Water Locked: The Deadly Kashmir Floods
Severe floods were reported in Jammu & Kashmir during first week of September, 2014. The flooding is being described as the area’s worst in five decades. The situation aggravated when heavy rains and rise in the water levels of Jhelum river led to flooding in the districts of Pulwama, Anantnag, Badgam, Supore and Kulgam. Five days of heavy rain subsided, but flood waters in Srinagar have risen dramatically. About 400 villages have been completely submerged by the floods forcing residents to seek refuge in temporary shelters. At the time of going to the press, large parts of Srinagar were still under several feet of water and telecommunications and electricity lines had snapped. Officials have revealed that at least 200 people have died in the floods and 50 villages have been damaged across the state. According to Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, boats have been brought from Delhi to help with evacuations, and the air force has begun rescue operations in the city. Armed forces, NRDF and other agencies have evacuated over 96,000 people so far while the government agencies are trying to restore roads and communications links.
Source: BBC
