UPDATE Flood waters starts receding but lakhs still...
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Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action New Delhi 110 008 Lakhs of people are still stranded in flood‐affected Jammu and Kashmir even as the armed forces and teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) stepped up relief and rescue operations after the weather further improved on Tuesday. The rescue teams have evacuated about 43,000 people, including 24,000 from Srinagar city. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the floods as the worst in 109 years and said the government would reach out to all the victims. Thousands of people are still trapped in their homes in Srinagar with little or no food , water and medicines. The only State presence on the ground is that of the Armed forces and a handful of police. While the boats kept bringing hordes of stranded people, thousands are still trapped and the dearth of boats and lack of an organized response to the calamity has only fuelled anger among the residents. There is a major breakdown in all forms of communication‐ not only between the people, but also between the district administration and the government. This has stalled a coordinated response to the floods.Authorities were also trying to fix the telecommunication links snapped since Sunday afternoon on a war footing and hope to restore it in a phased manner. Officials said shortage of boats was also affecting rescue operations. A total of 61 Indian Air Force choppers and transport air craft undertook 354 sorties non‐stop overnight to carry men and relief materials to submerged parts of the Valley where about one lakh troops are engaged in rescue operations equipped with 170 boats. Over 40 boats were airlifted from Rajasthan and Punjab states with 10 medical teams. Both inside the flooded city and the rare dry islands, there were scenes of helplessness on Tuesday. From Natipora to Nowgam, a stretch of 5 km where more than 2,500 houses have been submerged, people rowed along in makeshift rafts amid cries of help for drinking water, food and even insulin. The Army is using social media applications such as twitter, facebook and WhatsApp to reach out to the flood affected people of Jammu and Kashmir. Flood waters started receding in Kashmir on Tuesday but hundreds of thousands were still awaiting to be rescued, many stuck on rooftops for days with little or no food and clean water. A massive multi‐ agency rescue and relief operation gathered pace as the rain eased with air force and civilian helicopters and transport aircraft conducting non‐stop sorties and rescuing over a thousand people and dropping relief materials in submerged South Kashmir and Srinagar. Media reports said over 47,000 people had been evacuated so far but close to 4,00,000 were still stranded, in their homes or in makeshift tents and ill‐prepared rescue camps. The worst flood have left at least 200 people dead in the past week and around 2,000 villages under several feet of muddy water. The disaster has brought devastation to the other side of the border too with over 230 dead and nearly half a million affected in Pakistan’s Punjab and in Pakistan‐occupied Kashmir. The Army is running 12 relief camps in the state and setting up a field hospital, apart from transporting 150 tonnes of rations, one lakh ready to eat meals, two tones of medicines, etc UPDATE: Flood waters starts receding but lakhs still stranded , cut off in the Kashmir Valley
Transcript of UPDATE Flood waters starts receding but lakhs still...
