Floods In Jammu & Kashmir –With Special Reference To 2014

Abstract

On September, 7, 2014, the river Jhelum, Jammu and Kashmir, was inundated by flood water everywhere smashing everything in its way. The flood waters, triggered by seven days of unusual heavy rains, caused havoc in the region. They washed away crops, orchards and devastated housing and business infrastructure. The main brunt of the ferocious floods, described as the “extreme of the extreme”, was borne by Srinagar city - the city known as the summer capital of Kashmir - home to around two million people. Many remained trapped on roof tops, evading flood waters, for weeks. All major hospitals, shops and pharmacies were inundated and roads were washed away, plunging the Kashmir valley into chaos and causing unimaginable suffering. More than half a million people, most of them in Srinagar city, got trapped in their houses as the city was submerged under 18 feet water for more than three weeks. It was a nightmarish experience within few hours the whole localities got submerged and no way to flee.