Is this just the beginning?: Old spring in Kashmir dries up for the first time

Shock in Indian-controlled Kashmir: A famous spring suddenly dried up for several days. Other bodies of water in the region have also dried up. The water shortage is threatening agriculture and tourism. And the situation could get even worse.

For the first time in living memory, no water flowed: Residents of the Himalayan region of Kashmir watched with concern as a famous ancient spring dried up for days due to extreme drought. Although rain and snowfall caused the water to bubble up again last week, people are now discussing a fear. Climate change and changing weather patterns could cause a shortage of the water that supplies the country's famous orchards and vast agricultural fields. Several springs and streams - including tributaries of the Jhelam, the region's main river that flows through the Kashmir Valley - have dried up in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The result has been a water shortage in recent weeks across the region known for its Himalayan peaks and pristine lakes. Concerns were heightened by a video that went viral on social media showing an elderly woman praying and crying in front of the ancient spring in the south Kashmir town of Achabal. The spring, located in a famous garden built in the 17th century by the wife of Emperor Jahangir, is a source of drinking water for 20 villages in the area.

"Oh! Holy spring, what have we done to you? You have spoiled our water," cries 80-year-old Saja Begum in the video. "Let the spring come back to life. Let the holy spring overflow." The video moved people in Kashmir, where many residents rely on water tanks provided by the government.

Meteorologists said that the region has had 80 percent less rainfall than usual since the beginning of the year. There has been hardly any snow in most of Kashmir's plains, while there has been less snow than usual in the higher elevations. Daytime temperatures have been 5 to 8 degrees Celsius above normal for over a month now. The authorities are now investigating the temporarily dry spring water, as the online news portal "The Kashmiriyat" reported.

The crisis forced the region to temporarily cancel the Winter Games, which are held every year in the famous tourist resort of Gulmarg. During winter, thousands of local and foreign tourists usually come to ski and sled in the stunning snowy landscape.

According to experts, the weather changes in Kashmir are linked to climate change and global warming. "This is a new normal now," says Mukhtar Ahmed, head of the Kashmir office of the Indian Meteorological Department. "Extreme weather events are very common here. In recent years, we have witnessed the effects of global warming in all its clarity in this ecologically fragile country."

Prime Minister Omar Abdullah says Kashmir is facing a water crisis this year. The crisis has been building up for several years and the government is considering measures to deal with the problem. However, it is not only the authorities who have a responsibility, he wrote on Platform X. The residents of the region must change their attitude towards water.