Water enters houses on outskirts of Srinagar as Jhelum breaches bundh

Even as weather conditions improved in the Kashmir valley on Wednesday evening, a breach in a bundh along the Jhelum on the outskirts of Srinagar early Thursday inundated several villages, with gushing waters entering houses. Officials said thousands of people were evacuated from low-lying areas.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who arrived in Srinagar from Delhi on Thursday, visited the flood-hit areas to assess the situation. The officials said that after the breach, floodwaters entered Shalina, Rakh Shalina and Baghi Shakirshah villages. As per an official statement, residents were evacuated overnight to safer locations.

Budgam Deputy Commissioner Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat told The Tribune that around 9,000 people were shifted. “We are continuously monitoring the situation,” he said.

Locals said the water entered their houses all of a sudden and they couldn’t even shift their belongings to upper stories. “We just rushed out to save our lives,” said Javed Ahmad of Shalina.

Incessant rainfall across the Valley since Tuesday had raised flood concerns, with water level in major rivers and streams surpassing the danger mark on Wednesday. However, by evening, water began receding in most parts. Despite this, a flood scare emerged last night in Srinagar, a city that had witnessed devastating floods in 2014. The panic prompted many residents living near the Jhelum to move household goods to upper floors. Shopkeepers in the City Centre, Lalchowk, also relocated their goods as a precaution.

“There were many rumours on social media that water had breached at multiple places, so we shifted most items from the ground to the second floor. Thankfully, nothing untoward happened this time,” said a resident from Shivpora, Srinagar.