Sixteen people have been killed in mudslides and hundreds of people have left their homes in Kashmir after heavy rain over the weekend caused flooding in the Valley. There has been no rain since Monday, but the weather department has predicted heavy showers in the coming days.
Of the 16 people killed in Budgam, the bodies of all have been recovered from a house that collapsed in landslides triggered by rain. The water levels in the river Jhelum have receded. Late on Sunday night, the river crossed the danger mark, causing panic in a region devastated by floods in September that left some 250 people dead and destroyed thousands of homes.
The state government declared floods and more than 300 families were moved to safety. Officials have set up over 20 relief camps fearing a repeat of the previous floods. All schools were closed on Monday and exams were postponed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to monitor relief operations. "I hope and pray that we don't have to face the situation we faced in September. But there is no loss of communication or any major loss to roads," said former chief minister Omar Abdullah, whose defeat in the state polls last year was partly blamed on the poor handling of the floods.
The armed forces, along with four helicopters, have been kept ready for deployment at short notice. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force are in the flood-hit areas of Srinagar. The central government has granted Rs 2 billion as immediate relief, and the state government has sanctioned Rs 250 million for Kashmir and Rs 100 million for the Jammu region, which also has been affected.
According to officials, the water level at Sangam and Ram Munshi Bagh - two monitoring sites - is below the danger mark and can go down further if there is no rain. "Water levels at Sangam was 16 feet and at Ram Munshi Bagh is 17.3. If the water level at Sangam comes further down to 12 ft, hopefully we will have no floods even if it rains for two more days,'' said minister for public works Altaf Bhukari. The government, however, is not ready to lower its guard.
"We have increased vigil along the river banks and our local administration is all geared up. Even if there is a flood situation we should be able to evacuate 95% of the population on foot. The requirement for boats should be less,'' Bhukari added.
According to him, meteorological department has not predicted a very strong weather system in the coming days. "They are saying only 25 mm rain is expected but we still have to be vigilant,'' he added. Incessant rains on Saturday and Sunday caused Jhelum to swell creating panic in Srinagar, which was one of the worst hit in September's devastating floods.
After the state government declared floods, people started moving out of the areas which were affected by the last inundation. Landslide had hit Hajjam Mohalla of Laden on Monday burying two houses to the ground. There were three families in the houses comprising 8 men, 7 women and an infant who was less than a month old. According to local police officials, rescue operations were difficult as the machines could not be moved to the spot. "The area had turned into a swamp, so rescue and search operations had to be undertaken manually," said a police officer.
Flood situation under control: Rajnath
The Centre on Tuesday said the flood situation in Jammu & Kashmir so far is not as grave as last year but authorities are on alert to deal with any situation. "Situation is not as grave as last time. But we are fully alert and if required we will send more assistance," home minister Rajnath Singh said.
The home minister on Tuesday had a telephonic conversation with Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who gave him a detailed briefing about the flood situation in the state. "We have our government there now. They are doing their best. But as of now situation is under control," he said.
