Jhelum Shield Strengthened After 2014 Floods: Govt
Over Rs 2,400 crore spent; river capacity enhanced in Srinagar
Bank protection and spill channel works underway to tackle 60,000 cusec threat
Our Special Correspondent
Srinagar: The government has stated that massive flood management works have been undertaken across the Kashmir Valley in the aftermath of the devastating September 2014 floods, with structural interventions worth over Rs 2,400 crore either completed or currently under execution to safeguard vulnerable habitations.
Replying to an un-starred Assembly question tabled by MLA Pirzada Farooq Ahmad Shah, the government informed that a three-member core group was constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources on September 18, 2014, to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for flood mitigation in the Valley. The roadmap divided measures into immediate, short-term and long-term interventions.
The government stated that immediate measures focused on urgent restoration of embankments, protection bunds and damaged flood control infrastructure. A total of 4,555 breaches and vulnerable spots were addressed following the 2014 floods. Of these, 3,320 spots were restored temporarily while 1,235 were strengthened permanently using funds from the State Disaster Response Fund and other available sources.
For long-term mitigation, the government prepared a Comprehensive Flood Management Plan for River Jhelum and its tributaries at an estimated cost of Rs 2,083.90 crore. The project was sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) in 2015.
The works were divided into two phases in accordance with Central Water Commission guidelines.
Under Phase-I, costing Rs 399.29 crore, works were initiated in 2015-16 and have been substantially completed. The government stated that these works have significantly improved the carrying capacity of River Jhelum in the Srinagar reach. The safe flood carrying capacity has been enhanced from 31,800 cusecs to 41,000 cusecs — an increase of around 22 percent.
In addition, major bottlenecks in the Flood Spill Channel were removed at Shariefabad and Naidkhai. The discharge capacity at the offtake of the Flood Spill Channel was increased from 4,000 cusecs to 8,700 cusecs, effectively doubling its flow capacity.
An expenditure of Rs 327.04 crore has been incurred under Phase-I so far, against the sanctioned cost.
Phase-II (Part-A), approved in March 2022 at a cost of Rs 1,623.43 crore, is currently under execution. The government informed the House that 31 bank protection and anti-erosion works are being carried out across vulnerable stretches of the river system. Out of these, 16 works have already been completed, while the remaining are in progress.
Besides riverbank strengthening, two regulatory gates at Hokersar wetland have been constructed and commissioned at a cost of Rs 28.45 crore. These gates are expected to play a crucial role in regulating water flow and reducing flood risk during peak discharge periods.
According to the government, a total expenditure of Rs 2,160.563 crore has been recorded under Phase-II so far. It added that work claims amounting to around Rs 70 crore are currently under process for payment following the recent release of Rs 260.41 crore as the central share.
Providing details of funds released, the government said that under PMDP Phase-I, Rs 328.02 crore was released, of which Rs 327.04 crore has been spent. For Phase-II, Rs 220.97 crore has been released so far.
The measures, the government stated, are aimed at mitigating a potential flood discharge of nearly 60,000 cusecs at Sangam — one of the most critical flood monitoring points in the Valley.
The response underscores the continued focus on strengthening flood resilience in Kashmir, more than a decade after the 2014 deluge that submerged large parts of Srinagar and other districts, causing widespread damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure.
