Ehsan Fazili/Srinagar

Reminiscent of the September 2014 apocalyptic floods that turned the city of Srinagar into a lake with the swollen Jhelum breaking through its banks, the ongoing rains have led to the evacuation of nearly 20,000 people from Srinagar and Budgam districts to safer places.

In three weeks, heavy rains have caused flash floods and triggered landslides across Jammu and Kashmir, leading to 140 deaths, and properties washed away.

 At least 70 people died, and several others got injured, and some others remain missing in the cloud burst in Chisoti village of Kishtwar district in Jammu. The majority of the victims were Machail Mata pilgrims.

The fresh flood-like situation is the seventh such situation since the 2014 floods. Alarm bells started ringing with the fresh spell of heavy rains for more than 50 hours through Tuesday and Wednesday, causing flash-floods and raising the water level in the river Jhelum that cuts across Srinagar city and the valley.

Over 7000 residents and nomadic families were evacuated in the Kulgam district on Wednesday. As precautionary measures, hundreds of others were also evacuated from other areas across Kashmir.

Awaz-The Voice spoke with Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, an environmental activist and Acumen India Fellow, to understand why Kashmir is facing repeated flood-like situations.

Raja Muzaffar Bhat is a Climate Activist, RTI activist, Writer, Traveler, and Acumen Fellow. He is the Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Climate Action Group. He has been writing and doing Action research Work on waste Management, Riverbed, Water Issues, Wetland management, etc. Excerpts from his interview based on email:

Heavy rains, flash floods, and landslides have been causing havoc in Jammu and Kashmir over the last three weeks. In your opinion, what are the reasons for such a situation?

The phenomenon of flash floods is not new; flash floods have visited us in the past, too. However, these were not recorded. There would be cloudbursts and flash-floods, and that would pass via nallahs in forests and mountains and then enter the river or stream. Now, for the last 15 to 20 years, we have encroached upon these natural stormwater nallahs and rivulets.

Raja Muzaffar even alerted people about safety of their homes in Flood on his post on X:

People living in areas of Zinipora Pampore , Tengan , Shalina , Kenihama , Nowgam and other places please be alert and note that Burglars would be active now post Floods ! Better keep someone in upper floor of house @diprjk @DC_Budgam @DrBilalbhatIAS pic.twitter.com/Nh0HSEGVtG

— Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat (@rtimuzaffar) September 4, 2025

We built houses, guest houses or dhabas on or around these places, and destroyed the stormwells. The cloudbursts would not impact the downstream population because of forest cover in the upper reaches, which used to act as a barrier and make these mudslides go downwards but now the forest cover is also less, and the movement of these mudslides is faster. 

Are there any short-term and long-term causes for recurring cloudbursts and flash-floods?

There are many reasons. These include illegal felling of trees; massive constructions in forest areas; urbanization in forest and mountain places; large-scale hydro-power; and the construction of roads, and tunnels.

A similar situation with greater damage was witnessed across J&K in 2014. Do you think that the awareness and preventive measures have not been enough?

Post-2014 floods a lot of funds were given to J&K for flood mitigation but we do not know where those funds have gone as J&K is getting flooded off and on within a few hours of rainfall. This needs a probe.

Dr Raja Muzaffar raised this issue in his post on X:

Where Did the Billions Meant to Shield Kashmir from Floods Go? After a decade of promises and billions in aid, a single day's rain exposes the cracks in Jammu and Kashmir's flood defenses, leaving residents to wonder if corruption drowned their safety. Here is my detailed piece… pic.twitter.com/ugaRuRA78u

— Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat (@rtimuzaffar) September 6, 2025

From an environmental point of view, how alarming is the situation as of now?

The situation is dangerous. We will face more such disasters in the future, flooding, etc., and at the same time, we can also face drought and shortage of rainfall or snowfall as well. These are all climate change effects.

What is the role of the Government and people in general to maintain an ecological balance?

The government has to ensure sustainable development, follow laws and rules enacted by Parliament, like the Environment Protection Act 1986, the Prevention of Water Pollution Act 1977, the Waste Management Rules 2016, the J&K Minor Mineral Concession Rules 2016, the Prevention of Air Pollution Act 1981, the Wetland Conservation Rules 2017, etc.

You have been actively engaged in environmental issues for many years. Did you achieve any significant breakthroughs?

I have been doing activism on climate change, writing on and doing climate about waste management, illegal riverbed mining, sand, clay mining etc. I have been writing and doing Action Research work on Waste Management,  Riverbed Mining , Water Pollution,  Wetland Management, etc.I make Vlogs, videos, and seek judicial intervention as well. I have filed around 12 petitions in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on unscientific waste management, protection of freshwater rivers/ streams like Doodh Ganga, Shaliganga, Sukhnag, and Sasrara. NGT has given landmark orders and judgments in manty of my cases.

ALSO READ: Why is Muhammad Nurul Islam known as Sir Syed of Bengal?

Some cases were, in fact, challenged as well in the Supreme Court, and I recently won the case against NKC Projects Pvt Ltd, NHAI, J&K Govt when the apex court upheld NGT’s order dated Sept 2022 (Raja Muzaffar Bhat v/s Govt of J&K and others. The Supreme Court said that environmental clearance for riverbed mining in the Shaliganga stream in Budgam was illegally given by J&K authorities, as no replenishment study was done