Intro: The incessant rains for six days have caused havoc
in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The pathetic condition of the flood victims is horrible to watch. The calamity is of mammoth proportion and the Valley is submerged underwater.
About five years ago, the Indian National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage had predicted widespread devastations due to natural disaster in the valley and a forecast by the National Institute of Disaster Management in 2012 had predicted massive flooding in J&K but the previous UPA government and Jammu and Kashmir Government has done nothing and the result is in front of us. Jammu and Kashmir has submerged in flood waters, leaving a trail of death and destruction.
During the unprecedented natural calamity, it is the Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Navy, social media and nationalist organisations taht have emerged as the saviours for the people of J&K who are facing the worst flood of the century without losing momentum. These security forces heroic efforts have saved tens of thousands of lives in the last couple of days. The much hated Indian Army is doing a commendable job across the flood-hit regions.
Till now more than 1,10,000 people have been rescued and the rescue operation are in the process. Organisations like Sewa Bharti are engaged day and night in doing a commendable job for the society. Sewa Bharti unit visited almost all the flooded areas of Srinagar, Pulwama, and Budgam. Volunteers of Sewa Bharti in the district are engaged in the rescue operations and are arranging meals for people. The team also visited Barzulla, Sanat Nagar, Pohroo, Goorpur, Sidiq bagh, Chakpura, Zanibagh, Wagoora villages of Budgam district. Ekal Vidhalaya teachers in Budgam viz.
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Mehraj have prepared wooden log boats for rescue operations and have been sending eatables to the held up people on roof-tops. The most hit villages are Reshipura, Pedgampura, Larikpura, Gulzarpura where the water has risen to almost 12 ft. to 32 ft. Even pucca houses have not been spared by floods. Since there has been heavy loss as far as field crops, fruit crops are concerned, and the detail of cattle mortalities can’t be accessed at this stage, another worry that has come to fore during these flood is the damage it has caused to the grave yards where the dead bodies may start floating in flood water, as reported by some villagers.
200-people have died and more than 1,10,000 people so far have been rescued by the Armed forces and NDRF from different parts of J&K. 1,500-villages are affected by the floods, and nearly 390 villages of the Valley have submerged totally. 80-medical teams and 15 engineer task forces, have been sent to Valley apart from establishing four field hospitals in Awantipur, Pattan, Anantnag and an old airport to support operations of the main military hospital in Srinagar. 5-crore will be provided from Prime Minister’s relief fund to purchase one lakh blankets. |
One wonders where the inestimable Syed Ali Shah Geelani and so-called separatist leaders have disappeared. Why are they not out in the streets with their cadre supervising relief work? It is our Prime Minister Narender Modi who has shown that he is a true statesman and leader. He visited the flood-affected areas on ground as opposed to an aerial survey as is the normal practice. Modi promised the state an additional Rs 1,000 crore for aid and compensation to those hit by the floods. The government has said road and telecommunication network in the Kashmir valley will be restored soon.
—Nishant Kumar Azad
