The Hindu : National : Kashmir Valley still cut off though rain abates

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 05, 2006

National

National

Kashmir Valley still cut off though rain abates

Shujaat Bukhari

Two killed in south Kashmir; Jhelum still flowing above the danger mark

Photo: NISSAR AHMAD

ENDURING THE FLOODS: Residents use a boat to move on a water-logged street at Pashahibagh in Srinagar on Monday.

SRINAGAR : The Kashmir valley remained cut off from the rest of the country for the fourth consecutive day despite weather improving on Monday. The Srinagar-Jammu highway too was still closed with huge landslips at Ramban.

While the waters of rivers and streams had begun receding the Jhelum was still flowing above the danger mark, officials said. Two persons were reported killed in south Kashmir.

"One was a nomad who was caught in fresh snow at Anantnag and another a young man washed away while collecting firewood in Shopian area," Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Basharat Ahmad Dhar said.

Flood threat

He said the threat of floods was still thereas the Jhelum level at Bijbehara was still up by nine feet as also at Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar. "And, obviously more water is likely to come from the upper reaches."

Authorities evacuated people to safer places but complaints about inadequate measures poured in.

1 lakh families affected

Official estimates indicated that about one lakh families had been affected by the floodwaters and over 160 villages cut off. Schools and colleges remained closed under government instructions.

"At many places people have been temporarily shifted to schools," official sources said.

Several areas in the south Kashmir district of Anantnag were under water though the authorities hoped the worst was over.

Highway cut off

Over 2000 people were stranded and hundreds of trucks carrying essential commodities to Kashmir stuck at Ramban as landslips had clogged up the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

The Srinagar-Leh road was also closed, while the Srinagar-Anantnag road had been washed away at many places.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National