Water-logging creates havoc in HMT and its adjacent areas

by Sabrina Mushtaq

Srinagar

Incessant rains in Kashmir valley over the past two days have caused water-logging in HMT area on the outskirts of Srinagar creating a flood-like situation and triggering panic among people.

Waterlogging creates havoc in HMT and its adjacent areas.
KL Image by Bilal Bahadur

The residents of the various areas of HMT including Mustafabad, Umerabad, Ghalibabad, Iqbal Colony said that their localities have got inundated over the past few days due to the continuous rains.

“We cant move out of our homes as lanes are filled with water. Children are not able to go to school and have got bound to four walls of the home,” Bilal Ahmad, a resident of Mustafabad said.

Another resident of Mustafabad, Abdul Rashid said that the knee-deep water, accumulated on roads has brought life to a halt in the area. “We have been confined to our homes as the lanes are filled with water and we have to face various problems. We are not able to move out of our homes to buy basic necessities like milk, medicines, vegetables etc.,” he said.

Locals said due to the lack of proper drainage system in the area, a few centimeters of rain chokes the lanes causing immense hardships to them. “There is no proper drainage system in the area and every time after the rainfall, the areas are submerged in water. We often raised this issue with the administration but nothing concrete has been done so far to redress the problems faced by people,” Zahid Khan, a resident of Umerabad said.

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.

“The construction of the drainage system was started by the Government in March last year but till date, the project is still incomplete. The government should speed up the work so that the project should be completed at the earliest and we don’t have to face hardships,” Basit Ahmad, a resident said.

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.”

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