J&K govt says 90 pc of dewatering is done

As people continue to protest against the state government’s inefficiency in dewatering operations in the aftermath of the flash floods, authorities on Thursday claimed that 90 per cent of the inundated areas had been cleared.

Pawan Kotwal, Commissioner Secretary of Public Health Engineering (Irrigation & Flood Control), who visited several flood-affected parts of the city, was told by officials that almost 90 per cent of the dewatering process was complete and that they were on in full swing elsewhere.

“Affected localities will be free of the water entirely within the next couple of days,” the engineers told Kotwal. They added that restoration work on the breaches and cuts along the River Jhelum is going on simultaneously and most of the areas had been plugged.

The commissioner secretary asked the engineers to keep strict vigil on the post-flood situation and plug the breaches and cuts along the Jhelum River expeditiously. He said the government would also frame a long-term strategy to tackle such challenges in the future.

Kotwal added that the department took necessary and timely measures to prevent the flood, but the magnitude of water was so high that it was uncontrollable under the circumstances.

He said that the department’s timely warnings to people staying along the river to shift to safer areas did not work, which ultimately led to the city facing the fury.
On the drinking water scenario aftermath the floods, Kotwal said that most parts of Srinagar city had been restored with regular water supply.