SRINAGAR: The government has acknowledged that several areas along the left bank of the Jhelum in Srinagar, including Lasjan, Gandbal, Soiteng, Vethpara, Padshahi Bagh, Kursoo Rajbagh, Shivpora, Sonawar, Batwara, and Jawahar Nagar, are prone to flooding when river discharge crosses approximately 40,000 cusecs. The admission came during the Assembly’s Question Hour in response to a question raised by MLA Sheikh Ahsan Ahmed regarding the government’s measures to mitigate the recurring flood threat in these localities.
Replying on behalf of the government, the Minister in charge of the Jal Shakti Department said that habitations located on the left bank of the Jhelum are “relatively more vulnerable” due to their low-lying topography, which makes them the first to face overflow when river levels rise. “It is a fact that the said areas are flood-prone,” the Minister said, adding that both short-term and long-term measures were being implemented to strengthen embankments and enhance preparedness.
The Minister stated that ahead of the flood season, the department undertakes restoration of weak spots identified in safety audits of embankments through temporary protection works such as the laying of filled EC bags. In addition, filled EC bags are pre-positioned at vulnerable points while men and machinery are kept ready under standby contracts to respond swiftly to any emergency. “These actions are executed in close coordination with the District Administration, Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (DMRRR) Department, and other line departments,” the reply noted.
Under the Prime Minister’s Development Programme (PMDP) Phase-II, several bank protection works have been executed at critical points adjoining these flood-prone areas at a total cost of Rs 12.30 crore. In addition, embankment-raising works in vulnerable stretches have been carried out at a cost of Rs 2.49 crore, taking the cumulative expenditure on immediate flood resilience interventions in the Srinagar belt to nearly Rs 14.79 crore.
According to the details placed on record, protection works include the construction of toe walls in cement concrete, pitching with precast blocks, and slope stabilisation using geomaterials on both left and right banks of the river. Key sites covered include Seerbagh, Lasjan near the bridge and zoo area, Padshahi Bagh, Kursoo Rajbagh, Yarkand Sarai, Shivpora opposite Bell Mouth, and the downstream section of the Cement Bridge.
The Minister further informed that embankment-raising works have been executed at Rajbagh, Padshahi Bagh, Athwajan, and Pandrethan through construction of parapet and edge walls and selective earth-filling to increase the holding capacity of river margins.
The government cautioned that “permanent immunity against floods is not techno-economically possible,” but added that risks can be significantly reduced through a combination of structural measures such as embankment reinforcement and non-structural measures like early warning systems and floodplain zoning.
The reply also outlined the government’s larger flood management strategy for the Kashmir Valley, taken up after the devastating floods of September 2014. Under PMDP Phase-I, works worth Rs 399.29 crore were executed, which included dredging of the Jhelum, re-sectioning of the Flood Spill Channel at Sharifabad and Naidkhai, and construction of flood protection walls and gabion structures from Khanabal to Baramulla.
The ongoing PMDP Phase-II project, with a total approved cost of Rs 1623.43 crore, includes extensive bank protection works along the Jhelum and its tributaries (Rs 274.61 crore), construction of new flood control gates at Hokersar (Rs 28.45 crore), and re-sectioning of the Flood Spill Channel and widening of the outfall channel near Ningli Sopore. Expenditure till December 2023 stood at Rs 245.11 crore.
The Jal Shakti Department has said that while structural works under Phase-II are underway, reassessment of major components such as the Flood Spill Channel and the outfall widening is in progress, with additional costs projected at over Rs 590 crore.
With flood-prone localities like Lasjan, Rajbagh, and Jawahar Nagar continuing to face risk during heavy discharge, the government has said it remains focused on both long-term structural interventions and rapid-response preparedness to minimise the threat of another large-scale inundation like that of 2014.
