A terrible environmental disaster in which a freshwater stream was dramatically swallowed up by a sinkhole with destructive consequences for aquatic life and water supply in south Kashmir has left the J&K government in a bind with no immediate solution in sight.Thousands of trout and fingerlings fish lay dead and scattered over miles of now- dried-up downstream of the glacier-fed Brengi stream in Wandevalgam village. Many fish were seen gasping for breath in puddles of water beneath boulders that form the riverbed of the stream.“The riverbed was clogged up with dead fish but there was no way they could be saved,” a villager told News18.The stream owes its origin to the nearby hilltops of Margan, Sinthan and Gadol. Abundant snowmelt ensures it flows round the year to fulfil the drinking water and irrigation needs of dozens of villages in south Kashmir.A little over a week ago, the stream rather unusually vanished into a 100-metre cavern, rendering the downstream dry. Concerned villagers have urged the government to fix the issue before agricultural activity starts in the next few weeks but there is no resolution in sight.For the first few days, villagers say, efforts to create a diversion near the sinkhole failed as the stream did not take the natural course but got sucked into a different depression. Following this, the repair work on the ground was stalled and the administration instead asked the media to refrain from spot-reporting, pointing out that their presence pulls villagers to the vulnerable site that may be laden with risk to their well-being. The authorities also imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to dissuade villagers from clicking selfies and recording videos from “unsafe” sites.Saying it is alive to the issue, the district administration said it has formed a team to study the geological event and to resolve the matter.Piyush Singla, Anantnag district commissioner, said four technical teams from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar, Department of Earth Sciences of Kashmir University, Fisheries Department and Geology and Mining have conducted tests using Proton Precession Magnetometer to understand the event. “Studies reveal since water is flowing into it for many days, there is a possibility of a large network of underground cavities or water-holding reservoirs,” he said, quoting the observation of the team.Singla said the sinkhole is formed by the chemical weathering of rock formation. “At the site of the sinkhole, the underlying rock formation in the area is soluble limestone. Dissolution over long periods creates cavities in the rocks and these may cave in gradually or suddenly,” he said.Dr Shakil Romshoo, vice-chancellor at the Islamic University of Technology in Kashmir and an earth sciences expert, concurred, saying the formation of sinkholes is a natural phenomenon, usually in the limestone layer of the stream or a river.“Caves, caverns are all common Karst topography features. The entire south Kashmir area is covered in Karst terrain. These are made up of limestones which are soluble. That is why there are many springs in south Kashmir like Kokernag, Achabal, Indernag, and Matan,” he said, adding that the water will now appear as a spring somewhere nearby and will continue on its downstream course. “Thank God there are no houses or people nearby; else it can be a disaster,” he added.Romshoo suggested filling up the sinkhole with sand, gravel, stones, and boulders and then covering it with five-feet concrete in order to restore the original river channel and aquatic life of the downstream stretch. The district administration is also going for a tracer test to detect if the water seepage through the sinkhole is finding any outlet. “A chemical is mixed in the water going through the sinkhole and then many nearby water resources are kept under observation to see if the same discharge finds a way into them. This way you can ensure the outflow of this particular stream,” added Romshoo.Some experts suggest that until the event is studied, it is imperative the stream is put back on track without any delay.“The sinkhole could have been easily bypassed by laying a concrete bridge to restore the river channel. These days fabricated slabs are available and a dozen-odd could have done the trick. The scientists can do their job but at least this way you could save the aquatic life of the stream,” a senior engineer told News 18.Anxious villagers, meanwhile, are hoping the stream is restored to its pristine status without any delay.Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.