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| Srinagar localities still under deep waters | | Fear of epidemic looms large | | Bashir Assad
SRINAGAR, Sept 13: Six to seven feet of water is still there in the major residential areas of Srinagar like Rajbagh, Jawahar Nagar, Gogji Bagh, Wazirbagh, Tulsibagh, Balgarden and Karan Nagar. In these areas, carcasses of animals can be seen floating in hundreds as a result of which the fear of epidemic is looming large. The state administration and J&K Police are still nowhere to be seen. This is the scene of the capital city 10 days after the devastating floods.
The rescue teams battling the tough conditions are of the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and volunteers from higher reaches of Kashmir. The anger of the affected people is now directed towards the state government.
Low-lying areas of Srinagar, marked by high density of population, are still trapped in floodwaters. The ground floors of the buildings in these areas are still submerged in water, with the residents trapped on upper floors.
Director General NDRF O P Singh told Early Times that their teams have now come to the conclusion that water will not recede from these low-lying areas of Srinagar soon. "The residents here do not even want to leave their houses because of fear of looting, which has already started. In these areas, we have now shifted our focus from rescue to relief work. We are carrying eatables, drinking water, medicines and blankets to the residents of these localities," he said.
Singh said that till now, 34 tons of eatables and drinking water had been provided in these areas by NDRF alone. The Army and local volunteers are carrying out relief work at their own level. "The state administration, NDRF and the Army will have to collectively work out a way by which the flood water from these areas can somehow be pumped out. This area is below the river level and will need intensive pumping," said the DG.
A total of 23 teams of NDRF are engaged in the rescue operations in Srinagar city alone, operating 140 boats.
Anger against state administration
The unwavering efforts of the Army and NDRF in rescuing the flood-hit residents of Srinagar and the other regions of Kashmir are now being acknowledged by residents in many areas. But there is a strong wave of anger against the state administration.
People are also shocked to note that the entire administrative and police network is missing, as if never existed. Ghulam Hassan, owner of a saloon at Wazir Bagh, said that for the month of September and the coming months, these state and police officials will continue to draw their heavy salaries. "For what are they drawing their salaries? To whom are they accountable? We have only heard how they arranged for the evacuation of their families from Srinagar and were not to be seen again. Who is going to question them for total neglect of duty in this state of emergency," he asked.
Looting on the rise
In areas that are still under water, residents have moved their valuables to upper floors. There are reports that some unscrupulous elements identify these houses during day time in the guise of helping the rescue teams and at night, they target these houses and take away their valuables.
There is a growing demand among residents of these areas that the Army and para-military forces should carry out night-patrolling to prevent the looting, and not allow anybody to move about in shikaras or boats at late hours.
Fruit-growers hit
The harvesting of apples had started just before floods hit Kashmir. Now, fruit worth thousands of crores is rotting in orchards, most of which are on high altitude and have not been hit by floods. The Sringar-Jammu highway is closed and the mandis in the lower areas are either out of bound or not functioning.
Reports from Ramban reveal that authorities have decided to focus on re-opening the Jammu-Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road at the earliest to provide access to the valley from an alternate route. It is learnt that the Ramban-Banihal stretch of the Srinagar-Jammu highway has been extensively damaged by flash floods.
Fear of epidemic looms large
In the water-logged areas of Srinagar, carcasses of animals are floating in hundreds. There is an unbearable stink in these areas. The doctors working at the relief camps say they are afraid of the break out of an epidemic. Already, cases of diarrhea, vomitting, stomach ache etc are pouring into the camps, forcing the medical teams to work round-the-clock.
Anti-bacterial medicines are being provided to flood victims to minimize the chances of an epidemic break-out. |
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