Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a drastic change in weather patterns. The Union Territory experienced the lowest rainfall in the last fifty years in 2024, and this trend continues into the beginning of 2025. With the Valley enduring the driest year in five decades, the Jhelum River has also been flowing at its all-time lowest water level. It’s not terrorism but the drying up of waterbodies that is now becoming fatal to this paradise on earth.

Jammu and Kashmir experienced a precipitation deficit in the past year, with rainfall levels dropping to just 870.9 mm against the normal annual average of 1232.3 mm — a significant deficit of 29%. This marks the fifth consecutive year of below-normal precipitation in the Union Territory.

A closer look at rainfall trends over recent years highlights this alarming pattern: 2023 recorded 1146.6 mm (7% deficit), 2022 witnessed 1040.4 mm (16% deficit), 2021 saw 892.5 mm (28% deficit), and 2020 experienced 982.2 mm (20% deficit). With 2024’s figures nearing the previous low of 802.5 mm recorded in 1974, the region’s precipitation levels continue to decline.

Dr. Faizan Arif, Weather Analyst and Forecaster, stated, “Jammu and Kashmir has seen the least rainfall in the year 2024. From January onwards last year, Jammu and Kashmir has seen very little rain, and it was only in April last year that we witnessed excess rain. The deficit worsened towards the end of the year, reaching around 29%, the lowest since 1974. If we talk about the Jhelum River, it’s also flowing at its lowest right now. We have taken its average this season, and it’s at its lowest. The drinking water has been affected as well.”

The continuous decline in rainfall patterns over the years emphasizes the urgent need for climate adaptation measures and comprehensive water management strategies to mitigate the effects of prolonged dry spells in Jammu and Kashmir. The Flood and Irrigation Department of the Kashmir Valley is also preparing to handle a potential drought-like situation in the coming days.

Braham Jyoti Sharma, Chief Engineer of Irrigation and Flood Control, said, “Last year, we witnessed very low precipitation and water levels, which affected our lift irrigation schemes. We somehow managed in 2024, but it also taught us that if this continues in 2025, we will need a plan. Precipitation and snowfall are natural phenomena beyond our control, but we learned last year that we had very low water levels. We have developed a drought action plan. The lift irrigation schemes were the worst affected, as the sump tanks are at certain levels of the river. Last year, we couldn’t lift water as the levels had depleted, but this year, we have planned to install drought pumps and lift river water to put in sumps and deliver it to farmers.”

There are around 18,000 glaciers in Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh, all of which are melting at a rapid pace. The Kolahoi Glacier, the largest in Kashmir, has lost approximately 23% of its mass since 1962.