2014 Fears Return as Rains Drown Kashmir in Broken Promises
Five years without Jhelum dredging, half-finished flood projects and crumbling bunds leave Valley exposed
By: Our Special Correspondent
Srinagar: “Every downpour feels like 2014 again,” says Nazir Ahmad, a shopkeeper in Srinagar’s Bemina, as he pushes water out of his flooded shop. His words capture the growing panic in Kashmir, where days of heavy rainfall have left vast areas submerged and once again laid bare the Valley’s fragile flood defences.
Official records show that no dredging of the Jhelum river or its tributaries has taken place since March 2020, despite repeated promises and central funding. Of the 31 projects sanctioned under the Rs 399 crore Comprehensive Flood Management Plan (CFMP), only 16 have been completed. The rest remain stuck in red tape even as the Valley braces for more extreme weather.
For residents, the failures have meant repeated heartbreak. “Every year they tell us dredging will happen, but nothing changes. Our paddy fields are under water again,” said Abdul Gani, a farmer from Hanjiwera. In Kupwara, Bashir Ahmad voiced similar despair: “They build small bunds for show, but when rains come, they collapse like sand walls.”
Officials privately admit the shortcomings. An Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) officer, requesting anonymity, said, “We have carried out canal desilting and raised temporary bunds in some areas, but full-scale dredging of the Jhelum has been delayed due to funding and tendering hurdles.”
Experts, however, warn that these “stop-gap” efforts are no substitute for scientific interventions. “Desilting is not dredging. Without enhancing the Jhelum’s carrying capacity, Srinagar and adjoining districts remain dangerously exposed,” said a retired flood control engineer, calling works near the Hokersar flood spill channel “unscientific and ineffective.”
Even within the administration, there is acknowledgment of looming danger. “Unless urgent corrective steps are taken, we risk another catastrophe on the scale of 2014,” admitted a senior Revenue Department official.
The India Meteorological Department has warned of more heavy downpours in the coming weeks, fuelling anxiety in neighbourhoods already under water. “We don’t need more promises,” said Nazir Ahmad. “We need dredging, strong bunds and proper drainage. Otherwise, one more spell of rain could be enough to finish us.”
