Anantnag: Even after high court order to remove all the construction from the banks of river Jhelum and its tributaries, the mushroom growth of hotels alongside Lidder continues to flourish in Yaned (rafting point), Movra, Batkoot, Khanwadi, Mattan area of Anantnag district.
In addition to this, the earlier order which was already passed to demolish all the construction in the vicinity of 200 meters in Lidder and 100 meters in Dal Lake, the order doesnt seem to be implemented yet and the chain of hotels continue to grow. The horrific and heart breaking scenes of September 2014 floods are still fresh in the minds of the people.
As the region struggles to cope with the aftershock of the whirling waters which have left many dead and millions homeless, the question is, Why this flood? Is this a natural tragedy or a result of human violations? Could it have been prevented? Is there a link between repeated floods occurring in the state? And what can the state do to cope with the disaster.
The devastating floods were a warning signal for the people of the valley not to exploit their resources. The destruction caused by the floods was massive and vast. Till this date, we remember the horrifying sights caused by the floods.
The destruction was due to encroachments of rivers, hotels discharging sewage in these waters, mismanagement of resources. Poor planning also share the blame. But do people really care? It seems public continue to exploit their resources to every extent. People for their own profit can go to any extent without caring for Nature.
The expert committee has reported that out of total width of the embankments only one by fifth is left out without violation and the rest has been encroached. People across the valley believe that encroachment on water bodies led to the submerging of the valley during the devastating floods.
Due to infringements of river bodies, the water carrying capacity is reduced causing overflowing of rivers. Most of the natural drainage channels have been ruined due to sheer negligence. The old-style system of flood was to channelize the waters from the Himalayas into lakes and water channels.
The Dal and Nigeen Lake in Srinagar are not just its beauty spots but also its sponges. As the banks get choked, the water starts overflowing to the plains. The water from the massive catchment comes into the lakes, which are interred connected. More importantly, each lake has its flood discharge channel from where the water spills over the drainage.
Nonetheless over time, we have forgotten the art of drainage we only see land for construction purpose, nothing for water. For us, progress merely means developing infrastructure giving least importance to a well built drainage system.
Lidder, one of the tributary of Jhelum is considered a great support for Kashmir. Unfortunately persistent pollution encroachment and siltation pose a serious danger to its fragile environment. Its a lifeline of Kashmir.
A while ago seeing Early Times Report dated 18/12/15, Hotelier caught discharging sewage in Lidder; PDA, Police, Fisheries department reluctant to take action. I was taken aback. When will these fellows understand the importance of ecosystem? And more disturbing was that authorities were reluctant to take action against them. Despite ban on construction in these areas, influential persons continue with their construction work. The problem has been compounded by failure of the state government to undertake its restoration on priority. In absence of any conservation measures, the river has lost its carrying capacity.
In 2012 Omar Abdullah had launched the Jhelum Conservation project from north Kashmir Baramullah district, but the absence of funds has however delayed the execution of conservation measures.
Originating from Verinag in South Kashmir, Jhelum spans over 175 km, meandering in a serpentine way from south to north Kashmir. Jhelum is joined by four streams, sundran, brand, arapath and lidder.
Besides, small streams like Veshara and Rambiara also fed the river with fresh waters. The river settles in Wullar Lake before flowing to Pakistan administered Kashmir through Baramullah. Jhelum assumes tremendous importance for providing waters for drinking and irrigation purposes and draining the surplus waters, thus saving Kashmir from floods.
As per authorities the banks of the river have been gradually encroached upon from Islamabad to Baramuullah However in absence of any monitoring systemby authorities, the banks of the river have been gradually encroached upon from Islamabad to Baramullah. The river has been extensively polluted by direct inflow of sewage from all the drains. If we can learn the real lesson behind it, we can find ways of dealing with it in the future.
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