In 40 years, Kashmir’s orchards grew fourfold, their thirst for water rose 295%

Traditional agriculture’s water needs decline 66% Combined agricultural water demand falls 18% Upper Jhelum population nearly triples in four decades Study flags potential water shortages by 2100 Srinagar, Oct 28: The steady disappearance of paddy fields and expansion of fruit orchards across Kashmir over the past four decades has altered more than the Valley’s agricultural landscape. It has also changed who needs how much water, and for what. A new study by researchers at the University of Kashmir has found that between 1981 and 2020, the area under horticulture in the Upper Jhelum Basin…