Flood Fury- Relocate us, we can’t live under the fear of floods every year: Saffron Town Residents
Receding waters leave behind mud and misery, locals urge government for permanent solution
By: Our Correspondent
Pampore: “We cannot live like this anymore. Every year the Jhelum rises, every year we fear for our children, our homes, and our lives. Relocate us, give us some dignity,” pleaded Ghulam Rasool, a resident of Zinpora, one of the many villages skirting Pampore’s saffron fields that bore the brunt of the latest flood scare.
The flood waters, which surged into homes and fields after days of relentless rain, have now started to recede. But what remains is an ugly trail of sleet, thick mud, and broken household items — stark reminders of a night when panic replaced sleep.
“We spent the whole night shifting children and elderly to the upper floors. The water came in like a thief at midnight,” recalled Haleema Bano of Shalina, her hands still muddy from cleaning the sludge that carpets her courtyard. “Now that the water has gone down, the smell and filth it has left behind are unbearable.”
The story was the same in Teingan, Zinpora and other localities close to the saffron town.
“Our lives are not safe here. We cannot rebuild every time the water enters. The government must either build strong flood protection walls or resettle us somewhere safer,” demanded Abdul Hamid, a local shopkeeper whose goods worth lakhs were damaged.
For 70-year-old Noor Jahan of Teingan, the night was nothing short of a nightmare. “I clutched my grandchildren in my arms and cried the whole night. I have seen many floods, but this fear eats away at our hearts. We are old now, we cannot run every time the water comes.”
Youngsters too feel trapped. “We keep hearing of smart cities and big projects, but here we live like refugees in our own homes,” said Imran Ahmad, a college student. “We want to study, we want to work, but how can we dream when every rain brings the same fear?”
A farmer, Mohammad Yousuf, pointed to his saffron field now caked in mud. “This land is our pride, but if the water destroys it again and again, what do we live on? We have debts, we have families. Who will compensate us?”
Rescue teams of the SDRF, Army and police were on the ground through the night, evacuating stranded families and providing relief. “Our men worked round the clock to ensure no lives were lost,” said an SDRF officer. A local police official added, “The resilience of the people is remarkable, but they cannot be left to suffer the same fate every year. Long-term measures are needed.”
Experts warn that the low-lying habitations around Pampore remain vulnerable whenever the Jhelum swells. For the locals, the fear has become a cruel cycle. “We don’t want promises; we want action. If they cannot protect us, they must shift us. We are tired of living with this sword hanging over our heads,” said Shabir Ahmad, a youth leader from the area.
As saffron fields glisten under September skies, the adjoining hamlets wear a look of despair — homes caked in mud, room children picking through debris, women scrubbing walls stained by flood water. For the residents, the question is no longer about recovery, but about survival.
