Over 250 families evacuated from landslide-prone areas
The flood threat continued to loom large on Thursday as water level in Jhelum touched alarm level even as rains stopped during the day while landslides stalled traffic in many areas of the region.
According to officials, water level in Jhelum recorded as of 7 pm was 16 at Ram Munshi Bagh gauge, which is the alert level. The water level at which floods are declared in Srinagar is 18 feet at Ram Munshi Bagh gauge. The water level at Sangam and Asham was 14.40 ft and 11.33 ft respectively. At Asham and Sangam, the water level was nearly 2 feet and 4 feet lesser than alert level respectively.
Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control, Javed Jaffer said the flood threat persists in Srinagar “and we have not withdrawn any of the advisories”.
“We are on a state of alert, but we expect the level to be stagnant in case rains don’t occur. The flood threat persists in North Kashmir and Srinagar while as water level has receded in Sangam,” Jaffer said.
Meanwhile, the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road was thrown open for vehicular traffic after being closed a day earlier. “The Muzaffarabad road was cleared of landslides and traffic was allowed. Five vehicles were stranded on this side and they were allowed to cross the LoC,” Custodian cross-LoC trade, Showkat Ahmad said, adding that the road was blocked near Lalpul and the vehicles on both the sides of LOC were stranded.
The stranded vehicles were also cleared on Srinagar-Jammu highway as the road was partially cleared of the landslides at Magarkote, Gangroo and Nashri, according to officials.
The rains triggered landslides at many places across Kashmir and soil erosion blocked many roads in Budgam and Kupwara district during the day. Senior Superintendent of Police, Budgam, Fayaz Lone said the landslides had blocked the traffic on Kanidajan road in the district and police personnel cleared the blockade.
According to police, many families were evacuated from landslide prone areas of Budgam. Police and district administration evacuated 100 families from landslide prone area of Brinjan Chadoora and eight families from Braripatri were shifted to the safer places.
A police spokesman said traffic on the major roads in Kashmir was hit by landslides and in Handwara police personnel were pressed into service to clear the roads. Due to the apprehension of landslides, police and administration shifted some 269 families from landslide prone areas to safer places.
Director General of Police, K Rajendra supervised the evacuation plans and the efforts to deal with the current situation in Kashmir.
Giving details, officials said the evacuation was carried out from different areas of Kashmir. According to police, five families based on 37 members of village Dangerpora were shifted to safer places while eight families from Nai Basti, Kanlibagh, Baramulla were evacuated to the local government school building. Also three families of Khour Sherabad, Pattan, 2 families of Hardichoo Tangmarg, 2 others of Machikrand, 1 family of Chhoolan in Uri, 2 families of Ijara Boniyar were evacuated to safer places.
In Shopian, a major rescue operation was carried out by police and 49 families comprising 237 members were shifted to middle school Krachapatri and Borihalan, while in Kupwara 15 persons were shifted to safer places in village Kandi Karnah in Anantnag, 15 families comprising of 109 members were evacuated from village Madifal Uttersoo, 3 families from Bijbehara, 3 families from Btafund Gujjar Basti, 3 families from Zamalgam Gujjar Basti, 2 families from Ring Mundo Kapran, 4 families from Manzmoo and 3 families from Kaparan were shifted to safer places.
In Kulgam, police shifted 14 families comprising 65 members from Mirasi Nullah Kund and from Ganderbal, 17 families were shifted from landslide prone areas of Kangan area to the safer places.
Police has been keeping a vigil on the banks of river Jhelum after the flood-advisory was issued by the state government earlier. The police personnel also took the job of strengthening embankments at many places.
“A police party strengthened embankments by at Gow Kadal and Maisuma Bund with sandbags. Srinagar police also installed water pumps to dewater inundated areas of Degdarhar, Zoonimar and Parimpora today,” said a police official.
AVALANCHE WARNING
According to a statement of Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, an avalanche warning existed for next 24 hours in the avalanche prone areas of Kulgam, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Ganderbal districts.
“In view of the warning, Deputy Commissioners of Kulgam, Pulwama, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Ganderbal districts have been asked to advise people not to venture in avalanche prone areas during the said period. During heavy snowfall, people are advised not to occupy and temporarily evacuate those locations which are under fall line of avalanches,” the statement said.
