WE THE PEOPLE
Incapacious River Jehlum with massive encroachments on its allied channels poses grave flood threat to Kashmir Valley
Hence Experts suggest improvement to main water body and removal of settlements from the bed of Chunti Khul
By: M.Shirjeel
Srinagar: The ancient city of Srinagar is located on either banks of river Jehlum, leaving no scope for widening the river to accommodate high flood discharges. It was in this backdrop that flood experts from the Centre were consulted during the tenure of late G.M. Sadiq and late S.M. Abdullah. On the basis of gauge data available with the Kashmir Flood Control Department, 68,000-flood discharge was estimated to occur for which the river passing through the city of Srinagar was not found safe. It was decided that 20,000 cusecs would be diverted towards Flood Spill Channel at Padshahi Bagh and Chunti Khul/Kut Khul/Sunri Khul would be improved to absorb 12,000 cusecs of flood discharge to allow the remaining to pass safely through the city portion of the river. But it is unfortunate that the State Government has carried out no improvement work so far and thus the river section in the city reach is quite inadequate and unsafe. Therefore, carving out car park along left bank of the river near Lal Mandi is not a sound proposal like that of conversion of Nallah Mar into a road in Shehri Khas. Moreover, evacuating Boatmen first from Chunti Khul after alloting plots to them at Bemina and now re-appearance of settlements on the bed of the Channel is not only intriguing but also posing grave threat to life and property in Kashmir valley.
It is pertinent to mention that Experts from Central Power Commission visited Kashmir Valley and assisted Dr. Uppal and other local Engineers during the regime of National Conference government, headed by late Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah in late seventies. The Experts stayed in the Valley for a couple of months and firstly worked out flood discharge on the basis of gauge-data available with Kashmir Flood Control Department. There were reports that the intensity of flood discharge in early thirties was so high that the officials of Flood Control Department had not been able to record gauges during such floods at Sangam. Hence the Experts computed the flood discharge by Step-up method and arrived at 68,000 cusecs figure, for which the river section was tested at various spots. Since a Flood Channel stands already constructed at Padshahi Bagh so it was decided to improve its carrying capacity to ensure safety to lakhs of people living in the city of Srinagar. It was also decided to improve the Chunti Khul so that it becomes fit to act as a detention basin during floods. It was also decided to improve the carrying capacities of Kut Khul and Sunri Khul to give diversion to flood waters so that 36,000 cusecs of flood discharge are allowed to pass through the river below Tankipora upto Chattabal. The recommendations of the Experts have remained unfulfilled and thus lakhs of people living in the city of Srinagar are open to flood hazards.
“Widening of the road or carving out a park in the river needed to be opposed with all the force at the command of conscientious citizens of the Valley. The State Government should have taken all measures to improve the river Jhelum and not adopt such steps, which are going to threaten the life and property in a big way. We hailed removal of encroachments along the river bunds from Batwara to Amira Kadal, but we could never imagine that it will be followed by such a step which is highly dangerous for the city population. Besides emergence of massive structures on the bed of Chunti Khul after these were removed after payment of compensation to them has shocked us to the hilt. Moreover, politicians are interested in their vote bank so some people knocked the doors of Judiciary and got a favourable judgement but it has not goaded the Authorities into action so far,” said a group of elderly persons of Kashmir valley.
Hence Experts suggest improvement to main water body and removal of settlements from the bed of Chunti Khul on war-footing basis to ensure safety and security to the people of Kashmir valley.
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