Srinagar, May 7 -- Rainwater once passed through Srinagar with ease. Wetlands absorbed excess water, streams connected neighbourhoods to lakes, and open land gave the city breathing space. Construction crews now pour soil into marshes, apartment blocks rise beside flood channels, and roads clog before midday. A city built around water now struggles each season to contain it.

Urban expansion has reached nearly every corner of Kashmir. Srinagar has spread into Budgam, Ganderbal and Pulwama with little discipline or public planning. Shopping complexes stand on land where paddy fields once absorbed rainwater. Residential colonies rise on floodplains. Concrete expands faster than drainage systems, sewage networks or public transport. Governme...