Srinagar: Incessant rains caused waterlogging in several areas of the summer capital on Wednesday affecting normal life.
Following incessant overnight rains, roads in several areas including Hazratbal, Hawal, Eidgah, Soura, Batpora, Syedpora, Babadem, Batamaloo, Natipora, Bemina, HMT, Shalteng were waterlogged. The residents in these areas said faced inconvenience due to water logging.
Traders in city centre also decried waterlogging. “In absence of proper drainage system, massive waterlogging at Jahangir Chowk area affected vehicular and pedestrian movement,” said a shopkeeper at Jahangir chowk.
In addition to waterlogging, many areas in Srinagar witnessed flash floods. Scary scenes were witnessed in Bemina area where flash floods breached residential areas and roads. Locals took to social media to share videos of flash floods at Bemina area. Netizens were posting pictures of water logging on social media while pressing the Srinagar administration to take timely action.
Srinagar Police established an emergency helpline in view of inclement weather and continuous rainfall.
The general public of Srinagar was asked to seek help on the dedicated numbers in case of an emergency arising due to inclement rain.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Srinagar, Syed Haneef Balkhi said that all possible measures were taken by the administration in the current situation.
“We have been on the job since yesterday itself. We are in touch with all the departments to coordinate in this situation. We have mobilised men and machinery in the areas where necessary. A control room has also been set up to coordinate in this situation. In many weak areas where a breach of water was most likely to happen, the embankments have been strengthened by using sandbags. We are keeping an eye on the situation and the Srinagar administration will do everything possible to ensure the safety of people on a priority basis,” Balkhi added.