Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Aug 27: In Srinagar’s Rajbagh, the swollen Jhelum has become more than just a waterway under stress—it has turned into a gathering point.
As the river swelled and water began entering lanes and bylanes on Wednesday in the residential areas of Rajbagh, visitors poured in from different parts of the city, drawn by a mix of worry and wonder.
According to reports, dozens leaned over the embankments where water had started entering residential areas, phones raised for photos, while others simply stood still, listening to the rush of water.
Narrow lanes of Kursu Rajbagh were already submerged, forcing locals to wade across.
“Every year we hear flood alarms, but watching the Jhelum this close makes it real,” said Bilal Ahmad, a resident from Bemina who traveled to Rajbagh with friends. “It’s both frightening and fascinating.”
A young man standing near a shop, his shoes barely above the water, said the water level was rising and people were worried. “If it increases further, it will completely enter the houses. For now, it has already reached the lanes and bylanes,” he said.
Curiosity may bring people to Rajbagh, but residents speak of living with fear. A woman from Kursu Rajbagh, carrying her child through ankle-deep water, said, “We don’t know if the river will stop or take more of our homes.”
Notably, for Srinagar’s residents, Rajbagh has turned into a spectacle—a live stage where the Jhelum’s rise is measured not just in feet and inches, but in the anxious eyes fixed upon it. (KNO)
