Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, June 13: Government today admitted that lack of comprehensive flood management plan inundated Kashmir Valley in September 2014 during floods but said it is committed to do everything possible to preserve water bodies.
In a written reply to a question of Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami in Lower House, Minister Incharge PHE, I&FC Department stated that prior to floods of September 2014, the department had a flood management plan to manage the flood discharge to a capacity of 45000 cusecs.
“However, the discharge turned out to be three fold. Department has now anticipated a discharge of 1,060,000 cusecs for which a DPR with an estimated cost of Rs. 2083 crore was submitted to Government of India which includes strengthening of embankments and other methods for river Jhelum and flood spill channel for facing any situation”, the Minister stated.
Raising the supplementary, Tarigami alleged that Government has done nothing so far in the name of flood management and asked whether it has any plan to conduct long term evaluation and scientific survey to trace out the reasons of flood of such magnanimity so that such disasters can be tackled in the future.
Replying to the supplementary, the Minister said: “I admit lack of comprehensive management plan was the reason behind the September floods but Government is taking appropriate steps to avoid such incidents in the future. The funding will be over and above PM package.”
In a written reply to a separate question of Javaid Mustafa Mir in Lower House, Minister in charge PHE, I&FC Department stated that the eviction of encroachments on the banks of river Jhelum is a continuous process and the Department has removed 872 structures, 799 boundary walls and 748765 trees on river Jhelum, so far.
In addition to dredging through two departmental dredgers working in Baramulla reach of river Jhelum, the department has entrusted the dredging of two sections in Srinagar and Baramulla to M/s Reach Dredging Ltd. Kolkata to dredge out 7 lacs cumes from Srinagar and 9 lacs cumes from Baramulla reach, he said, adding that the time for the completion of dredging for Srinagar reach is 12 months and 20 months for Baramulla reach.
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