Had heavy rains not come at the right time to bring respite to agriculturists and horticulturists in Jammu & Kashmir, a draught like situation would have thrown up a new challenge to the disaster management in Jammu & Kashmir. In the year 2014 devastating floods threw up a huge challenge to almost all the departments of Jammu & Kashmir and this year draught would have brought more miseries to the people of Kashmir valley than the devastating floods of 2014. Since threats of climate change are increasing unprecedentedly in almost all parts of the world and Jammu & Kashmir too is gripped with the fear of unseasonal heat waves and rains, the disaster management deserves special attention and intervention of the government for the purposes of facing natural calamities with a greater strength. Not learning any lesson from the harsh experiences of 2014 floods the Jammu & Kashmir Government has not during last eight years thought about any flood control management plan the most important part of which could have been the implementation of a new drainage system in twin capital cities-Srinagar and Jammu. Never forget that after 2014 floods the municipal bodies of twin capital cities and major towns of both Kashmir valley and Jammu division were asked to come up with new drainage plans for both the capital cities and all major towns. Even this time hundreds of estimates for drainage plans are lying on the tables of the top brass of the municipal bodies of both the capital cities and major towns but despite repeated reminders by the hapless populations of different areas of both the capital cities and towns the authorities don’t bother even to take up such drainage estimates for allotment of funds. Let a new flood threat come the top functionaries of the government the authorities will start talking about upgradation of drainage systems and other flood protection plans but till then they won’t even think about any flood threat in any part of Kashmir valley or Jammu division.
By any standards of understandability disaster management plans can not be designed, drafted, approved and implemented over night but they have to be designed, drafted, approved and implemented as early as possible .Keeping in view the threat of a draught like situation even in Kashmir valley any time in future, the controlling measures in a draught like situation need to be discussed, designed, drafted and approved right now. Better late than never.
Till last Friday when a draught like situation was developing in Kashmir valley due to intensifying heat wave across Jammu & Kashmir, the authorities in the agriculture and horticulture departments were talking about supply of draught irrigation camps to farmers and apple growers but now when heavy rains have reduced the intensity of the threat of a draught like situation in valley the authorities in agriculture and horticulture departments won’t most probably talk about draught pumps. By any standards of understandability disaster management plans can not be designed, drafted, approved and implemented over night but they have to be designed, drafted, approved and implemented as early as possible .Keeping in view the threat of a draught like situation even in Kashmir valley any time in future, the controlling measures in a draught like situation need to be discussed, designed, drafted and approved right now. Better late than never.
