"If they stop water, all of this will turn into the Thar desert, the whole country," one farmer said. "We'll die of hunger."

Following Tuesday's massacre of 26 mostly Indian tourists, hostilities have intensified between India and Pakistan over the hotly contested Kashmir region.

A day after the U.N. appealed for restraint following Tuesday's deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, India reported an exchange of fire across the de facto border in the disputed region.