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| Instead of dredging Jhelum, Govt issues flood alerts | | | Muhammad Mukaram
Early Times Report
Srinagar: Sept 23: The government is trying to hide its failures by announcing flood alerts and not focusing on the much needed dredging of river Jhelum. The recent two-day rain spell once again created a flood like situation in Kashmir with the gauge at Sangam river crossing the danger mark of 21 forcing the Flood Control department to declare flood alert in South and Central Kashmir.
It shows incompetency, failure and lack of execution of the government's policies. Following two days of rains, the authorities wasted no time in issuing a flood alert which apparently according to government was not to create any panic among the general masses.
The common man asks the question should they panic or prepare for Eid festival. Was it a genuine alert or to save the chairs of bureaucratic officials and reminding people of the catastrophic September 2014 floods in which 277 people were killed and lakhs of people were displaced.
"After failing to ensure dredging of river Jhelum, the government brazenly declares flood alert. It has miserably failed to increase the intake capacity of river Jhelum.
By delaying the dredging, the Government seems to be pushing itself to the brink as just a couple of hours of moderate to heavy rains result in flood scare in the valley.
Last year flood hit victims blamed they waited with the hope that State Government will soon come with the dredging of river Jhelum but that did not happen, "Just two drops of rain gives us sleepless nights. I think government has not sought a lesson from last year's catastrophe flood which has left us homeless for many months," said a resident of Sempora whose house was hit by last year's flood.
The repeated promises of government of J&K of much awaited dredging of Jhelum has shown complete failure of Flood and Irrigation department which has still not made up its mind on when to start dredging despite nudged by the Central government.
Authorities has sounded flood alert in Islamabad districtWednesday morning after Jhelum and other nullahs swelled furiously in wake of couple of hours of incessant rains.
In morning, the gauge level at Sangam rose sharply to 21.80ft and touched off the alert mark, a staggering 18ft rise in the span of just 24 hours prompting Irrigation and Flood Control Department to issue flood alert advising vulnerable residents to stay vigilant.
"The residents who are residing along embankments of River Jhelum/ Nallahs and in low lying areas of South and Central Kashmir are advised to remain vigilant," official document of I&FC department reads.
The overall Gauge Reading at 12 am on September 23 remained: Sangam = 21.80 ft (Orange) Ram Munshibagh = 17.80 ft (Yellow) Asham = 6.91 ft (Green).
Meanwhile, moderate to heavy rainfall lashed parts of valley since Monday evening.
On Tuesday water started to rise across many small nallahs particularly across South Kashmir battering by heavy rainfall. In Kulgam as many as five structures were washed away including Chamgund Kulgam diversion as Vaishaw nallah wrecked fury at Laisoo, reports said.
According to MET Department, Islamabad district received 60.4 mm of rain in 24 hours. Giving the area-wise break up, official said, "Srinagar received 38.0 mm of rainfall. Qazigund, Kupwara, Kokernag and Gulmarg received 127.8mm, 35.1 mm, 105.6 mm and 58.0 mm respectively." |
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