Srinagar, April 13 (KNO) : Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCC&I) Saturday expressed concern at the abrupt rise in water levels in the flood channel and the River Jhelum. Sheikh Ashiq Ahmad, President KCC&I as per a statement issued to KNO stated that it was appalling to see that a few millimeters of rainfall has caused such an abnormal rise. “The water disbursal /drainage system appears to be totally choked,” he said, adding that in view of the heavy snowfall during the winter months, increased water flow in rivers is expected during the summer months.
“Post 2014 floods, a lot of flood prevention and disaster management measures have been announced. These include dredging of River Jhelum, construction of storm drains, increasing the water intake capacity of Wular Lake, etc. But even after the passage of five years, the water absorption capacity of our rivers, drainage system and flood channels appears to have been drastically reduced rather than having increased. The dredging operation seems to be a total failure. As are other short and long terms flood control measures,” Ahmad added.
“The Government should initiate preventive measures on war footing. The wastage of substantial amounts of public money on ineffectual measures also needs to be looked into and responsibility fixed. There is an apparent adhocism in planning which has to be corrected before it’s too late,” he said.(KNO)