The Sahastra Seema Bal (SSB) is a home ministry controlled organization that focuses on strengthening defence In border areas. It is named as an lead agency for intelligence gathering in the Indo Nepal border. But last Sunday, neither could it foresee the sky high floods nor could it defend its boundary as the Alakhanda gobbled up an entire playground, battered a newly constructed officers training centre and washed away equipment and training materials at the SSB Academy in Srinagar.
An officer put the total damages at about Rs 80 crore.
“The new building which was for training of assistant commandants and their living rooms was recently constructed at a cost of Rs 9 crore. The state-of the art facility is completely damaged,” he said. According to him, there were no arms and ammunition among the materials washed away or covered with sand.
But,like elsewhere, a Shiva temple in the vicinity has survived miraculously. The peripheral walls are gone and mud has filled the inside, but the structure itself is safe. Pandit Mahadev Prasad, the temple’s priest, whose family has been maintaining the temple for seven generations, said, "The river was about 1 km from where I stand. It had never come this far before.”
The Pandit puts the unprecedented amount of water to two factors. “Dam walon ne sola ki raath ko (June 16th night) ek tunnel khol diye. Usi raat ko uppar Kedarnath mein who durgatna hui.”
Prasad explains the flooding in Kedarnath was caused by lightning strikes on a glacier. “The strikes opened up huge quantities of water locked up in the mountains. Nothing else can bring such damage.”
The real damage lies just outside the SSB Academy campus. An entire colony of Sakthi Vihar, which locals say had about 100-150 houses lies buried under sand.
Unbelievable scenes come to sight as residents come in droves to locate what once was their home. Though river has gone back to its course, sand mountains have raised the ground levels dwarfing the lamp posts, dogs for a change play with the wires instead of the posts.
Some lucky people who had two storeyed houses that jutted out of the sand have pressed bulldozers into service to excavate the buried floors. Vijay, who works in Delhi, rushed back after hearing of the disaster.” Hamara toh Chath bhi nahi dikh raha hai. Sab Saaman Andhar hai bulldozer bhi nahi pahunch paa raha hai,” he says as he brought his two children along to locate his house.
Vijay and the kids are put up at his sister’s place. “ An ultimatum came at around 2AM on Sunday. It all happened in a matter of 1-2 hours. We could not save our cows and buffaloes they are lying inside,” he says pointing at the earth.
Asha Rawat, mother of two, was woken up as water kissed her feet at 3 AM. “Hamara ek hi manzil tah. Poora dooba hua hai,” she says. She and her two children manage to escape but could not save any of their belongings. “We are wearing clothes given by people and staying with an acquaintance,” she said.
A government ITI bordering the colony also had one floor under sand. “Examinations were due in July. All the records are gone. Don’t know what will happen,” says a student. Authorities were no where in sight.
An officer put the total damages at about Rs 80 crore.
“The new building which was for training of assistant commandants and their living rooms was recently constructed at a cost of Rs 9 crore. The state-of the art facility is completely damaged,” he said. According to him, there were no arms and ammunition among the materials washed away or covered with sand.
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As the main structure itself has been disfigured and stands as a proof for malleability of concrete, extensive damage has been suffered by smaller structures with Plastic/asbestos roofs. Most roofs have been blown away and wherever there is any it is loaded with sand deposits of over 1 feet. Steel almirahs have been battered out of shape and ceiling fans have been twisted on the reverse like umbrellas in Mumbai’s Marine Drive. The force and amount of water that can achieve this kind of destruction is beyond one's comprehension.
But,like elsewhere, a Shiva temple in the vicinity has survived miraculously. The peripheral walls are gone and mud has filled the inside, but the structure itself is safe. Pandit Mahadev Prasad, the temple’s priest, whose family has been maintaining the temple for seven generations, said, "The river was about 1 km from where I stand. It had never come this far before.”
The Pandit puts the unprecedented amount of water to two factors. “Dam walon ne sola ki raath ko (June 16th night) ek tunnel khol diye. Usi raat ko uppar Kedarnath mein who durgatna hui.”
Prasad explains the flooding in Kedarnath was caused by lightning strikes on a glacier. “The strikes opened up huge quantities of water locked up in the mountains. Nothing else can bring such damage.”
The real damage lies just outside the SSB Academy campus. An entire colony of Sakthi Vihar, which locals say had about 100-150 houses lies buried under sand.
Unbelievable scenes come to sight as residents come in droves to locate what once was their home. Though river has gone back to its course, sand mountains have raised the ground levels dwarfing the lamp posts, dogs for a change play with the wires instead of the posts.
Some lucky people who had two storeyed houses that jutted out of the sand have pressed bulldozers into service to excavate the buried floors. Vijay, who works in Delhi, rushed back after hearing of the disaster.” Hamara toh Chath bhi nahi dikh raha hai. Sab Saaman Andhar hai bulldozer bhi nahi pahunch paa raha hai,” he says as he brought his two children along to locate his house.
Vijay and the kids are put up at his sister’s place. “ An ultimatum came at around 2AM on Sunday. It all happened in a matter of 1-2 hours. We could not save our cows and buffaloes they are lying inside,” he says pointing at the earth.
Asha Rawat, mother of two, was woken up as water kissed her feet at 3 AM. “Hamara ek hi manzil tah. Poora dooba hua hai,” she says. She and her two children manage to escape but could not save any of their belongings. “We are wearing clothes given by people and staying with an acquaintance,” she said.
A government ITI bordering the colony also had one floor under sand. “Examinations were due in July. All the records are gone. Don’t know what will happen,” says a student. Authorities were no where in sight.