Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Aug 27: As flood alarms ring across Kashmir, the Jhelum and other water bodies have drawn their own crowd of onlookers.
In Srinagar’s Rajbagh and other popular Jhelum shores, people stood along the embankments on Wednesday, eyes fixed on the river as it pushed past the flood mark.
Among hundreds of people across Srinagar city, in Rajbagh stood a young boy, with a phone pressed to his ear, answering a call. He said: “Bhaiya bol, mei Rajbagh mei hu. Pani dekhne aaya. (Yes, brother, I am in Rajbagh, watching the water of Jhelum).”
The boy’s words echoed a mood felt across the city, part concern and part curiosity. Many clicked pictures, while others simply watched in silence as the river swirled below.
Meanwhile, officials of the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department stressed there was “no need to panic”, adding that emergency wings were on alert and monitoring the situation.
But for Srinagar’s residents gathered at the Jhelum’s edge, the rising water was more than numbers in a bulletin; it was a sight that demanded to be seen.
