Dear Editor,
Our spiritual and textual sources narrate to us that our land basically was a water body, where serpents lived and then we have an extended lore that gives the picture of the development of the land, thus the draining of the water. The main aim of the person making the analysis is to squeez out the truth in the whole process and to begin with, what I am trying to make here is the fact that Kashmir basically was a submerged place thus a water body. Over the span of centuries, it was steadily transformed into a living inhabitation and thus began a meagre existence.
History bears the testimony to the fact that the formation of the Valley, makes it liable to heavy floods. Back and again in the course of centuries the Sate has experienced drastic floods that were followed by famines and epidemics, reducing the already shrink population and making the lives of the survivors even more difficult. There is this folk saying that goes, ‘it solely has been the water that has destroyed Kashmir’. The growth of the population and thus the living patterns went on in a total haph-hazard mannerand thus floods when came, did all the destruction.
The former serious flood that hit the Valley was in 1903, during the rule of Maharaja Pratap Singh. A 48 hours continious rain brought the melted snow from the mountains in huge quantities and widespread destruction of life and property was caused. It was the (British) Resident, Sir Luis Dane who decided to undertake the flood prevention and control measures on a long term basis and thus consulted the State engineer Field and the electrical engineer Major A.de Lotbiniere. The duo made a survey of the State for several months and submitted their report with recommendations.
The foremost recommendation was dredging and for this purpose dredgers were brought from America in 1905-06, along with the other technologies and machinery required. Since these dredgers were electrically run, the powerhouse to support it was made at Mahora (that continues to be an eminet and important powerhouse of the city) and the dredging operations began in 1908. Initially the operations were mainly around Wular and by 1912, 6,100 acres was reclaimed, from around the Wular. Eventually for the quarter of the century, there were no major floods in the Valley, however the State looked at the dredgers as junk and in 1917 were sold, much as the items of junk. Unavoidably a severe flood hit the city of Srinagar in 1928 causing destruction mainly to the standing crop.
At that, the preventive measures that came from the State were the same as building high bunds around the city. At the cost of the rest of the valley, no dredging operations on a serious basis, since then have been in sight. Eventually the beds of the rivers and lakes are heavily silted and the floods unavoidable; unavoidable, till we get back on the task!
Not only dredging operations are left unchecked by the traditional bund system itself has not been spared, over the course of time. Sumo stands, mosques, restaurants, graveyards and so many more structures have been constructed over, near and above the bunds thus hampering the way of the flood channels. Residential colonies and houses have been built in the flood zones that were restricted for any and every sort of construction(s).
Thus the circumstances that badly have caught us, trace their roots in our logic-less actions and our problems are the result of our own erratic actions.
Dhaar Mehak
Jammu