Mir Iqbal
SRINAGAR, Sept 5: The row between two Government departments over the digging and dredging of flood channel near Hokersar wetland in the outskirts of Srinagar followed by incessant rain for last more than 72 hours has put a large portion of Srinagar and Budgam area vulnerable to floods due to the backflow of waters.
While some areas have almost submerged under waters, the Flood and Irrigation Department has been widely criticized for its failure to chalk out strategy to reduce the damage caused due to natural calamity.
The department passed the buck by saying that it was Wetland Management of the Wildlife Department that became hindrance to carry the digging of flood channel in the wetlands.
The incessant rains and subsequent floods have created havoc by consuming more than 90 lives and damaged property worth hundreds of crores of rupees after many areas are submerged in flood waters and dozens of bridges, roads and buildings were washed away by the gushing waters.
Keeping in view the importance of flood channels in the area, the Department of Irrigation and Flood Control had started digging of a 5 kilometer flood spill channel between Shareefabad- Narbal in 2010 so as to save flooding of parts of district Budgam, Srinagar including Bemina, HMT and adjoining areas. “We had taken the digging of flood channel in 2010, but Wetland Management of the Wildlife Department has not allowed for digging,” a top official in the Department of Irrigation and Flood Control said.
Sources said the spill channel has brought the Irrigation and Flood Control and Wildlife Department at logger heads over a minor issue and work has been stopped since 2010. “Had they understood it on time, people won’t have suffered this time heavy losses and rendered homeless,” he added.
However, Wildlife officials said that they are not against the digging of flood spill channel but it should not be at the cost of wetlands.
The official said that Irrigation and Flood Control Department sent a proposal for digging of flood channel to wildlife authorities, but the department failed to adopt some measure taken for the preservation of wetland which was why work on the channel was halted.
Sources said that Wetland Management of the Wildlife Department has asked Irrigation and Flood Control Department to adopt some points including slew gates, which will control water flow, treatment plant and depth of the channel should not exceed to that of wetlands depth.
“They (Irrigation and Flood Control Department) are considering dredging from the point of view of money and not as per set guidelines of Wetland management,” sources said, adding, to hush-up funds, they were in search of short cut works, which Wetland management didn’t accept.
Wildlife Warden Hokersar, Muhammad Maqbool Baba, said that for last 20 years the wetland in the area has shrunk from 13.75 square kilometers to 5 square kilometers.
Sources said had they allowed Flood Control Department to dig the channel as per its choice, the wetland would have been reduced few square kilometers.
“Had the Flood Control Department shown its sincerity and concern for public on time, the over flow water could have been diverted into the same flood channel in the present crisis time, which could have reduced water to some level and people would have got relief,” he added.
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