Div Com says next 15-20 days crucial, asks people to be alert & follow advisories
Srinagar: The flood threat in Kashmir eased on Thursday as the water levels in the River Jhelum and other water bodies started receding with improvement in the weather conditions.
In the past 12 hours, there has been very little rainfall in the Kashmir Valley, officials here said.
Due to the let-up in the rain, the Jhelum dropped below the flood alert level at Sangam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, they said.
Though it is still above the danger level downstream in Srinagar, the water level has started receding, they added.
The tributaries of the river were also flowing below the flood alert level.
According to the officials, water has also started receding in the areas that were inundated on Wednesday. However, monitoring by various departments continues and teams are on alert.
The meteorological department said the weather in the valley has been mostly dry during the day so far, but a brief spell of rain is likely at a few places towards late afternoon and late night.
A spell of light to moderate rain at scattered to fairly widespread places with a possibility of moderate to heavy rain or thundershowers in a few districts of Jammu is likely from August 30 to September 1, it said.
From September 2 to 6, a brief spell of rain or thundershowers is expected at a few places, it added.
Addressing a press conference here, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Anshul Garg said while the situation is under control and there is no need to panic, the coming fortnight will be crucial.
“The water levels are receding, the levels at Sangam and Ram Munshibagh are receding and the weather forecast is similar for the next couple of days,” he said.
“If there is a rain forecast, our teams will work round the clock. I also hope we will continue to get the same cooperation from the people which we have got so far,” he said.
Garg appealed to people to stay alert and follow the advisories issued by the administration and the meteorological department.
“People living near streams and tributaries need to stay alert as the next 10-15 days are important. Our district disaster management teams will be on the ground to monitor the situation round the clock,” he said.
“The district emergency control rooms and the union territory-level emergency control room will continue to work round the clock so that people can reach out to the administration,” he added.
Garg said while these are short-term measures for the next 15-20 days till the weather improves and the monsoon system recedes, there is a need for taking long-term measures.
“As of right now, everything is completely under control because the water level at Ram Munshi Bagh and Sangam has receded, and the weather, according to MeT, will be the same for the next few days. However, our teams will be on the ground if there is any forecast for rainfall,” Div Com said.
“All tributaries of the Jhelum, including Vaishow Nallah in the upper Kulgam reaches, the Lidder River in Pahalgam, and its neighboring tributaries, should be closely monitored, and those living near riverbanks and streams should be extra vigilant. Along with I&FC teams, district magistrates, police and SDRF teams would oversee our district disaster management teams while they are on the ground,” said the Div Com.
“Since there is no major weather prediction for Kashmir until September 5th, I advise people not to panic. On the other hand, because the next 15 to 20 days will be crucial, we must be vigilant and extremely cautious,” the Div Com said, adding people’s cooperation with the administration over the last few days is something I hope will continue.
He said about 150 vulnerable spots have been identified, and the majority of them met the department’s standards since there was no breach on the Jhelum embankments or over the last 48 to 72 hours.
“Our biggest safety is protecting our embankments and a lot of work on the strengthening of these embankments had been done, preventing any sort of erosion or spillover over the past few days. The challenges we faced will be minutely examined so the corrective measures are taken at an earliest,” he said.
He invited suggestions from people on medium and long-term measures needed to be taken to address any such eventuality in the coming years.
“We have directions to work on the long-term measures as well,” he said.
The divisional commissioner lauded the departments for their good work.
“We have been able to learn from the past challenges and take measures accordingly,” he said.
The waters reached a 10-year high at Sangam and Ram Munshibagh, but there was no loss, Garg said.
“This also tells you about the good restoration works undertaken. There may be challenges, but I assure you that they will be examined and action will be taken,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Div Com said
Srinagar, Aug 28: Full mobile connectivity is expected to be restored in the next few hours, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg said on Thursday.
The technical teams from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Bharati Airtel have been working tirelessly to restore the services for the past two days, according to the Div Com Kashmir, after J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reviewed the matter.
The complete mobile connectivity including calling and internet services on all affected networks, Div Com said is expected to be restored within the next few hours.
“As far as mobile connectivity is concerned, we have seen that the current weather pattern has severely damaged the Jammu region. Whether it is BSNL or Airtel, our link passes via Jammu and their technical teams have been working on war footing to restore connectivity,” Div Com told the media, adding, the restoration process is underway, and I’m hoping that services will be restored in the next few hours “according to the BSNL and Airtel operations managers I spoke with”.