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Lakhsofpeoplearestill stranded in flood‐affected JammuandKashmirevenas thearmed forcesandteamsoftheNationalDisasterResponseForce(NDRF)steppedupreliefandrescueoperationsaftertheweather further improved on Tuesday. The rescue teams have evacuated about 43,000 people,including24,000fromSrinagarcity.ChiefMinisterOmarAbdullahdescribedthefloodsastheworst in109 years and said the governmentwould reachout to all the victims. Thousandsof people are stilltrappedintheirhomesinSrinagarwithlittleornofood,waterandmedicines.TheonlyStatepresenceonthegroundisthatoftheArmedforcesandahandfulofpolice.Whiletheboatskeptbringinghordesof stranded people, thousands are still trapped and the dearth of boats and lack of an organizedresponsetothecalamityhasonlyfuelledangeramongtheresidents.There is a major breakdown in all forms of communication‐ not only between the people, but alsobetweenthedistrictadministrationandthegovernment.Thishasstalledacoordinatedresponsetothefloods.Authoritieswerealso tryingtofixthe telecommunicationlinkssnappedsinceSundayafternoononawarfootingandhope torestore it inaphasedmanner. Officialssaidshortageofboatswasalsoaffecting rescueoperations. A totalof61 IndianAir Forcechoppersand transportair craft undertook354sortiesnon‐stopovernighttocarrymenandreliefmaterialstosubmergedpartsoftheValleywhereaboutonelakhtroopsareengagedinrescueoperationsequippedwith170boats.Over40boatswereairliftedfromRajasthanandPunjabstateswith10medicalteams.Both inside the flooded city and the rare dry islands, therewere scenes of helplessness on Tuesday.FromNatipora toNowgam, a stretchof 5 kmwheremore than2,500houses havebeen submerged,peoplerowedalonginmakeshiftraftsamidcriesofhelpfordrinkingwater,foodandeveninsulin.TheArmy is using social media applications such as twitter, facebook andWhatsApp to reach out to thefloodaffectedpeopleofJammuandKashmir.FloodwatersstartedrecedinginKashmironTuesdaybuthundredsofthousandswerestillawaitingtobe rescued,manystuckon rooftops fordayswith littleorno foodandcleanwater. Amassivemulti‐agencyrescueandreliefoperationgatheredpaceastheraineasedwithairforceandcivilianhelicoptersand transportaircraft conductingnon‐stopsortiesand rescuingovera thousandpeopleanddroppingreliefmaterialsinsubmergedSouthKashmirandSrinagar.Media reports said over 47,000 people had been evacuated so far but close to 4,00,000 were stillstranded,intheirhomesorinmakeshifttentsandill‐preparedrescuecamps.Theworstfloodhaveleftatleast200peopledeadinthepastweekandaround2,000villagesunderseveralfeetofmuddywater.Thedisasterhasbroughtdevastationtotheothersideofthebordertoowithover230deadandnearlyhalfamillionaffectedinPakistan’sPunjabandinPakistan‐occupiedKashmir.TheArmyisrunning12reliefcampsinthestateandsettingupafieldhospital,apartfromtransporting150tonnesofrations,onelakhreadytoeatmeals,twotonesofmedicines,etc
UPDATE: Flood waters starts receding but lakhs still stranded , cut off in the Kashmir Valley
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Medicalsuppliesandsolarlampsarebeingsenttotheaffectedareas,rescueandreliefoperationsareon in full swing, with the Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the National Disaster Response Force(NDRF)havingbeen engaged in theworkonawar‐footing.Evenaswaterof Jhelumriverhas floodedpartsofSrinagarandadjacentareas,theNDRF,theIAFandArmyengineeringteamsareputtinginhugeeffortstowardsrescueandreliefoperations
(TheHindu,HindustanTimes&TimesofIndia,10thSeptember2014)
ACTIONSTODATE,ANDEMERGENCYNEEDSAfter assessing the flood situation in Jammu and Kashmir, PrimeMinister NarendraModi on Sundaydeclaredthesitautiona"national‐leveldisaster"andannouncedaspecialassistanceofINR1,000crore(US$ 170, 940, 171) for the flood‐hit state besidesINR 2 00000 (US $ 3419) compensation from thePrime Minister's Relief Fund for the kin of the dead andINR 50,000 (US $ 855) for those seriouslyinjured.CASAhasreleasedINR21,75,500(US$37,188)towardsorganizingdistributionofdryrationkitandNFIsto 1170 families in Kulgam and Sri Nagar districts in Kashmir. CASA along with its local partnerorganizationsandMountainForumHimalayashavebeenoneofthefirstrespondentstothedisasterinKashmir. Immediateprocurementof food,blankets, tarpaulin,hygiene