Need to learn a lesson
It has been exactly eleven years now and the situation that we faced in the month of September 2014 is haunting us back. Srinagar city and other major towns had a close brush with deluge, however this time around luck favoured us and the floods did not create any major damage.
The swell in major rivers and tributaries joining river Jhelum at various points experienced a huge swell in water levels which raised the overall water in Jhelum leading to concern and worries across the region.
Jhelum, which runs across Kashmir division, has the potential of threatening the entire populace living on its peripheries once the river experiences huge input of water from its tributaries. This phenomenon was experienced in 2014 and the same was repeated in September 2025.
So the big question remains. What happened to the plans and developments that had to be undertaken to mitigate any future threats Srinagar and other major towns would face in case of any major flood.
The plans that the people were made to believe were that the carrying capacity of the river Jhelum will be enhanced and an alternate flood spill channel will be created so that any future chance of the city and other major towns getting flooded will be reduced.
However, today we stare at the flood threat the same way we did in 2014, marking little or difference in the situation then and now. Even the Chief Minister was candid to admit that not much has been done over the past eleven years and some plans have to be formulated a fresh and implemented speedily so that such situation is avoided in future.
Ironically, water bodies across Jammu and Kashmir have witnessed tremendous encroachments which resulted in the situation that we are facing right now. Even the deforestation that has taken place over the years is further aggravating the issue and climate change is becoming a new norm in this hilly region.
Importantly, things need to be put in right perspective so that Jammu and Kashmir may witness some relief during the monsoons and the flood threat is reduced considerably.
To avoid floods in Jhelum areas, the law enforcing agencies have to get strict and ensure that no such measure or activity is undertaken that will further hurt the water bodies and shorten their carrying capacity.
The administration needs to work on a multi-pronged strategy and ensure dredging and widening the Jhelum River and its tributaries to increase their carrying capacity, allowing them to accommodate high water flows more effectively.
Besides, a more practical emphasis is to be laid on restoration of wetlands like Hokersar and Wular which act as natural flood basins, absorbing excess water during heavy rainfall and reducing the risk of flooding.
And most importantly, a strict action plan against the encroachments on riverbanks and floodplains needs to be put into action ensuring that natural water channels are not blocked and the river is allowed to flow freely.
