I&FC Dept negates flood threat
Srinagar: Five persons died while another one was missing after a passenger cab rolled down into Nallah Sindh in the Ganderbal district of central Kashmir on Sunday, an official said here.
He said a passenger cab (JK13B- 8950) with nine persons on board skidded off the road and fell into the fast-moving stream at Gagangir in Sonamarg area of Ganderbal.
He said a rescue operation was launched by the SDRF and police.
“Three persons were rescued and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment,” the official said and added that four bodies have been retrieved while search is on for the remaining two persons.
Later in the evening, one more body was recovered and the hunt was on to trace the one missing.
Meanwhile, the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department on Sunday said there is currently no immediate threat of flooding in the valley, despite heavy rainfall predictions for isolated areas of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly on April 28 and 29.
A senior official from the I&FC department in Kashmir informed that they are monitoring the situation, stating that, as of now, there was no immediate danger of flooding in the valley and there was no need to panic, news agency KNO reported.
“As of now, there is no flood threat in the valley, we are continuously monitoring the situation and on an hourly basis water level in Jhelum and other water-bodies is being gauged,” the official said.
According to the latest update by the I&FC officials, at 6:00 pm on Sunday, the gauge at Ram Munshi Bagh indicated a water level of 10.87 ft, just below the warning threshold. Similarly, Sangam recorded 6.56 ft, and Asham 7.49 ft.
Despite the relatively stable water levels, officials however have urged caution, advising people against unnecessary venturing near the water-bodies.
Pertinently, the MeT officials on Sunday said that the weather is expected to remain generally cloudy on April 30 with a possibility of light rain with thunder at many places.
During the last 24 hours till 8:30 am this morning, Srinagar has received 30.6 mm rainfall, Qazigund 23.0 mm, Pahalgam 18.6 mm, Kupwara 30.8 mm, Kokernag 16.4 mm, Gulmarg 20.6 mm, Jammu 0.3 mm, Banihal 29.6 mm, Batote 15.4 mm, Katra 1.8 mm and Bhadarwah 30.7 mm.
Pertinently, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Saturday chaired a meeting of the Irrigation and Flood Control department to review the flood management and mitigation measures being evolved for Kashmir and called for devising an effective strategy to deal with the flood-like situation in Kashmir.
