Srinagar : As the water level recedes, the flood-affected residents of Kashmir Valley living in makeshift camps are now worried about their future in view of the approaching winter.
“We are left with nothing to eat and nowhere to go as our house has been completely damaged by the floods. We are lucky to have survived, but now we are worried where we will live now,” said Ghulam Qadir, a resident of Suthra Shahi locality
of the city, who along with his family, was rescued by the Army
and is being airlifted to Jammu. “We are now going to Jammu to stay with our daughter for a few days, but we have to return home to Kashmir to face the harsh reality,” he said.
The Jammu and Kashmir Government says the extent of the
damage caused by the floods is huge and can be assessed only when the flood waters recede. “The damage caused by the flooding is huge and there are many areas which are still under water. We want the people and the governments across the country to send up water pumps to remove water from residential areas,” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said.
The chief minister says that in view of the upcoming winter season in the Valley, the priority of his government was to rehabilitate the people affected by the floods. “We want blankets and so far not many blankets have reached us. We request people across the country to send us blankets,” Omar said.
As the floodwater has started to recede, the complete picture of the extent of the damage caused by the floods is becoming visible. A large number of houses have collapsed across Srinagar city, with thousands of residents living in makeshift relief camps being run by various organisations, besides the army and the civil administration also setting up various relief centres. “We are more worried about our future as our house has completely collapsed and I along with my entire family have been staying in this makeshift relief camp being set up by the BSF.
“We have a very bleak future ahead due to the upcoming winter,” said Hasan Mir, who along with his family of four has been staying in a relief camp being set by the BSF near the Srinagar airport.
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Mubarak Gul said, “We want money and lots of relief material, so that we can rehabilitate the flood-hit people of Kashmir. We are afraid that the winters might be more dangerous to these people as compared to the floods”. –PTI
Tejinder Singh Sodhi
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