SMC’s response reduced waterlogging despite continuous rainfall: Commissioner

Srinagar, Aug 1: Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) Commissioner Faz Lul Haseeb on Saturday said the civic body’s strengthened response mechanism has significantly reduced waterlogging across Srinagar despite continuous rainfall, while sharing that 13 next of kin of deceased employees have been appointed under the SRO-43/Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme (RAS).
Talking to reporters here Haseeb, said the appointments were made after all required government approvals.
“Under the SRO-43/RAS scheme, the next of kin of employees who die while in service are appointed to government jobs. In the Municipal Corporation, 13 people have been given appointment letters after completing all due procedures and obtaining government approvals. We handed over the appointment letters individually today and also briefed them about the next steps and the training they will undergo,” he said.
Replying to a question on waterlogging in Srinagar following recent heavy rainfall, the Commissioner said the first spell of rain had overwhelmed the city’s drainage capacity, leading to flooding at some locations.
“The last time it rained, there was a sudden burst of rainfall which exceeded our drainage capacity. There was waterlogging at some locations and people said there was a delayed response. After that, we strengthened our response mechanism. There was continuous rainfall for four to five days till July 24 and it rained again last night and the day before, but waterlogging was witnessed only at very minimal locations,” he said.
Calling waterlogging a multi-dimensional challenge, Haseeb said the corporation was working on all aspects simultaneously.
“Waterlogging is a multifaceted issue. Sometimes it is a drainage capacity issue, sometimes desilting is required and sometimes engineering interventions are needed. We are working on all these things simultaneously,” he said.
The Commissioner said the SMC control room was functioning round the clock while dedicated manpower, machinery and mobile dewatering teams had been deployed across the city.
“We have deployed a dedicated fleet of men, material and machinery across Srinagar. Our mobile dewatering teams have been divided into six teams and deployed across six zones of the city. This has significantly improved our response time. When I reviewed the situation with my team this morning after last night’s heavy rainfall, there were very few such locations with waterlogging,” he said.
Highlighting the improvement over the previous spell of rain, Haseeb said major city areas that had witnessed severe waterlogging earlier remained largely unaffected this time.
“Compared to the situation 10 days ago, there has been a significant improvement. Even after the recent heavy rainfall, areas like Lal Chowk, MA Road, TRC, Nallahmar Road and Eidgah, which had witnessed severe waterlogging and criticism earlier, remained largely free of waterlogging. There are still some issues in low-lying areas, but we are working on those as well,” he added. (KNO)