11 years after 2014 deluge, J&K drowning in neglect

Srinagar, Sep 6: September 7 marks the 11th anniversary of the floods that turned into a monumental disaster in Jammu and Kashmir.

The events that unfolded over that day were not just floods, but a catastrophe that had villages wiped out, cities turned into devastation, millions displaced, and hundreds of lives lost.

Eleven years later, questions persist.

Is J&K any better prepared to handle a flood?

Unusually heavy rainfall beginning in late August of 2014 and intensifying in early September became the root cause of the floods.

Some areas recorded over 500 mm of rain in just a few days, far above the normal levels and considered the worst downpour in over a century.

As a result, Jhelum, Chenab, and Tawi swelled well beyond their banks.

Embankments were breached, and in no time, parts of Kashmir turned into a sea of water, while the Jammu parts got submerged as well.

Jhelum waters crossed the levels that were unimaginable, now termed as the Highest Flood Level (HFL).

Major parts of Srinagar became unlivable, inaccessible.

Floodwaters inundated over 2500 villages across Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, Baramulla, Budgam, Ganderbal, Rajouri, Poonch, and Reasi, apart from Srinagar and parts of Jammu.

Infrastructure crumbled; hospitals rendered inaccessible, devastated; bridges collapsed; roads washed away; power grids failed; communication lines severed and livelihoods wiped out. Rescue efforts became a daunting task.

Official data reveals around 287 deaths in J&K.

Over 20-30 lakh people were directly affected.

Nearly 10 lakh were forced to seek refuge on the rooftops, in makeshift camps, or with distant relatives.

Many believe the estimates are conservative.

The devastation was crippling economically, with losses estimated at Rs 60,000 crores and more.

The damage to standing crops and agricultural and horticulture lands is estimated to be spanning over 300,000 hectares.

Tourism and small businesses were ruined, their sordid stories still untold.

A sense of profound trauma lingered on.

“The water rose so fast, we lost everything in hours, including our house,” recounts one survivor.

Reconstruction efforts, including the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) and the World Bank-funded Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP), followed, aiming to help in building more resilient systems.

It involved dredging of rivers, reinforcing embankments, and restoring natural flood barriers like wetlands.

The catastrophic weather events had exposed the cracks in flood mitigation systems, and the projects had billions of dollars of funding to seal the cracks in these systems.

Yet, 11 years on, as J&K is amidst another flood, of a much smaller scale, but a threat of great magnitude, much remains to be desired from the projects and plans.

Fraught with delays and a lack of clarity, key projects remain incomplete.

Jhelum’s flood-carrying capacity is still insufficient, as was vividly proven by the two days of rain in the past week.

Wetlands have been trimmed from 13,000 hectares to under 5000 hectares due to urbanisation and encroachment.

Landslides across Jammu, Kishtwar, and some parts of Kashmir have claimed hundreds of lives, including those of pilgrims, and displaced thousands.

A fresh assessment of floods, flash floods, and other extreme events, as well as strengthening mechanisms to prevent loss of lives and property, is the need of the hour, an imperative that seems to be 11 years late.