Nadru: A staple of Kashmiri cooking, the long, crunchy edible stem of the lotus plant is always in high demand. But despite its demand, farmers say this winter has brought one of the toughest harvesting seasons in years.

Nadru (lotus stem) growers bend repeatedly to extract the stems from thick, muddy beds while standing waist-deep in freezing waters for hours each day. The work has grown even more difficult in the Sangam water bodies, which were formerly thought to be among the richest areas for lotus stem cultivation.

Farmers here say yields have dropped sharply. The primary reason, they point out, is the reduced flow of water from the Sind River, which enters the belt from Ganderbal. With water channels shrinking, the lotus beds are drying up

Yet even with the lower output, farmers s

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