Srinagar: Twelve years after the devastating 2014 floods, more than 150 kanals of agricultural land in Befina, Pampore, remain submerged under water.
Once, more than 100 families grew paddy and mustard on this land. But the fields have never been restored for farming. Over the years, some landowners gave up hope of getting their land back and sold it, while others raised parts of it with truckloads of soil to build houses. This has led to the growth of residential areas such as Sheikh-ul-Alam Colony.
The remaining submerged fields have taken on a different character. They now support aquatic plants, attract fishermen and provide a habitat for waterbirds. Twelve years after the floods, the area stands as a reminder of how a single disaster can permanently change both livelihoods and the way land is used.
This story captures a landscape caught between water and concrete, raising questions about changing land use, a fragile ecosystem, and the risks of building on land that has never fully recovered.
Rest in pictures…
An elderly resident fishes in the waterlogged fields of Befina, Pampore. Once used to grow paddy and mustard, the submerged land has become a fishing spot over the past 12 years. [FPK Photo/ Tajamul Mukhtar]
A house stands on reclaimed land in Befina, where portions of the former farmland have been raised with soil and converted into residential plots after years of remaining waterlogged. [FPK Photo/ Tajamul Mukhtar]
A wide view of the permanently submerged fields in Befina, Pampore. More than 150 kanals of farmland have remained underwater since the 2014 floods. [FPK Photo/ Tajamul Mukhtar]
A wildlife photographer documents migratory birds that now frequent the flooded landscape, reflecting the ecological changes that have emerged in the years since the floods. [FPK Photo/ Tajamul Mukhtar]
Aquatic vegetation covers parts of the submerged farmland, illustrating how a once-cultivated landscape has gradually evolved into a permanent wetland. [FPK Photo/ Tajamul Mukhtar]
Fishing rods have replaced farming tools as children spend an evening angling in what was once productive agricultural land. [FPK Photo/ Tajamul Mukhtar]
A visitor displays a fish caught in the flooded fields of Befina, which now attract recreational anglers from nearby areas. [FPK Photo/ Tajamul Mukhtar]
The waterlogged fields beside Sheikh-ul-Alam Colony highlight the changing landscape, where submerged farmland now borders expanding residential development. [FPK Photo/ Tajamul Mukhtar]
A JCB levels truckloads of soil on the waterlogged fields of Befina as landowners reclaim submerged farmland for residential construction. [FPK Photo/ Tajamul Mukhtar]
Where his father once worked, and he once played, a farmer’s son gazes over the flooded fields; twelve years on, the land remains submerged, heavy with remembrance. [FPK Photo/ Tajamul Mukhtar]
