Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Jan 6: In a move to bolster flood protection infrastructure in Srinagar, projects worth nearly Rs 7.9 crore have been approved and tendered for strengthening vulnerable stretches of the River Jhelum embankment in the Lal Chowk constituency.
In this regard, the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department has identified eight critical locations where embankments were found weak, sloughed or prone to erosion.
The works, primarily focusing on slope stabilisation and toe protection, were tendered between the last week of December 2025 and the first week of January 2026.
Major projects include embankment strengthening near Pantha Chowk Yatri Niwas on the right bank at an estimated cost of Rs 1.60 crore, protection works at Peerzoo Island (RD 72.186 km) worth Rs 1.575 crore, and slope and toe protection near WSS Tangnar at Sempora (RD 58.40 km), valued at Rs 1.70 crore-the highest among the sanctioned works.
Other approved works involve stabilisation near the Chief Engineer I&FC Kashmir office on the left bank at the cost of Rs 92 lakh, repair and renovation of a sluice gate and channel lining between Sempora and Sonwar at the cost of Rs 20 lakh, embankment protection at Golpora at the cost of Rs 56 lakh, Batwara at the cost of Rs 63 lakh and Purnibal Shivpora at the cost of Rs 72 lakh.
The concentration of projects at specific Reduced Distance (RD) points reflects a targeted, survey-based approach to urban flood management.
Areas such as Sempora, Batwara and central Srinagar stretches along the Jhelum are considered highly sensitive due to dense habitation and past flood vulnerabilities.
Reacting to the approval, the MLA Lal Chowk said the sanctioning of nearly Rs 8 crore for embankment strengthening reflects the Government’s resolve to move from reactive damage control to proactive disaster prevention.
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