Suhail Bhat
Baramulla, Oct 4: Traders and residents of historic north Kashmir’s Baramulla town today said that faulty drainage system has rendered the entire area vulnerable to the flash floods.
The locals said that a natural drain channel that runs through the main market of Baramulla town has been narrowed at several places to give way to buildings. The drain is six feet wide from Sangri Colony to Friends Colony but it then narrows into just one foot. They said that the official apathy converted heritage Kanlibag Nallah into a sewage drain and it has been encroached over the years with officials permitting encroachers to build commercial and residential structures against fake revenue records.
The extent of violation in Baramulla town at Mohalla Jadeed is massive wherein huge commercial establishments have further shrunk the canal and blocked the mouth of the drain. “The encroachment has chocked the drain and put us vulnerable to flash floods that are more frequent in their area,” said Nazir Ahmad, a local.
From past several years now, residents have been complaining that their concerns have hardly been considered seriously. They say that they look forward to some permanent respite to resolve their perennial problems. “Officials visit the neighbourhood, listen to our problems and forget them over a period of time. The place is prone to inundation. What is required is a complete revamp of the drainage channels to put an end to the problem,” said the residents.
Chief Executive Officer Baramulla Municipal Committee, Firdous Ahmad, when contacted said they would take up the matter with the UEED and try to resolve the issue.
Follow our WhatsApp channel