Warwan Valley


The Warwan Valley is a Himalayan sub-valley and a tehsil in Kishtwar District in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India. The Valley lies northeast of Kishtwar and from Srinagar the capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
It falls the jurisdiction of Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Geology

The Warwan Valley is drained by the Warwan River. It is a river formed by the confluence of the Batkot and Gumbar streams. The river is called Marusudar in the lower reaches of the valley and is the biggest right tributary of the Chenab River which in turn is a tributary of the Indus River system.
A geological mapping survey has revealed that the Warwan Valley has experienced three distinct phases of folding in polyphase deformation. The Palaeozoic-Mesozoic succession crops out in the southern part of the valley, while as the eastern limb is overturned. The survey mapped the following stratigraphic succession from oldest to youngest:
;Proterozoic
Salkhala Group
;Paleozoic
;Triassic
;Jurassic
The Warwan is a himalayan valley situated at an altitude of above sea level. It is bordered by main Kashmir Valley in the north and Ladakh in the east. Its parent district Kishtwar lies in the south. A few villages are Sukhnai, Margi, Busmina, Aftee and Inshan.

Flora and fauna

About 75% of the valley remains under vegetation-cover and a total of 285 plant species, belonging to 191 genera in 60 families were recorded in a floristic survey, conducted in 2015. Among these plant species 26 are categorised as threatened. The main flowering season in the valley is June to July. The valley is rich in medicinal plants, which are used to treat ailments of the local people.

Accessibility

Warwan Valley is one of the remotest valleys of Jammu and Kashmir and it suffers from a lack of access to proper roads, communication facilities and electricity. The valley remains cut off for almost six-seven months every year due to heavy snowfall. In 2016, Sukhnoi village of the valley got completely destroyed by fire.