The incessant rains have led to the water logging in number of areas including Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of summer capital city of Srinagar.
Specter of last year's devastating floods has returned to haunt the people in the Kashmir valley. Incessant rains have triggered panic following massive water-logging and rising water levels in Jhelum in Srinagar. Rumors of floods have led to the panic, buying of the essentials and fuel which has further complicated the problem.
Met office has predicted more rains and snow in coming days which is giving sleepless nights to the people who suffered during last year's devastating floods in the valley.
Deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh said the water level at Sangam gauge stood at 15 feet against the alarm level of 18 feet at 6pm. "At Ram Munshibagh the water level stands at 14.5 feet against alarm level of 16 feet, while as at Asham the water level has been recorded as nine feet against alarm level of 30 feet", said Singh.
Singh said the administration is on alert in the wake of heavy rains in valley and the situation is being monitored continuously. "People should not panic. All precautionary measures have been put in place," he said. Jammu and Kashmir government has shifted 221 families from different villages due to the continuous downpour which triggered land erosion and landslides in Budgam district of central Kashmir.
"The families have been lodged in tents provided by the district administration. In some cases the affected families were shifted to nearby schools and other government buildings," said Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjoora, J&K agriculture minister.
The incessant rains have led to the water logging in number of areas including Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of summer capital city of Srinagar.
People ran helter-skelter in panic as water threatened to enter homes in some civil line areas. Bemina Colony, which was the epicenter of September floods, was on its toes with people converging on flood channels and bunds to monitor the situation.
"We are shifting the goods from ground storey to first and second floor as water level is increasing fast. We can't take a chance," said Tahir Ahmad, a resident of Bemina colony.
Srinagar is witnessing an extraordinary rush at fuel pumps, grocery and medicine stores. People are buying to store the essentials to avoid last year like situation when floods wreaked havoc. "Last year we had to struggle. This time we want to store before any untoward happens," said Ishtiyaq Ahmad Khan, a local resident at Karan Nagar.
Given the flood like situation, the authorities have also postponed examinations for Monday and Tuesday. Srinagar-Jammu highway also has been shut because of the incessant rains.
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