Snowfall disrupts normal life in Srinagar

Srinagar, Feb 20: Fresh spell of snowfall and incessant rain crippled normal life in the summer capital today.

Residents from various areas said failure of the drainage system at several places triggered waterlogging.

They said that in many areas, there is absence of drainage network, which added to the issue. Greater Kashmir received complaints from various Srinagar areas, including Downtown, Nowhatta, Batamaloo, Hawal, Uptown, Hazratbal, and adjoining areas about waterlogging.

“We had a major waterlogging issue amid. Our drainage system is crippled, which overflows during downpours. We have been reaching out to officials for years now but to no avail. Although they are continuously using dewatering pumps as there is no halt in rain and snow, this is not the solution. Many areas continue to get waterlogged for the past few days,” Habibullah, a local from Batamaloo, said.

The locals in various areas of Downtown said that absence of a drainage network has also taken a toll on them. They said many newly established colonies have been craving a drainage system for years.

“During downpours, waterlogging cripples normal life. We have been living in this area for the past few years, and both our roads and drainage network are in shambles. Since the downpour, the rainwater has been accumulating on roads in absence of a drainage network,” said a local from Noor Bagh.

Meanwhile, the snowfall on Tuesday further deteriorated the condition of roads and drains in the Downtown area. Many under-construction drainage networks at Nowhatta were in shambles. The locals said that the areas have turned into cesspools, and it is giving a tough time to commuters while choking traffic flow.

“This road at Nowhatta is totally unfit to walk or drive on. Rather, it is a death trap for pedestrians. We hope that the situation that arose from continuous precipitation will encourage authorities to expedite the work downtown,” Shahid Ahmad, a local from Nowhatta, said.

Greater Kashmir did a series of stories of the drainage and road issues across Srinagar areas. Officials told this reporter that many projects are in the pipeline in the upcoming phase, and these drainage networks and roads will be fixed accordingly.

Officials from SMC said that they are using all men and machinery on the ground to address the waterlogging issue.

“We have put all our assets on the ground to dewater the waterlogged areas. Scores of localities in Downtown, Hazratbal, and Uptown were cleared from the waterlogging throughout the day. In addition to this, machinery was also used to clear snow off the roads so that commuters wouldn’t face any issues,” said an official.