Srinagar: Worried about their livelihood amid dry spell, scores of the villagers in Pattan are moving to higher reaches in search of water sources to irrigate paddy.
Locally known as ‘Koalvaan’ these villagers stay at various points guarding the water source.
The dearth of water in the plains has forced these communities to explore conventional methods to sustain their agriculture, which is vital to their livelihoods.
In these higher reaches, villagers tap into mountain streams and springs, often hiking long distances to access water. The water is then carefully channeled back to their fields in the lower areas, ensuring that crops receive the necessary irrigation during this critical period.
Villagers actively guard these precious water sources, aware that any disruption could devastate their agricultural output.
“We are scores of villages, whose representatives spend nights together guarding the water. Every village has a share of water and the entire stream will be diverted by other villages if not guarded,” said Ghulam Ahmad Dar, village head of Warpora village in the Pattan area.
These villagers have been guarding the water for more than a month now as paddy fields in these areas started drying up.
Paddy as per the experts requires water for more than two months after transplantation.
Similarly, scores of the villages in central Kashmir’s Budgam areas too have resorted to this conventional method to ensure irrigation to their fields.
“This is a kind of agreement by all the villages of the area that each of them will get its water share. Sometimes, the villages from the upper areas divert entire canals which results in acute dearth in the low-lying areas. So, we maintain the vigil for water at various locations,” said Saleem Ahamd Mir, a local from Narbal.
Officials at the agriculture department acknowledged that the prolonged dry weather has forced farmers to look for water.
“The irrigation component is being looked at by the Irrigation and Flood Control department,” said Waheed -Ur-Rehman Deputy Director (Central) Agriculture.