kits,utensils, torch,etc for theaffected families is underway. Alongwith its local partner Jammu Kashmir Humanitarian Foundation,CASAis identifyingsuitablereliefsitesforstartingcommunitykitchens.Thesecommunitykitchenswillbestartedwhere largenumberofpeople is taking emergencyshelter.CASA isalso collaboratingwithCNIDioceseofAmritsarforestablishingawarehouseinSrinagar.CASA’s and its partner organization’s staff are already there in Kashmir but are not able to reach theaffected areas as the villages remain cut off and even the area where these staff are staying is alsomarooned. They are also facing difficulty in meeting their food and other needs. Communicationnetworkwas completely damagedby the flood andwe are havingdifficulties even in communicatingwiththem.Oncethewaterrecedes,ourstaffalongwith localpartnerstaffwill visit themostaffectedvillagesandstartthereliefwork. PHOTOSFROMTHEFIELD:
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More than220peoplearefearedkilledand20,000housesdamagedas incessantrain,flashfloodandlandslideswreakedhavoc inJammuandKashmirstateoverthepastfewdays.Thenumber is likelytorise as authorities are yet to receive information from remote areas of the region. The death tollincludes67victimsofNowsherabusaccidentand30victimsofPancherilandslide.Bodiesofseveralofthemareyettoberecovered.Accordingtoreports,2,500livestockperishedintheflood,whileover170governmentbuildingssufferedheavydamagesduringthecalamity.Morethan1,10,000peoplehavebeenrescuedinmassiverescue‐cum‐reliefoperationslaunchedjointlybythearmedforcesandtheNationalDisasterResponseForce(NDRF)alongwithpolicefromdifferentpartsoffloodravaged JammuandKashmir.At least84IndianAirForce(IAF)andArmyAviationCorpsaircraftandhelicoptersareinactionferryingmaroonedpeopletosaferplaces.But there’s a downside aswell. Burglars are having a field day in the flood‐hit Valley, particularly inSrinagar city, where frightened residents left their houses unlocked. Briefing reporters on rescueoperations, an Army spokesman said, “The Army has deployed around 30,000 troops for rescue andreliefoutofwhich21,000areinSrinagarregionaloneand9,000inJammu.Sofar2,24,000litresofwater,2.6tonsofbiscuit,7.5tonsbabyfoodand31,500foodpacketshavebeenairdroppedordistributed.Wehavealsoprovided8,200blanketsand650tents tofloodvictims.Morereliefmaterials, includingwaterbottlesand foodpacketsarebeingairlifted fromHyderabad,Baroda,GoldenTemple(Amritsar),AmbalaandDelhi.The IAF has scaledback its chopperwinchingoperations since the focus now is on airdropping food,water and other relief material to thousands of people marooned on rooftops in flood‐hit Srinagar.Moreover,groundoperationshavealsobecomerobustwiththeArmyandNDRFdeploying372boatstorescue victims. Naval marine commandos are also trying to build “boat bridges” or “water‐ways”betweenlow‐lyingareasandhighergroundacrosstheJhelum.Officials,however,didadmittherewas“someconcern”about the“safety”ofchoppersaftera few incidentsof stone‐peltingbutmaintainedthat the overriding factor in scaling downwinching operations was the logistics involved. It takes asortie of around90minutes towinchup 25persons. In the same time, around5,000 food and reliefpacketscanbeairdroppedtopeople,someofwhomdonotwanttoleavetheirhomes.Butwearealsocontinuingwithwinchingoperationsasandwhenrequired,”saidanofficial.ThedamagetoSrinagarbecauseoffloodingcouldhavebeenlesssevereifstateauthoritieshadopenedup crucial embankments in uninhabited areas in southern Kashmir, a reconstruction of events andaccountsfromrescuersseemtosuggest.Battling itsworstfloodingin60years, JammuandKashmir istheonly state in the country that doesn’t havemonitoring centres towarn about the changes in thelevelsofriversandlakesthatdottheflood‐proneborderstate.AproposalbytheCentralWaterCommission(CWC)–aUniongovernmentbodyresponsibleforkeepingawatchonriversandreservoirs–tosetupflood‐monitoringstationshasbeenpendingformorethanfiveyears.
