The ancient Achabal spring, which had mysteriously dried up amid an ongoing rain deficit in Kashmir, has come back to life—just days after an elderly woman’s desperate plea to the lifeless waters stirred emotions across the region.
Saja Begum, an old woman from Ara Khashipora in Dialgam, was seen in a viral video standing by the barren bed of the once-mighty spring, her voice trembling as she pleaded, “O beloved spring, return to us! Do not abandon your children.”
Her cries, raw and filled with longing, seemed to echo the silent grief of a land parched by environmental neglect.
And then, as if the heavens had heard her, the rains arrived. The skies poured down, drenching the thirsty earth, and on Friday morning, the Achabal spring was reborn.
Locals, stunned by the sudden revival, spoke with a mix of wonder and relief.
“It was like the spring heard her cries. We have never seen it dry before, and when it did, it felt like a piece of our soul had been taken,” said Ghulam Rasool, a resident of Achabal.
Another local, Fareeda Jan, remarked, “This is a sign from Allah. We have abused nature for too long—cutting trees, poisoning our rivers, and selling our lands. If we don’t change, what dried once may dry forever.”
Though the discharge of water remains low, residents see the revival as nothing short of miraculous. “It was completely dry on Wednesday, and we can’t be thankful enough. It looks like the skies have poured in answer to Saja Begum’s prayers and thousands of those who are still concerned about Kashmir,” said Mohammad Yousuf, a local shopkeeper.
Authorities have launched an investigation into what caused the spring to vanish for the first time in living memory.
Scientists and geologists are looking into possible underground shifts or ecological damage that may have led to the sudden disappearance.
For now, however, the people of Achabal celebrate the return of their sacred waters, murmuring among themselves that perhaps, just perhaps, Saja Begum’s voice had been heard beyond the heavens.
