Srinagar- Fearing repetition of September 2014 like deluge that wreaked havoc far and wide in Kashmir, people in several Civil Lines areas moved to safer places last night, even as elaborate arrangements were put in place by the administration to deal with any eventuality.
The downpour that persisted for more than twenty-four hours caused locals to flee frantically for protection, reminding them of the devastating floods that hit Kashmir ten years ago.
People were seen moving household things from the ground level to the top floor at Lasjan, Rajbagh, Ikhrajpora, Jawaharnagar, Padshahi Bagh and Mehjoor Nagar, while women, children, and the elderly were relocated to safer places.
Large crowds of spectators gathered on the Bund side at Residency Road, discussing the situation, which stemmed from nonstop rain that continued till late last night.
“The deluge that hit Kashmir in 2014 served as a lesson for us as it caused enormous damage, which was nothing short of a nightmare. Since we haven’t fully recovered from the 2014 trauma, we immediately moved to safer locations and entrusted Allah with our possessions,” Aijaz Ahmad Dar, A Kursoo Rajbagh resident, told Kashmir Observer.
When contacted Chief Engineer Irrigation and Flood Control (I & FC) Department, Naresh Kumar said the administration had asked people not to worry since the situation was under control and the water level had not surged above the danger mark.
“People should be commended for adhering to the district administration’s advisory; prevention is better than cure. Analysis based updates were given by the department, which was closely monitoring the situation, from time to time. There was nothing to panic about because the administration had not anticipated any potential flood threat,” Kumar told Kashmir Observer.
The unceasing downpour that persisted for over twenty-four hours, Dar said, brought back memories of the deluge that wreaked havoc on the valley on September 7, 2014.
“Since we could not wait for the rain to stop, we moved all of our belongings to the upper floors right away, fearing that we may get marooned again,” he claimed.
We were terrified every time an update about the situation that emerged in the aftermath of torrential rains was popping up on our mobile phones, he added.
The situation in the fringes of the city including Lasjan, Pantha Chowk, Sempora, and Pandrethan was no different from that of the civil lines as people were moving to their relatives’ places, fearing heavy rains would cause a catastrophic flood.
People were moving household items to safer locations in the city’s Natipora, Chanapora, and Bemina areas, fearing that their possessions will again be destroyed by the devastating flood.
“We relocated our families to relatives’ houses and moved the household to the upper story without taking any risk because we are well aware of 2014 the flood fury,” said Ali Abbas, a resident of Hamdania Colony Bemina.
DC Srinagar Conducts Night Tour Of Srinagar
In order to take first hand assessment of the situation which has arisen due to incessant rainfall, the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Dr. Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat, on Monday late night undertook a whirlwind tour of various areas of Srinagar City to inspect the measures taken in the prevailing weather situation to prevent flood like situation in the district.
Besides Additional Deputy Commissioner Syed Ahmad Kataria and Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Khalid Hussain Malik, the DC was accompanied by SDM East , SDM West, Senior Officers from Irrigation & Flood Control, R&B, SMC, PDD, UEED and other departments.
The DC, who is also the Chairman District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), visited different areas of the City including Jehangir Chowk, Residency road, TRC, Rambagh, Hyderpora Humhama, Mehjoor Nagar, Jawahar Nagar, Kursoo Rajbagh, Zero bridge and other adjoining areas to take stock of the preventive measures undertaken to ensure effective flood management system.
He also inspected the I & FC Control Room, Ram Munshibagh.
During the tour, the DC passed several directions to the concerned Officers for immediate compliance with regard to the measures to be taken for avoiding any flood like situation and reaching out to the public to provide them timely assistance.
The Officers were also directed to put in place all requisite men and machinery at vulnerable spots, besides taking measures for water logging of inundated low lying areas. The DC asked the concerned to ensure that all dewatering and pumping stations are operational particularly at essential installations including hospitals, Power stations, Ration stores, besides in inner habitations, lanes and by-lanes.
On the occasion, the DC was informed that a sufficient number of sand bags have been kept reserved to deal with any exigent situation in the district. He was also informed that these sand bags are being laid at vulnerable spots as a preventive measure to deal with any flood like situation.
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