Update‐II:FLOODSITUATIONREMAINSGRIMINKASHMIRVALLEY
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The survey of the affected villages and buildings was in progress, and it is feared that nearly 1,600villagesacrossregionweredirectlyorindirectlyaffectedbytheflood.Torestoreconnectivity,fiveBROtask forcesareon the jobandhave restored the linksbetweenBatote‐KishtwarandKishtwar‐SinthanPass‐Anantnagwhicharenowopenforlightvehicles,whiletheJammu‐Poonchroadhasbeenclearedaswell. Flagship fuel retailer Indian Oil Corporation has airlifted tanker‐loads of jet fuel and diesel toSrinagartokeepthereliefandrescuesortiesbyArmyaircraftgoingintheflood‐ravagedKashmirValley.Roadlinktoalldistrictheadquartersandtehsilshasbeenrestoredandtheinternalroadlinksarelikelytofunctionalwithinaweek.(HindustanTimes,TheIndianExpress&TimesofIndia,12thSeptember2014)
ACTIONSTODATE,ANDEMERGENCYNEEDSThe State and Central Government apart from announcing compensations are continuing with therescueandreliefefforts.Thefollowingaretheupdatesason11thSeptember2014:1,10,000peoplerescuedsofarbythearmedforcesandNDRF.84transportaircraftandhelicoptersofIAF andArmyAviationCorps pressed into service. 2, 24,000 liters ofwater, 31,500 foodpackets andover375tonnecookedfoodhavebeenairdropped.8,200blanketsand650tentsprovidedtothefloodsurvivours.80medicalteamsoftheArmedForcesMedicalServicesareoperatinginthestate.Fourfieldhospitals havebeen established and 21,500patients have alreadybeen treated. 90moreboats havebeendeployedbyArmy inSrinagarandadjoiningareas.Atotalof224boatsofArmyand148NDRF’sinflatable boats are involved in the rescueoperation. 19 relief campshavebeen setupby the armedforces in Srinagar and Jammu region. 10,000 personnel of Army Engineers and Border RoadsOrganisation restored road links to over 1,000 villages and towns in J&K. Jammu‐Srinagar NationalHighway,shutduetolandslidenearRamsoo,wasopenedforlightmotorvehicles. CASAhassentouttwoof itsseniorandexperiencedstafftoSriNagaron7thSeptember2014andtheyhavebeenassessingthesituationandcoordinatingwiththeGovernmentandlocalagenciestoeffectaresponsetothesituation. CASAhas identified twolocalpartnersnamelyNGOsFederationheadedbyMr.Imtias Hussain and Rev. Vinesh Sunny from Church of North India. This has also added 37 morepeople to the CASA’s ground team. A warehouse has already been identified by our team, which isKashmirValleySchool locatedadjacenttotheSrinagarAirport.CASAHQteamisairlifting1500unitsofsolar lantern with the help from Indigo Air lines, a commercial airline company in India today.Tomorrow,CASAwillairlift12,000litersofA+fullcreammilkintetrapackstoSrinagar.CASAteaminSrinagar iscarryingoutanassessmentbyboat intheMallora,Shanting,Kawasas,andNarabalareastofacilitate the distribution of solar lanterns and milk. CASA is also in the process of procuring dryrations, utensil sets, woolen blanket, tarpaulins sheets, ground sheets, plastic bucket with lid, plasticmug,waterpurification tablet,hygiene kit, etc.Arrangementsaremade tostart the reliefdistributionevenbyboats.
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JammuandKashmirisbattlingoneoftheworstfloodsindecadeswithriversintheregioninspateduetodaysofincessantrain.TheArmy,IAFandNDRFaredoingamassiveround‐the‐clockrescueandreliefoperation,with 86 aircrafts and30,000 troops.Armed forces andNationalDisaster Relief Forcehaverescuedovertwolakhtrappedpeopleastheoperationsenteredthe13thday.Overonelakhpeoplearestillmaroonedaftertheworstfloodsinthestateinacenturyunleashedatrailofdeathanddestruction,claimingatleast250lives.Whileitwilltakesometimetoknowthereal lossthefloodshavecausedinJammuandKashmir,aninitialestimatehasputitaroundRs.5,700crore,withheavydamagestotrade,hotels,restaurants,horticultureandhandicraft.Thetotal lossesareestimatedtobeRs.2,630croreforhotels, trade,agricultureandhorticulture, roadsandbridges,while infrastructure like railways,powerandcommunicationwouldhavesufferedalossofaroundRs.2,700‐3,000crore,"Assochamhassaidinastatement.
