Srinagar, May 27 -- ByFiza Masoodi

The air outside isn't just hot, it's hostile. May in Kashmir has gone from mild to merciless. People are saying it's global warming, and yes, the world is heating. But I believe something more local is happening too. Something we don't talk about enough.

We've been brutal to our own land. And now it's turning on us.

Let me explain.

Where I live, there used to be a cool stream running past the old graveyard. My grandfather called it "Shehej Kul." He said the water never stopped, even in droughts.

That stream isn't there anymore. It was filled in, concreted over, and replaced with a row of shops. Now, most of those shops sell bottled water.

And that's not the only story like it.

Across the Valley, w...