Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 7: Kashmir Valley was lashed by incessant rains since Sunday inundating parts of Kashmir while hills like Gulmarg and Pahalgam received mild snowfall.
Director Meteorological Department, Srinagar, Sonam Lotus told Excelsior the weather will improve from tomorrow afternoon and it will remain dry for next five days.
Srinagar received a total rainfall of 28.3 mm from Sunday till today afternoon with clouds hovering over the sky till these reports were filed.
The showers also dipped the temperature with minimum at 6.4 degrees Celsius and maximum temperature at 10.2 degree Celsius.
Banihal and Kokernag in south Kashmir received a rainfall 4.5 and 9.4 millimeter respectively.
The rainfall inundated most of the streams in the Valley, causing damage to the crops as rivulets and river Jhelum were flowing near danger mark.
However, the Irrigation and Flood Control (IFC) Department ruled out any imminent flood threat. “At present the water level at Sangam is 18 feet, below its alarm level of 24 feet because rains have stopped in the afternoon. By 8 pm the water level will be 18.30 feet at Sangam. The water level at Srinagar is 15.90 feet. We expect the water level to recede. But if more rains occur, flood is imminent,” Chief Engineer, Javeed Jaffer told Excelsior.
Incessant rains also disrupted traffic and public movement across the Valley. Srinagar-Jammu Highway witnessed huge traffic jam throughout the day. And the under-construction road was water-logged especially at Pantha Chowk, Pampore, Lethpora, Barsoo and Awantipora.
Many areas in Srinagar were found water logging at several key places with vehicles and people wading through knee-deep waters to walk ahead. The busy road at Kashmir Haat near Jahangir Chowk near was fully submerged with water.
Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) again faced public wrath as the civic body failed to drain the water-logged streets and localities.
Reports from Srinagar’s Downtown said that the areas including Safa Kadal, Eidgah, Nowshera, Soura and Ali Jan Road are water-logged. Similar reports were received from Gulshan Nagar, Mehjoor Nagar, Gogji Bagh, Wazir Bagh, Jawahar Nagar, Rajbagh and Bemina areas.
SMC, however, said the mobile de-watering pumps have been pressed into service at many areas.
People flayed the civic body for posting photographs on social networking sites about de-watering and blamed it for doing nothing on ground.
They said the SMC has failed to de-water the Pratap Park which is inundated with water from the last one month.
Commissioner SMC, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Qasba, did not reply to the repeated attempts to contact him for his comments.
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