Srinagar: Everytime it rains, some areas of Srinagar, the city capital, are always on the verge of waterlogging and submerging. The main cause of it is the lack of a proper drainage system. Even though it hasn’t rained much in the past weeks, unpleasant water logging is still seen in some areas of Srinagar city.
The areas affected even by normal rains include; Hari Singh High Street, Lal Chowk, Batamaloo, Bemina, Jehangir Chowk, Rajbagh, Jawahar Nagar, Khanyar, Fateh Kadal, Baba Demb, Shalteng, Usmanabad, Umerabad, Mustafabad Zainakote, Maisuma, Indira Nagar, Iqbal Colony Sonwar, Aloocha Bagh, Shivpora, Rainawari, Soura, Parraypora, Rambagh, LD Hospital, TRC Junction. Usmanabad, Umerabad, Mustafabad areas of HMT are reported to be stillaffected.
Shopkeepers from different markets of Srinagar complained thatwaterlogging severely affected their daily business while some complained that the water entered their shops.
Waterlogging not only irritates residents but it hugely disturbs traffic.
A few weeks back, monsoon rains bought flood like situation. “Monsoon is not something that will come one year and rest for the other. The government knows that and still, we see no concrete steps taken in order to avoid flood-like situations”, said Altaf Gani, a shopkeeper in Lal Chowk. “All the shopkeepers alwayshave long-boots (Wellington boot) with them as we never know when it will rain and roads will be submerged, Dilawar Singh, another shopkeeper at Hari Singh High Street said.
With authorities failing to undertake cleaning of drains, various localities in the summer capital witnessed water-logging everytime it rains. “The bumpy road stretch becomes more dangerous during rains as potholes on the road turn into cesspools. The poor drainage system on the highway has also added to our miseries,” said Nazir Ahmed, a local resident of HMT.
“Students and patients are bearing the brunt of the water-logging. The Cantonment Board is in slumber. We hope the district administration will intervene and press into service the dewatering pumps,” said the aggrieved residents of Indira Nagar.
An official of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) said that the lack of proper drainage system is the main reason for the water-logging of the area and they are working on a drain project that will provide relief to the people. “Water-logging is often witnessed in the area as there is no proper drainage system planned for the area. We have started the work on the drainage system for the area starting from Shalteng and about 60% of the work on the first phase of the project is complete,” he said, adding, “Mobile pumps are being provided to de-water the area so that people would get respite from the water-logging till the drain project is completed.” He also added that the men and machinery proactively dewater the roads and areas. Still residents of HMT still witness the water logging today.
As per the residents, a drainage project was started last year from Shalteng to Lawaypora, along Srinagar-Baramulla highway by the authorities but the work on it is moving at snail’s pace.
