Srinagar, Aug. 22 -- One of Kashmir's most serious environmental crises is unfolding almost silently. While public attention is often drawn to floods, shrinking wetlands, polluted lakes and receding glaciers, another vital natural resource is disappearing beneath our feet. Across the Valley, natural springs-locally known as Nags-are drying up, their discharge is declining and many that sustained villages for generations have become seasonal or vanished altogether. Unless this trend is reversed, Kashmir could face a far more complex water crisis in the decades ahead.

Natural springs are the foundation of the Valley's freshwater system. They supply drinking water to thousands of rural households, irrigate agricultural fields and orchards, ...