Flood Scare: We Barely Escaped!

Incessant rains triggered by a series of cloudbursts led to flood-like situation in Jammu and Kashmir, in the last over a week. While Jammu, including its city areas, battled flash floods, Kashmir reeled under flood threat due to rising levels in river Jhelum.

People recounted horrific memories of September 7, 2014 floods while Jhelum swelled inch by inch. As Jhelum roared, all that people could do was to offer prayers; while authorities watched helplessly! Hadn’t the incessant rains stopped, Srinagar would have been devastated by floods. It was a narrow escape. But it also exposed the lack of flood mitigation measures since 2014. It is clear that not much has been done to increase the carrying capacity of Jhelum.

Like Jhelum, catchments areas of Tawi river in Jammu have been wantonly encroached upon with flood plains buried to pave way for concrete landscape. It looked like a doomsday when Tawi flowed furiously and people watched with shock!

Jhelum, considered to be Kashmir’s lifeline, spans 175 sq kms from south to north Kashmir. Jhelum meanders in a serpentine way from south to north Kashmir and settles in Wullar, Asia’s largest freshwater lake, before pouring into the other side across the Line, through Uri area of Baramulla. The river is the only water outlet of Kashmir. The silt-laden waters have reduced the river’s carrying capacity over the decades. And lack of scientific dredging has further reduced its flow.

What is more shocking is that authorities acted as mute spectators while Jhelum’s flood plains were encroached upon and converted into colonies.

It must be noted that Jhelum’s flat topography makes Srinagar the most vulnerable area to flooding in J&K. Wetlands on the left and right of Jhelum act as reservoirs of the floodwaters. Ecologically important wetlands in the Jhelum floodplains like Hokersar, Bemina wetland, Narakara wetland, Batamaloo nambal, Rakh-e-arth, Anchar lake and Gilsar have been degraded due to rapid encroachment and urbanisation.

It is unbelievable but true that the Irrigation and Flood Control Department has not undertaken dredging in Jhelum and other flood channels for the period from March 2020 to March 2025. It is claimed that since 2014, the carrying capacity of Jhelum has been increased from 30800 cusecs to 41000 cusecs. As per experts, there is a shortfall of 60000 cusecs as 2014 floods generated over 1 lakh cusecs of water submerging habitations around the river.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during his first stint as CM witnessed one of the devastating floods in 2014. He seems to be surprised by the sudden rise of Jhelum after a few days of rain. Omar has maintained that the government will undertake a detailed review of measures implemented after the 2014 deluge.

“We need to study what improvements were made, what happened to the flood channels and Jhelum’s carrying capacity, and where the gaps remain. I will sit with officers to examine all this in the coming days,” Omar said. Omar rightly said the government cannot allow people to live under recurring threat of flood every year saying “It’s time to rectify our mistakes.”

Omar has observed that in 2014, floods struck after six days of rain and this time, only two days were enough to push us towards a flood-like situation. “With God’s grace, the water has now receded and the immediate danger is behind us,” Omar said. But given the new phenomenon of cloudbursts, flood threat looms large over J&K. We don’t have to wait for incessant rains but it just needs a few cloudbursts to trigger floods.

We need to learn lessons from British and Dogra rulers who saved Kashmir, who took several measures to save Kashmir from floods. They undertook regular dredging of Jhelum in Baramulla to allow free flow of water from Anantnag. It was a standard practice to breach the Kandizal area of Jhelum to save Srinagar from floods. However, politics shrouded the practice. In 2014, due to vote bank politics, Kandizal was not allowed to be breached on time.

In 2024, authorities finalised Standard Operating Procedures for breaching Kandizal. The then Divisional Commissioner had directed the establishment of a sophisticated decision-making support system to ensure the flow of information through proper communication systems to stakeholders at the time of flood exigency. While underscoring the importance of the Kandizal breach to save the inundation of urban areas, he had stressed framing SOPs to take the final call when required.

“The breach should be the ultimate attempt and the last resort to avert danger to the urban areas of Srinagar City, wherein the decision should be taken in context to the ground situations.”

Areas in catchments of Kandizal over the past few decades have witnessed significant changes in land by way of massive urbanisation. Kandizal’s once vast and open lands and marshes have been buried under houses and buildings. What hampered spread of flood waters in 2014 were the Srinagar Jammu Expressway and Railway Line. Undoubtedly we need development but it must be sustainable.

After the 2014 floods, Kashmir-based Environmental Policy Group (EPG) filed a Public Interest Litigation on which the High Court passed directions to restore Jhelum. It needs strong public will to safeguard our water bodies. EPG and NLCO besides other environmental organisations must join hands and ensure that Jhelum and its flood plains are revived.

There is a need to conduct an audit of the Comprehensive Flood Management of River Jhelum which was sanctioned under Prime Minister’s Development Programme (PMDP) implemented under two phases. We need to rope in global experts to take measures for flood prevention by increasing the carrying capacity of Jhelum and restoring its flood plains.

Given the extreme weather conditions, it is time to act. It is now or never situation for us as flood threats loom large over us; just few cloudburst away!

Author is Executive Editor,

Greater Kashmir.