The Jhelum, known in ancient texts as the Vitasta, rises at Verinag in the south of the Kashmir valley, flows north-west through Srinagar and Wular Lake, cuts through the Pir Panjal at Baramulla into Pakistan-occupied territory and Pakistan, and joins the Chenab at Trimmu. It is one of the three western rivers allotted to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty.
The valley's flatness, combined with heavy spring snowmelt and occasional intense rainfall from western disturbances or monsoon incursions, makes it naturally flood-prone. Historically, rulers built flood spill channels, such as the one around Srinagar, and relied on wetlands like Hokersar and Wular to absorb excess water. Over the past century, many of these wetlands were drained or filled for housing and farmland, and the carrying capacity of the river channel fell as silt accumulated.
The Kashmir valley is a broad, flat basin between the Pir Panjal range to the south and west and the Great Himalaya to the north and east. Geologists believe it once held a vast lake, whose deposits form the karewas, flat-topped terraces now known for saffron cultivation at Pampore. The Jhelum meanders slowly across this old lake floor, which is why it was historically navigable, with houseboats and shikaras still a feature of Srinagar.
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