Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Sept 20: As major parts of flood hit Srinagar city are still inundated, an initial estimate reveals that around 500 houses have collapsed in Srinagar city and more face threat of collapse as water fails to recede.
Large numbers of houses have collapsed in Jawahar Nagar, Rajbagh, Kursu, Wazir Bagh, Gogjibagh and there is threat to many more houses as water is receding slowly despite several cuts made to the banks of river Jhelum and flood channels and over two dozen water pumps draining out water round the clock from these areas.
Javed Ahmad of Jawahar Nagar whose house collapsed last week two days after flooding said that since de-watering was started 6 days ago only around two feet of water have receded from the Jawahar Nagar and its adjacent areas.
The flooding has posed major threat to the houses that are still standing and residents who are sitting on the flood channel and river Jhelum banks are keeping their fingers crossed.
Bashir Ahmad, a resident of Gogjibagh, said that flood waters are receding very slowly. “We don’t know when will these waters recede? With each single day the threat of collapse of our houses increases”, he said.
As the waters are slowly receding from Jawahar Nagar and adjacent area, they are hardly receding from Bemina, Batmaloo, Qamarwari and other areas where people face many hardships.
As the water level receded in parts of Lal Chowk area, commercial hub of Kashmir, the real devastation on the ground is coming to the fore. The shops selling local, national and international brands and costly Kashmir art including paper machie has been turned into mounds of debris.
All shops at Polo View, Residency Road, Lambert Lane, Abu Guzar and Ghanta Ghar, M A Road, Abi Guzar are being emptied by the owners and debris is lying on the roads.
Former president of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), Rauf Ahmad Punjabi, told Excelsior that the losses of the traders and shopkeepers are running into thousands of crores of rupees. “We have asked businessmen to furnish details of their losses. It is difficult to make any guess right now. Since the commercial hub has been hit so losses are more,” he added.
Punjabi said that the Government should prevail upon insurance companies so that the claims are set as quickly as possible.
Mushtaq Ahmad, a business and hotelier said that it will take at least one decade for the traders to bounce back. He blamed Government for not taking effective measures to save city centre.
In the meantime, Government has started vaccination of the children in the age group of 0-15. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah yesterday said that Government is short of 12 lakh vaccines and will procure rest of them from open market.
However, Minister for Health and Medical Education, Taj Mohi-ud-Din today said that six lakh anti measles vaccines are ready with the Government and more are on their way to Srinagar.
The Government is trying to restore health services in Srinagar city where four major hospitals of Lal Ded Memorial Hospital, SMHS Hospital, Bone and Joints Hospital, Children’s Hospital and SKIMS Hospital Bemina were inundated.
In Bone and Joints Hospital that was made functional early this week, one block has been converted into a gynae and obstetrics unit. The Maternity Hospital, Sanat Nagar, that was not affected by floods is handling the gynae patients in absence of Lal Ded Memorial Hospital that is still inundated.
Principal, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Dr. Rafiq Pampori said that Government is re-opening SMHS Hospital and G B Pant Hospital on Monday. The water from these hospitals is being drained out.
The Government today said that they have set up 58 mobile health clinics in the Srinagar city and efforts are on to drain out from the G B Pant Hospital, L D Hospital and SMHS Hospital. They are also pressing into service four mobile hospitals.
Government today said that the SMHS Hospital has suffered losses of around Rs. 100 crore to its machinery and diagnostic equipment due floods. Chief Minister yesterday said that city hospital has lost Rs 150 crore equipment.
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