Several areas in Kashmir flooded; thousands of people evacuated

The overflowing river Jhelum and its tributaries caused flooding in several areas of south and central Kashmir, including the outskirts of Srinagar, on Thursday even as the administration claimed to have evacuated around 10,000 people from flood-affected areas.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah blamed the government and administration of the past 11 years stating that the situation would not have been this worse if they had taken corrective measures like dredging of the Jhelum and its flood channels in time. Abdullah toured the flood-affected areas in Budgam and Srinagar after his arrival from New Delhi and stated that he would write to the Centre seeking a relief package for both Kashmir and Jammu divisions.

"The government is there only to review the situation and do nothing practical to avoid flooding. They just want to click pictures when the tragedy happens," said Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, a resident of Shalin area. Locals have also blamed illegal mining, construction of new highways and railway lines through the orchards and fields for the flooding of residential areas. Officials, however, said a lot of new colonies have come up in flood-prone areas.


Memories of the 2014 floods, one of the worst in over a century, made the residents around Srinagar anxious, with many people in vulnerable areas removing the essentials from ground floors to upper storeys of their homes. Traders in Lal Chowk also moved their merchandise to upper storeys and safer places. Schools are set to open on Monday.