Srinagar The State Governments bid to make the Jehlum Flood Spill Channel (FSC) better still seems to be a distant dream as none of the projects formulated since 1970s on FSC could be completed even after the lapse of over 40 years.
Official sources said that some of these projects had to either shelved or they have become obsolete and outdated with the passage of time and their purpose remained to the extent of records only.
These officials said that various projects for increasing the carrying capacity of FSC and keeping it alive were formulated under flood management, however, the completion of these projects got delayed due to non-availability of funds. An official wishing not to be named told CNS that as there is no regular and continuous course of flow in the bed of FSC, the flow is spreading over the entire bed width and remained stagnant resulting in silt deposition. The FSC has lost its hydraulic parameters disproportionately as revealed from the detailed survey carried out by the department, he said.
Sources said that due to negligence of the Irrigation and Flood Control department dredging of the River Jehlum was resumed after a gap of 34 years on the instructions of then PHE minister Taj Mohiuddin. No thorough desilting or dredging of the River Jehlum was undertaken in 42 kilometer long flood spill channel from Padshahi Bagh to Nengli. This work was done randomly, officials said that the height of carelessness on part of the successive state governments could be understood from the fact that from 1958 to 2009 no interest was shown to import Dredging machines from outside countries.
A dredge had been imported from America in 1912 while another dredge was brought in 1958. From 1958 to 2009, the department felt no need to import sophisticated dredges. The Central Government provided Rs 2200 crore in 2009 for flood control measures in Jammu and Kashmir and yet the Valley was ravaged by floods, official sources told CNS.
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