Destruction of Kashmir’s water bodies
Since 2014 floods, and now even more vociferously post the Sep 2015 floods, there has been a lot of discussion in the regular media and on social media, about encroachments and the filling of our water bodies, and about the general health of our marshes, swamps and wetlands.
While some might think that the destruction of our wetlands is a recent phenomenon, the fact is that it is nothing new. The destruction of our water bodies was started nearly a hundred and twenty years back when the Doodh Ganga Nallah was diverted, into what was then the Batmaloo Numbal in Srinagar, to reclaim the numbal. And since then, the destruction and vandalization of our water bodies and wetlands has continued unabated.
More than fifty years after Doodh Ganga Nallah was diverted into Batmaloo Numbal numerous suggestions were made to sacrifice our water bodies and wetlands in order to increase our food cultivation area. The need to increase our food cultivation area started post the Bengal famine of 1943, in which it is estimated that 30 lakh people died. The then British India government launched a campaign, called ‘Grow More Food (GMF)’ to help overcome the effects of the famine and this campaign was continued even after independence. In Jammu & Kashmir, the government under Sheikh M Abdullah, was passionate about the GMF program and accordingly encouraged peasants to bring cultivable and waste lands under cultivation. To that end, in a matter of one year only, 1948-49, two lakh kanals of land were allotted to landless peasants.
Initially, in furtherance of the GMF program the state government had foreseen to cultivate ‘uncultivated’ (banjar) and ‘uncultivable’ (gair mumkin) lands; lands which were cultivable but were not being cultivated. However, soon after starting the program, it had to be stopped as, under the garb of GMF, massive encroachment took place on kahcharai (grazing lands) and forest land. At places hill slopes were cut to make land available for cultivation.
Having been unsuccessful in progressing the GMF program, the focus of attention seems to have then shifted from barren, uncultivated lands to our water bodies, wetlands, marshes, swamps and our low-lying areas only to increase the cultivable area in the valley. Suggestions were made to drain our swamps and fill up our water bodies and low-lying areas by various means including silting them up, in order to increase the cultivable area.
Given below are some of the suggestions made sometime in 1950s to increase the cultivable land area and achieve self-sufficiency in food grain production. Today most of these suggestions might seem too bizarre to even think of, not to talk of implementing them. But interestingly, seven decades after these suggestions were first made, most of them have been implemented; not under any government rolled out plan or program but because of the greed of the citizens and by the short-sightedness of our officials.
Essentially, four different ways and methods were suggested to reclaim these wetlands and water bodies.
A: Reclamation of Swamps and Water Logged Areas by Siltation:
It was contemplated to divert the rivers and nallahs carrying heavy silt load into these water bodies and low lying areas which would result in deposition of the silt load, i.e., siltation of these water bodies. Two examples cited to prove feasibility of the above approach were that of Doodganga Nallah (into Batamalloo Numbal area) and of Sukhnag Nallah (into Rakh Arth). The Doodganga Nallah which used to get drained into Jhelum at Chattabal was diverted into Batmalloo Numbal in 1907 and by 1957, the bed level of Batamalloo had risen by 5 feet.
Similarly, in mid fifties part of the flood waters of Sukhnag Nallah water was diverted into Rakh Arath (a large swamp) and within two years of diversion of flow over 32 acres were reclaimed and brought under paddy cultivation.
On the basis of the success achieved in the above schemes the following new reclamation schemes were contemplated:
Doodganga Nallah to Narakura Numbal: It was suggested to divert Doodganga Nallah into Narakura Numbal which was then estimated to be filled up in about 12 years. Once that was accomplished it was further proposed to divert the Doodganga Nallah to other numbals onwards towards Hokarsar Jheel. It was envisaged to eventually divert the Doodganga Nallah across Ram Bagh-Charie Sharief road to reclaim and raise levels of area from Rakhi Khan-I-Khanan to Padshahi Bagh in the area bounded by left bank of the Jhelum and the Ram Bagh Charie Sharief road (today’s Mehjoor Nagar).
Hygam Nallah into Hygam Jeel: The diversion of Hygam Nallah into Hygam Jheel was proposed to expedite the reclamation of the Hygam Jheel. Acknowledging that it would lead to destruction and annihilation of the Hygam Game Sanctuary, the considered opinion was that food production was definitely more important that game preservation.
Sind River into Anchar Lake
Sindh River is known for carrying very heavy silt load, mainly sand and gravel, which gets deposited from Doderhama downwards. Further down from Doderhama the load gets deposited in Anchar lake and its outfall into Jhelum at Shadipur. Upper areas of Anchar Lake had already been reclaimed by early 50’s and were under cultivation. It was proposed to gainfully use this heavy silt load of the Sindh River to reclaim further portions of Anchar.
Besides the above, it was contemplated to divert the Bemina Nallah into Bemina Numbal and to divert part of the Sukhnag Nallah into Rakhi Art to reclaim it.
B: Reclamation of Swamps and Water Logged Areas by Drainage:
In order to drain swamps and waterlogged areas it was proposed to widen the drainage channels and to undertake their silt clearance. Further seepage water was proposed to be pumped to irrigate dry lands and to lower the water table. In fact, two sets of channels were considered; one at higher level to carry water for irrigation and the other at a lower level to carry the drainage water to lower the water table and thus make the water logged land available for cultivation.
C: Reclamation of Wular and Dal Lakes
Wular Lake: It was acknowledged that the Wular lake was gradually getting filled up by silt deposited by Jhelum and it had then been estimated that the Lake would be filled up in about 400 to 500 years. However, it was argued that this rate of siltation could be vastly increased, and the siltation accomplished in about only 100 years, if the flow of the Pohru Nallah (which carries a heavy sediment load) could be directly diverted into Wular.
Fortunately, the recognition of the fact that Wular Lake was needed as a Flood Absorption Basin (read Flood Moderation Basin) seems to have saved the Lake from a disastrous end and the plan to divert the Pohru nallah into Wular Lake was abandoned. Having abandoned the Pohru diversion plan, it was still suggested that the flood water could be used to raise the levels of ‘kundals’ so that these could provide for housing and cultivable land for the peasants.
Dal Lake: About Dal Lake, it was spared from any suggested adventurism primarily due the fact that its vegetable gardens produced large quantities of vegetables, which would be lost in case of its drowning. The scenic factor seems to have been a secondary factor.
D: Reclaiming of Swamps and Water Logged Areas by Building Bunds:
Lakes, waterlogged areas, swamps (locally called numbals) comprise a fairly large area of land classified as ‘uncultivable’ in revenue records. Attempts have been made from ancient times to reclaim these lands by building levees and embankments around them to protect them from flooding. These banks generally did not protect the lands from major floods but did provide protection from ordinary and recurring floods.
It was proposed that the siltation problem occurring in various other nallahs and rivers, could be addressed in short term by using this silt to reclaim lowlands and in building terraced fields. Not stopping at filling of water bodies and wetlands, it was proposed that the karewas be used as borrow areas. Once excavated these (dry) high grounds could be irrigated and thus made cultivable.
Unfortunately, to the detriment of our environment, ecology and in-spite of the increased risk of flooding most of the above proposals have been executed in the last six decades; from the time they were first suggested. And the way we are still continuing to fill up our water bodies it would be long before each proposal listed above would have been implemented.
Today, even though there is an increased awareness amongst the public about environment and environment related issues, and of the adverse consequences of such actions, except for some environment groups and conscientious citizens no one seems to be concerned or alarmed at the way we are filling up the last of our low-lying areas, water bodies, swamps and marshes. As is our common refrain in such situations ‘woen kyah gacheas maine seithe!’.
