The weatherman has made a prediction for adverse weather conditions from the 5th July to 7th July. The met department predicts there might be heavy rainfall in Jammu, Doda, Udhampur, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla and Kupwara districts. The weather department has issued a warning for flash floods in highlands and the Highway traffic may get affected.
We must reiterate the point that Kashmir valley is experiencing adverse weather conditions quite frequently from the last two decades. The memories of the great flood of 2014 is still fresh in our minds. How the floods crippled the entire state machinery in a matter of two days is still fresh in our memories. There was no food, no water, absolutely no electricity and no one to rescue the affected population. That was 2014 and today we are living in 2024 – 10 years apart!
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But has our infrastructure been able to keep pace with the vagaries of weather. Would the Srinagar city be able to withstand a 300 mm to 400 mm rainfall in the catchment areas of Vaishav, lidder and Rambi Ara? Almighty be thanked, during the last ten years we never had such a serious spell of rainfall. But things can change in a matter of days leave alone months. The people in the localities of Rajbagh, Jawahar Nagar and Wazir Bagh are banking on the reinforced embankments – but what if the waters are high enough to go above them.
The current advisory is of a moderate category. The met department is just asking administration to be a little careful. A few isolated flashfloods could be triggered and there may be waterlogging in the urban areas. We are confident that the present government dispensation has enough men and machinery to tackle with the after effects of the predicted heavy rainfall.
However, one cannot lose sight of the slow progress of the long term plans to save the city from another flood of the scale and magnitude of 2014. There must be concrete planning put in practice as river Jhelum can take a ferocious avatar even before we know.
Knowing Jhelum as we do like the back of our hand, it never sends an invitation card before swelling to catastrophic proportions.
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