FLOODS: Who are to be blamed?

From September 2014 when devastating flood ruined us, the word flood brought the shivers down the spine to people in Kashmir. The heart rending scenes of death and destruction witnessed during 2014 floods are still haunting us. We are yet to recover the losses we suffered during devastating floods in September 2014. When we recall these painful moments of floods that cam our way two and a half years back, it just jolts us again, and I wonder! Are we the same, once we thought, we have gone some 200 years back because of the horrible natural calamity and then, after that darkness till today, we flourished in our own way, and renovated the artificial side in our own way, and the nature played its role in its own field. Thus, despite coming across such horrible phases, we survived. But did we  learn any lesson from the September 2014 floods? Probably not. We talked about these floods for few months and then forgot as if nothing had hapened. We blamed each other. Did we ever think about the cause of these floods? Probably most of us not. The only major outlet for water in kashmir is the river Jehlum. The river Jehlum rises from Verinag spring situated at the foot of the pir panjal in the south eastern part of the valley of Kashmir. It flows through Srinagar and the Wular lake before entering the Pakistan through narrow gorge. The steepness of the Jehlum is very mild which means slow speed of the water flow.  There are two main factors responsible for floods natural and the human interface. Kashmir is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The snow covered mountains in the winters, the natural vegetation , the dal lake and what not, all add to its beauty. It is known as the pradise on earth . It has plains, mountains, forests and water bodies. The topography of this part of the world is unique. It has the bowl shape. This shape suggests that the water comes from the upper reaches and flows through its plains with slow flow. So , naturally Kashmir is very prone to floods. Thus we can’t afford an iota of human interference which appreciates the floods. But what we have done or what we are doing is absolutely adverse to the nature. The cutting down of tress or deforestation leads to global warming. The glaciers are melting. The abnormal rains are bringing woes to hapless populations. The only major outlet river Jehlum can’t carry the enough water. Ahh! Adding to its limited capacity of water carrying capacity that too with slower speed, we have constructed building and other settlements on its banks .We have encroached it. We seriously can’t afford it keeping in view the topography of Kashmir and the mild steepness of the river Jhelum. If we don’t stop or mend our ways believe me the more drastic and more dangerous floods will destroy us. Well, we have adopted a common trend while facing such drastic situations, we blame each other, and we start giving sermons about the rights and wrongs, being ignorant of the real circumstances. Such circumstances may be equally responsible for these terrific situations but does that mean we should not change our way of life. How much a human can stoop so low only for his greed. She/he can go for any extreme only to fulfil hers/his greedy desires, and without caring about the natural resources, without keeping in mind what would be its impact on the environment, she/he continues her/his activities. Now, when it comes to hide our blunders we did to our motherland, we change our ideology. We start mending it in the religious way. I am not saying that is totally wrong, yes, that may also be a cause, because, we have forgotten our creator, Allah the Almighty. We have adopted the westernization, which is common in between both the sexes, but, we have not to restrict it to the tip tapping, which now a days, is seen mostly in the comment boxes of the various face book pages. This is not making any genuine way of justification. After all, we have to awaken ourselves, we have to face our almighty. We have to change in all the ways. We have to say no to wrong, whatever it is. We must stop making these huge buildings senselessly on the embankments. We must stop cutting down of trees along the banks of these water bodies .We must plant more and more trees.

It is not wrong to say that government is the main force responsible for the sufferings which a common man is bearing this time. Is government really concerned for the people here? Where are the funds going? Why the concerned department is not able to complete the assigned job within spitulated time? What are the reasons? If the so called government and concerned authority had taken the appropriate steps at the right time, the situation would have been different.

 
We must have the proper drainage system. Let’s not pollute the Jhelum so that its steepness further reduces. Prophet Muhammad(SAW) categorically taught people to live on less, to protect animal and plant life, and to worship the creator by being merciful to the creation. What is also distinctive about Prophet Muhammad’s(SAW’s) advice is the connection between ethical practices and the eternal effects in the life after death, which represents a greater incentive for muslims to care for the earth and its resources. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was teaching new muslims that their life on the path of faith must always progress and beware of climatic changes, just like a young tree. There will be tough times when the storm seems to never end. But patience and persistence in planting roots no matter what the trouble, will heal both one’s own branches and protect the nearest plants. But who is the main culprit ? Most probably the government and the administration. What has changed from the last floods? Nothing .Still we can see the people working in  their own wayt till late evening hours. They are putting the cement bags at the vulnerable sports which should have been done by the government at the appropriate time. Since, we are under the same situation right now. People are panicked because of the flood threats. In some areas, the concerned department declared floods. When we took the aspect of natures intervention by humans and then the adoption of westernization in our society, we can’t not skip the aspect of negligence of government and its concerned department. Therefore, it is not wrong to say that government is the main force responsible for the sufferings which a common man is bearing this time. Is government really concerned for the people here? Where are the funds going? Why the concerned department is not able to complete the assigned job within stipulated time? What are the reasons? If the so called government and concerned authority had taken the appropriate steps at the right time, the situation would have been different.

(The author a student at SSM College of Engineering & Technology Srinagar writes exclusively for “Kashmir Horizon”)