Anxiety grew on Sunday with fresh rains lashing the Valley, the Jhelum rising, and the weathermanpredictingmoredownpourswiththunderandlightningforthenextfivetosevendaysacrossthestate‐asituation unfavorable for effective rescue work. While the rain on Sunday was intermittent, itcompounded problems of the flood‐hit people in relief camps at various places in south Srinagar.Localities likeBemina, BatamalooandKaranNagarcontinued to remainunder10 to15 feetofwater;thelocalssaidonphonewhichworkedwithgreatdifficulty.Eventhoughtheauthoritiesannounced80%of BSNLmobile and landline services across Kashmirwere restored, the servicewas extremely poor.Srinagar’stwomainhospitals,SMHSandGBpant,arestillunder15feetofwater.
With the threat of disease outbreak lurking in flood‐ravaged Jammu and Kashmir, efforts have beeninitiatedonawar‐footingtoprovidemedicalstaffandmedicines.UnionHealthMinisterHarshVardhan,whovisitedtheflood‐hitJ&KonSunday,saidthevalleynowfaceschallengeofcopingwithwaterbornediseases.Promisingtoassistthestategovernmentinarrestingthespreadofdiseasessuchasdiarrhea,jaundice and gastroenteritis, he said efforts are on to launch an education campaign and hyper‐chlorination.HesaidtheCentrehasdispatchedabout50lakhchlorinetablets.
ArmedForceshavealsoestablished19reliefcampsinSrinagarandJammuregion.“InSrinagarregion,campswereestablishedatBBCantt,Avantipur,OldAirfield,Sumbal,ChattargamandJijamataMandir,where thousands of rescued people are being sheltered,” the spokesperson said. To restore roadconnectivity, five task forces of Border RoadsOrganisation, which include 5700personnel, havebeendeployedinSrinagar,RajouriandAkhnoor,hesaid.Accordingtounofficialestimates,thedeathrollwasaround 250. The Army officer said that suction pumps and other engineering equipment fromVishakhapatnam have reached the flood affected areas for relief work.12 sewage pumps from DelhihavealsobeendispatchedtotheValley.
Also,30generatorsetsof3to5KVAcapacityhavebeensenttoSrinagartoprovidecontinuouspowersupplyinreliefcampsandfieldhospitals,theofficersaid.Thirteentonnesofwaterpurifyingtabletsandsixwaterfiltrationplantswithacapacitytofilter1.2lakhbottlesperdayhavealsoreachedSrinagar.
WhilethefloodwatersarerecedingfromseveralpartsofSrinagar,hundredsofhousesin localitieslikeJawahar Nagar, Googji Bagh, Bemina, Ram Bagh amdNowgam have collapsed, with an NDRF official
Update III: Rain lashes the Kashmir Valley, rescue operation affected
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tellingthattheremightbehundredsofcasusalities.Thestatecontinuestobeindireneedofelectricityandtelephonelinesormobileconnectionstosynchronizereliefoperationsandhelpre‐establishcontactbetweencountlessfamilieslivinginignoranceofwhatfatebefelltheircloserelativesandfriendsinthevalley.Officialssaidevacuationofresidentsheld‐upintheirhousesinsubmergedareaswilltaketwotothreedays.Insomelowlyingareasitmaytakeevenlonger.Ontheotherside,more than10breaches intheembankmentofthe Jhelumriverwithinaspanof10hours have causeddevastation in Srinagar, yet even after six days the government has failed to plugthesebreaches, causingwater stagnationwithin the city.Thesebreacheshave left the city’sbusinesscentre,LalChowk,andthe localititiesofRajbagh,JawharNagar,TulsiBagh, IndiraNagarandShivporacompletely submerged. Though thewater in the riverhas started to recede, it continues to flow intoresidentialareas,submergingsomehousesundernearly15feetofwater.The government’s indifference towards disaster management and years of neglect