Flood horror returns to Jammu & Kashmir; 44 structured houses damaged

At least 44 structures including 18 residential houses were damaged due to landslides caused by heavy rainfall in Kashmir over the past 24 hours, police said on Sunday.

A landslide caused by the rain in Chontinar village of central Kashmir Budgam district destroyed eight residential houses and 10 cowsheds last evening. At least 26 residential houses were partially damaged by the landslide but there were no reports of loss of life, they said.

The incident has created panic among people about possibility of fresh floods in the valley, police said, adding that the residents of the area were evacuated to safety before the landslide struck. The rainfall has also forced closure of Srinagar-Jammu national highway due to landslides at some places, an official of the Traffic Department said. He said the road was closed yesterday for repairs but fresh downpour has resulted in the arterial road remaining close for the second day.

Kashmir valley has been witnessing heavy rainfall since Saturday, leading to sudden surge in water level of rivers, streams and rivulets, causing panic among the residents about possibility of fresh floods. The MET office has predicted wet weather over the next six days with heavy downpour expected today and on April 3.

However, officials of the Flood Control department said there was no reason to panic as the water level in River Jhelum was way below the danger mark.

The heavy downpour has inundated many low lying areas of the city including Rajbagh, one of the worst-hit areas in the floods in September last year. The main road in Rajbagh is covered by more than 18 inches of water while roads in other areas of the city including commercial hub of Lal Chowk and adjoining Regal Chowk are also facing severe water logging problem.

Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Farooq Ahmad Lone said due to technical fault in the electricity supply system, the dewatering operation was delayed.

"The fault in electricity supply has been removed and dewatering has been started. Besides the regular dewatering stations, we are pressing into service fire tenders to dewater the city roads," Lone said.

Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh on Sunday assured there was no need to panic in the wake of heavy rains in the Kashmir, as the government was on full alert. "The state administration is on full alert in the wake of heavy rains in the Valley. The situation is being monitored continuously," Singh informed the Assembly here after members from different parties raised the issue of the flood threat.

"People should not panic and assured that all precautionary measures have been put in place," he said. "The Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is on way to Srinagar to personally monitor the situation arising due to incessant rains in the Valley," an official spokesman said.

The Deputy Chief Minister informed that the water level at 11 am at Sangam stood at 12 ft against danger level of 18 ft. At Ram Munshibagh, the water level was at 12.6 ft against alarm level of 16 ft, while at Asham it was 8.5 ft against alarm level of 30 feet, he said. The water levels are being relayed to the control room on regular basis and right now there is no need for panic. Also a team of ministers comprising Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, Imran Raza Ansari, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, and Asiya Naqash are monitoring the situation on an hourly basis at Srinagar.

The Minister for Flood Control Sukhnandan Kumar is also on his way to Srinagar to take stock of the situation. A team comprising Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, and IGP, Kashmir, has been visiting various flood prone areas to ascertain the situation and precautionary measures taken at Divisional and District levels.

Meanwhile, a special control room has been established at Srinagar police headquarters to monitor the situation. The helpline numbers of the control room are 2452138, 2474040. The Divisional Commissioner has also asked all Deputy Commissioners to remain vigilant, establish control rooms at their respective district headquarters and inform people to remain alert.

Over 200 people died in Jammu and Kashmir in the floods that wreaked havoc in the state after incessant rains in September 2014, leaving thousands homeless.