Floods Bring Deluge Of Woes For Jammu & Kashmir Residents

After the Jhelum swelled, water flowed into the house of Dehar Faisal, 26, a resident of Kursu area of Srinagar, bringing back memories of the 2014 floods in Kashmir, when people had to abandon their houses. On August 26, water flooded the ground floors of most houses in Kursu and residents feared that they would have to move unaffected areas as the rain continued. In 2014, the river was in full spate and floods displaced lakhs of people and damaged property worth crores.

In Kashmir, the rainfall has stopped now bringing a degree of relief to residents, but elsewhere in the Union Territory (UT), floods and landslides have resulted in the loss of lives and damaged many houses. The districts of Jammu and Kishtwar remain the worst hit. Vehicles have been swept away, houses damaged, and the people had to wade through knee-deep water to move to safer places. At least 40 people including 30 pilgrims undertaking the Vaishno Devi Yatra, an important pilgrimage for Hindus across the country, were killed.

Dehar, who watched water flow into their garden and into ground floors of several houses, said, " We thought it was like the 2014 floods, the water level was so high that it breached the embankment of the Jhelum and entered our houses.”

Parts of Kashmir, including the southern part of the Valley, particularly Anantang district, faced the brunt of heavy rains submerging several areas, while Srinagar city too faced issues of water-logging in several localities hampering public movement. In Jammu city, floods have left residential as well as government buildings submerged, causing extensive damage to property. In Kishtwar, too the rains have left several houses damaged, while essential services like the power and water supply were also hit.

Authorities earlier said that the assessment of damages due to floods is being undertaken “so that a financial package could be pursued with the Government of India.”

“Relief delivery is our next mission. We have to make arrangements for those whose houses have been damaged. It is our responsibility to look after them until they are settled,” an official spokesperson quoted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as saying in a meeting which was convened to review the relief and restoration measures in Jammu.

Sukesh Khajuria, a Jammu resident, said that the situation in the city had been grim. “Water submerged several areas of city, leaving not only residential pockets inundated, but even the government buildings under water too. There has been an extensive damage to property. This has happened as the people have encroached the banks of Tawi River. After heavy rainfall the river swelled and water gushed into several localities causing floods. The areas which were earlier the natural path of river have now seen the construction of large residential and commercial buildings.”

Local residents in Jammu also held the unregulated construction activity responsible for the floods. “I was not able to go to the railway station to visit Delhi for some personal work as the water flooded most of the areas in Jammu city. These floods have been caused due to our reckless attitude; development has come at the cost of the environment," said R.K. Kalsotra, a resident of Jammu city.

In Kishtwar, heavy rainfall caused damage to several houses in Margi village of Warwan while many areas in the district were left inundated too. Former Minister and senior Congress leader, G.M. Saroori, said that “in Margi several houses were damaged due to the heavy rains while the availability of drinking water and uninterrupted electricity supply also took a hit. People have also lost their cattle in the rains, while some damage was also caused to the public infrastructure. Doda has also faced damages, but in Kishtwar, damage was more extensive.”

Residents of Srinagar heaved a sigh of relief after the drop in the water level of the Jhelum River as the rains stopped. On Sunday, however, the Meteorological Centre Srinagar predicted heavy rains and gusty winds in parts of Srinagar, Budgam, Pampore and some pockets of Puwlama and other South Kashmir areas. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) urged that shikara rides and boating should be suspended in all water bodies.

Saqib Bhat, a Rajbagh resident, said, “The water level in the Jhelum has decreased which has come as a great relief for us. But in case the weather remains bad for a few days, that makes us nervous since that could make the Jhelum swell and result in a flood-like situation."