Impending drought in Kashmir region
Jammu & Kashmir has a long history of drought, famines and suffering. The region is prone to disasters such as floods, droughts etc. leading to disruptions in the essential services. A major portion of the rainfall received in the catchment areas during the year contributes to the runoff that drains into the river Jhelum. In Kashmir about 65-70% of the annual precipitation is received during the winter and spring season from the Westerlies. The hydromorphic features of the valley make it prone to floods as well as droughts.
Many studies suggest that North-Western Himalayas have experienced a significant rise in the mean maximum (10C) and minimum temperature (0.60C) that might have contributed to the disappearance of 30% of the glaciers. Receding water table, reduced discharge of water ways and springs or their complete disappearance might be the result of receding glaciers and significant reduction in rainfall that contributes to the surface flow and recharge of ground water. In rainfed areas stored soil moisture from winter and spring precipitation is supplemented by the occasional rainfall received during Indian Summer Monsoon from July to September.
Rice is a water guzzler crop because for the production of one kg of rice we need 1000-5000 L (average 1500 L) of water. The seasonal precipitation departure over normal, from 1st October 2024 to 13th to 2025 February recorded across 10 districts of Kashmir valley has been -74%. If the situation does not improve by the end of February 2025, there is a high probability that Kashmir may face water shortages during the ensuing summer. Because of these reasons, the rapidly declining freshwater supplies around the valley can put the food and livelihood security of rice producers and consumers in jeopardy.
Based on the traditional wisdom and topography, the irrigated lands have been classified in the revenue records as Aabi Nambal, Aabi Awal, Aabin Dovum and Aabi Sevum. The sustainability of rice production agro-ecosystems under the current climate change and variability scenario necessitates the adoption of appropriate adaptation strategies. It is advisable to plan rice farming in Aabi Nambal and Aabi Awal areas during the ensuing Kharief season, after reviewing the water availability during April. In Aabi Nambal areas transplanting technique or wet direct seeding method of crop establishment can be employed. Use of Shalimar Rice-2 is highly recommended in low lying ecologies because the variety grows faster, produce taller plants and tolerates higher water levels.
Research on water saving technologies in rice at MRCFC, Khudwani has amply demonstrated their potential to cope up with the emerging water crisis under changing climate. Regarding Aabi Awal areas where farmers have control over the irrigation, System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technique is recommended. In SRI technique it is advocated that young seedlings (15-20 days old, 2 seedlings/hill) raised on bed nurseries should be planted at 20 x 20 cm or 25 x 25 cm spacing. Further alternate wetting and drying method of irrigation (irrigate 3 days after the disappearance of ponded water) saves 35% water. This technique enhances grain yield by 10-15%, saves seed by 90% provided all its practices are followed meticulously. An estimated 20-22 irrigations are needed during the entire crop growth period in the SRI technique.
Transplanting of young seedlings at a wider spacing and adopting integrated nutrient and weed management practices in this technique can help in improving the water use efficiency. Dry direct seeded rice (DSR) is the alternative method of rice crop establishment in which dry seed is sown in dry soil at 2-3 cm depth, followed by intermittent irrigation during the first month of establishment. Later farmers can continue intermittent irrigation or do flooding depending on the availability of water. The dry DSR method saves 30-35% water because it is resilient to water stress and should be sown between 1st to 15th of May under Kashmir conditions. DSR method stimulates intense weed growth which can easily be controlled using modern herbicide technology.
In the event of severe a drought aerobic rice technology is the only option left. In this technique the irrigation interval can be extended to 8-10 days, resulting in the water saving of 40%. A yield reduction of 15-20% is expected because our rice varieties are not adapted to aerobic soil conditions. Moisture stress during the reproductive period, however, is more hazardous since it results in spikelet sterility and a 50–60% decrease in output. Shalimar Rice-4 is the most suitable variety for both SRI, dry-DSR and aerobic conditions if sowing is done between 25 April to 10th of May.
However, under late sown conditions 10th-20th of May, Shalimar Rice-2 and Shalimar Rice-8 are expected to perform better than other released varieties. To address the problem of expected water shortages during 2025, successful crop of rice can be grown in various canal command areas by releasing water on a rotational basis at 5-7 days interval. In the coming season large scale on farm trials and front-line demonstrations on dry DSR are needed. Mechanization, community mobilization and efficient extension services can help in speedy adoption of the water saving technologies. In Aabi Dovum and Sevum areas alternate crops such as maize for grain or fodder, moong, cow pea, beans, sorghum or bajra for fodder should be grown. For the long-term water security of the valley more investment in building irrigation infrastructure such as water reservoirs, canals, maintenance of streams, lift irrigation systems, tube wells, is needed to reduce the effect of drought and bring more area under irrigation.
Ashaq Hussain & Najeeb R. Sofi, Mountain Research Centre for Field Crops (MRCFC), SKUAST-Kashmir
