World Water Day and Kashtwar

In the wake of World Water Day, mountainous Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir state is confronted with some very important and disturbing questions related to its water resources. While World Water Day in our state was marked by some official functions, away from general public debate and curiosity people living in this far flung area continue to reel under the shortage of drinking and irrigation water. As the name Kishtwar derived from old world Kashtwar (Kasht Ka Bhandar) suggest, the mountainous area of the state continue to face the difficulties due to the shortage of water resources despite the fact that the government, over the years, has claimed to have spent billions of rupees for various water supply schemes. The scenario in the area is not different from many parts of the state where even in the 21st century, Bijli, Pani and Sadak continue to remain the basic issues confronting the general masses. Given the importance of this issue to our collective survival in the face of the drastic climatic changes, this day ought to be taken to the centre of public debate and awareness. It is an irony that in spite of Jammu and Kashmir being a highly important river basin for the South Asian region, the present concerns emanating from precipitation deficiency, temperature rise and water scarcity did not resonate with the desired amplitude. The absence of debate and advocacy activities at non governmental level, which otherwise help in furthering the discourse and advocacy for the official agenda, does not augur well either. One of the disturbing issues confronting us is the fact that Jammu & Kashmir state has so far been able to harness only 14 per cent of its ground water resources. This comes at a time when our surface water sources are depleting fast and not able to keep pace with the current needs. Given this situation, it is time for a major policy review and overhaul of our state’s water management. Beyond policy review, the government also needs to mobilize requisite resources and fine tune administrative and governance systems to make such policy work. Till government rise from its slumber and start thinking about the plights of the people living in far flung areas, people in mountainous Kishtwar district will continue to fetch water from the natural resources, which otherwise are extinguishing by every passing day.