Jhelum well below warning mark, no need to panic: I&FC Chief

Srinagar, Jul 22: Amid continuous rainfall across Kashmir, the Irrigation & Flood Control (I&FC) Department on Wednesday said there is no cause for panic as the Jhelum river and its major tributaries are flowing well below the warning and danger levels across the Valley.
Chief Engineer, I&FC Kashmir, Showkat Hussain said that there is “absolutely no need to panic”.
“The water level in the Jhelum is well below the warning and danger levels at all major gauge stations,” he said. “We are monitoring the situation round the clock, and people should not pay heed to rumours.”
According to the gauge readings, the Jhelum was flowing at 6.78 feet at Sangam against the warning and danger levels of 21 feet and 25 feet, respectively. At Ram Munshi Bagh, the water level was 8.24 feet, well below the warning level of 18 feet and the danger level of 21 feet.
The river level at Asham was recorded at 6.15 feet against the warning and danger levels of 14 feet and 16.5 feet, respectively, while the Wullar Lake level stood at 1575.40 metres, below the reference level of 1578.00 metres.
According to data, all major tributaries were also flowing within safe limits. Vishow Nallah at Khudwani was recorded at 4.88 metres against the warning and danger levels of 7.75 metres and 8.50 metres; Rambiyara Nallah at Wachi stood at 0.24 metres against 5.4 metres and 5.7 metres; Lidder Nallah at Batkoot was at 1.55 metres against 1.5 metres and 1.65 metres; Doodhganga Nallah at Barzulla measured 1.45 metres against 3.65 metres and 3.8 metres; while Sindh Nallah at Doderhama stood at 3.10 metres against 3.65 metres and 3.9 metres.
The Chief Engineer people not to believe rumours or unverified social media posts and advised them to rely only on official information.
“People should download the Kashmir Flood Watch application for real-time updates on water levels and flood-related advisories. There is no alarming situation at present,” he said.
Meanwhile, Independent weather forecaster Faizan Arif Keng said rainfall has largely stopped across most parts of Jammu and Kashmir, bringing temporary relief.
“There is going to be temporary relief, at least for now. This break will allow rivers to recede. However, forecasts suggest another spell of rain may develop in some areas towards late tonight,” Keng said. (KNO)