KASHMIR FLOODS: HISTORY FORGOTTEN

KASHMIR FLOODS: HISTORY FORGOTTEN

I am not God and the rains don’t come and stop on my orders. I have no control over natural calamities. These were the words that were uttered by Chief Minister after the major devastating flood struck the valley in the recent history. It is not the time to put blame on each other. However, we should be ready to introspect that what could have been done and what can be done to avoid such calamities in the near future. The arrogance on the part of administration is that the officials do not take issues seriously which has led to over exploitation of natural resources. This is evident from the fact that land mafia having the blessings of heavy weight Politicians and administrative officials, are selling forest lands in both parts of Jammu and Kashmir and colonies are coming up in such areas. Let us now try to introspect that how this could have been avoided or its impact could have been reduced significantly.

The present system of governance is too much dependent upon the paper work rather than working out the solution of the issues at hand. The files get piled up and officials send the files from one department to another without any progress on ground writing notes after notes. Such is the story of the advisory issued by various agencies from time to time since 2009. The States Flood Control Ministry was aware of this and had issued the warning that the valley is likely to face a major flood catastrophe in next five years and the department has nothing in place to save the human lives and property. The Ministry had reports suggesting that the water discharge can be as high as 150000 cusec and half the amount has struck the valley and most parts of the valley have been inundated. Imagine the kind of destruction had the real estimates in papers come true. It is therefore logical to say the awareness and preparedness should have been according to those estimates.

These estimates further suggested that the most parts of the valley from Khannabal (Islamabad) upto Khadinyar (Varmul) were likely to be hit by the looming flood. Even the reports suggested the valley getting cut off from the rest of the country because of the highway getting washed away.  The reports further suggested the submergence of “The Indira Gandhi Road” leading to Airport, cutting the aerial access to the Valley as well. These studies were put together and as per the various reports these files took gigantic shape being transported from one Ministry to another at the cost of the taxpayers money.

Valley has the history of floods with the most recent and devastating being the flood of 1902. In the reported history it is believed to have left most parts of the valley inundated for more than two years. This was followed by epidemic and water borne diseases with heavy loss of human life. The then ruler took steps and requested engineers from the British Government from Delhi for help. The suggestion that came up was dredging of a 42 kilometre long flood channel which was also constructed from Padshahi Bagh (Srinagar) to Wullar”. This was specifically done to channelize water.  In subsequent years even after these floods came at regular intervals but the effect was not on the earlier scale as steps were taken to avoid the unforeseen.

Since the memories of this horrific disaster was still in the mind of the leaders at the time of Independence, the then state government, headed by Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, in 1948 requested the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru for a dredger. “A dredger was imported by the government of India and handed over to the state in 1950”. Nehru himself in Srinagar commissioned it and this itself suggests its significance.

The lesson here is that we had either forgotten our past or became too inattentive but nature never forgets and never sleeps. The Minister in a report published in Greater Kashmir had shown his helplessness and said that the history clearly gives indication that Srinagar city faces flood every fifty years and the cycle is nearing completion”. The water has no place to outgo in Srinagar city, he said adding Bemina was flood basin where large number of residential and commercial buildings have come up in last ten years. In 1976 government constituted a committee headed by a famous hydrologist, Uppal. The Uppal committee recommended various measures for flood control but unfortunately the successive governments acted contrary to the recommendations. Silt has accumulated in all the major tributaries including Doodh Ganga and the flood channels are blocked, the minister said adding, that even the Srinagar Development Authority has constructed a shopping complex on the flood channel. Further more due to non-maintenance of the flood canal and their siltation over the years decreased its carrying capacity resulting in this catastrophe.

Now despite these studies and reports the question remains what was the Government waiting for? Are our leaders saying that they have forgotten history and have no knowledge about the Kashmir itself? Why no steps were taken to make the three dredgers which had stopped functioning way back in 1982. The administrators and engineers instead of visiting on site are happy in making reports on paper sitting within the four walls of the air conditioned rooms. The work culture is nowhere in any office and the employees considers salary as a gift from the Govt. and bribe as the real income.

Let us all pray at this time of grave crisis and come forward for help and not criticize for what has been done is done. However, the Govt. needs to be reminded of its duties and responsibilities.  

KASHMIR FLOODS