Rainfall deficit sets alarm bells ringing in J&K

Srinagar, Jan 15: Jammu and Kashmir is staring at a water crisis as the Union Territory grapples with a significant rainfall deficit, raising alarms over its impact on agriculture, horticulture, and irrigation.

Senior meteorologist and former Director of Meteorological Center in Srinagar,, Sonam Lotus, expressed cautious optimism about precipitation in the coming months but warned of severe consequences if the deficit persists into 2025.

"In case of deficit rainfall, there would be significant problems concerning water availability, irrigation, agriculture, and horticulture," Lotus told Greater Kashmir while urging authorities to implement immediate contingency measures to mitigate the potential fallout.

"We expect precipitation in the coming months and on January 21-22 we expect another spell of moderate snowfall," he said. "We need tight contingency plans to manage water resources efficiently and reduce dependency on erratic precipitation."

The senior meteorologist said that public awareness campaigns and policy interventions will also be crucial to addressing the challenges posed by declining rainfall and water scarcity.

J&K has seen a drastic change in weather patterns with rainfall declining steadily over the past five years. The cumulative impact of prolonged dry spells and reduced precipitation has left J&K's water bodies, including the vital Jhelum River, at critically low levels.

As per the data received for 2024, this Union Territory only recorded 870.9 mm of rainfall which is a dismal shortfall of 29% against normal annual average at 1232.3 mm. Such below-normal rains have been recurring in the previous years as well: 2023 (-7%), 2022 (-16%), 2021 (-28%), and 2020 (-20%). Therefore, the low rainfall figures reported for 2024 are even closer to a record low for 1974 at 802.5 mm.

This prolonged dry spell has forced the Flood and Irrigation Department to prepare for a drought-like situation. Officials of the department said that they faced numerous issues in 2024. "We couldn't lift water from the river as its levels had depleted. This year, we have developed a drought action plan, including the installation of drought pumps to lift water for farmers," they said.

A further deterioration is seen in how rapidly the J&K glaciers are melting. Presently, across this region, approximately 18,000 glaciers exist that are steadily diminishing. There has been melting of the Kolahoi Glacier. A quicker melting pattern intensifies consequences in the summer season.

Orchardists and farmers are facing the impact of declining water supplies for irrigation, and their yields of apples, saffron, and other major crops have been threatened. More so as horticulture remains an important sector for the region, and the potential for losses is high if the rainfall deficit continues this year.

Heatwaves in the summer of 2024 have increased stress on water resources. High temperatures not only dried up water bodies but left reservoirs and groundwater depleted.