Opinion | Floods in Kashmir Lessons from the Past

Kashmir is known globally for its water bodies and stunning scenery. The Jhelum River provided essential support to the Valley over many years by aiding farming, commerce and routine existence. However that very waterway often warned inhabitants regarding the necessity of respecting natural forces. Historical records show Kashmir frequently suffered from flooding events which rank among the worst disasters in the area. Past documents show the Jhelum basin saw over thirty major floods after 1800. Earlier Kalama’s Rajatarangini noted repeated floods from rain and quick snowmelt. Such floods ruined villages, harmed crops and caused bad hunger problems. This proves floods were never new events. They formed Kashmir history for many years.

One of the first flood events recorded happened in 1841. Non stop rain made the Jhelum River spill over breaking the Qazizad embankment. Many bridges between Fateh Kadal and Sumbal got destroyed and big areas of Srinagar became flooded. This event showed how weak the Valley was against long periods of rain. The flood event occurring in July 1903 stands among the most severe calamities within Kashmir history. Almost sixty continuous hours of rain made the Jhelum reach unprecedented heights. Much of Srinagar became underwater. Many thousands of houses were ruined and nearly all bridges save Amira Kadal suffered damage. This disaster compelled the administration to reinforce embankments and build spillways to lower future flood dangers. It served as a vital lesson showing how engineering measures can lessen the effects of natural disasters.

Floods from 1950 and 1959 showed Valley weakness once more. The 1950 event killed many people and ruined low land regions badly. The 1959 flood known locally as the Ford Flood destroyed farms, streets and public systems. Farmers lost money heavily and many households fought hard to fix their living situations. The worst flooding seen recently happened in September 2014. Between September 3 and 7 very heavy rain made the Jhelum River break its banks. Big sections of Srinagar and many valley districts stayed under water for days. Over two hundred people died. Hundreds of thousands moved away. Schools, hospitals, office buildings, shops and homes took huge damage. Money lost reached tens of thousands of crore rupees. This event showed big problems with flood control, city plans and rescue systems.

Lessons from these floods remain obvious. Floods occur naturally yet destruction scope relies heavily on human activity. Fast urban growth, wetland loss, illegal building near rivers, clogged drains and smaller floodplains raised Kashmir risk. Wetlands holding extra water vanished due to bad planning. Nature drains were stopped by roads, structures and other works lessening the Valley capacity to take rain. Old forebears knew how nature acts. They made homes up high and stayed away from lowlands close to rivers and brooks. They honoured natural water paths and did not mess with flood plains. Where they lived showed many years of seeing things happen. New building projects ought to take that smart advice rather than look past it.

The Government of Jammu and Kashmir and India put much money into making embankments better, cleaning the Jhelum River, fixing drains, building things to stop floods, putting up early warning tools and getting ready for disasters. These steps helped get ready better yet just having buildings does not take away flood dangers. People working together is also very needed. Each person holds duty to guard nature and cut down disaster dangers. Citizens must not throw trash into gutters, creeks or waterways since clogged pipes raise flood levels. Building without permission on marshes, shorelines or flow paths needs stopping. All homes need grasp of flood alerts and make ready urgent schemes. Groups ought store survival boxes with clean liquid, key drugs, lighters, medical gear, vital papers and simple eatables. When waters rise individuals must obey expert notices and stop sharing false tales online. Communities hold a key part in times of disaster too. Local helpers may aid older people disabled ones females, kids when leaving areas. Schools ought to run regular drills for safety so pupils learn reaction steps in crises. Faith places, social clubs, young people teams and civic groups might boost local strength via education pushes and helper webs.

Conservation of environment remains vital duty too. Saving forests, fixing wetlands, growing trees and keeping water sources safe helps lower flood severity levels. Sustainability needs to form base for all upcoming projects inside Valley area. Growth must not happen by harming nature itself ever.

Climate change has added more uncertainty to weather patterns. Heavy rain events happen often now so being ready matters very much today. Science plans new forecast tech and good nature habits need working together to cut coming dangers down. Floods have often tried the strength of Kashmiri people. Each event gave important lessons. Careful planning, respect for nature, good government work and people joining in are best ways to stop bad things later. Past flood stories should make everyone act together to make Kashmir safe, strong and kind to nature for Generations coming after Us. Your safety is more important than your belongings. Protect life first. Property can be replaced. Lives cannot.

(Writer is a Teacher, An Author and a Columnist From Boniyar Baramulla. He Can Be Reached on mukhtar.qur@gmail.com)