Water level in river Jhelum today crossed the 'flood declaration' mark at Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar, prompting authorities to set up emergency control rooms, even as 17 people were rescued from flash floods in Poonch and a woman killed in lightning in Rajouri.
"Due to continuous rains, the gauge at Ram Munshi Bagh has crossed the flood declaration level of 18-feet. The habitation along the embankments of River Jhelum and in low lying areas of Central Kashmir are advised to remain vigilant," an official of the Irrigation and Flood Control department said.
He said the staff deputed on flood duty in central Kashmir have been directed to report to their respective beats.
The water level at Sangam, in south Kashmir Anantnag district, was at 20.30 feet at 7.00 pm, just 0.70 feet below the flood declaration level, he said.
With rains continuing to pound most parts of the Valley, the administration here is gearing up for the possibility of flood.
Jammu and Kashmir police set up round-the-clock emergency help lines across the Valley and put its men on high alert to meet any eventuality.
"Emergency help lines have been established in control rooms across the Valley to provide help to the people (in case of floods). These control rooms will remain open 24x7," a police spokesman said.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti chaired a high-level meeting here to take stock of the situation.
She has asked the divisional administration to gear up to meet any eventuality in view of the inclement weather, an official spokesman said.
She reviewed the preparedness and the steps to be taken by the administration in view of the emerging situation of rains and waterlogging in many parts of Kashmir Valley at a meeting of officers here.
Mehbooba directed that senior functionaries of the concerned departments be deputed to the control room to respond to the emerging situation in a coordinated approach.
She also directed chalking out contingency plans for the flood-prone areas and make available nearby buildings in case of emergency evacuations.
Mehbooba directed for immediate constitution of a unified control room to monitor the situation arising out of incessant rains and unusual snowfall in the Valley for the past two days and take appropriate measures.
She specifically directed patrolling of spots which had breached during the floods of 2014. The 2014 floods had caused widespread destruction in the Valley as more than 300 persons were killed in the deluge that struck in the month of September.
According to MeT department officials, Srinagar received 83.9 mm rain and snowfall over the past 24 hours while Kokernag in south Kashmir received 69.9 mm of rains in the corresponding period.
Pahalgam, also in south Kashmir, recorded rainfall of 64.2 mm of rains in the past 24 hours, the officials said.
The incessant rains have forced closure of the arterial Jammu-Srinagar national highway as the downpour has triggered landslides and shooting stones at several places along the 300-km road.
Air traffic to and from Srinagar International Airport was also affected due to weather conditions as 10 flights were cancelled while most of the other flights were delayed.
At least 17 people were rescued by the police after they were trapped in flash floods in a river in Poonch district, police officials said.
All the people who were rescued are now safe, they said.
In Rajouri, a woman, identified as Khaton, was killed after she was struck by lightning in Dandote belt of the district, police said.
In another incident, 40 sheep were killed after a cow shed collapsed due to heavy rains in Shandi Balmatkote in Reasi district, police said.
Massive traffic jams were witnessed in many parts of Srinagar as the roads were inundated as drains were overflowing.
The divisional administration has pressed into service pumps and fire tenders to dewater the city roads.
The authorities have also closed down all schools in the Valley till Sunday in view of the rain and unusual snowfall at this time of the year.
The University of Kashmir and the Islamic University have postponed all examinations for the day.
The Health Department has directed all district and block level officers to prepare for exigencies in case of flood.
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