Srinagar, July 31 -- Every generation in Kashmir believes it has witnessed the greatest flood in the Valley's history. Yet the Jhelum tells a different story. For centuries it has overflowed its banks, submerged settlements, destroyed harvests, and reshaped human lives. Kings have ruled and disappeared, capitals have flourished and declined, but the river has remained remarkably constant. Floods are not interruptions in Kashmir's history; they are among its oldest and most enduring chapters.

To understand floods in Kashmir, one must first understand the Valley's geography. Kashmir is a bowl-shaped basin enclosed by the Pir Panjal and the Greater Himalayas. Geological research suggests that it was once occupied by a vast prehistoric lake ...