By Abdul MajidZargar,
Kashmir has been devastated by raging floods. While the human toll is yet to be ascertained, the over-all loss to property, infrastructure & business is estimated to be one lakh crores of rupees. Our ruling class has lost no time in urging New-Delhi to declare the tragedy a national calamity, but their tribe andadministration cannot escape the blame of inviting this fury and in that respect it can legitimately be called a man-made calamity.Two MLAs are fast emerging as facilitators, if not architects, of the whole tragedy.
While limiting this write-up to the floods submerging Srinagar City, following acts of commission and omission have become as contributory causes for the devastation:
1) First of all commercial and residential constructions have been illegally allowed in flood basin reserved to act as catchment area for diversion of excess water to save Srinagar City. It is now a posh slum called Mehjoor Nagar with Water & Electricity connections providedliberally courtesylocal politicians to strengthen their vote-bank. When Srinagar City faced imminent danger of floods, the residents of this slumwith active support of concerned MLA,resisted diversion of water to this area with the result that pressure on Bunds of JehlumSurrounding City increased. Though it was finally diverted but the pressure had already done the damage. The same diversion at Kandi-Zal was resisted by MLA Chadoora, a day earlier, tosavethe catchment area of his vote bank.
2) On the Bund adjoining GadhanjiPora, massive construction of hotels and commercial establishments has been allowed illegally by the concerned departments with favourable recommendation from concerned MLA. They have resorted to huge excavation in the river bed ultimately weakening the protective system.A massive construction was allowed to construct a school by a politically well connected person with active connivance of Local MLA andLAWDA officials. For raising this construction, the concerned person did a lot of excavation thus weakening the natural strength of the bund. It needs to be mentioned that water entered Rajbagh-JawaharNagar initially through a breach near this point in the bund.
3) With this highly improper plan of constructing Jehangirchowk-Rambagh Flyover, (which is a matter of separate debate) much of the traffic was diverted through a portion of the bund from Jawahar-Nagar to Ram bagh.This typeof vehicular traffic is never suitable on Flood saving Bunds. It creates adverse movements beneath which weakens the bund. To rub salt to injury, a low level bridge joining two sides of the Bund was constructed across the flood channel which acted as an unregulated “Weir” creating huge pressure on one side of the bunds. Due to this excess pressure, the bund caved in at various weak points.
4) All across the world, the flood saving bunds have to be in a reverse “V” shape (^) fortified by planting appropriate trees with botanically strong roots. The concerned Department has been quite negligent inenforcing this practice. The bund on the population side has been encroached, de-planted and excavated to construct garages, servant quarters and similar constructions. In a particular section of the bund huge water pipes have been laid down. This has considerably weakened the bund & the overall protection system.
5) A few days before the raging floods created havoc in Srinagar city, a small breach occurred in Dood-Ganga Channel bund near Bone and Joint Hospital again at a place where the Government was carrying some construction activity reportedly for creating some parking space. When the said channel was in spate, iron gates located at Bul-bul Bag bund had to be opened to divert excess flow in main flood channel.It is reported that these gates couldn’t be opened due to some mechanical failure with the result a breach occurred at a weak point and water inundated whole Barzulla Colony. It amply proves that administration had not done proper home-work and was caught off-guard.
6) A common sewerage treatment plant (STP) is being constructed on the water-bed near Hatrick restaurant, Rajbagh. At the time of floods, the work was in progressand excess water flowing in Jehlum entered through the pipes laid for the purpose.The water also found its way inwards through pipes laid to dewater the Rajbagj area through de-watering station.Non-returnable valves fitted in these pipes, which allow only outflow and prevent inflow of water, did not function properly as these were of highly inferior quality due to corruption element prevalent in the administration, particularly the engineering departments.
7) In-spite of severe criticism by civil Society, The construction of skewed bridge across Jehlum, near convent school was taken up by the Government which necessitated excavation of the bund on both sides . This also weakened the bund, the early signal of which was given by caving in of a huge tree nearby.
For the State Government, it is of paramount importance to appoint a high power judicial commission with members of impeccable character and record from variousfraternities to precisely identify & pin-point the reasons for the disaster and initiate action against the negligent & delinquent.
(The author is a Srinagar based practicing chartered Accountant. E mail: [email protected])