Shehlinag Spring Silenced

Anantnag, Jul 7: The Shehlinag spring in south Kashmir’s Dooru area has dried up for the first time in living memory, leaving scores of fish dead and sparking fears of long-term ecological damage.

The residents blamed the recent drilling of a bore-well nearby by the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department for it, while officials attribute the spring’s disappearance to a prolonged dry spell and pollution.

The bore-well, drilled just meters from the spring last week, became operational on Saturday.

By Sunday, the spring had stopped flowing, residents said.

“This is the death of not just a water source, but of heritage,” said Basharat Ali, a local. “Hundreds of families relied on this spring for drinking water. Now we see fish gasping for breath and dying. There is faith associated with this spring.”

Once a perennial freshwater source teeming with aquatic life, Shehlinag is now reduced to cracked earth littered with dead fish.

Locals said the bore-well was drilled just 20 feet from the spring, near the boundary of a public park.

“The spring is located at the rear of the park, not in the middle,” said Muhammad Iqbal, another resident.

However, PHE officials said that the well was dug in consultation with the team of mechanical and groundwater departments at a minimum distance of 70 meters from the spring, based on geological assessments.

“The spring dried due to a persistent heatwave and reduced discharge,” said Irshad Ahmad, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) PHE Dooru. “The nearby households have also polluted the spring by washing clothes and feeding livestock on it.”

He said the borewell was installed to supply water to about 350 tribal households in the area.

An official from the Fisheries Department said drilling bore-wells near natural springs must follow strict hydrological protocols.

“Bore-wells should be at least 30 feet from any natural spring to prevent hydrological interference,” the official said. “Pollutants like detergents introduce toxic chemicals such as ammonia, which are fatal to aquatic life.”

Hydrogeologists also warned of the dangers of unregulated groundwater extraction, particularly in sensitive terrains like Dooru.

“Shehlinag is likely a Karst spring, given the limestone geology of the area,” said Riyaz Ahmad Mir, a geologist with the National Institute of Hydrology in Jammu.

“Drilling a bore-well nearby could intercept the same aquifer, disturb groundwater gradients, and cause the spring to dry up.”

Mir said that springs are complex systems involving recharge, transition, and discharge zones, all of which can be disrupted by human activities like drilling or construction.

“There are studies that confirm groundwater extraction through bore-wells can contribute to spring depletion, especially in Himalayan regions,” he said. “Excessive pumping lowers the water table and reduces spring flow.”

Echoing the community’s grief, Basharat said, “It’s not just about water. It’s about life. It seems our soul has been taken away from our body.”