Srinagar, March 16 -- Our naags have either dried or are drying. Many are almost dead. Now imagine Kashmir without its naags.

For centuries, naags were the invisible arteries of Kashmir's civilization. Villages were established where springs existed. Fields were irrigated through channels fed by them. Entire communities depended on their reliable flow for drinking water. Even the cultural imagination of Kashmir drew from these springs - many were associated with shrines, saints, and sacred stories.

Now imagine the valley if these springs disappear.

The scenario is not merely environmental; it is existential. If naags vanish, Kashmir will slowly transform from a naturally watered valley into a region dependent entirely on artificial wat...