THE NAVIGATIONAL AND FISHERIES TOLLThe consequences of the Tulbul suspension were tangible and immediate. Without the project, the Jhelum remains a seasonal waterway. The timber trade, which once moved substantially by water, has migrated to roads, raising freight costs and accelerating highway wear. Local boatmen who once supplemented agricultural incomes through cargo and passenger services have lost that livelihood entirely.

The fisheries toll is equally grave. Wular Lake sustains one of South Asia’s most significant inland fisheries, its ecological health directly tied to regulated inflow and outflow. Without that regulation, post-monsoon discharge drains the lake precipitously, leaving water depths far below what optimal fish production requires. Annual fish output has collapsed from over 10,500 tonnes to barely 1,500 tonnes; lotus harvests have similarly declined. Tens of thousands of fishing families across Bandipora and Baramulla districts have lost their primary livelihoods, a loss that ripples outward, suppressing community investment in tourism infrastructure such as........

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