Many observers are disposed to believe that floods are going to be a recurring phenomenon in the valley of Kashmir and the threat of flood disaster looms large on the heads of the citizens of the capital city of Srinagar. This means that the Government and civil society are becoming helpless in face of wrath of nature. That is only idealistic way of behaving towards a phenomenon that can be and should be handled and brought under control. Perhaps the Government machinery has not tried to learn any lesson from the devastating floods that occurred during September 2014.
There are some convincing reasons why pessimists believe that floods are now going to be a regular phenomenon. The foremost is that encroachments made in the land and particularly in the river bed or the beds of nullahs that flow into the Jhelum have not been vacated and the land retrieved. In other words, the obstruction to the flow of waters continues and hence the threat of floods will not recede. Today, only around 3000 cusecs as compared to 12500 cusecs of water flows out of Hokarsar. Secondly, the flood channel has collected silt to the extent that it is unable to discharge the quantum of flood water that it should. Though the scheme of de-silting of the flood channel is on the table yet its implementation has no taken place. Much of local politics also supervenes and thus the looming threat of waters overflowing the Jhelum remains in place.
Again, the Hokarsar wetland into which the present flood channel disgorges remains silted and the passage or channel that would allow flow of water out of Hokarsar remains blocked. The result is that overflowing flood channel gives a backlash that inundates the city of Srinagar. In 2008, the I&FC Department had started construction of the flood channel through Hokarsar but it was abandoned due to a dispute with Wildlife Department who objected to it. Lastly, raising embankment of the river that passes through the city of Srinagar has not been done and according to engineers the level of flow of water in the Jhelum remains close to the level of flood.
To add to the woes of the people in the Valley, there have been incessant rains during the early spring in Kashmir and April has been very wet as a result of which nullahs and the river itself have marked rise of water to unexpected level. The heat wave in mid April and then rains both have combined to cause melting of glaciers over the mountains.
We have to remember that the authorities shall have to be ready to face any situation arising out of the impending rainy season.
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