Kashmir floods LIVE: 8 bodies recovered from Budgam, army gears up for rescue operation
A senior official said water level of river Jhelum at 6 am at Sangam (South Kashmir) and Ram Munshi Bagh (Srinagar city) has touched 22.4 feet and 18.8 feet respectively.
Jhelum river on Monday crossed danger level in Srinagar and Sangam area of South Kashmir with heavy rains lashing most parts of the state which sounded an alert asking people to move to safer places. A senior official said water level of river Jhelum at 6 am at Sangam (South Kashmir) and Ram Munshi Bagh (Srinagar city) has touched 22.4 feet and 18.8 feet respectively. Danger level at Sangam is 21 feet and at Ram Munshi Bagh it is 18 feet.
Here are the Live Updates:
3:39 pm: Relief materials being air dashed to the flood-affected valley in the shortest possible time: Home Minister Rajnath Singh
3:45 pm: 8 bodies recovered from Budgam.
3:41 pm: Army gears up for rescue operation in J-K
With the met department predicting continued rainfall in J&K, the civil administration has reached out to the Army for rescue & relief operations in Srinagar and Pulawama Districts.
A spokesman said that the army is keeping a close watch on the flood situation and 20 columns with rescue boats and other equipment have been kept on alert to deal with any situation that may arise due to rising water levels. Army is assisting the civil administration in flood control measures in Baramulla since Sunday and a relief operation is under progress in South Kashmir to rescue people trapped in collapsed houses. Army engineers are also undertaking strengthening of identified weak spots on the bunds of Jhelum river near Sonwar in Srinagar. Army has assured civil administration of all possible assistance in this time of crisis.
2:01 pm: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (MoS, Minority Affairs) meets J-K State Ministers.
#kashmirFloods Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (MoS, Minority Affairs) meets J&K State Ministers pic.twitter.com/AnrElleqJjANI (@ANI_news) March 30, 2015
1:23 pm: All schools in the Valley have been closed for two days after heavy rains inundated large areas. University of Kashmir has also postponed its annual examinations for two days.
1:18 pm: 16 people were feared trapped after two houses collapse in Budgam district.
1:03 pm: A landslide in the Himalayan region of Kashmir buried at least 10 people while they were sleeping.
12:05 pm: Modi rushed minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to Kashmir for on-the-spot assessment of the flood situation and to coordinate with state authorities for whatever help is required.
11:31 am: I sincerely hope situation will further be improved from today: J-K CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
#kashmirFloods visuals of affected areas in Budgam district of J&K pic.twitter.com/9npYsKMn99ANI (@ANI_news) March 30, 2015
3 control rooms set up along with team of Ministers personally monitoring the whole situation in the valley and supervising the administrative response.
11:17 am: We will try to provide compensation to non-insured people who have been affected by flood: J-K CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
11:06 am: Boats and sand bags organised, have mounted 24 hour vision on bunds all across valley: Nayeem Akhtar
10.44 am: 100 NDRF personnel rushed to Kashmir, 4 teams on standby
Bhatinda: NDRF team left for Srinagar with relief material (Earlier visuals) pic.twitter.com/SeT8YbBllAANI (@ANI_news) March 30, 2015
Two NDRF teams comprising 100 personnel have been rushed as part of contingency measures. The two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, comprising about 50 personnel each, were taken in an IAF plane from Bhatinda in Punjab to Srinagar.
"We have pre-positioned two of our teams in the Kashmir Valley in order to combat any situation in the wake of flood alert. "Four other teams at Ghaziabad and Bhatinda will be on standby," said NDRF Director General OP Singh.
10:37 am: PM directed us to visit affected areas, take stock of situation and assess the damage done: MA Naqvi
10:35 am: Can use our experience from past to deal with current situation, same officials who were deployed in September should be positioned: Omar Abdullah
10:33 am: IAF aircraft loaded with relief material provided by NDRF, departs from Bathinda for Srinagar.
10:31 am: Dy chief minister, Dr Nirmal Singh said in the state assembly that some families have been trapped in choudara area in badgam, Kashmir. He said rescue teams have been sent to the spot to help them.
10:28 am: Two houses sink into ground at Chadoora area in Budgam district of Kashmir, 16 people feared trapped: police.
10:24 am: Omar Abdullah, former chief Minister of J-K said that situation is grim and all bandhs should be intact otherwise their would be problem. He said govt should activate all administrative units to deal with the situation as it is just same september 2014 situation. Criticising the NDA government, Omar said till now they have not given relief package to the people who were effected in september 2014 floods.
10:04 am: Rescue teams have been rushed to the spot to save them.
10:01 am: About 20 to 25 families of Sanai and Potha in Surankote area of Poonch in Jammu trapped in the river Suran as river has changed its course.
4 teams on stand by, non need to panic, State Govt, Central Govt and NDRF at their services: OP Singh, DG NDRF pic.twitter.com/V8AQEBIsTjANI (@ANI_news) March 30, 2015
Accordingly the authorities have declared that Kashmir has been flooded and people living in low lying areas. The government has put forth men and machinery into service to help the people affected by the floods.
People living on the banks of the river Jhelum have been asked to remain alert and advised to move to safer places. Old persons and children have also been asked to shift to specially set up camps, a government spokesman has said, reported PTI.
He said all the employees deployed for flood control have been asked to report for duty immediately.
If the water level breaches 23 feet mark, the state will have to undertake a massive rescue operations and evacuate people from areas adjoining the river.
Intermittent power cuts, landslides and water logging were witnessed in different parts of the Valley as heavy rains lashed the region, bringing back the dreadful memories of last year's devastating floods in the state that killed nearly 300 people.
Heavy rains overnight cause waterlogging in Kashmir's towns and villages. River Jhelum water levels rising pic.twitter.com/nNYeVUIDPA(@ANI_news) March 30, 2015
The Met department has said that the wet spell will continue till next week. According to BP Yadav, director of Met department, the rains will continue to lash the state for the next 6 days, with forecast of heavy rainfall on Monday.
The situation has created panic in some areas and raised fears of fresh floods in the Valley.
The authorities however have tried to dispel the fears, saying there was no reason to worry.
Minister of State for Flood and Irrigation Abdul Majid Paddar said the "Situation is under control. We are prepared for everything."
He said that "the chief minister and the cabinet minister have taken cognizance of situation and we are prepared for every situation."
Heavy rain triggers landslide, Jammu-Srinagar highway blocked in Udhampur (J&K) pic.twitter.com/EeE2YeBCpuANI (@ANI_news) March 30, 2015
The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was closed following landslides at a number of places on Sunday.
The road was closed on Sunday for repairs but fresh downpour has resulted in the arterial road remaining closed for the second day.
The Srinagar-Gulmarg road was also closed after a bridge in Kunzar village was washed away by the swollen Ferozepur Nallah.