Story of the River

For the Kashmir Valley, the Jhelum is not merely a river. Known as Vitasta in ancient tradition and Vyeth in Kashmiri, it is the primary drainage artery and civilisational foundation of the region. The meandering character of the River Jhelum is a natural product of its hydraulic regime and long geomorphological evolution within Kashmir's low-gradient alluvial plain. Its sinuous course facilitates the distribution of water across the floodplain, sustaining irrigation, agriculture, settlements, wetlands, historically navigation and served as a route for trade, transport, and cultural exchange. Thus, its meanders are not merely an impediment, but an integral feature of the Jhelum as a living river system. Its physical health is inseparable from the ecological and economic security of Kashmir. Advertisment History provides an enduring lesson regarding this relationship. During the reign of King Avantivarman between 855 and 883 CE, his celebrated engineer and minister Suyya accomplished one of the most remarkable hydraulic works in Kashmir history. Suyya cleared obstructions from the Vitasta channel, regulated its flow, raised sturdy embankments, dug drainage channels, and built an extensive irrigation network. By draining waterlogged land and expanding cultivation, these interventions improved agricultural productivity while mitigating recurrent flooding. Suyya's genuine achievement lies in his underlying principle. He visualised the river as an interconnected hydraulic landscape in which the primary channel, mountain tributaries, drainage canals, wetlands, floodplains, and agricultural fields performed complementary roles. Twelve centuries later, modern Kashmir needs to rediscover this integrated principle. The devastating deluge of September 2014 exposed the cost of abandoning this holistic outlook. The Jhelum recorded a peak discharge exceeding 115000 cusecs against a carrying capacity of roughly 35000 cusecs. The resulting catastrophe revealed the physical limits of the channel alongside the cumulative fallout from siltation, wetland degradation, unplanned floodplain building, and unchecked encroachment. Advertisment Engineering interventions & governance deficits The flood response evolved into a comprehensive management strategy in phases under the Prime Minister Development Package. The Central Water Commission recommended expanding river discharge capacity to roughly 60000 cusecs along the stretch between Sangam and Padshahibagh. Under Phase I, approved at 399.29 crore rupees, capacity at Sangam increased from 31800 to 41000 cusecs. In March 2022, Phase II Part A received approval at an estimated 1623.43 crore rupees to fortify protection further. However, widening the river at isolated points cannot guarantee regional flood safety. A 2018 study by the Central Water and Power Research Station warned against indiscriminate dredging and unscientific riverbed mining between Sangam and Asham. Hydrodynamic modelling revealed that deepening the channel without site specific assessment could accelerate flood crests toward Srinagar, worsening peak danger downstream. The study showed dredging cannot serve as a universal remedy, urging targeted re-sectioning, hydrodynamic modelling, and sediment study. Simultaneously, severe implementation deficits persist. A Right to Information disclosure in 2025 revealed that no dredging took place along the Jhelum or its flood spill channels between March 2020 and March 2025. The same response confirmed that Phase I remained incomplete, with only 16 of 31 approved projects finished. While constant dredging is not always hydraulically sound, extended administrative stagnation on essential interventions, including flood spill restoration, embankment management, and detention basins, leaves the Valley dangerously exposed. Advertisment Ecological restoration & basin resilience The greatest flaw in current policy is treating the Jhelum as an isolated channel rather than an organic ecosystem. The river cannot carry massive discharge if surrounding natural storage networks are depleted. Historically, Valley wetlands such as Wular and Hokersar functioned as natural sponges that absorbed excess runoff, checked water surges, and released flows gradually. The degradation of these aquatic bodies places enormous pressure upon the main river. The shrinkage of these wetlands presents an acute warning. Wular Lake open water area declined from 157.74 square kilometres in 1911 to 86.71 square kilometres in 2007 because of siltation, agricultural conversion, and willow plantations. Hokersar contracted from 18.75 square kilometres in 1969 to roughly 13 square kilometres in 2008, accompanied by severe marsh loss. As wetlands shrink and floodplains vanish, excess water converges directly into restricted channels, accelerating river surges, endangering embankments, and cutting down response time. Uncontrolled encroachment compounds this hazard. Official records in 2025 documented 1884 encroachments across Jhelum divisions and flood spill corridors, including permanent houses, commercial buildings, and other obstructions. Encroachment along flood corridors directly threatens public safety. Resolving this crisis requires synchronising revenue data, spatial maps, and hydrological science so that enforcement proceeds transparently. Judicial oversight has grown vital. In August 2026, the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court sought an explanation from the administration over delays in submitting wetland specific Integrated Management Plans under the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems. A forward looking Jhelum Basin Resilience Strategy requires five pillars. First, the entire waterscape must be managed as one integrated hydrological unit from upper tributaries to Wular Lake. Second, every physical intervention must be guided by rigorous hydraulic modelling, prioritising river re-sectioning, spill channels, and detention zones over unscientific excavation. Third, regional wetlands and floodplains must be safeguarded as indispensable public infrastructure rather than surplus land. Fourth, illegal constructions and riverbed mining must be curbed through strict, time bound administrative enforcement. Fifth, modern tools like real time gauges, rainfall stations, and satellite monitoring must complement living ecology. The enduring lesson of Suyya is that Kashmir once understood the river as an interdependent living system. The Jhelum sustained civilisation because its watercourses, wetlands, and floodplains worked together. Modern development has fractured that equilibrium. Protecting the river is not merely an engineering or environmental duty, but an urgent requirement for food security, urban safety, and intergenerational justice. This write-up is based on the scientific and supporting data compiled for the proposed legislation and is intended to sensitise the public to the river's ecological and hydraulic significance. It also seeks to place the recent social-media discussion on the Jhelum's tortuous course in the correct scientific perspective, as its meandering character is a natural expression of the river's hydraulic dynamics and geomorphological evolution. Dr S Bashir Ahmad Veeri is a serving legislator from South Kashmir's Bijbehara Constituency and occasionally contributes on Governance and Public Policy.