GK Wednesday Column: Flood Tale & the Trail …human follies compound natural disaster DISASTER DR. JAVID IQBAL Smaller Default Larger iqbal.javid46@gmail As much of the valley got inundated, the reflection of acts of omission and commission sum-up to make a tragic tale, wherein human follies compounded manifold a natural disaster. We have Srinagar Development Authority [SDA] offices spread over flood channel—a channel devised to act as a drain to carry the fury of Jhelum, were it to bulge with incessant rain. The authority exercises control over the devised master plan for the city. The master plan devised by experts in Land Use—fundamental to Town Planning. In line with SDA, we have Haj House; a maternity hospital is coming up, enhancing the clogging of a vital drainage outlet. The irony compounds, as wetlands around the flood channel are filled with concrete structures—Housing Colonies. The colonies over wetlands violate the fundamentals of urban planning. You may not build on wetlands and choke the city by depriving it of its breath. Instead, you use the highlands, were the city to grow beyond existing limits. You do not use wetlands and flood channels for creating bye-pass avenues, for easing the incoming and outgoing traffic of the city. You do not devise an embankment by laying down a rail track, thus forcing the Jhelum bulge to create havoc in the city. Add to that Nallah Mer’r that drained Dal Lake and you have a clogged city with choked water bodies. The report has been making rounds in various write-ups that Nallah Mer’r was a security measure to provide approaches to inner city. Inner city or downtown did need alternative approaches. That however should have been attempted without choking the water body that graced the city—a gift of nature subjected to base considerations. Our engineers in a commendable study way back in 2010 predicted the outcome. In a submission to the state government, they predicted what we are face to face with. “We are expecting a water discharge of around 150000 cusses if flood hits Srinagar city, leaving most parts of the city submerged”, a senor official of the flood control department had revealed. It is not only the city of Srinagar that faces the danger, but most parts of the valley from south to north Kashmir are likely to be hit by the flood, related official sources. The sources continued-- it may go beyond, washing the national highway and submerging of IG road leading to airport may hinder the aerial access to the Valley as well. The renowned wetlands of Nadru Nambal, Narkara Nambal and Hokarsar are relegated to history. “Residential colonies have come up all along these wetlands, the flood water will flow in the city’s lanes and drains leaving it completely submerged” admitted Taj Mohi-ud-Din—the then Minister of PHE, Irrigation and Flood control, obviously based on study the engineers had conducted. He also related successive governments acting contrary to the recommendations of Uppal committee, appointed in 1976 to mark measures for flood control. The project report and its copies, prepared by the department and weighing around one ton, enough to fill a truckload had been sent to the union water resources ministry with the request to release the required funds—2,200 crores, 500 crores put as the initial requirement. Paltry sum of 109 crores was believed to have been in pipeline, though other reports indicate 97 crores were spend on refurbishing the drainage outlets. The outlet—the flood channel had been the measure devised over a century back, as successive floods in 1893, 1900, 1902 and 1905 rattled the autocratic Dogra Regime. British engineers devised the measure that carried 20,000 cusecs flowing through Gunde-Aksha, Hokarsar, further though Jheels--Mirgund, Nowgam and Haigam into Wular. Known as Asia’s largest lake, in its wide bosom, it could absorb the bulge of Jhelum. That is a tale of past, the lake has shrunk, yet again the result of encroachment by land mafia. How did the carriage capacity of 20,000 cusecs shrink to 4000 cusecs through years of neglect needs to be probed. It is a can of worms, however foul smelling, it might be, public have a right to know—who was complacent, who was negligent to the extent of contributing to the magnitude of the tragedy. Chief Minister—Omar Abdullah admits complacency, he seeks refuge too. Federal government had been informed, relates Omar of the dire possibility of huge discharge of water resulting in Jhelum bulge. He said as much to Burkha Dutt of NDTV, adding that the papers with details were doing rounds with queries. The queries resulted in death and destruction on a vast scale. It calls for a judicial commission of enquiry to probe the complacency, the lackadaisical manner in which papers that concerned the fate of scores of Kashmiris were tossed back and forth between Srinagar and Delhi. At the heart of the matter is the fact that potential damage had been assessed four years back. And, when it did happen exactly as estimated, the official agencies that played with the lives of people, their home and hearth, need to be brought to book. Nature may not permit playing with it, though it may provide wrong-doers the impression that they could get away with transgression. Not for long, the retribution comes, sooner or later. It is the law of nature, history bears witness to. Yet, we try to sleep over it, ultimately to our peril. Yaar Zinda, Sohbat Baqi [Reunion is subordinate to survival]
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 02:28:18 +0000
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