Srinagar: Rains on Thursday led to waterlogging in most parts of this summer capital of the state, causing major inconvenience to both the commuters as well as the motorists.
The rains started early Thursday morning, bringing much needed relief from the sweltering heat wave from last few days. However, as the rain continued for several hours, it brought about chaos and made the commute to work a nightmare.
Report said rainwater pools of different sizes were formed on the roads in different places as drainage system is mostly clogged.
Pedestrians complained about waterlogging in Lal Chowk, the commercial hub of the Valley as many vehicles splashed them with muddy water. At several places, the pedestrians had to wade through ankle-height water, reports added.
Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary visited various areas across the Srinagar city to assess the waterlogging situation and inspect dewatering efforts following the morning rainfall in Srinagar.
He said concerned departments had been instructed to ensure swift dewatering of all roads and lanes especially those leading to important installations like hospitals and receiving stations. He said concerted efforts ensured earliest possible dewatering of roads across the city.
The deputy commissioner also claimed that in addition to 80 dewatering stations and 115 mobile pumping stations of the SMC over a dozen fire tenders and pumps of the F&ES were pressed into service for dewatering efforts across the city. “This was in addition to 10 pumping stations of the UEED covering areas surrounding the Dal lake.”
He said all line departments including PWD, PHE, SMC, PDD, UEED and Traffic had deployed adequate men and machinery on the ground to deal with the situation. He said officers were designated as nodal officers for different zones to monitor the situation within their areas of jurisdiction.
The DC also visited various Old City areas on the occasion and took stock of water-logging situation and dewatering efforts underway there.
Dr Shahid said water-logging as a result of rains throws a major challenge because of deficient drainage in the district adding that the district administration is fast-tracking efforts to bridge shortfalls through a comprehensive drainage project that will address this deficit. (GNS)
