Srinagar, Jul 23: The water level of River Jhelum at the Ram Munshi Bagh and gauge station in Srinagar crossed the flood declaration mark on Thursday evening, prompting the Irrigation & Flood Control (I&FC) Department to activate flood response measures and direct officers and officials assigned flood duty to report to their respective locations.
According to the flood monitoring data, the water level at Ram Munshi Bagh was recorded at 18.04 feet, marginally above the flood declaration level of 18.0 feet. However, it remained well below the danger level of 21.0 feet and was increasing at a slow pace.
The data further revealed that the Sangam gauge station recorded a water level of 20.24 feet, remaining below its warning level of 21 feet. Pampore also crossed the flood declaration level and was placed under the warning category, while Asham and Wular continued to remain below warning levels.
Among the tributaries, Vishow Nallah at Khudwani, Rambiyara Nallah at Wachi, Lidder Nallah at Batkoot, Doodhganga at Barzulla and Sindh Nallah at Doderhama were all flowing below their respective warning levels, indicating that the rise in water levels was largely confined to the main river.
Earlier, anticipating a further increase in the river level, the Chief Engineer, I&FC Kashmir, directed all officers and officials of departments assigned flood duty in South and Central Kashmir to immediately report to their designated duty stations.
The department also advised the general public to remain cautious and avoid venturing near rivers, streams and other water bodies.
Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Anshul Garg, on Thursday said that the rising water level in the River Jhelum is being monitored closely by field teams and that all preventive and remedial measures are being coordinated round the clock.
In a post shared on X, Garg said Control Rooms at both the divisional and district levels are functioning round the clock to monitor the situation and coordinate the response.
He appealed to people residing near the embankments not to panic, but to remain vigilant and strictly follow the advisories being issued by the local administration.
He also asked the public to contact the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), Srinagar, at 0194-2740003 for any assistance or support, if required.
Chief Engineer, Irrigation & Flood Control (I&FC) Kashmir, Showkat Hussain, appealed to people not to panic, saying the situation is under control and the river was expected to start receding in the coming hours.
He said the water level at the Sangam gauge station had risen by around half a foot and was expected to start receding after 11 PM. “The water level at Ram Munshi Bagh may continue to rise slightly by around half to one foot till nearly 12 midnight, after which it is expected to start receding,” he said.
Hussain said nearly 24,000 cusecs of water was currently flowing through the Jhelum against its carrying capacity of around 40,000 cusecs, leaving sufficient room for the river to accommodate the flow.
“There is absolutely no need to panic. The situation is under control and people can remain relaxed while continuing to follow advisories issued by the administration,” he added. (KNO)
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