Why is Jammu & Kashmir’s Jhelum river drying after winter?

Official flood control data revealed that the water level of the Jhelum at Sangam in south Kashmir fell to minus 0.86 feet on March 5, 2026.

Kashmir has recorded its seventh consecutive rainfall-deficient winter, with a nearly 65 per cent precipitation deficit between December and February. At the same time, temperatures have surged far above normal, raising concerns about low snowpack, shrinking glaciers, and declining river flows.

Experts warn that changing winter precipitation — with more rain and less snow — could affect water availability just as the paddy farming season approaches. With irrigation channels already running low, farmers may soon have to rethink cropping patterns in the Valley.