Srinagar, July 27 -- Valley lives under the constant shadow of its rivers. Each spell of rain is enough to stir unease, each fresh gauge reading from the Jhelum spreads like wildfire across social media, and each anxious glance at the sky carries the weight of memory. The flood of 2014 is not just a past disaster; it is a living reminder that resurfaces with every downpour. The fear is not of water on the streets today, but of the possibility that tomorrow could bring the same devastation again. This lingering dread is the truest measure of how incomplete the promise of safety remains.

In the years since, vast sums have been sanctioned, dredging carried out, embankments strengthened, channels widened, and protocols drafted. On paper, the...