3 die in floods, several rescued from inundated areas

Floods in Kashmir as water flows above danger mark

Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, June 30:  Authorities today declared floods in Kashmir after water level in river Jhelum crossed the danger mark in Srinagar early today but it has gradually started receding this evening with the improvement in weather giving a sigh of relief to people living near the river and its tributaries. Three persons died due to floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in Kashmir today.
A youth drowned into the flood spill channel while at Tengpora Bypass in Srinagar while saving a dog.  Asif Ahmed of Nagrota, Jammu, who was living in a makeshift tent at Tengpora, Bypass, with family, drowned in the flood channel while he was trying to rescue his dog. His body is yet to be recovered.

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A man slipped into the Vaishaw Nallah in Checkpora village of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district today. He was fished out from the Nallah but was declared brought dead at the hospital. Identified as Tariq Ahmad Dar, son of Rahman Dar, a resident of Checkpora Kulgam slipped into the Nallah while he was trying to catch plank of wood.
A land slide occured at Thimdan Behek in the forests of Anantnag district this morning during which shooting stones hit two tents resulting  in on the spot death of one person and injuries to several others.
Anantnag Police headed by SHO Uttersoo  reached on spot and found dead body of one nomad Mohammad Shafi Paswal, 60, son of Kamal ud-Din of Jij Bagli Reyasi and four other persons, identified as Fhoola Begum, 55, wife of Dooda Paswal, Nazera Begum, 38,  wife of Nazir Ahmad  Paswal, Khalid Paswal, 12, son of  Nazir Ahmad and Nazia Akhter, 3, daughter of  Nazir Ahmad  Paswal of Juj Bagli Reasi, injured.
The dead body and injured persons were brought to Thimden village by a police team with the help of locals of Thimdan. The injured were shifted to SDH Shangus for treatment and the dead body was also shifted to hospital for autopsy.
Authorities this morning declared floods in Srinagar after water crossed the danger mark of 18 feet at Ram Munshi Bagh gauge at midnight.
The water level at Sangam was 22.13 feet, 20.87 feet in Ram Munshi Bagh Srinagar and 12.83 feet in Asham at 10.00 p.m. It was 1.31 feet above danger level in Sangam, 2.89 feet above danger mark in Srinagar and around one feet below danger mark in Asham. But with the improvement in weather water was gradually receding.
Director MeT, Sonum Lotus today said that the weather has improved in the State as the cloud cover hovering over has moved out.  He said that rains stopped at majority of the places this afternoon and it would improve gradually. He said that there may be thundershowers at few places tomorrow evening.
Many residents who live along the Jhelum banks here are experiencing flooding from the river and several people have also evacuated to safety.
Residential houses were submerged at Kursu Rajbagh, Padshahi Bagh, Shalteng, Sharifabad, Pandrathen and Malik Sahab Safakadal area of Srinagar. Water was also seeing in Sonwar and Qamarwari areas of Srinagar.
Nine families were evacuated to safety from Malik Sahab Safakadal and put up at Higher Secondary School Nawakadal. Five families were also taken to safety from Qamarwari after the area was inundated with the flood water.
As there were possibility of breaches on Jhelum river at few places in Lasjan,Padshahi Bagh and Pampore areas of Srinagar authorities and locals were preventing such breaches by blocking them with sandbags and doing some repair works.
At Badami Bagh Cantonment, the Jhelum was overflowing leading to submerging of National Highway. The traffic was later suspended on the highway for safety of the commuters. Authorities and locals were trying to prevent the overflowing by sand bags.
Hundreds of PHE schemes were damaged in floods. An official said that 37 PHE schemes were fully damaged while 35 suffered partial damage.

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