Averting loss due to floods

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha during his visit to Zero Bridge and reviewing the overall preparedness for flood management on Sunday rightly instructed I&FC Department to expedite the flood management works especially on Flood Spill Channel so that life and property of public can be safeguarded.  Intermittent rains from the last few days in Kashmir caused Jhelum to swell and cross flood-alert mark at few places and flood danger level at Pampore in south Kashmir.

The Jhelum, considered as lifeline to Kashmir, flowed above the danger mark at Sangam in Anantnag district and Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar since Saturday evening, bringing back the nightmares of 2014 when massive floods inundated vast areas of the valley.

The water level in south Kashmir’s Sangam gauge crossed the flood alarm mark of 21-f around 2000 hours on Saturday but at 10 p.m. on Sunday it was flowing at 18.51-ft.

At Pampore, it was flowing at 5.14m against flood-mark of 5.0m at 10 p.m. while at Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar, it was at 18.98 feet against the alarm level of 18-feet and flood level of 21-feet, they said.

As depicted from data, luckily so far the water body did not breach the flood danger levels at most places like early September 2014 when Kashmir Valley witnessed once-in-a-century flooding. However it is not prudent to assume that floods occur once every hundred years. The worst-flooding reminds of the devastation all around the Valley, more so in the summer capital of J&K and south Kashmir. Flood water levels rose to heights hardly imagined, submerging even the 2nd floors of several houses. It cut off road connectivity and forced many people to risk venturing through the rising and unbelievably cold water. Numerous people were subjected to untold miseries even though death count remained low due to grit and determination shown by youth, most of them virtually risked their lives and fortunately came triumph in their endeavor. A huge number of residential and commercial buildings were damaged alongside thousands of vehicles. The disaster was attributed to Jhelum’s choking drainage system, unable to withstand the runoff water volume. Jhelum discharge exceeded capacity, flooding not only the low-lying areas but the ones which had never witnessed deluge. Most components of the flood were man-made.  Despite such devastation, people fail to learn crucial lessons. In the last nine years since the worst flooding, Kashmir had close shaves every time it rained heavily. People need to understand that playing with nature has consequences which could be devastating or even costlier than one could even imagine.

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