Srinagar: People Friday heaved a sigh of relief with a dip in the water level of the Jhelum easing flood concerns even as the river continues to flow above the danger mark in Central and Northern parts.
Water level at Sangam in south Kashmir’s Islamabad district had receded to 18.70-ft at 6 pm as against the 21.50-ft at 8am on Friday morning. The danger mark at Sangam is 23 ft, said an official of the Flood Control Department.
At Ram Munshi Bagh in the city, Jhelum was flowing at 19.60 ft against the peak of 20.20 ft in the wee hours, an official said.
The water level in the Jhelum and its tributaries rose sharply following heavy rainfall on Tuesday, which had prompted authorities to issue a flood alert for south and central Kashmir.
Minor breaches were been reported in embankments of water bodies at some places but these have been plugged by officials of the Flood Control Department.
Reports said that two residential houses were severely damaged after a landslide hit New Chinar Bagh area on Old Gagribal road on Thursday night. The houses belonging to Muhammed Ashraf Lone and Dr Sheikh Bashir Ahmed suffered extensive damage after a massive rock, measuring around 16 feet, hit them. The slide was triggered by incessant rains that lashed Kashmir during past two days. One minor boy-Fabyan Javaid suffered head injuries in the incident and was shifted to a hospital for treatment.
The body of a passenger, who drowned after the vehicle fell into a nallah, Thursday was fished out from Hiller area of Kokernag in Anantnag district. The deceased has been identified as Muhammad Ashraf Chohan resident of Gedvail, Dandipora.
Reports said that a passenger vehicle (JK05D-9378) was hit after landslides hit Panzila Raifiabad area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district. The vehicle was buried in debris; however, locals and police rescued all the passengers.
Reports from tourist resort Gulmarg said that more than 30 trees were uprooted from Tangmarg Baba Reshi to Police Station Gulmarg as a result traffic on the road was disrupted for hours. Witnesses said that scores of policemen participated in road clearing operation and after hours of hard labor, the road was made motorable.
Witnesses said that a bridge in Kathpora area of Lolab in district Kupwara was washed away due to flash floods on Friday morning. Several localities were cut off from other areas due to this development.
Reports from North Kashmir’s Bandipora district said that several localities in Ongam area were flooded following the breaches developed in Aloosa, Rishi Kol and Dahgam Kol (irrigations canals) near Onagam. Reports added that Peerboth, Sheikhmohall, Gundpora, and Ganie Mohalla habitations were also inundated due to breeches developed in Onagam canal. Locals alleged that no team from the administration visited the spot to assess the situation. “We saw few policemen inspecting the site, however, nobody from civil administration was present,” the witnesses told local news agency.
Meanwhile, a person went missing after his car skidded into the Doda’s Neeru Nallah on Friday. The missing person, Balbir Singh’s whereabouts could not be traced due to bad weather conditions, and the other person in the car, Kulbir Singh received grievous injuries and was rushed to the nearest hospital.
Reports said that scores of passengers bound for Kashmir remained stranded in Udhampur as the Jammu-Srinagar Highway remained closed due to landslides. Reports added that a truck a completely damaged in Udhampur after a massive tree fell on it. However, the truck driver and the conductor miraculously escaped unhurt.
Meanwhile, MeT Department said that due to presence of lot of moisture in atmosphere, chance of occasional rainfall is possible at some places in Kashmir Valley. However, MeT ruled out possibility of continuous rainfall, saying that there has been a significant improvement in weather.
Director MeT Sonam Lotus said that there is no need to panic but he advised people to be cautious and alert. “Chances of floods are minimal and there is no need to panic. Rainfall may occur occasionally but that will not be continuous,” Lotus said. (CNS)
