Srinagar, Sep 08: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on Monday took serious note of the emerging flood crisis in the Valley (Flood 2025) during the hearing of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) titled Environmental Policy Group (EPG) v. Union of India & Others.
The Division Bench led by the Hon’ble Chief Justice examined a six-page urgent report filed by EPG Convenor Faiz Bakshi, which was presented before the Court by Advocate Nadeem Qadri, Amicus Curiae appointed in the matter. The report raised immediate concerns over preparedness, flood-control measures, and the risks to life, property, and the fragile ecology of Kashmir.
Taking cognisance of these concerns, the Court directed the Commissioner/Secretary, Irrigation & Flood Control Department, the Commissioner/Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, and the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to appear personally before the Bench in a special hearing scheduled for tomorrow.
The Court also ordered the government of Jammu & Kashmir to take urgent steps and file a comprehensive Action Taken Report (ATR). The matter has been listed for further consideration on September 9, 2025.
In his written report, Bakshi was unsparing in his criticism of the administration’s handling of the issue. “The government is clueless on the way forward,” he wrote.
“Those who are competent and qualified to decide the future course of action are neither empowered nor listened to, while those who are empowered but not qualified are not inclined to act. Till the government decides on a clear strategy, it is imperative that no land be allotted for government buildings or other facilities without first establishing that it is not a waterbody. Any allocation, sale, transfer of land, or construction within 500 metres of wetlands must be stopped immediately. Projects like Rakh Arth, Transworld University, and IIM Srinagar should be halted forthwith.”
The EPG report urged the Court to enforce an immediate ban on all land allotments, transfers, and construction in wetland areas, noting that rampant encroachment was compounding the Valley’s flood vulnerability. It also stressed that conservation of natural flood basins and wetlands was critical to preventing a repeat of the devastation witnessed in September 2014.
Bakshi, while underscoring the absence of a coherent government policy, emphasised that Kashmir’s long-term security depends on flood moderation. “We do not have any other viable and practical solution,” he cautioned. “Small storages must be created in every basin and sub-basin and used to moderate the flow. These mini dams can, in fact, be paired with solar power to construct hybrid pumped storage systems. Therein lies the answer to our two main woes — flood and power — in that order.”
The Court’s intervention is being seen as a significant step towards ensuring accountability, compelling the administration to act decisively, and safeguarding the lives, property, and environment of millions of residents of the Valley who remain exposed to the looming flood threat.
