SRINAGAR: The Jhelum River showed a marginal but steady decline in water levels on Thursday morning, offering a sliver of relief to a rain-battered Valley Kashmir low-lying areas remained inundated and residents feared a repeat of the September 2014 catastrophe.
Official data from the Irrigation and Flood Control Department showed that between midnight and 6 am, the river receded gradually at key points. At Sangam, the gauge dropped from 22.34 ft at midnight to 20.36 ft at 6 am, while at Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar, the level fell from 21.08 ft to 20.65 ft. Pampore too registered a dip from 6.03 m to 5.77 m. At Asham, however, the water level inched up slightly from 12.31 ft to 12.61 ft, while Wullar Lake held steady at 1575.78 m. The tributaries reflected a similar downward trend, with Vishow Nallah at Khudwani receding from 7.07 m at midnight to 6.31 m at 6 am, and Rambiyara falling from 2.64 m to 2.09 m.
Despite the marginal fall, vast swathes of Srinagar’s low-lying neighbourhoods remained waterlogged. In Rajbagh, the sound of the gushing Jhelum drowned out the usual morning bustle as residents scrambled to shift belongings to higher floors. Shopkeepers stacked sacks of rice, flour and clothes onto vans, fearing the worst. “This is exactly how it began in 2014,” said Bashir Ahmad Dar, a garment trader. “The water came silently, and by the time we understood, everything was underwater.”
In Jawahar Nagar and Mehjoor Nagar, families camped on rooftops, watching the darkening skies. “We don’t want it anymore. We are yet to recover from 2014,” said Sufyaan Ahmad Khan, shifting groceries and books to the third storey of his home in Mehjoor Nagar. “Authorities talk of flood mitigation programmes, but here we are, living on the edge again.”
By Wednesday evening, the authorities had put field teams on high alert, identifying 17 high-risk points along the Jhelum embankments. Officials said more than one lakh sandbags had been placed and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) boats deployed. “While the situation is not yet critical, we are monitoring round the clock and are prepared for evacuation if necessary,” an engineer from the Flood Control Department said.
For many in Srinagar, the rising waters reopened old wounds. “It felt like déjà vu,” said a Rajbagh resident, watching her submerged lane. “We thought lessons had been learned after 2014.”
As the Valley cautiously watches the Jhelum’s every dip and rise, the morning readings may have offered momentary relief, but the fear remains. With relentless rains, fragile embankments, and incomplete flood mitigation works, residents say they are once again left with more questions than answers—and the uneasy feeling that the past is never too far behind.
