DRY RUN FOR A FUTURE FAMINE

Never-before scenes of shrivelled paddy in south Kashmir raise fears over long-term food security

- By Kaleem Geelani

THE GREEN RICE PADDIES that dot NH-44 in Anant-nag, on the southern edges of Kashmir, are counting their last days. It's peak farming season, but Mohammad Shafi Malik's 30-kanal farm in Jablipora, Bijbehara, has cracked and parched soil with shrivelled paddy saplings, depressing proof of the water crisis in this Himalayan region, one of the worst in its history. “The lands are without water for almost a month. This is the end of our paddy crop,” the 54-year-old tells INDIA TODAY, standing at a point on the highway where it doubles as an emergency air strip. A good year fetches Malik Rs 5 lakh from his near-90 quintals of rice. But that source of sustenance for his family—wife, three daughters and a son—is literally crumbling to dust. “This is our traditional livelihood. We've no idea what to rely on in future,” Malik says.

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