conservation, proof of which, to some degree, is available in JTFRP’s May 2025 progress report, which is all praise for infrastructure upgrades but notes delays in flood-specific measures.

The RTI identifies 1884 encroachments, including boundary walls, trees, and buildings along the Jhelum and spill channels.

These constrict flow and heighten flood risks.

Moreover, the natural flood storage in Wular Lake and wetlands like Hokersar and Brari Nambal has diminished due to unchecked sedimentation.

Dredging in Brari Nambal has been insufficient.

The CFMP report clearly specifies how numerous bridges on Jhelum with narrow abutments, wide piers, and low soffits restrict flow.

This causes backwater effects and overtopping downstream of Wular Lake.

Irrigation structures further impede the flow, yet no major modifications have been made since 2014.

Substantial sand mining occurs in Srinagar for construction; however, the CFMP calls it unregulated, pointing out that it is altering the channel bed unpredictably and endangering banks.

Yet, the report does not advocate dredging to increase the capacity of the river and its tributaries.