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Kashmir on flood alert, people asked to move to safety

by IBNS 30 Mar 2015, 11:29 am

Srinagar, Mar 30 (IBNS): The Jammu and Kashmir authorities on Monday declared flood in the Kashmir Valley, asking people living close to the banks of the Jhelum River to exercise extreme caution and move to safer places.

According to a communication received from Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, “Water levels of River Jehlum have touched danger level while Sangam and Ram Munshi Bagh have touched 18’.4” and 16’.0” respectively."
 
All employees deployed for flood control duty, shall report to their respective beats immediately, it said.
 
Many shopkeepers in the Residency Road and Lal Chowk commercial hub of the city were seen shifting merchandise to safer places, engaging load carriers for the purpose.
 
Several people are feared to have died after two residential houses collapsed due to land sinking in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on
Monday.
 
Deputy Commissioner Budgam told IBNS that teams are on way to assess the situation.
 
He also said that army, police are on full job to retrieve bodies from the debris.
 
People living in flood-prone areas of Srinagar city, especially those in Rajbagh, Jawahar Nagar, Gogjibagh, Wazir Bagh and some other places have already started moving to safer places since Sunday evening.
 
MET department said that there will be no rain in next 5 hrs and hopefully weather will improve from today evening.
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has deputed a high level Central team headed by Union Minister Mukhtar Abas Naqvi to Jammu and Kashmir to assess the flood situation.
 
Meanwhile, two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams comprising 100 personnel have been rushed to Jammu and Kashmir, where Jhelum River crossed the danger level in Srinagar and Sangam area of South Kashmir following heavy rains.
 
On Saturday scores of families were evacuated to safer locations after 20 residential houses collapsed and around 60 others suffered
damages due to massive cracks caused by soil erosion and landslides in Budgam Dsitrict of South Kashmir.
 
 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed is in Srinagar  to personally supervise the situation, said reports.
 
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he hoped that September 2014 kind of situation would not repeat since authorities have learnt from the experience of last year. 
 
 
 
(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)