With weather showing significant improvement over the past 24 hours and the water level receding in Jhelum, the threat of flood was warded off on Thursday
Officials said the water level in Jhelum and other water bodies across Kashmir went down significantly after the improvement in weather condition on Thursday.
Four days of rains had the Jhelum river breaching the flood declaration mark in south Kashmir Sangam and Srinagar’s Ram Mnshi Bagh.
A government officials said the maximum gauge reading was 22.09 feet at Sangam on Wednesday evening at 8 PM. “Current reading at Sangam is 19.65 feet (8 AM), the gauge has dropped by just 2.44 feet in 12 hours. Normally, Sangam gauge should have dropped by more than 6 feet by now,” he said on Twitter.
“It a rare event, probably indicating one or two catchments (Vishow & Rambiyara) had received very high intensity rains that ensured continuous discharge is fed to Sangam (weak enough that it couldn't push the gauge up but strong enough to ensure that gauge didn't reduce quickly). To sum up, 'localised catchment high intensity rainfall event’,” the official said.
An official of Irrigation and Flood Control department said the water level in Jhelum at Sangam gauge in south Kashmir was at 18.29 on Thursday afternoon. However, the level was still above the ‘flood declaration mark’ of 18-ft.
Jhelum was flowing at 19.2-ft on Thursday noon against 19.77-ft at 4 a.m. in the morning at Ram Munshi Bagh. “The water level is expected to reduce further,” said the official.
The water level was still above the danger mark of 18-ft when flood was declared in Srinagar.
At Asham in northern Kashmir’s Bandipora district, the official said, the Jhelum level was at 12.58ft, almost 2-ft below the mark when flood is sounded there.
The official said that the water level has receded below threat level in Jhelum’s tributaries. He said Vishow Nallah at Khudwani Kulgam was flowing at 5.81 m against the flood mark of 7.0m. At noon on June 22, the water level in Vishow Nallah at Khudwani Kulgam had reached 10.7m, he said.
Similarly, the level at Rambiyara Nallah at Wachi Shopian at noon was 1.99 m against danger mark of 5.7 while the nallah Lidder at Batkoot was flowing at 0.76m against the danger level of 1.65m.
Doodhganga Nallah at Barzulla here was flowing at 1.78m against the dangerous mark of 3.8m; Sindh Nallah at Doderhama was flowing 1.99m against 3.36m.
As per MeT department, weather is likely to remain generally dry in J&K till the month end.