English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Russian
Spanish
Urdu
Every day, Srinagar’s roads are jammed. Cars move slowly. People get stuck for hours. The city feels smaller and noisier. But a quiet answer already runs through its heart, the Jhelum River. Once the main route for people and goods, it now sits forgotten. Bringing water transport back can make travel easier, cut traffic, and give the city a fresh breath.
Centuries ago, life in Srinagar moved on water: boats carrying students to school, traders to markets, families to each other. The Jhelum connected downtown to Dal Lake and beyond. Now, that system is gone. Thousands of vehicles crowd bridges and lanes built decades ago. The city has grown; the roads haven’t.
Water transport is not an experiment. It is a proven solution. Across the world, rivers move people and goods through cities. Bangkok, Venice, and Kochi operate thriving ferry networks. Kochi shows what is possible in India. Its Water Metro connects islands and mainland areas using electric boats. It is clean, fast, and affordable. Srinagar can do the same.
The Jhelum runs right through the city, passing near very old markets, hospitals, schools, and tourist spots. A small, efficiently managed ferry system could take hundreds of cars off the road daily. Imagine commuters from Rajbagh to Lal Chowk, or from Noorbagh to Zero Bridge, traveling in minutes sans noise or fumes. Tourists could see the city from a different angle, while locals get a reliable service daily.
This is not about comfort; this is about planning. Kashmir is rapidly urbanizing. More people, more vehicles, and space that is limited will mean bigger jams each year. Expanding roads is expensive and destructive. But the Jhelum already exists. Using it is cheaper and serves many more. Floating stations, solar-powered boats, and ticket apps will make the system modern and easy.
Water transport would also bring jobs: from building and maintaining boats to running the stations and managing routes, hundreds of new roles could open up. The local boatmen, whose work has seen a decline, may find gainful employment once again. Small riverside businesses could return. Handicraft sellers, tea stalls, and shikara services would benefit from the rise in visitors.
The environment will also be affected. Fewer vehicles mean less smoke and dust. Cleaner air and quieter streets would improve daily life. Using electric or hybrid boats would keep the river healthy. Reviving the waterways can go along with cleaning the Jhelum. When people use the river again, they value it more.
It would, of course, require government support. For years, water transportation has been talked about, but nothing moved in the form of concrete projects. This is thus a ripe time for action. It could kick-start with a pilot route from Pampore to Dal and further on. Public feedback should shape routes, timings, and fares. Once people see it up and running, expansion will naturally follow.
A return of water transport is not nostalgia; rather, it is smart planning for a crowded city, an amalgamation of history, economy, and ecology. Srinagar shows how modern cities can use their old strengths. The Jhelum can again be what it was meant to be-a living, moving part of daily life.
It is not merely about easing the traffic, it’s all about balance: the roads and the rivers sharing the load. It’s about giving people a cleaner, quicker, and more peaceful way to move. And the city owes that change to itself. Long enough has the Jhelum waited. The time is now for Srinagar to sail again.
ADVERTISEMENT
