Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Sept 6: The flood fury continues to play havoc with the people of Kashmir valley with more areas getting submerged today as the water level in river Jhelum continues to be on upward trend with it flowing 10 feet above the danger mark at Sangam in South Kashmir's Anantnag district.
Meanwhile, authorities have postponed all the Haj flights from Srinagar up to September 12. The revised dates for postponed Haj flights would be announced later on. The Haj house here in the summer capital is submerged in flood.
In the meantime, one more person died due to flood related incidents. A widow of Badran-Magam suffered massive heart attack after learning that her paddy field suffered massive damage due to the flood. The woman passed away on the spot.
Reports reaching from Central, South and North Kashmir said that thousands of people are still stranded in the flood water with the rescue teams yet to reach them. However, at the same time the rescue teams consisting of police, army, National Disaster Response Force and civil administration rescued and evacuated around 2000 persons from villages hit badly by flood.
Scores of structures including bridges have collapsed across the Kashmir valley. The collapse of the bridges has halted the movement of people with inter-district connectivity getting a serious hit. Bridges have suffered extensive damages in Pulwama, Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam, Budgam, Srinagar, Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora.
Reports said that around 400 villages with most of them located in the South Kashmir are completely submerged in the flood. More than 1200 villages have been affected to a great extent by the flood and thousands of other villages have been partially submerged in the flood. People living in these villages have to face the brunt and most of them had to move out to safer places.
For the fourth consecutive day South Kashmir districts of Pulwama, Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian were badly hit by flood. All the major rivers, streams and nullahs in these districts are flowing above the danger mark. These water bodies have breached the embankment at many places and as a result of this the villages located nearby had to face the brunt of nature's fury.
Officials said that police in collaboration with civil administration and security forces have relocated more than 13,000 persons from flood hit areas across the valley. The officials said that large scale rescue operations have been launched across the valley in order to rescue people who are trapped in the flood.
In the South Kashmir's Pulwama district thousands of residents of Kakapora, Samboora, Awantipora, Pampore, Goripora, Gallander, Marvel, Litter, Wachi, Rajpora, Murran, Zinipora, Lethpora and many others have been trapped in the flood water. These areas continue to be inundated and the rescue operations seem to be very less given the magnitude of the flood that has affected across length and breadth of the valley. Eight army jawans were rescued after they drowned while carrying out rescue operations in this district.
Majority of the people living in these villages have shifted to the top storey of their houses since the water has seeped into the ground and other stories of their respective houses. These people are not able to move out given the height of water around and the airlifting seems to be the only option available at the present moment. One cannot rule the casualties if the houses crumble under the impact of water. Interestingly, some of the people living in the South Kashmir had declined to shift to safer places saying that the flood would not be furious threatening their lives.
In the Anantnag district dozens of villages and localities have been submerged in the flood water and here too thousands continue to be trapped inside. The flood has badly hit areas like Bijbehara, Khanabal, Janglat Mandi, Pahalgam, Mattan, Kokernag, Shangus and Dooru. Villages located in these areas have been badly hit and the residents are facing a tough situation.
Reports said that three Gujjar families consisting of 12 members are missing over the past three days in the upper reaches of the Dooru area. The livestock of these Gujjar families has reportedly perished in the flood but there is no information about their whereabouts.
In the Kulgam district the flood has created havoc in areas like Damhal Hanjipora, Noorabad, Devsar, Qazigund and Yore Khushipora. While majority of the residents have either moved to safer places or evacuated there are many who are yet to be shifted to safer places. Dozens of structures including bridges and Masjids have been damaged in the flood.
Reports said that there are some families in this South Kashmir district who move to higher reaches to graze their cattle are missing ever since the flood hit the area. These people are missing over the past few days and nobody knows about their whereabouts.
In the Srinagar district areas on either side of Baramulla-Srinagar-Jammu highway got inundated today thus adding more areas to the list of the areas submerged due to flood. Areas like Gulbahar Colony, Gulberg Colony, Nowgam, Khanday Colony and Railway Colony got inundated thus causing panic among the residents. Around 500 people in the Nowgam area were rescued by the rescue teams here in the afternoon.
In the meantime, the flood situation worsened in areas like Mehjoor Nagar, Lasjan, Padshahi Bagh, Rambagh, Barzulla, Baghat, Gangbugh, Tengpora, Pandrethan, Pantha Chowk, Batwara, Kursoo Rajbagh, Bemina, Moti Mohalla, Mir Behri Dal, Guzerbal and Noor Bagh. River Jhelum caused a breach near the Zero Bridge and the flood water reached the Rajbagh area. At least one house has been damaged due to the rains in the Padshahi Bagh but there are no reports of any casualty.
