Drainage crisis in downtown areas worsens amidst rainfall, Residents urge Immediate Action

Srinagar, April 17: Several complaints of water logging, overflow and poor drainage systems have surfaced from downtown areas such as Khanyar, Khayam, Hawal and Gojwara, particularly after even mild spells of rain, water logging persists. The inadequate infrastructure has caused frequent flooding of lanes and by-lanes, affecting residential areas, schools, and places of worship. According to the City Resilience and Climate Action Plan (CRCAP), factors such as outdated infrastructure, frequent blockages, leakages, and inadequate maintenance are major contributors to the system’s poor performance.

Residents of Sangeen Darwaza near the Hawal area in Downtown Srinagar have been grappling with severe drainage issues for the past several months, with no relief in sight despite repeated appeals to the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

The core of the issue lies near the Hijrat Masjid, where the lane leading to the mosque has become a health hazard, often overflowing, filled with dirt, stagnant water, and overflowing drains. Worshipers, especially the elderly, are facing immense difficulty in accessing the mosque due to the unhygienic and restricted passage.

“This problem has persisted for years. We’ve submitted applications, visited offices, followed up with SMC and even the DC’s office, but nothing has changed,” said a local resident. “It’s not just an inconvenience—it’s impacting our religious practices and daily lives.”

Locals of the area allege that instead of offering assistance, municipal authorities often shift the blame and responsibility to drainage control departments and other offices. As per the community elders, the community have always been cooperative so far with the government officials but now urge for urgency and immediate action.

Drainage Woes across Downtown

Srinagar’s sewage system, though designed to handle approximately 200 million liters per day, is significantly underutilized due to a range of operational inefficiencies. According to the City Resilience and Climate Action Plan (CRCAP), in the city’s older areas, the situation is even direr. “In many parts of the old city, the sewerage network is either non-existent or severely underdeveloped,” the CRCAP report notes. “This often leads to direct discharge of untreated sewage into local water bodies, posing significant environmental and public health risks.”

One of the most alarming findings of the report is that only 18 to 20% of Srinagar currently has access to a functional sewerage network. It not only contaminates the drainage system but also leads to widespread waterlogging, exposing residents to serious health hazards.

The grievances are of utmost concern especially when the city has seen visible improvements in some high-visibility zones frequented by tourists—such as the Boulevard Road and Polo View Markets. Residents of Srinagar argue that the smart city project has largely ignored the real infrastructural needs of core city areas.

Call for Immediate Action

Residents of Sangeen Darwaza, hawal near Hijrat mosque are now urging the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and the administration to prioritize essential services like drainage, sanitation, and sewage maintenance. Community leaders have called for site visit and immediate resolution to this problem.