“The municipal bodies in Srinagar and major towns of Kashmir Valley don’t have even sufficient dewatering pumps to resolve the crisis of water logging in short time in most of the low lying areas.”
The flood threat triggered by incessant rains for just 2-3 days has once again shown the drainage system in summer capital Srinagar and most of the towns in North and South Kashmir in bad light. Rains have stopped but people in most of the towns and summer capital Srinagar are still grappling with the crisis of water logging. Improvement in weather subsiding the flood threat gives Government an opportunity to take stock of the failures in the drainage system that triggered the recent flood threats in cities and towns across Kashmir. Unfortunately authorities instead of working out plans for strengthening the drainage systems in cities and towns rely mostly on advisories they issue after receiving weather alerts regarding heavy rains from the Meteorological Department. Merely asking people to take preventive measures like migration to safer places on receiving weather alerts about rains from the meteorological department won’t end occurrence and re-occurrence of flood like situations frequently week after week and month after month in Srinagar and major towns of Kashmir Valley. Forget about building stable drainage facilities the municipal bodies in Srinagar and major towns of Kashmir Valley don’t have even sufficient dewatering pumps to resolve the crisis of water logging in short time in most of the low lying areas. Water logging does not only force temporary displacement of the inmates for days or weeks but its occurrence and re-occurrence finally damages the residential structures of the people in low lying areas in Srinagar city and major towns. Water logging has become the cause of major inconveniences for the people after the failure of drainage system during 2014 flash floods in cities and towns across Kashmir.
“At the centre of the simmering crisis of water logging lies the will of the Government to invest in building resilient drainage systems in cities and towns across Jammu & Kashmir. So it is for the Government to roll out a plan for rebuilding the old defunct drainage system and building the new wherever needed in cities and towns in both Kashmir Valley and Jammu division.”
Few light showers inundate dozens of residential colonies as rains wash away polythenes and plastic bags which finally flow into that drains that remain choked for days together. While the fact remains that for sustainable and innovative drainage solutions in cities an town a resilient system is in great demand since 2014 flash floods but unfortunately the drainage estimates processed for approval and allocations by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and Director Urban Local Bodies Kashmir are not getting the consent for years together. At the centre of the simmering crisis of water logging lies the will of the Government to invest in building resilient drainage systems in cities and towns across Jammu & Kashmir. So it is for the Government to roll out a plan for rebuilding the old defunct drainage system and building the new wherever needed in cities and towns in both Kashmir Valley and Jammu division.
