Recalling ‘flood horror’: ‘We Ran for Our Lives, say People living close to Pampore
Sudden bund breach at 2:30 am leaves families fleeing in chaos, residents say only unity saved lives
By: Our Special Correspondent
Srinagar: Sleepless terror gripped Pampore’s Shalina, Teingan and Zinpora localities when, at around 2:30 am, the Jhelum river broke through a bund and surged into homes, forcing people to flee barefoot into the darkness.
“It was like the river roared at us,” said Rafiqa, a resident of Shalina, standing outside her waterlogged home. “We heard three loud bangs and then, within minutes, water was everywhere. I grabbed my two children and ran. I didn’t even have slippers on.”
From Teingan, 60-year-old Ghulam Ahmad recalled the panic: “People were screaming, children were crying, and neighbours were banging on doors to wake each other. We thought we wouldn’t make it out alive.”
In Zinpora, Shakeela, a mother of four, said she was awake when the disaster struck. “The water rushed in like a monster. I barely managed to pull my children upstairs before half of our house went under. All I could think of was saving them.”
Others remembered the frantic struggle to help the vulnerable. “We carried my paralysed father on a cot through waist-deep water,” said Imtiyaz Ahmad from Shalina. “At that moment, nothing else mattered—just saving him.”
Rehana, a young woman from Teingan, said she left everything behind. “I couldn’t even take my dowry items. My whole room is underwater. But when you see children screaming, you realise life is more precious than anything.”
Javed, a college student from Zinpora, described the community’s resilience: “We formed human chains to help women and the elderly cross to safer ground. Everyone risked themselves, but no one left anyone behind.”
The night, residents said, was one of chaos and solidarity—families shouting warnings, grabbing essentials, and running towards higher ground. Some spent the entire night outdoors, drenched and terrified.
Authorities rushed rescue teams, including the Quick Reaction Team of 55 Rashtriya Rifles, police and SDRF, who assisted in evacuations and distributed food and essentials among those displaced.
“By the time the army reached, half of our homes were already under water,” said Manzoor Ahmad of Teingan. “But they gave us food and blankets. It was a relief after such a nightmare.”
