Srinagar rains: Threat of flood in Kashmir subsides as water levels recede

Srinagar: Except for Kupwara and some low-lying areas, the threat of floods in Kashmir subsided on Tuesday as the water level in Jhelum and other water bodies in the valley began receding after the three-day incessant rainfall stopped late last night.

The officials said the water level at downstream locations along the river kept rising for a few hours and crossed the flood declaration mark at Pampore in Pulwama and Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar early Tuesday. But it has started to recede.

Meanwhile, the water level in river Jhelum late at night also crossed the flood declaration mark at Sangam in Anantnag district but when the rains stopped around 11.00 pm, the water level is receding now, officials said.

Incessant rainfall since Friday have caused the water bodies in Kashmir to swell with the Pohru Nallah in the Kupwara district overflowing the banks, resulting in flash floods in the frontier district.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah visited the flood-affected areas in Kupwara and urged the government to compensate the losses suffered by the victims of the deluge in the area.

"It seems we have not learned any lessons from 2014. The climate is changing. Places like Dubai, which is a desert, received rainfall equivalent to 18 months in just one day. We will have to change ourselves according to the changing climate," he said.

"Besides providing compensation to the victims, the government should take measures to effectively deal with such eventualities," he said.

People's Conference leader Sajad Lone also visited the flood-affected areas of Kupwara and Handwara.

Abdullah and Lone are contesting elections from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency which is going to polls on May 20.

Many low-lying areas in Kashmir including Srinagar have been inundated by the accumulation of rainwater even as authorities tried to pump out the water.

Roads in many areas across the valley are waterlogged, causing problems for motorists.

Authorities in Kashmir closed all schools in the valley on Tuesday as a precautionary measure and the University of Kashmir has postponed all exams scheduled for the day.