Another flash flood hits Kargil village

Tribune News Service

Kargil/Jammu, May 8

A flash flood hit a village in remote Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir today causing partial damage as the administration was busy tackling the aftermath of the flash floods triggered yesterday by the bursting of an artificial lake on the Phuktal river that swept away bridges and buildings in Kargil and Leh districts.

The fresh flash floods damaged and inundated several buildings in Sankhoo village, 40 km from Kargil town, when a gush of muddy water barged into residential localities, police and civil administration officials said.

“The flash flood was triggered around 3:30 pm and was caused by melting of snow,” a senior police official said. The official said residents were evacuated to safer locations. Crops have been damaged by the flood.

A high-level team of the state government headed by J&K Legislative Council chairman Haji Anayat Ali visited Zanskar subdivision to review the situation caused by the bursting of the artificial lake yesterday.

The team comprised Cabinet Minister for Flood Control and Irrigation Sukhnandan Kumar, Cabinet Minister for Cooperative and Ladakh Affairs Chering Dorjay Lagruk and vice chairman of Khadi Village and Industries Board (KVIB) and MLA Zanskar Assembly segment Syed Baqir Rizvi. The team conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas and also met people in Zanskar Valley.

Haji Anayat said the team was deputed on the instruction of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Syeed. A report would be submitted to the Chief Minister.

The sudden bursting of the artificial lake had caused extensive damage to three motorable bridges, 10 suspension bridges, two school buildings, guest houses, residential houses, irrigational canals, pony treks and land pastures.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had received brickbats for its ‘shoddy’ work to avert the tragedy.

Despite the formation of an expert panel to deal with the crisis on January 24, it took almost 50 days to start work on creating a channel to drain out water from the artificial lake.

The NDMA and the administration had cited hostile weather conditions at the blockage site as a major impediment in starting work.

Minister Sukhnandan Kumar said his department would take up the matter concerning irrigation canals and water supply schemes, which had suffered damage, on a priority basis.

Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, Hassan Khan told The Tribune that the threat of flood in Zanskar has receded as the bulk of water has drained out. A police official corroborated this saying almost 70 to 80 per cent of lake’s water has moved out.