Posted on November 5, 2025
A Central Water and Power Research Station report said that dredging from Sangam to Asham will not serve the purpose of flood mitigation.
Srinagar: The recent floods in the Kashmir valley which damaged crops and property worth crores triggered a debate on dredging of the river Jhelum as the means of flood mitigation to the valley from September 2014-like deluge.
But the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), has advised Jammu and Kashmir government’s Flood Control Department against dredging of the river Jhelum saying that the flood water will move faster towards Srinagar inundating the city.
CWPRS, a national hydraulic research institute under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoJS, DoWR, RD&GR), New Delhi, in its flood routing study for the river Jhelum in 2018 had concluded that dredging of the river from Sangam to Asham will not serve the purpose of Flood mitigation.
A man removes snow from a houseboat in river Jhelum on a cold winter day in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (AFP)
“Any such dredging intervention needs to be backed up by the hydraulic model studies before it is undertaken on ground. The flood wave will be arriving faster from Sangam to Ram Munshi Bagh and slower travel further from Ram Munshi Bagh to Asham, thereby leading to early arrival of flood in Srinagar and also reduction in response time to manage flood situation,” CWPRS said in the report.
The expert body suggested widening of the river at some locations to increase its width and its flood spill channel to increase the water retaining and carrying capacity.
Contrary to the CWPRS advise, the flood control department has carried out the dredging of the river and also large-scale un-scientific and unregulated mining of sand from the river Jhelum and its tributaries leading to bed degradation of the river at many places that has caused stress to the embankments leading to flooding of many areas and damage to agriculture crops and houses.
Swollen Jhelum after heavy rains in Srinagar (IANS)
The Jammu and Kashmir government recently in the legislative assembly said that crop loss on more than 69,707 hectares of agriculture and horticulture land was recorded in the UT due to the August flood this year and damage to more than 10,000 houses.
After the September 2014 floods, which caused widespread losses in the region, the government of India released a Rs 80,000 crore flood relief package named as Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP).
The flood control department said that post 2014 floods, a three-member core group constituted by the ministry of water resources to provide a road map for Flood Management of Kashmir valley made the recommendations for flood mitigation and implemented them in three phases depending upon implementation time. It suggested immediate, short term and long-term measures.
Under the short term measures for mitigating a flood threat, an amount of 12,083.90 crore under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP), was announced in 2015. The department later executed these short-term measures in two phases Phase I, approved for 1399.29 Cr. in 2015-16 by the Ministry of Water Resources, and Phase II which is under execution.
The government said under PMDP Phase I (Flood Management Programme (Phase-I), extensive dredging works were carried out in the Srinagar and Baramulla stretches to enhance the carrying capacity of the River Jhelum, involving 4,27 lakh cubic meters of earthwork.
The department, which as per the Jammu and Kashmir Water Resources Act, is the custodian of the river Jhelum and its tributaries in Kashmir, said that for flood management and mitigation in the the past two years, 2.85 lakh cubic meters of material has been dredged from the Sopore-Baramulla Outfall Channel of the river.
In addition, approximately 60,000 cubic meters of silt have been removed from various canals across the Kashmir region during the current irrigation season by the Irrigation & Flood Control (I&FC) Department, Kashmir, it said.
Swollen Jhelum after heavy rains in Srinagar (IANS)
“The outcome of these interventions under Phase-I has led to the increase of carrying capacity of River Jhelum from 31800 Cusecs to 41000 Cusecs (22 %). The carrying capacity of the flood spill channel was doubled from 4000 to 8700 cusecs,” it said.
The government said it has adopted a multi-layered strategy focusing on both structural and non-structural measures. “Under different programmes, targeted flood protection works like strengthening of embankments, removal of bottlenecks, re-grading etc. are being taken up. Continuous vigil real time monitoring, and early warning systems are being strengthened for timely response,” it said.
The Department is also emphasizing community awareness, coordination among departments and strict enforcement against encroachments on riverbeds and floodplains to minimize future risks.
A study has also been commissioned under Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Programme (JTFRP) in the year 2019 to examine and prepare a blueprint for flood management and mitigation in the Jhelum Basin.
“The objective of the study is to conduct a feasibility study of flood management issues and opportunities, to evaluate current and proposed flood and river management schemes, review proposed flood management options and identify potential solutions, and to prioritize options in consultation with stakeholders. The study is yet to conclude,” it said.
