1. Home
2. Front Page

Several localities in Srinagar remain waterlogged

FARZANA SYED. Dated: 7/4/2018 1:29:46 PM

SRINAGAR, JULY, 3: While incessant rainfall left several areas and lanes across Srinagar city inundated, many residential areas in the city continue to remain waterlogged pushing the inhabitants to immense hardships and inconvenience.
Where as the heavy rainfall during the past few days brought the looming threat of floods in Kashmir, the defunct drainage system in Srinagar resulted in submerging of various localities including the areas of HMT, Rajbagh and Bemina etc.
The residents of these localities alleged that despite repeated requests to administration their localities continued to remain water logged pushing them to immense trouble.
Though the administration claims of putting all de-watering procedures in place, the areas of the city which include Bemina, Qamarwari, residential localities of HMT including Mustafabad, Umerabad, and Iqbal Colony, Parimpora continue to face acute waterlogging.
The residents revealed that owing to inundated lanes and by lanes they were not able to move out of their homes.
"Since last Friday our lanes are completely waterlogged. We face immense problems in venturing out of our homes. Our children are not able to come out for going to school. The lanes still have knee deep waters," said Illiyas Ahmad a resident of Mustafabad HMT.
While a flood like situation prevailed across Kashmir valley on Friday various residential colonies were badly waterlogged. The inhabitants of Sharifabad locality revealed that the rain water had entered the premises of residential houses creating a panic among the residents.
"This colony is completely submerged due to defunct drainage system. We are indeed facing a flood like situation. Roads were already left inundated however water has entered our houses too. We did not see any dewatering process being initiated by administration yet," Shabir Hassan a resident of Sharifabad said.
"We have been left in a sad state of affairs. It is not possible for us to venture out. Our roads are completely submerged. Whenever there is rainfall for two to three days we are left flooded," residents of Umerabad said.
Roads of several other localities of Bemina which include Iqbalabaad, SDA Colony, stand waterlogged while no dewatering process has been started in these areas.
"The drainage system is a complete failure. The rainfall has left our roads flooded however the administration is watching like a mute spectator. We request the authorities to address our grievances. It has become a life long trouble for us," said Muhammad Hanief, a resident of Lawaypora area.
According to the officials at Srinagar Municipal Corporation all the available mobile dewatering pumps were in operation to dewater the submerged areas in the city.
The officials said that the water-logging was due to defunct drainage system.
"Around 24 dewatering pumps and fire service vehicles have been deployed to dewater the areas that are severely inundated," a senior engineer at Mechanical department, Srinagar Municipal Commission revealed.
"All the dewatering pumps have been put into place to clear water off the roads. We are making efforts to de-water all the inundated localities of city. More de-watering pumps are required so that it doesn't take much time to dewater inundated localities," an official at SMC said.