11 years on, no lessons learnt from 2014 floods

Srinagar, Aug 27: Eleven years after the devastating 2014 floods, little seems to have changed on the ground in Kashmir.
On Wednesday, as the Jhelum swelled beyond the danger mark, authorities issued a flood advisory asking people to remain vigilant. The rising waters triggered panic in flood-prone areas, forcing shopkeepers to shift goods to safer places and several families to move out in fear of a repeat of 2014.
The scenes were reminiscent of the calamity that had wreaked havoc across the Valley, submerging large parts of Srinagar and displacing thousands.
Experts say the situation today remains precarious, with even moderate rainfall leading to a sharp rise in the Jhelum due to the reduced carrying capacity of the river and its associated wetlands.
A study titled “A satellite-based rapid assessment on floods in Jammu & Kashmir – September 2014” conducted jointly by the Department of Environment & Remote Sensing (DERS) and ISRO, warned that the Himalayan region may witness increased intensity and frequency of rainfall in the 2030s. Without urgent measures to restore the drainage system of the Jhelum, the report cautioned, Kashmir could face another devastating flood.
J&K’s disaster management plan has acknowledged that 13 districts of Jammu and Kashmir are among the 100 “multi-hazard districts” of India.
“Majority areas of the Valley, especially Sonawari, Awantipora, and Srinagar, along with parts of Jammu, are highly prone to floods. The upper catchments of the Jhelum, Indus, Chenab, and Tawi rivers are also vulnerable to flash floods,” the report notes.
Officials admit that Wular Lake—the largest natural flood absorption basin in Kashmir—has drastically lost its water holding capacity. “Gross human interference, rampant deforestation, encroachments, choking of waterways and siltation of wetlands have all reduced the Valley’s resilience to floods. Even average downpours can now trigger a flood-like situation,” a senior official of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department said.
In the aftermath of 2014, the government made tall promises of comprehensive flood management. Dredging of the Jhelum was to be completed by December 2016, but progress has been slow and limited. An alternate flood channel for the Jhelum—announced soon after the disaster—remains stuck on paper with no work initiated despite the passage of more than a decade.
“The government has failed to equip disaster management agencies to respond effectively when calamity strikes. Flood mitigation projects announced after 2014 have either seen piecemeal progress or remain non-starters,” an official of the Revenue and Rehabilitation Department admitted. (KINS)