were the mainreasonsforthehavocwreckedbyfloods intheKashmirValleythathaveclaimedmorethan250lives,experts say. The Himalayan region is vulnerable to natural disasters ranging from earthquakes andfloodstocloudbursts,butthegovernmentdoesnothaveadisastermanagementplaninplace.Thesewere not flash floods but build up due to non‐stop rains for five consecutive days, said formerbureaucratMohammadSaleemBeg,whosubmittedtheINR2,200croreproposalonfloodmanagementtotheCentrein2010.A 2012 Comptroller and Auditor General report said the State’s disaster management preparednessremainedtardydespitethelossof86,000livesinanearthquakein2005,thehighestforanyregionsince2001.ThegovernmentdidnotsetupaquickdisasterresponseandreliefteamdespiterequestsbytheNational Disaster Management Authority and did not use available satellite technology to evacuatepeople.(IndiaToday.in,HindustanTimes,TheIndianExpress&TimesofIndia,13&15thSeptember2014)
ACTIONSTODATE,ANDEMERGENCYNEEDSThe State and Central Government apart from announcing compensations are continuing with therescueandreliefefforts.Thefollowingaretheupdatesason11thSeptember2014:Over1,84,000personshavebeenrescuedsofarbyArmedForcesandNDRFfromdifferentpartsoftheflood‐hitstate.13tonnesofwaterpurifyingtabletsandsixwaterfiltrationplantswithacapacitytofilter1.2 lakhbottlesperdayhasreachedSrinagar.30generatorsetsof3to5KVAcapacityhavealsobeensent toSrinagarforcontinuouspowersupply inreliefcampsandfieldhospitals.Additionalequipmentfrom BSNL are being dispatched to restore communication systems in the state. 8,200 blankets and1,392tentshavebeenprovidedtothefloodvictims.80medicalteamsofArmedForcesMedicalServicesareoperating infullswing.4fieldhospitalshavebeenestablished inAvantipur,Pattan,AnantnagandOldAirfield.Tillnow,theyhavetreatedaround51,476patients.84aircraftsandhelicoptersofIndianAirForce andArmyAviation Corps are carrying out rescue and relief. Armyhas deployed around30,000troops for the relief work.More than5,08,000 litres ofwater, 3,10,000 foodpackets andover 1,054tonnes of cooked food have already been airdropped. So far, 2,253 sorties were undertaken by thehelicoptersandaircraftsand3,017tonnesofreliefmaterialshavebeendropped.Atotalof224boatsofArmyand148NDRF’sinflatableboatsareactivelyinvolvedintherescueoperation.ArmedForceshave
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alsoestablished19reliefcampsinSrinagarandJammuregion. InSrinagar,campswereestablishedatBBCantt,Avantipur,OldAirfield,Sumbal,ChattargamandJijamataMandir. CASAHQteamhasairlifted1500unitsofsolarlanternand6888litresA+fullcreammilkintetrapackstoSrinagarwiththehelpfromIndigoAir lines,acommercialairlinecompanyinIndia lastweek.MilkandGlucosebiscuitpacketswillalsobeairliftedsoon.Thefollowingtableprovidesthedatewisedetailsoftheimmediatereliefitemshasbeen/willbeairliftedbyCASA.DispatchDate Item Quantity No.ofpieces/units13/09/2014 SolarLantern 250cartons 1500units14/09/2014 NestleMilk 574Cartons 6888Litres15/09/2014 NestleMilk 425Cartons 5100liters16/09/2014 Biscuits 298Cartons 42912packetsCASAhasplacedordersfor thefollowingreliefmaterialsandwill transportanddistributethemto thefloodaffectedfamiliesinKashmirvalleyroadlinksarerestored.
DESCRIPTION QUANTITY
Blanket 4000pcs.
PlasticMugVirginPlastic1liter. 1000pcs.
15ltr.825gms.UNHCRtypePlasticBucket 1000pcs.
TTKPrestige‐Popular5literPressureCooker 1000pcs.
Aquatabs.67mgfor14lIterwaterstoragecontainer 5000((Stripof10tablets)
UtensilSets 1000set
HygieneKit 1000kit
GroundSheet12x9(150GSM) 1000pcs.
