Springs And Spring Heads

Kashmir is exceedingly rich in springs,locally called Nag. Most of these Springs have either historical background or intresting legends behind them.They appear  both in the plain areas and at the high altitudes .The water, in most of the spring is cold in summer and warm in winter and, as such, are regarded as sacrosanct. In most cases, these springs provide water for drinking and irrigation. A brief description of some important springs is given below.

Anantnag:

Located at the district headquaters of the same name, Anantnag, 54 kms. Form Swinger, the spring originates from Karewa and is diverted into a tank abounding in fish.Two more springs namely  Malakh Nag (Warm sulphurous spring) and Salik Nag  are also near it and there water also flows into this tank. Another spring found in the close vicinity of Anantnag is known as the Sona Pokhar, celebrated for the purity of its water.This Shrine of Rishi Sahib, a temple and a dharmshala are close to it.

Verinag:

Verinag the most famous spring in Kashmir, and the acknowledged source of the river Jehlum, is situated 26 kms. From Anantnag  Town, at the foot of a precipitous mountain  spur clothed with a dense pine forest . Its waters are received into a basin surrounded by a low octagonal wall with twenty-four inches, constructed by Empror Jehangir in 1608 A.D.

Kokernag:

The spring gushes out at the foot of a thickly forested mountain at about seven adjacent places. The water is very cold and celebrated for its purity and appetizing properties. The Spring flows in north-westernly direction to join the Bringi Nallah. It is at a distance of 27 kms. From Anantnag Town.

Achabal:

 The Spring of Achabal gushes out of the Sosanwar hill and re-appears,it is beleaved, as the Bringi Nallah whose water disappear through a large fissure in its lime-stone bed near a village, Dewelgam garden and a Trout Hatchery is infront of the spring.

Kausarnag:

The Kausarnag  spring  4.8 kms. In circumference,is shaped like a human foot and is beleaved  by the Hindus to be the foot of Vishnu and is called Vishnu Pad. Its blue , rippling water reflects the lofty snowy peaks surrounding the spring.

Martand Spring:

The Spring is situated at a distance of about 5 kms. From Anantnag Town, on Aishmuqam-Pahalgam road.It is held sacred  by the Hindus and several religious rites are performed here.During the course of Amarnath Yatra every year, a large number of Pilgrims visit the place. The ruins of ancient Martland Temple are found close to it.

Cheshma Shahi Spring:

This royal spring with chill and crystal clear water, is situated on a hill about 9 kms. From Lal Chowk, Srinagar. The water of this spring is famous for its chemical value and digestive  qualities. A garden with fountains and cascades was built during the period of Shah Jehan in 1632  A.D near Spring.

Khir Bhawani Spring:

The Kheer Bhawani Spring is situated at Village Tulmulla, 7.5 kms from Ghanderbal and 25 kms.from Srinagar. It is held most sacred by the Hindus.A small temple of marble is built at its centre. The spring is an important centre of religious  activities and remains  thronged by Hindu Pilgrims through out the year. Besides holding a fair on 8^th and 15^th of bright moon night each month, a grand annual religious festival known as “Mela Khir Bhawani”, is celebrated here with great religious enthusiasm.

Thermal spring:

Kashmir Region,being rich in mineral wealth, has a number of thermal springs. The most famous among them, possessed with chemical affinity, containing iron and sulphurated hydrogen , are : Malak Nag near Anantnag Town ; Gandak Nag at Suderkotabala, enroute to Bandipora at a distance of  35 kms. From Srinagar; and a spring at Ular near Wuyan 19 kms to the South-East of Srinagar.

SNOW FIELDS, GLACIERS,ICE CAVES:          

The location of snow fields, Glaciers and Ice Caves depends not only on altitude but on the aspect of the hills.The lower snow-line may safely be taken as 3048.000 metres.One comes across snow-fields and glaciers from  3048.000 to 4572.000 metres in the North Kashmir range. The Vishansar peak towers over the glacier that feeds the lake. Icebergs float in Krishansar even in August.Glaciers come down on three sides of Gadsar Lake at 3962.400 metres. Nankul is fed by Harmukh glaciers 5162.586 metres. Near Sonamarg, one can see the Thajwas glacier. Close to Nichnarbar pass,4080.358 metres high, there are 2 glaciers,one each on the left  and the right.The ice-Lingam of the holy Amarnath Cave, which waxes and wanes with the moon, attracts many Hindu Pilgrims annually. Kolhoi glacier in the Lidder valley is highly famous through the length and the breadth of the valley.

UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES:

     
There is plenty of ground  water in Kashmir Valley, especially, in Karewas and alluvial strata. The ground water exists in confined as well as unconfined conditions. The depth of water level varies from near the land surface level, in water logged area to about 65 metres below the land surface in upland areas. The outflow areas are not uncommon in Anantnag, Srinagar, Pulwama and Budgam district Pulwama, has outflow of the order of the order of 20 cubic metres per hour.

Generally, the ground water in Kashmir Valley has a little content   of dissolved minerals. The other chemical properties of the ground water are upto the norms fixed by the Bureau of Indian standards for drinking water. Therefore, the water is suitable for drinking.However,in some Karewa areas, where there are lignite beds, the water is contaminated by the presence of Hydrogen Sulphide(H²s) gas and is, therefore, unfit for drinking . The ground water is generally suitable for irrigation.

No comprehensive study was made in the past to utilize the unlimited underground water reservoirs in certain areas as the surface water would suffice to meet the requirement of the people. But as a result of increase in the population and improvement in the living standards of the masses, the cities and the villages witnessed an expansion.New residential colonies were developed in the city of Srinagar and in major towns of the valley. So the development of  ground water resources for drinking attained more significance,but very little has been achieved so far and there is a scarticity of potable water in most of the localities in and around the city of Srinagar. Water is still being supplied to most of the localities through water tankers.To overcome this nagging problem as also to explore the possibility of utilizing the ground water for irrigation purposes, the department of Irrigation and Food Control has procured twelve rigs for development of ground water resources on scientific methods .

The central ground water board made extensive drilling in all the six districts of the Kashmir region for assessing ground water resources. The deepest bore hole for ground water, is at Gundi –Jehangir, Baramulla  district where drilling has been done  down to 450 metres depth and a well constructed down to 380 metres depth. The board has so far installed 87 tubewells in the valley and most of them are being used by the Public Health Engineering and Irrigation Departmemts. Besides Central Ground Water Board, some State Departments like Public Health Engineering, Irrigation and Directorate of Geology and Mining are also installing tubewells, especially in the rural areas of the valley.

Ground water resources of the valley,  as estimated by the Central Ground Water Board, are 2400 million cubic metre per year and current exploitation is only 2.4 million cubic metres per year.There is tremendous scope for developing irrigational and domestic water supply by tapping ground water