Srinagar, June 29 -- Kashmir's water crisis has moved far beyond environmental debate.

The latest findings from the Comptroller and Auditor-General, combined with warnings from scientists, retired administrators and constitutional figures, point to a public policy failure that threatens drinking water, agriculture and the ecological systems that sustain the region.

Government action now needs the same scale and seriousness as the crisis itself.

The figures alone demand attention, as Jammu and Kashmir has lost 70 percent of its wetlands and waterbodies since the 1960s, according to the CAG.

Of the 697 lakes recorded in 1967, 315 have disappeared, wiping out more than 1,500 hectares of aquatic landscape.

Rivers, lakes and streams conti...