SilpaulinTarpaulin12x18(150GSM) 1000pcs.
CASA field teamhas already started the relief distribution in Srinagar from13th September 2014. Theelectricity,dataandwirelessservicesareyettoberestoredfully.Therefore,wewillsharephotosoncetheseservicesarerestoredintheregion.
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Aswaterlevelsrecede,theJ&Kgovernmenthasfailedtotakeupthetaskofdrainingoutstagnantwaterduetolackofdewateringpumps.Pumpsinthecityaresubmergedandairliftingnewonesfromoutsidethestatewilltaketime.2,34,000peoplehavebeenrescuedsofarbytheArmedForcesandtheNDRFfrom different parts of Jammu & Kashmir. Three teams of Naval Marine Commandos are activelyinvolvedinrescueoperationsatWatlab,WidipuraandTankpur.Governmentfearsthatafterthewaterrecedestheremightbeoutbreakofwaterbornediseases.“Asthefloodwaterhasstartedrecedingtheapprehensionforwaterbornediseases isrising.Nowdemandforfilteredwaterhas increased,”saidaseniorofficeroftheDefenceMinistry. CentrehasalreadyliftedtwentyROplantswithacapacitytofilter4,00,000 litreperdayfromHyderabadandfourROplantsfromDelhiwithacapacitytofilter1,00,000litre per day. Besides, thirteen tones of water purifying tablets and six water filtration plants with acapacitytofilter1,20,000bottlesperdaywassentearliertoSrinagar.“Furthertopumpoutwaterinthesubmergedareasmoreheavydutysuctionpumpsarebeingairliftedfrom Jodhpur and Raipur. Sewage pumps fromDelhi have also been dispatched to the valley. Thirtygenerator sets of 3 to 5 KVA capacity have also been sent to Srinagar to augment continuouspowersupplyinreliefcampsandfieldhospitals,”saidaseniorofficeroftheDefenceMinistry.33,000blanketshavebeenairliftedtoflood‐affectedarea.5 taskforcesofBorderRoadsOrganisation,which include 5,700 personnel, have been deployed in Srinagar, Rajouri and Akhnoor. They haverestored the road connectivity from Batote to Bijbiara and Srinagar to Sonamarg. Srinagar‐Baramullaroadhasbeenopenedforlightmotorvehicles. Expressingitsconcernovertheslowpaceofrelief,theSupremeCourtobservedthattoppriorityfortheStategovernmentwastobringdrinkingwaterandmedicinestothefloodvictims.Thecourtalsowantedthe State government to make ex‐gratia payments to victims for immediate life support. Rain hadwashed away forward border posts. “This is the time of maximum infiltration. Forces have to bediverted thereand thesearesensitiveparts.”TheBenchpointedout thatpetitioners’have contendedthatpeoplewererescuedanddumpedwithoutbasic lifesupport.Therewereonlyafewhealthcampsandbankshavealsostoppedfunctioning.Though largeparts of the KashmirValley are still inundated, theRailways havebeen able to partiallyrestore services there. Northern Railway officials said the Railways was able to commence DEMUservices in the Kashmir Valley and also services of two trains between Srinagar and Baramulla onMonday. While special trains have been pressed into service, additional coaches have also beenattached to the regular trains. The officials claimed they have cleared around 28,000 flood‐affectedpersonsstuck inKatra.UdhampurandJammu.“Flood‐affectedpassengersarrivingatDelhi.NewDelhiand Anand Vihar railway sations from Jammu and Kashmir are being cleared by special and regulartrains. Arrangements like special waiting room at the NewDelhi station has been set up. Help deskshavealsobeencreatedforentertainingenquiries,”anofficialadded.SheikhMubarakhshudderedasherecalledthedevastationcausedbythefloodsinJammuandKashmir.“Afterthefloodwatersenteredourarea,allwecoulddowasrunleavingwhateverlittlewecouldtakealong.Deadbodiesoffamiliarfaceswerefloatingaroundbutnoonecared,”saidMubarakh,whohad
Update IV: Railway resumes partial service in the Valley, slow pace of relief work raises concern