Flood water also entered the premises of Doordarshan Kendra, Srinagar located near the Tourist Reception Centre here. The seeping of the water disrupted the transmission for hours and the same was restored only when the station was dewatered. The High Power transmitter of Radio Kashmir, Srinagar at Narbal also got submerged due to flood water but its transmission was going on when last reports came in.
In the Budgam district the miseries for the masses compounded as the flood water entered many more areas and villages. Villages like Narbal, Checki Kawoosa, Magam, Arath, Soibugh, Haji Bagh, Batpora-Wathoora and Banhar got submerged with flood water. Rescue teams have yet to reach most of the people living in these villages and as such many people continue to be trapped.
Some of the bridges located in the Chadoora, Panzan, Mochuwa and Narbal areas of the district have suffered huge damages due to the flood. Embankments have also been breached in many areas and as such the water has seeped into the localities of the different villages in the district.
A police spokesman said that several rescue teams have been dispatched to the many affected areas particularly Pantha Chowk, Lasjan and Zewan in Srinagar. Tents have been distributed in Parimpora, Noor Bagh and Lasjan. Dry ration has been distributed by police at Pantha Chowk, Parimpora and Lasjan.
"In Budgam, many affected families have been rescued in Magam area. Rescue operation is going on in Peer Bagh and Naar Kara areas of Budgam. In Sonamarg 10 tourist couples were rescued from Nitchnaie. About 500 people have been rescued from nearby flood hit areas of Nowgam and relocated in Railway Station, Nowgam," said the police spokesman.
The police spokesman said that 13 families hit by flash flood were rescued by police from Badpora, Dar Mohalla and Sholre in Kupwara. He said that Srinagar police established a community Langar for people displaced by the foods at Boatman Colony and Fruit Mandi in Parimpora area.
"IR-20 have rescued 17 families comprising of 124 person and 25 orphan children from Yateem trust Singhpora Pattan and have been shifted to Armed Police complex Parihaspora, Pattan, Baramulla. Handwara police rescued the family of Ghulam Hassan Tali of Aadoora, Handwara and shifted them to safer place. Ganderbal Police has launched a rescue work at Ahanger Mohalla, Gadoora, Coorag and Prang area," said the police spokesman.
The police spokesman said that in Baramulla, 192 families comprising of 4325 member from Shrakvara, Wangil, Kalantra, Kawchek, Chopan Mohallah, Wagoora and Dugdoar have been shifted to safer places. He said that 715 families comprising of 4325 persons from Gooligam, Mahrajpora, Hanjivera-Payeen, Malpora, Arampora, Bonin, Shall Aalambal. Kripalgrhm, gund khawaja Qasim, Janipora Mandyari, Habbak, Malmuchin and Toziharan villages at Pattan have been shifted to safer places.
"192 families comprising of 1450 persons from Danusayeedam Kunekchal, Parenpeela, Jabla, Balgund, Churanda, Sakidar, Nowpora, SaifpQazi Chahla Mchra villages, in the jurisdiction of police station Uri have been shifted to safer places. 12 families comprising of 70 members from Bella Salamabad, Pranjutran Boniyar, in the jurisdiction of police station Boniyar have been shifted to safer places,' said the police spokesman.
The police spokesman said that 11 families comprising of 55 persons from Gonipora, Braripora, Waskhura villages, in the jurisdiction of police station Handwara have been shifted to safer places. He said that 20 families comprising of 85 members from Champora, Bangurgund, Neelipora, Paddergund, Gund Momin villages, in the jurisdiction of police station Vilgam have been shifted to safer places.
"12 families comprising of 45 persons from Sonawari, Bicharwara, Iarganapora, Babgund and Khangund, in the jurisdiction of police station Kralgund has been shifted to safer places. 98 persons from Dukaba in the jurisdiction of police station of Bomai were shifted to safer places. 79 families from wandakhpora, Takibal, Sangrampora in the jurisdiction of police station sopore have been shifted to safer places," said the police spokesman.
The police spokesman said that six families from Patoose, Nadihal, in the jurisdiction of police station Panzalla have been shifted to safer places. He said that 10 families comprising of 58 members from Haman Dazana, Pazalpora, Ahangerpora, Zethan, Behrampora, wartergam, Chijhama in Dangiwachi area have been shifted to safer places.
"70 families comprising of about 300 persons from Haritar, Hygam, arbanbal, Panzipora, Tarzoo, Ningli, Ambergora, Krakshvan colony in the jurisdiction of police station Tarzoo were shifted to safer places. In Anantnag, over 2000 people from Sakras, Diver, porden villages of Anantnag District have been rescued and shifted to safer places," said the police spokesman.
The police spokesman said that in Bandipora, 85 families comprising of 548 persons have been shifted to Safer places. He said that n Handwara, 74 families comprising of 465 persons from Handwara, Vilgam, Kralgund, Qalamabad, Langate, Chaogal, Zachaldara and Argam have been shifted to safer places. |
