As the world races toward technological breakthroughs, one Himalayan district that fuels India’s energy dreams struggles with blackouts, water shortage and broken promises
By Mohd Salahuddin Qazi
On a recent stormy night, as relentless monsoon rains battered the Himalayan district of Kishtwar, seven-year-old Suheeb sat on the cold floor, clutching a half-burnt candle while trying to finish his homework. His mother walked miles in search of clean water, while his father stood outside the local power office, hoping for news of restoration.
For five straight days, Kishtwar, the district that powers India’s dreams of energy independence, remained plunged into complete darkness, its residents without electricity, drinking water, or road connectivity. This is not just a story of a small district in Jammu & Kashmir. This is the story of modern India’s cruel paradox: a region that produces and will produce thousands of megawatts of hydroelectricity for the nation, yet its own people live by candlelight and fetch water from muddy streams.
Where Progress Meets Neglect
Kishtwar, nestled deep within the Chenab Valley and surrounded by the mighty Himalayas, is home to some of India’s most ambitious hydroelectric projects: DulHasti, Ratle, PakalDul, Kwar, and Kiru. Together, these projects contribute and will contribute thousands of megawatts of electricity to the national grid, powering metropolitan cities and industries. And yet, when torrential monsoon rains struck the district this past week, triggering landslides and damaging infrastructure, Kishtwar descended into darkness. Hospitals struggled to keep critical machines running, students were forced to abandon studies, small businesses suffered losses, and families relied on candles and kerosene lamps to get through the nights. It is an irony too bitter to ignore: the land that powers the nation cannot power itself.
A District Cut Off From the World
The rains didn’t just knock out electricity; they crippled the entire district’s connectivity. The Batote-Kishtwar National Highway, the lifeline linking Kishtwar to the rest of Jammu & Kashmir, was blocked for days due to massive landslides. Essential supplies couldn’t reach the district, emergency patients were stranded, and thousands were left without access to basic necessities. While India dreams of expressways and bullet trains, Kishtwar’s residents still fear being cut off from the world every monsoon.
Water Scarcity in the Land of River
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of all was the collapse of drinking water facilities. Despite being surrounded by pristine rivers and streams, Kishtwar’s residents spent five harrowing days even more without access to clean water. Families trekked long distances with buckets and containers, relying on unsafe sources for survival. In a district that sacrifices its rivers to power the nation’s grids, the absence of safe drinking water underscores a deep failure of governance, planning, and accountability.
A Future on Hold
The people of Kishtwar are not asking for luxury. They are asking for basic dignity, electricity to study, water to drink, and roads to stay connected. Yet, while the world accelerates toward AI-driven innovation, renewable energy transitions, and space exploration, Kishtwar’s concerns remain painfully fundamental:
Will the lights come back tonight?Ø
Will the roads reopen tomorrow?Ø
Will there be clean water to drink this week?Ø
Without meaningful intervention, Kishtwar risks becoming a symbol of India’s uneven development, a district powering the nation’s future but excluded from its present.
A Call for Justice
Kishtwar has already paid its dues. Its rivers have been diverted, its lands acquired, and thousands of families displaced for hydroelectric projects that serve the rest of India. It is time for the government, policymakers, and energy corporations to repay that debt by ensuring uninterrupted power, clean water, better infrastructure, and disaster-resilient connectivity for the people of this district. Anything less would be a betrayal. Kishtwar’s turbines may drive India’s technological ambitions, but until its people can switch on a light, open a tap, and drive on safe roads, we cannot call this progress. The people of Kishtwar are not demanding miracles; they are demanding fairness, dignity, and basic rights.
Because no district that powers a nation should ever be left powerless.
The writer is a Lecturer, ET & ICT at the Islamia Faridiya College of Education, Kishtwar
mo****************@***il.com