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moved to the Valley in 2010 along with his brother. Mubarakh was among the over 1,500 flood‐hitpeoplefromJ&KwhoreachedeastDelhi’sAnandViharterminalinaspecialtrainonMonday.“Wewalkedover300kilometerstoreacharmycampsthatwerealreadystuffedwithpeople.Afteralotofstruggle,wemanagedtoreachtherailwaystation.IamrelievedthatatlastIwillbeabletomeetmyfamily,” said Mohammad Iqbal, from Bihar. Many like Iqbal were put into various trains to theirrespectivehometownsfromDelhionMonday.MostvictimsbelongedtoBihar,UttarPradeshandWestBengal.Shabnam, an agricultural labourer, held her four‐year‐old daughter, Meher, near her chest. ThetiresomewalksandlackoffoodhadrenderedMeherweakwithhighfever.“WeweregivensomefoodattheUdhampurstationbutafterthe trainstartedwehavebeenstarving.Thedoctorsheregavehersometabletsandhasaskedhertotakeamplerest,”saidateary‐eyedShabnam.“Peoplearecomingtouswithbodyacheandflu.Disasteraffectedvictimsareoverworkedandinastateofshock.Ittakesawhileforittocompletelyheal.Wehavegiventhemmedicinesfortemporaryrelief,”saidDr.SujatafromtheRailwayHospital.Highway closure cuts off supplies of essentials: With floods rendering the Jammu‐Srinagar NationalHighway inoperational for12 consecutivedays today,Valley residentsare facinganacuteshortageofessential commodities even as people in some areas of north and south Kashmir accused theadministrationofconcentratingonlyonSrinagarcity.The300‐kmlongJammu‐SrinagarNationalHighwayisconsideredthelifelineofKashmirandisusedtobring in essential commodities to theValley but the closurehas cut off transportationof goods. At atimewhen theCentreand thestategovernmentare trying theirbesttoproviderelief totheflood‐hitresidentsofthecity,peoplelivinginotherdistrictsofthestateallegetheyhavebeenneglected.“Therearenofreshvegetablesavailableinthemarket,thegovernmentrationsdepotsareoutofrationandnowourcookinggascylinderstooarerunningempty,”ParvezAhmed,aresidentofNorthKashmir’sSoporetown,toldPTI(PressTrustof India)onphone.However,residentsoftheapplerichtownwererunningoutofrationandotheressentialcommodities.(HindustanTimes,TheIndianExpress,TheStatesman&TimesofIndia,16thSeptember2014)
CASA’sRESPONSE:CASA started its relief operation from 13th September 2014 in the worst affected areas. The airliftedsolar lanterns, milk packs, biscuits were distributed to the affected families in Banipora district. Thefollowingtableprovidesthedistributiondetailsinthedistrict.S.No VillageName Reliefitemsdistributed
perfamilyNo.offamiliescovered
1 Khaujabagh 892 Shaltang 923 Mustafabad
1Solarlantern3litersofmilkBiscuitpackets 7
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4 Malora 29Total 4Villages
217
CHALLENGES:
• The lackofavailabilityofpetrolanddieselhas toa large extent restricted themobilityof thefieldteam.
• Thereisalsoscarcityofboatsandboatsarenotavailable.Thereforedistributionofrelief itemsevenbyboatsisnotpossible.
• ThedemandintheaffectedareasforreliefsupportisveryhighbuttherehasbeenlowlevelofresponsetotheACTpreliminaryappealforthesituation.
ThefloodandlandslidesituationinKashmirvalleyturnedoutbeoneofthegreatesttragediesaftertheTsunami that hit the Southern parts of the country in the year 2004. There is enormous need forextendingreliefsupporttotheaffectedcommunities.Therefore,CASArequestsalltheResourceSharingPartnerstomaximizetheirgrantstowardstheACTappealwithintheirfinancialconstraints.PHOTOSFROMTHEFIELD:
Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action New Delhi 110 008
Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action New Delhi 110 008
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