Srinagar- As the incessant rains brought the water level in rivers close to the danger mark, memories of the devastating 2014 floods resurfaced in Kashmir. The bustling shores of the Jhelum and Doodganda rivers once again became points of attraction for the residents.
“In 2014, we witnessed the torment of nature firsthand. The floods spared no one, and the scars of that calamity still run deep,” remembered an old man while sitting on the bank of the River Jhelum at Rajbagh.
He added, it’s disheartening to see people flocking to the riverbanks without realizing the risks involved.
Another young man, Umer, who was in his 20’s, added, “The memories of the flood are still fresh in our minds. It’s crucial that we heed the warnings and take necessary precautions to ensure our safety,” said Umer.
Likewise, the residents of Kashmir’s saffron town Pampore couldn’t sleep for the whole night as roaring Jehlum and gushing nearby streams brought back the gory memories of 2014 deluge.
A decade on, the inhabitants of various areas of Pampore that include Kadlabal, Drangbal, Namblabal, Tanche Bagh, Frestbal and several other areas, believe that nothing much was done by the previous governments and the present administration to raise the height of river-embankments.
“Trust me, we couldn’t sleep for the whole night (April 29/30) as water level continuously rose in the Jehlum river. The nearby streams were making so much noise as water was flowing with a great speed,” said Muhammad Sultan, a resident of Drangbal. Sultan’s house was raised to ground in September 2014 deluge that left behind a huge trail of death and destruction.
“I lost my house and despite the passing of 10 years, I haven’t been able to rebuild it properly. Even though I received some relief and compensation from the government, it’s not easy to build a house the way it was built earlier, as there are many challenges,” Sultan said. With the first light of the day (on April 30), soon after offering pre-dawn prayers, he along with his neighbour Ghulam Ahmed, rightaway visited the Pampore main market to see the water level.
“It looked as if 2014 was set to return again as water level was rising with every minute and Jehlum was roaring the same way,” he said. “After having my breakfast, I once again visited Pampore town to see the status of water. Since the rain had stopped but water level was still rising. I continued to pray to the Almighty to save us from the floods this time. Finally, the water level began to recede gradually at 2 pm.”
He said that it was unfortunate that the height of the river embankment at main town Pampore wasn’t raised. “The work was left mid-way in 2014 and since then nothing has been done to raise the height of the embankment. The administration must restart alignment and repair of river embankments to prevent water from entering into residential areas as seen in 2014.”
Abdul Samad, another resident, said that there is a dire need of aligning the river embankment from Drangbal to Frestbal as this stretch witnessed many breaches in 2014 floods. “If the rain would have continued today, floods were set to happen. Almighty saved us…. We can’t prevent natural calamities, but we can take preventive measures. One big step is to raise the level of bund (river embankment),” he said and urged the LG Manoj Sinha administration to take immediate steps to -rebuild the embankments especially from Drangbal to Frestbal.
In Samad’s family, not a single family member slept for the night as rumours were ripe that floods would happen given the fact that water level was rising at a great speed.
Many residents including youngsters, who were keenly watching the Jhelum flow, advocated the authorities must start dredging of the river from Drangbal to Pantha Chowk on war footing once the water level goes down. “Our heartbeats go faster every time rainfall continues for two to three days. It is high time those at the helm must start fast-track dredging of the river stretch so that residents of Pampore and its adjoining areas can sleep without any fear whenever it rains,” said Asif Bhat, a shopkeeper at main town Pampore.
“Cosmetic measures won’t do, it’s time to do something concrete on the ground.”
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